In 2024, outbound sales have reached a turning point. Mass automation has led to a phenomenon we call The Great Ignore, where prospects increasingly tune out cold outreach. The old playbook of high-volume, generic messaging is no longer effective, especially as email deliverability and buyer expectations evolve. We've seen these shifts firsthand and have reinstated the integrity of the outbound motions of our GTM strategy, but also leaned into other GTM plays that support the results we all need.
Your outbound will suffer if it’s segmented from everything else. A holistic GTM playbook is critical for 2025 and must include the following GTM motions:
The rates and engagement of one offsets the others. The ability to run all of these motions nets out to a healthy GTM playbook.
The Evolution of Business Development
Outbound sales have long relied on a math model of output which has led to an absolute armageddon of activities. But in 2024, the outbound sales process requires more precision and personalization to combat that fatigue or The Great Ignore (wasting your buyers). We’ve helped our clients move away from mass messaging and towards data-driven outbound sales strategies that improve engagement.
This shift focuses on:
- Hyper-targeting decision-makers and influencers – unique to each segment – think total relevant companies instead of total addressable market.
- Serving first, then selling – your content can not suck. It must communicate your unique point of view – be helpful, be clear, be quick.
- Diversifying your GTM motions – inbound, outbound, closer enablement, event, product, etc.
- Strong operational backbone – headcount compensated on the volume plays depleted the integrity of prospecting and its outcomes.
- ROI in 30 days – we don’t have a year to waste anymore!
Adapting to the Self-Educated Buyer: The Saturated Inbox
What if you sent 1/10th of the sales emails – but had 10x the rates and results?
People are trained to distrust new senders in their inbox – if you even make it there.
Modern buyers are more educated than ever, conducting independent research before engaging with sales teams. That’s why we coach our clients to adopt a consultative sales approach. By offering thought leadership and value in initial interactions, rather than immediately pushing products, sales teams can position themselves as trusted advisors and build credibility with prospects.
Take a look at my YTD analysis/comparison. We watched hundreds of reps self-produce pipeline this year with conversions below. Then we utilized their marketing contact tier in Hubspot to nurture companies with extremely relevant demand gen. As signals accumulate over the month, those exact prospects enroll into a more-thoughtful, more-personalized sales sequence with drastically stronger conversion rates. The comparison is drastic: 1,400 outbound sales emails or 350?
Tactics to Consider:
Once #1 is live, you’ll need to be prepared for the next touchpoint on those who engage best.
2. Develop the follow-up strategy (automated or manual)3. Deploy the segmented campaigns and allow those prospects time to learn and engage. Allow time for them to develop enough recognition of your brand or solution. Now, you’re prepared to deploy the ABM play for follow-ups with automated sequences or personalized rep outreach.
At this point, this prospect is ready and worthy of the additional personalized touch and extra effort from our sales team.
We use advanced sales software to track engagement across channels and optimize outreach timing. This provides data-driven decisions for our team/clients on which leads to prioritize based on the prospect’s behavior signals.
Hyper-Personalization: The Key to Outbound Sales Success
In 2024, personalization goes beyond inserting a prospect's name into an email. We help clients adopt a hyper-personalization approach by using insights from their past company data in the CRM (like old deals, old event list, prior company affiliations), timely industry data, and behavioral signals to tailor messages at scale. Whether it's through emails, calls, social selling, or in-person invites, we must focus on crafting personalized messages that resonate deeply with each recipient. This approach not only improves engagement rates but also accelerates the path to conversion.
Leading the Charge in Outbound Sales Transformation
As the outbound sales landscape continues to evolve, agility and innovation are key to staying ahead. Sales teams must strike a balance between leveraging automation and delivering empathetic, personalized outreach. We are committed to leading this transformation by providing the tools, strategies, and insights needed to thrive in 2025 and beyond. By embracing a multi-channel, data-driven, and hyper-personalized approach, companies can overcome The Great Ignore and drive meaningful results.
Ready to take your outbound sales strategy to the next level? Contact us to discover how we can help!