Outbound Sales, No Fluff (Book Summary)

What I liked:
- There really is no fluff or self-promotion or new, “branded” jargon to describe old things
- It is a decent introduction for people completely new to outbound selling.
- The sample cold-call script is solid.
What I did not like:
- I did not find any immediately actionable new ideas
- Though I don’t begrudge the authors the $2.99 I paid for the Kindle version, the book takes only about 30 mins to read (~30 pages when you strip out acknowledgments and appendices). It should really be a free eBook.

The first lesson is this: nobody cares about your product. People care about themselves and their problems. [REVIEWER: Actually, user buyers, technical buyers, and some economic buyers do care about your product. They care about how your product solves their problems.]
Build a list of the problems your product solves. Use this list to qualify a prospect as early as possible.
The second lesson of sales is… If you want to be successful, start by helping others succeed. Build a reputation of being “that person” – the one people can count on and utilize as a resource regardless of whether you close a sale with them.

You need to build a list.
Lead scraping tools:
- Databases & list vendors
- Networks & associations
- In – person events

Targeted audience + Personalized messaging + Right timing + Communication in the correct channel
TRUTH # 1 – All communication channels are useful with some prospects some of the time.
The fastest way to learn … is to ask someone who successfully sells to the same target buyers.
What should a cold call sound like?
- Introduction: Hi [First Name], this is [Name] at [Company], how are you doing?
- Permission: I called to see if what we do for [Problem] can benefit your team. Did I catch you with two minutes?
- Value proposition: We help [Buyer persona] who [Problem] by [Solution]. In fact, [Customer success story].
- Question + leading statement: I’ve seen a lot of [Buyer persona] who are dealing with [specific facet of problem]. How are you addressing that today?
- Qualify for interest + fit: [This is the part you cannot script – you have to know what makes a qualified buyer and really listen to their answers.]
- Ask for the appointment: Well, you’ve been kind to give me a few minutes today and it sounds like there’s reason to continue the conversation. Do you have time this coming [Day] or [Day] that we can get into more detail and determine if there’s a mutual fit?
Cold email
- make every word count.
- Use a single call – to – action:
Social selling
- start simply by following a prospect, engaging with their content, and then inviting them to connect.
- Move from online to offline:

Bucket 1 – Uncontacted
- Activities:
  - Remove any accounts outside your swim-lane
  - Attempt to contact leads via phone, email, and social media
  - Perform additional research or preparation
Bucket 2 – Working
- For full – time appointment setters, this bucket should consistently hold at least 100 leads. Full-cycle sales reps shouldn’t drop below 50 leads.
- Activity: Call regularly (as often as multiple times daily) to make contact
Bucket 3 – Priority
- Activity: Continue with engagement via phone, email, and social to schedule an appointment.
Bucket 4 – Scheduled
- Activities
  - Confirm any appointments scheduled 1 or more weeks out, during the week the appointment is due
  - Confirm all appointments within 12 – 24 hours via email
  - Call to confirm 2 – 3 hours before the scheduled time if the prospect doesn’t respond to final email confirmation

Incredible sales success requires a winning mindset, carefully honed skills, and the right set of tools, all working together.

The math of sales has never changed.
The quality of the conversation lies in your ability to personalize your message to the needs of the prospect.