3 Expert Insights About Sales Outreach Execution (February 2024)

Legendary rocker Eddie Van Halen once said, “There are really three parts to the creative process. First there is inspiration, then there is the execution, and finally there is the release.”

Sales outreach mirrors the creative process practically stage by stage, just with slightly different naming:

These three pillars are equally important and dependent on one another. A launch won’t go well without a strategy or execution. Likewise, you can plan out every piece of content for a campaign, but if you can’t execute it, you won’t see results.

If your execution is holding back your results, leveraging expert insights is a cost-effective way to revamp your way of getting things done.

Here are 3 best practices from sales pros who are experts in execution.

Execution is the true differentiator

The screenshot above shows just part of this lesson from Sam Jacobs.

As Jacobs explains, the true “differentiator” that separates the best companies from everyone else is execution.

To be among the top companies, you need:

1. A great team
2. Customer centricity

Your team should be made up of people who focus on results, adhere to your company’s values, and care about your mission and customers.  It’s important that not only do you hire people who don’t settle for mediocrity, but who are the best fit for your company.

Takeaways

In terms of sales outreach, this is what you’ll want to do:

• Assemble a talented sales team – You shouldn’t settle for mediocrity. Instead, look for high-performing specialists capable of achieving your vision. Alternatively, you can invest in, nurture, and develop your own “homegrown” talent. 
• Foster a continuous innovation mindset – Encourage your team to constantly look for ways to innovate and find ways to reach sales targets more efficiently. You can also support individual team members to experiment with new approaches and cutting-edge technology to stay ahead of the changing needs of the market.
• Establish clear company values – By outlining explicit values, your team will be able to align with your vision. In turn, this will foster a sense of purpose and shared commitment, which will both play a part in improve outreach performance. 
• Prioritize execution – For high-performing sales outreach, you need both a comprehensive strategy and the ability to execute it. If you want to attain your sales goals, you’ll have to lead your team and show your dedication to results.

As you implement each of these takeaways, you’ll also want to cultivate a sense of genuine customer care within your team. If they can understand a customer’s journey, comprehend challenges, listen to feedback, and demonstrate their desire to provide a solution, this will go a long way toward building a fruitful business relationship. 

There are always opportunities for growth

Jon Davids’ lesson is more of an interesting (and compelling) case study than a true sales lesson. That being said, there are still intriguing takeaways that can be applied to email outreach.

Let’s set the stage (no pun intended)…

The year is 1992. The Super Bowl has morphed into the largest sporting event in the United States. That said, after 26 years, the NFL still uses marching bands for “wholesome” and “inoffensive” entertainment.

But what worked in 1967 was no longer up to par in 1992.

Year in, year out, viewership numbers drop from the first half to the second.

Rival networks begin to “launch a broadside” of counterprogramming. 

For years, the NFL was able to ignore rival networks, but then came Fox’s special episode of In Living Color. 

Fox succeeded in capturing 22M+ viewers, which was more than a fifth of the Super Bowl’s total viewership.

This unparalleled success forced the NFL to switch away from its format at the time to booking prominent music performers.

The first? Michael Jackson.

In fact, the King of Pop was so successful that 1993’s Super Bowl witnessed the first growth in post-halftime viewership. Fox even made a move to acquire broadcasting rights for the Super Bowl. 

So not only did the NFL effectively torpedo the chances of major networks trying to pull viewers away, but the Super Bowl became prime real estate for ads as brands shell out ~$7M for 30 seconds of air time.

In less than one year, the NFL executed a rapid pivot that transformed empty airtime into must-see TV and millions of dollars.

Takeaways

With regards to sales outreach execution, this case study is a veritable gold mine. Here are some lessons you can apply to your own outreach execution:

• Remain flexible as you innovate – The Super Bowl halftime show proved the NFL’s willingness to adapt to changing times. Similarly, in sales outreach, you’ll need to adapt your sales strategy to address evolving market dynamics, customer preferences, and communication channels. For example, if customers expect personalized emails, you should explore solutions that will swiftly hyper-personalize content.
• Challenge stale traditions – The NFL’s use of marching bands was, in a certain sense, a tradition. But once it proved ineffective, the NFL pivoted. When executing sales outreach, you should also challenge any tactics and techniques that seem dated while looking for tools that can modernize the way you work.
• Leverage social proof – The story of Michael Jackson’s successful halftime show has not only proven to be timeless, but it validated the NFL’s new approach while making music artists eager to perform (even though they’re not paid). Since Jackson, some of the most famous singers that took part include Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Prince, Maroon 5, and more.
• Strive for fast work velocity – Within less than a year, the NFL executed a speedy and decisive pivot. By doing so, the NFL proved capable of making and implementing decisions. In sales, quick decision-making and swift execution are just as critical. When various factors from target audience to world events can affect your outreach results, your sales team will also need to make rapid adjustments.

Focus on providing value first and foremost

Unfortunately, there’s no instant cure for poor outreach.

As Alexine Mudawar states, we “live in a world of instant gratification” (Netflix binge, anyone?). People expect magic bullets and insta-hacks that will catapult them from 0 to 60 in 4.2 seconds.

In reality, proper execution is slow and takes plenty of time.

There’s no true shortcut.

Takeaways

Even if there is no easy shortcut, there are plenty of tactics that will help you enhance the execution of your sales outreach strategy while maintaining a focus on providing value:

• Ensure you’re always delivering value to your customers. If copy isn’t providing value, you probably don’t need it. Furthermore, if you apply this rule from the get-go, you’ll save a lot of time by not having to rewrite valueless content.
• Leverage generative AI to increase your velocity on time-consuming tasks that can be easily automated, such as follow-ups and bounce checks. Additionally, you can fine-tune generative AI by specifying the values you want to highlight in your outreach copy.
• Hyper-personalize your outreach for a narrow target audience to ensure that your messaging is tailored and relevant. In addition to standard personalization like adding a lead’s data (name, company, position) to your email copy, you’ll also want to tailor content so that it resonates with your target audience and addresses their needs.

Implementing these tactics won’t lead to overnight success, but they will lay the groundwork for a more effective sales approach.

Optimize your outreach execution with AiSDR

At the end of the day, a successful campaign requires successful execution. As you incorporate these best practices into your outreach, you should make sure your execution isn’t plagued by kinks and bottlenecks.

With AiSDR, executing your sales outreach strategy becomes simple and straightforward. We’ll power your campaigns so you’ll be free to focus on high-level strategizing and ensuring results.

Book a demo to discover how AiSDR executes your campaigns on autopilot.