Outbound Sales
| Aspect | Outbound | Inbound |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Seller-initiated | Buyer-initiated |
| Volume vs. Precision | Volume-driven | Intent-driven |
| Data | Cold lists, enrichment | First-party behaviors |
| Best for | New markets, net-new logos | Faster cycles, higher intent |
💡TL;DR
Outbound is precision times speed. Narrow the ICP, prioritize by signals (tech stack changes, hiring, news), and run short hybrid cadences to maximize experiment velocity. SMBs should keep lists small and swap unresponsive segments weekly. Check reply and connect rates weekly; pause low-response accounts to protect domain health.
Definition
Proactive outreach to prospects who have not raised their hand, using targeted lists, enrichment, signal-based prioritization, and sequenced touches across email, phone, and social.
🏢What This Means for SMB Teams
Small teams win with curated lists and fast experiments, not bulk sends.
📋Practical Example
A 35-person IT staffing agency ($18M revenue) targeted cloud migrations in the Midwest. They enriched hiring signals (DevOps openings, Azure certs) and intent data (G2 category views) to prioritize 220 accounts. Before: 5,400 emails/month, reply rate 0.9%, 18 meetings. After 60 days of signal-prioritized lists and 7-touch hybrid cadences, they sent 3,100 emails/month, reply rate hit 3.4%, meetings rose to 41, and new monthly contract value increased by $240k while protecting domain health.
🔧Implementation Steps
- 1
Define a tight ICP and pull 2–3 intent or trigger signals (hiring, technology changes, funding).
- 2
Build weekly micro-lists (50–100 accounts) and cap daily sends per rep to protect deliverability.
- 3
Run short hybrid cadences (7 touches, 10–12 days) with branching based on opens/clicks.
- 4
Swap out bottom-performing segments weekly and add two new tests (hook, channel, or CTA).
- 5
Track reply, meeting, and domain health (bounce/spam); pause segments that underperform for two weeks.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
How big should an outbound list be for SMB teams?
Keep weekly active lists to 50–150 accounts per rep. Smaller lists improve personalization and protect deliverability while enabling faster testing.
How do we avoid burning our domain?
Warm up gradually, cap daily sends, rotate authenticated domains, and pause sequences when spam rate exceeds 0.2%. High-relevance lists reduce spam complaints.
⚡How Optifai Uses This
Optifai integrates external signals and intent data to auto-generate prioritized lists and cadences.
📚References
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Related Terms
Sales Cadence
A scheduled sequence of touches (email, call, social, SMS) used to engage prospects over time. Modern cadences blend fixed steps with signal-based branching to avoid over-contact and improve timing.
Account-Based Sales
A strategy focusing sales efforts on a defined list of target accounts with multi-threaded outreach, personalized value propositions, and coordinated marketing/CS support. Success depends on accurate account scoring and stakeholder mapping.
Inbound Sales
Responding to hand-raising prospects from forms, chat, or product activity with rapid, personalized follow-up. Strong inbound motions use routing, SLA timers, and templated first-touch to secure meetings quickly.
AI-Powered Outreach
Automated outbound and follow-up communications generated and personalized by AI across email, SMS, and social channels.
Experience Revenue Action in Practice
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