Outbound sales

SDRs are a critical part of any sales team. They’re responsible for generating new business opportunities by reaching out to potential customers and getting more meetings booked with them. 

Revenue-generating meetings are crucial for any business as they are the first step towards closing a deal and generating revenue. These meetings can help build relationships, establish trust, and provide an opportunity to understand the customer’s needs and offer solutions accordingly.

In this article, we will discuss the top 5 tips for SDRs to get meetings booked with prospects.

#1 Deep ICP Research

An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a detailed description of the characteristics of your ideal customer. It helps businesses to understand the needs, pain points, and behavior of their target customers. 

Conducting deep ICP research is critical for any business, as it provides valuable insights into the target market, allowing businesses to create more effective marketing and sales strategies.

ICP research helps businesses to-

  • Understand their target customers
  • Identify the best channels to reach customers
  • Optimize sales and marketing strategies

Tips for Conducting Deep ICP Research

  • Use multiple sources of data: Use a combination of quantitative and qualitative data to create a comprehensive picture of your ideal customer. Analyze customer data, conduct surveys, and interview customers to get a complete understanding of their needs, behaviors, and preferences.
  • Look beyond demographics: While demographics provide valuable information, they are only part of the picture. Look beyond demographics and focus on psychographic and behavioral data to understand the values, motivations, and behaviors of your target customers.
  • Analyze customer interactions: Analyze customer interactions with your website, social media, and other channels to understand their behavior and preferences. Use this information to optimize your website, create more effective social media content, and tailor your communication channels to better reach your target customers.
  • Leverage technology: Use technology tools to gather and analyze data on your target customers. Use customer relationship management (CRM) software to track customer interactions and analyze customer data. Use social media listening tools to monitor customer feedback and conversations.
  • Continuously update your ICP: ICP research should be an ongoing process. Update continuously as your business evolves and your target market changes. This will ensure that your sales and marketing strategies remain effective and aligned with your target customers.

#2 Personalize Your Outreach

Once you have a clear ICP, it becomes easy to craft personalized outreach messages. This is one of the most effective ways to get more meetings booked. 

This means taking the time to research the prospect and tailor your message to their specific needs and pain points. 

  • Start by doing some research on the company and the person you are reaching out to. 
  • Look for recent news or events that might be relevant to their business, and try to understand their challenges and goals.
  • When crafting your outreach message, use this information to make it relevant and engaging. Address the prospect by name, and highlight how your product or service can help solve their specific challenges. 
  • By personalizing your outreach, you can differentiate yourself from the many generic messages that prospects receive and increase the likelihood of getting a response.

Multiple channel outreach

Another effective way to get meetings booked is by using multiple channels to reach out to prospects. Email is a common channel used by SDRs, but it’s not the only one. 

  • Consider using other channels like social media, phone calls, and even direct mail to increase your chances of getting a response.
  • When using multiple channels, it’s important to be consistent in your messaging and approach. 
  • Use a similar tone and message across all channels, and make sure your outreach is relevant and personalized for each prospect. 
  • By using multiple channels, you can increase your visibility and reach more prospects, ultimately increasing your chances of getting a meeting booked.

#3 Social selling

Curious to hit quota faster? Compared to SDRs who don’t use social media, SDRs who do social selling achieve their quotas 66% more frequently. (Sales Benchmark).

Social selling involves using social media platforms to engage with potential customers, build relationships, and ultimately book more meetings. They can do this by- 

  • Build a strong social media presence: Create a professional social media presence on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Make sure your profiles are complete and up-to-date and showcase your expertise in your field.
  • Engage with potential customers: Once you have identified potential customers, engage with them on social media by commenting on their posts, sharing relevant content, and offering value through helpful insights or advice.
  • Share relevant content: Share valuable content that speaks to the pain points and interests of your target audience. This could be in the form of blog posts, industry news, or whitepapers.
  • Use social media to book meetings: As you build relationships with potential customers, use social media to book meetings. You can either ask for a meeting directly through social media or use it as a starting point for a more in-depth conversation.

By following these steps, SDRs can leverage social selling to build relationships with potential customers, establish themselves as thought leaders in their field, and ultimately book more meetings.

#4 Be Persistent but Respectful

Getting meetings booked can often take multiple touchpoints with a prospect, so it’s important to be persistent in your outreach. However, it’s equally important to be respectful of the prospect’s time and preferences. Avoid sending too many messages in a short period, and be mindful of the prospect’s communication preferences (e.g., if they prefer email over phone calls).

When following up with a prospect, always provide value and context. Remind them of your initial outreach and highlight any new information or updates that might be relevant to them. By being persistent but respectful, you can show the prospect that you’re interested in working with them, while also respecting their time and preferences.

80% of prospects say no 4 times before they finally say yes, yet 92% of salespeople give it up after the fourth call. (MarketingDonut)

#5 Leverage Referrals and Introductions

One of the most effective ways to get meetings booked is by leveraging referrals and introductions. Ask your current customers or network if they know anyone who might be interested in your product or service, and ask for an introduction. Referrals and introductions are powerful because they come with a built-in level of trust and credibility, making it easier to get a meeting booked.

When reaching out to a prospect through a referral or introduction, be sure to mention the mutual connection and why they thought it would be a good fit. This can help establish trust and credibility from the start, making it easier to move toward a meeting.

84% of buyers use a referral to start their buying process. (Harvard Business Review)

Bonus tip- The Right tech stack

Absolutely essential! You need to have the right tools in your tech stack. The tech stack will streamline your outreach efforts, improve productivity, and ultimately book more meetings with prospects. 

The tools that you should have- 

  • CRM Software- HubSpot, Pipedrive, etc.
  • Prospecting tools- LinkedIn Sales navigator, etc.
  • Sales engagement tools- Salesgear, Mailshake, Klenty, etc.
  • Sequencer tools- Sendgrid, Mailerlite, etc.
  • Sales analytics and reporting tools- Zoho analytics, Altreyx
  • Appointment Scheduling tools- Calendly, Appointy, etc. 
  • Video tools– Vidyard, etc. 

Top salespeople attribute around 75% – 85% of their success to social selling, email marketing, CRMs, and productivity tools.  (State of Sales, LinkedIn)

Suggested Read: Top 8 Outbound Sales tools you need [with the 3 best techniques]

Key Takeaways

Getting meetings booked with prospects is crucial for revenue generation and business growth. By following these top 5 tips, SDRs can improve their outreach and increase their chances of getting meetings booked. 

  • Conducting deep ICP research is critical for any business as it provides valuable insights into the target market, allowing businesses to create more effective marketing and sales strategies.
  • Personalizing outreach messages to the prospect’s specific needs and pain points can differentiate SDRs from the many generic messages that prospects receive and increase the likelihood of getting a response.
  • Using multiple channels to reach out to prospects, such as social media, phone calls, and even direct mail, can increase visibility and reach more prospects, ultimately increasing the chances of getting a meeting booked.
  • Social selling is a powerful tool for SDRs as compared to SDRs who don’t use social media, SDRs who do social selling achieve their quotas 66% more frequently.
  • Being persistent but respectful in outreach is important. It’s to show prospects that SDRs respect their time and preferences.
  • Leveraging referrals and introductions can help establish trust and credibility from the start, making it easier to get a meeting booked.
  • Using the right tech stack is essential for SDRs to be successful.