B2B Cold Outreach: Seek to Activate, Not Implant (05)

If you're doing B2B cold outreach for discovery calls or lead generation, here's a concept that can significantly improve your results: You’re not trying to implant something You’re trying to activate something that’s already there. That is the topic of this week’s episode.

Welcome to the Finding Business podcast, where every Sunday, in just five minutes, you'll learn something new to attract ideal clients and accounts. I'm your host, Scott Channell. For more episodes and information on services offered, visit scottchannell.com — that's Scott Channell with two T's, two N's, and two L's dot com. Now, onto today's episode.

Let’s dive deeper into this activate, don’t implant mindset.

Whether you're setting discovery calls by phone or email, ravens or using social media and other lead generation tactics, your messaging focus should be on activating an existing idea or need within your prospects, not trying to implant a new one.

Some people think that the goal of cold outreach is to book a meeting or generate a lead. That is not it. You endure the tough grind and monotony of cold outreach to sell your product or service, to ideal clients with a short sales process and a low cost of sale. That’s the ultimate objective.

Now, who’s more likely to buy from you? Someone who has not recognized any need for what you offer?, never thought of it. Or someone who, on some level, already acknowledges a problem that needs fixing, recognizes areas of improvement, or has thought about making changes in areas you can help with?

That recognition could be minimal, just a passing thought about improvement some day, or it could be a red not immediate oh my god this is killing us we have to fix it immediately five alarm fire issue that requires a significant response right now.

Whether that recognition be slight, strong or fall within the many shades of gray in between, doesn’t matter, you want your message to resonate with those who have already considered the issues you solve, at least in some small way.

Think of it this way: You want to stack the odds in your favor. Cold outreach should feel like shooting fish in a barrel, and that barrel should be drained, with the fish lying at the bottom. That’s the advantage you get when your messaging seeks to activate existing needs rather than trying to implant new ones.

If you're trying to implant an idea, or convince, with your calls and emails you are stacking the odds against you. You are going to be walking up a steep hill with strong winds in your face. Every step is a battle. Instead, you want the wind at your back. Shoot fish in a barrel, Stack the odds in your favor by seeking to activate, not implant.

Now, I’m not talking about general marketing efforts that create visibility, brand recognition, or educate the market. That’s a different worthwhile activity for another stage in a buyers journey, with different goals and strategies. What we’re discussing here is stone cold B2B outreach—the kind that generates checks from new ideal clients, not just activity from those that will think about it.

When you focus on activating an idea or need that already exists, your messaging becomes sharper and resonates with prospects who are much more likely to buy.

It’s estimated, and I believe, that even within well-targeted bullseye type lists, only 15 to 20 percent of contacts are active buyers—those who recognize a need and are ready to move forward if they hear the right message. Your job is to craft messaging that resonates with this group—the highest probability buyers.

Seek to activate, not implant.

Hope this got you thinking.

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Thanks for listening.