The Outbound Sales Process (OSP) & The
Critical Mass Theory
Let’s look closer at what really makes the Outbound Sales Process (OSP) a success. We know that you need 3 key components to execute the OSP, as described in an earlier article. But there is also an underlying component that is an extension of step 1 – building the sales contact list. This underlying and very important component is when you reach the level of critical mass in outbound sales. Let’s call it The Critical Mass Theory. This theory is commonly used when describing social movements and nuclear chain reactions (not related to sales or each other!). However, this theory can also be very useful when talking about the OSP. Essentially, when you are building out your sales contact list, you need to build a BIG list! Building that big list will help you achieve the level of critical mass when it comes to the number of sales contacts that you need to reach in order to succeed. This seems like common sense and it is! Remember, creating the right OSP is not rocket science – it is a very straightforward and simple approach. Yet, you need to do everything the right way to reach your sales goals, and this includes reaching the level of critical mass.
What is The Critical Mass Theory?
Here is a simple definition of a critical mass theory – “an amount necessary or sufficient to have a significant effect or to achieve a result”
This definition does a good job in getting straight to the point. Basically, you need to accumulate a certain amount of whatever you are working on to reach the critical mass level of success. In other words, at the end of the day, it is all about math and statistics. We know that if you reach enough people with your message, you will definitely have a certain amount of those people responding back to you.
In business, a critical mass theory can also describe when a company or organization has reached a point of sustainability – is self sufficient and economically stable. This is also called a tipping point – when you reach that threshold of reaction and then expected reaction. Once you reach critical mass or the tipping point, you know that you have done enough or accumulated enough to get the expected results. This also means that you have done everything else right when reaching the critical mass level. You have basically created a level of success with the help of the right key components combined with the right level of critical mass. But how does this relate to the OSP and what is the right level of critical mass needed to achieve sales success?
How does it relate to the Outbound Sales Process?
All experienced salespeople know that you need to reach out to a LOT of contacts to get a certain number of sales opportunities. They also know that you have to keep reaching out and you can never stop! Whether they realize it or not, they are trying to reach a level of critical mass in their contacts outreach to get an expected amount of replies. This is how sales and The Critical Mass Theory intertwine. If a salesperson just reaches out to a small number of prospects and never increases that number, then they will not reach the level of critical mass needed to get enough sales opportunities. Sales is ultimately a numbers game and it becomes harder to succeed if you don’t continue to increase your outbound numbers.
So, as you can see, The Critical Mass Theory relates very closely and is very important to the success of the OSP. Without following the theory and achieving the right outbound level in terms of the number of prospects reached, your OSP will not succeed or will always perform at lower than expected success levels.
What level of critical mass is needed for a successful OSP?
This is the key question and one of the secrets to success of the OSP. Over time, you start to realize just how many contacts you need to reach in order to get an on-going, steady flow of sales opportunities (AKA critical mass level). A good number to work towards is 10k contacts. Once you have 10k contacts in the mix and you are actively reaching out to them over the course of 4-6 week cycles, you will reach critical mass and you will see new sales opportunities every week. Granted, you also need to make sure you have the right contacts – valid, verified emails for the target companies/people. If you don’t have the right contacts, then critical mass will not matter. It will then revert to the GIGO Theory – garbage in, garbage out.
One more key point, which must be put into place as you are approaching critical mass – always have a certain number of emails going out every day. You must not let a day go by without X number of emails going out. This will keep The Critical Mass Theory running.
Bottomline: The Critical Mass Theory is very important when it comes to a successful outbound sales process. You must consider this theory when developing and maintaining an outbound sales process – using it as a marker to attain. Once you reach it with the right contacts and the right message, you will see sales opportunities – guaranteed! Also, don’t forget to keep the engine running every day – you must be in the game to win.
Oppaday is a proven outbound sales process system.
The Oppaday system provides the knowledge and foundation to build an ongoing successful outbound sales process.
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