A CRM for outbound sales, with the dialer, texting and pipeline built in.

What is a CRM for outbound sales?

A CRM for outbound sales is one where reps make calls, send texts and emails and log outcomes inside the CRM, so the record of every prospect builds itself as they work.

Many CRMs were built for inbound teams: a lead fills in a form, a rep opens the record, the deal moves along. Outbound turns that around. Reps start from a list of people who haven't asked to hear from them, and most of the day is calling, leaving voicemails and following up. If the dialer, texting and pipeline are separate tools, reps spend part of every call copying notes between them, and managers never see the whole picture.

TopReach puts those pieces in one workspace: contacts and companies, a power and parallel dialer, two-way texting with a shared inbox, email follow-ups and a deals pipeline. Every call, text, email and note lands on the prospect's timeline.

How should a small outbound team split the work?

Most small outbound teams split prospecting from closing once they have more than two or three reps: SDRs or BDRs make the first calls and book meetings, and account executives run the meetings and close.

Before that point, the same person usually does both, and that works as long as prospecting time is protected. Blocks of two or three hours with nothing but calls in them produce more conversations than dialing in the gaps between meetings. Whatever the setup, a few habits keep a shared list clean:

• Give every prospect one owner, kept in a custom field, so two reps never call the same person in the same week.
• Use companies as well as contacts, so a rep can see every person they've tried at one account.
• Agree on when a prospect passes from SDR to AE, such as when a meeting is booked with someone who fits.
• Keep the handoff on the record: the SDR's notes and the meeting details sit on the timeline the AE opens.

What pipeline stages and fields should outbound sales use?

Use stages that each change on something you can check, such as a conversation held or a meeting booked, rather than how keen a prospect sounded, and keep everything reps sort and filter by in custom fields.

Useful custom fields for outbound are industry, company size, the prospect's role, list source, time zone, the tool they use today, owner and next step date. Tags suit things that come and go, such as a campaign or an event. Put a deal value on everything from Meeting booked onward, so the pipeline adds up to money. Dynamic lists that fill themselves from rules turn those fields into call lists, such as every Attempting prospect in one time zone, ready for the hour when they're most likely to pick up.

A typical outbound set of stages:

• New: on a list, not yet called.
• Attempting: called or emailed, no conversation yet.
• Connected: you've spoken to the right person.
• Meeting booked: a time is on the calendar.
• Meeting held: the first real sales conversation has happened.
• Proposal: pricing or a proposal is out.
• Won or Lost: with the reason recorded.
• Not now: a real conversation, bad timing, with a date to call back.

What does a good cold calling cadence look like?

A good cadence spreads several calls, voicemails, emails and, where the rules allow, texts over two to three weeks, then stops when you get a clear answer or run out of attempts.

Most cold prospects don't answer the first call, so the work is in the follow-up. TopReach can run the repetitive part: when a call isn't answered, it can drop a voicemail, then send a text or email on the days you choose, tracking every touch so nobody gets the same message twice. Reps spend their time on the next call rather than on reminders.

Here is an example cadence, to adjust once you see your own results:

• Day 1: call; if there's no answer, leave a voicemail and send a short email.
• Day 3: call at a different time of day.
• Day 5: call, then send a text if you have the consent the rules require.
• Day 8: call and send a second email with something new, such as a relevant example or a question.
• Day 12: call again.
• Day 16: send a short final email, then move the prospect to Not now with a date to try again.

Should outbound reps use a power dialer or a parallel dialer?

Use parallel mode on large cold lists where most calls go unanswered, and power mode for anyone warm, booked or high-value.

Power mode calls one number after another, so whoever answers reaches a rep, and the call screen shows the prospect, your last note and the next step. Parallel mode calls several numbers at once and connects the rep to whoever picks up, which cuts the time spent on rings and voicemail greetings. When two people answer at once, one gets dropped. That's fine on a big cold list. It's the wrong risk for a prospect who asked for a callback, a meeting you're confirming or a key account.

A common split is parallel mode for the first attempts on a new cold list, then power mode once someone has spoken to you. Both modes come with the same $99-a-month phone licence, so you can pick the mode list by list.

How should a sales manager coach an outbound team?

Coach from real calls, and measure conversations and meetings rather than dials.

Dial counts reward the wrong thing. A rep who makes 200 dials and books one meeting needs different help from a rep who has 30 conversations and books six. Look at conversations, outcomes, meetings booked and the pipeline value each rep creates. In TopReach, managers can listen in on a live call, whisper to the rep without the prospect hearing, or barge in to join, and leaderboards show conversations and outcomes per rep.

• Listen in on new reps' first calling blocks, and whisper a prompt rather than taking over.
• Review a few recordings with each rep every week, including a good one.
• Run a weekly pipeline review: which deals haven't moved in two weeks, and what is each one's next step?

Is cold calling legal, and what rules apply?

Cold calling is legal in the US and Canada, but rules on consent, do-not-call lists, calling hours and recording apply, and they treat business and personal numbers differently. Check with your counsel before you start; this is general information, not legal advice.

TopReach keeps a do-not-call list and handles texting opt-outs, so one request applies across the whole team. Whether a given call or text is allowed is still a decision to make under the rules that apply to you:

• National Do Not Call Registry and the TSR: these cover calls to consumers, and most business-to-business calls fall outside them. But many B2B prospects give a personal cell number, and calling it can bring the rules back in.
• TCPA: autodialed or prerecorded calls and texts to cell phones generally need prior express consent, and written consent for telemarketing. A dropped voicemail is a prerecorded message. Whether a dialing method counts as an autodialer is a question for counsel.
• State rules: several states have their own mini-TCPAs with stricter consent rules, calling hours or daily call limits, and some, such as California and Florida, require every party's consent to record a call.
• Canada: calls to businesses are exempt from the National Do Not Call List rules, but you must keep your own do-not-call list and follow the CRTC's other telemarketing rules. CASL requires consent, identification and an unsubscribe option for commercial emails and texts, B2B included.