B2B Outbound - Building Predictable Growth

B2B OUTBOUND:
Building predictable growth

2 | B2B outbound: building predictable growth
Contents
Outbound sales: your route to predictable growth 3
How to build a high-performing B2B outbound team 4
Top 5 SDR skills 14
10 questions to ask when hiring an SDR 16
How to ramp up an SDR in 3 days 21
Generating leads for B2B outbound 24
The two major types of B2B outbound activity 27
Top cold calling tips 28
B2B outbound email 39
5 examples of successful outbound emails 42
B2B outbound cadences: combining cold calling and emails 47
2 examples of successful B2B outbound cadences 50
Perfecting B2B outbound: top tips from 3 top SDRs 74
The science of B2B outbound 81
| B2B outbound: building predictable growth

B2B outbound: building predictable growth | 3
Outbound sales: your route to

predictable growth
Anyone can start a business.
In the UK alone, 660,000 new businesses are registered every year. But of those 660,000
companies, 60% of them will fail within three years. 20% of them will collapse in their first 12
months of trading. That leaves only 20% who will really go the distance.
So yes, anyone can start a business - but the real trick is growing it and making it successful.
Why do so many new businesses go under? It can be for any number of reasons, but for a
lot of them, it may have been that they didn’t develop an effective outbound sales system.
Outbound sales is the surest route for building predictable growth, particularly in the B2B
sector, where competition is fierce and startup growth targets are aggressive.
What is B2B outbound?

B2B outbound is the process of engaging with buyers and decision-makers inside a company
to generate interest in a product or service and, hopefully, make a sale. The telephone is the
main driver of B2B outbound, through an activity known as “cold calling”.
Other techniques can be used as well, including email and social media platforms such as
LinkedIn; the combination of all these methods at once is known as a “cadence”.
B2B outbound is a proactive approach which requires identifying the key contacts in your
target companies, going out into the market and selling to them.
The difference between B2B and B2C outbound

B2B outbound is not like selling to ordinary consumers. When you sell to consumers, you
usually only have to convince one person on the merits of your product. When you sell to
businesses, you often need to win over a group of people, sometimes entire departments.
That’s why B2B outbound often takes a long time and comes with a multitude of challenges
that need to be addressed.
Who conducts B2B outbound?

B2B outbound is conducted by salespeople. Depending on the size of the company, they can
be working alone or more usually in teams.
What skills does B2B outbound require?

We’ll cover this question in more detail later, but generally, B2B outbound demands salespeople
who possess motivation, persistence and resilience. This is due to the length of the B2B
outbound sales cycle and the number of stakeholders who are involved in any one deal.
Why is B2B outbound important?

Beyond the baseline objective of growing your customer base and revenue, B2B outbound
delivers two important benefits to a business:
B2B outbound: building predictable growth |

• It builds trust around your product or service - remember that people buy from people.
B2B outbound is a process designed for human interaction - salespeople contacting and
engaging with prospects.
• It provides a predictable growth model - with B2B outbound, you can create a sales
framework that is scalable and repeatable, empowering you to grow your business quickly
and efficiently.
Your guide to B2B outbound

At Cognism, we are masters of outbound sales, using it to help our company grow from $2.5
million to $7 million in ARR in 2019. In 2018, we grew our revenue by 250%. Now, we’re going
to open our vault and share our secrets with you!
Over the course of this exhaustive guide, you’ll learn:
• How to build a B2B outbound sales team, geared for high-performance.

• What the must-track B2B outbound metrics are.
• How to create a team culture that supports your outbound growth engine.
• Cold calling hints, tips and tricks from Cognism’s high-flying B2B sales team.
• How to put together the perfect cadences for B2B outbound.
• World-class advice and guidance from the B2B sales frontline.
This is B2B outbound: Building predictable growth.
How to build a high-performing

B2B outbound team
Successful B2B outbound all starts with one thing: people. Human beings are the drivers of
B2B outbound. As we’ve identified, cold calling is central to an effective outbound strategy.
You need people to conduct cold calling - people to lift up the receivers, dial the numbers,
and persuade the prospects on the end of the line.
However, you can’t just hire anyone, stick them in front of a desk with a phone and a laptop
and hope for the best. You have to think strategically and scientifically if you want to build a
high-performing B2B outbound team. Think of B2B outbound as an engine; an engine needs
people, qualified people, to steer and maintain it.
In this section, we’re going to show you how to structure a B2B outbound team and hire the
right individuals to fill that team. Plus, you’re going to get top tips and advice from business
leaders working in some of the world’s hottest B2B SaaS companies. Let’s get started!

1. Structuring your B2B outbound team
Cognism’s sales team structure is a good model for B2B startups to follow. The team is split
into two “pods”, based around clearly delineated roles:
SALES DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

REPRESENTATIVES (SDRS) MANAGERS (BDMS)
Responsible for creating opportunities Responsible for closing deals and generating
and booking meetings. revenue for the business.
Key Tasks: Key Tasks:
• Cold calling • Conducting demos

• Outbound email • Negotiating deals
• Qualifying prospects • Drafting contracts
• Booking demos • Closing business
We also segment the roles further by the size of companies we wish to target - so that there
are two separate streams, for SMBs and enterprise.
The overall team structure looks like this:
Team structure: focused roles
Junior SDR
Senior SDR Enterprise SDR
Sales
BDM
Team Lead
Sales
Senior BDM
Manager

What are the benefits of adopting this model?
• It allows the employee to focus solely on just one responsibility, meaning that they quickly
become experts in their roles.
• It creates a roadmap for progression: if an SDR consistently hits their targets, they become
eligible for promotion to a BDM.
“Core outputs need to be owned by one focused role. With this process,
you’ll find that your team quickly become experts in their fields.”
– Nazma Qurban, Chief Revenue Officer, Cognism
2. Important B2B outbound metrics

Your outbound team can’t be flying blind; there must be metrics underpinning and informing
everything they do. During this section, we’ll be covering high-level and individual outbound
metrics and KPIs.
Team metrics: the capacity model for B2B outbound
At Cognism, we adhere to the capacity model for B2B outbound. It works like this:
If in one month your revenue Based on a 25% conversion So, in order to hit your $32k
target is $32k and your rate, you then need to create target, you need to have 7.5
average deal size is $1k, then 97 opportunities in that SDRs working on outbound
you need 32 closed-won month. sales activity (cold calling,
deals. email outreach etc.).
Essentially, it’s engineering your outbound team in reverse. It’s starting off with your ultimate
goal (the revenue you want to create) and then working backwards scientifically, to the point
where you can calculate the number of sales reps required to hit that target.
It’s a good model to follow because it’s predictable and it allows you to manage your resources
on a month-by-month basis. Here is an example of capacity in modelling in action, from
Cognism’s own data (January-June 2018):

Meetings Meetings
SDR Mtgs SDR
Monthly Marketing Total Meetings Opps Won Deals Number Per AE Per AE
Revenue target SDR Target >> Ratio
Mgts meetings Meetings Attended Created conversion won of AE’s Per Per
P/W Opp BDM
Week Month
January £32,000.00 7.5 45 180 54 234 175.5 55% 97 25% 32 5 12 47 0.63
February £36,000.00 11.6 70 233 116 349 262 55% 144 25% 36 6 14.75 59 0.79
March £44,000.00 14.2 85 284 142 427 320 55% 176 25% 44 7 15.25 61 0.93
April £44,000.00 14.2 85 284 142 427 320 55% 176 25% 44 7 15.25 61 0.93
May £44,000.00 14.2 85 284 142 427 320 55% 176 25% 44 7 15.25 61 0.93
June £48,000.00 15.5 93 310 155 465 349 55% 192 25% 48 8 14.75 59 1.05

“If you know what your inputs are and you measure them consistently, you
will get consistent outputs.”
– Neil Ryland, Chief Revenue Officer, Peakon
“If your revenue target is a certain amount, understand exactly how many
deals you need, what the average deal value is and how many opportunities
you need to convert. That feeds into the capacity which is: how many SDRs
you’re going to need.”
“Ask yourself what success looks like. If you have to secure 40 meetings
in a month, how many cold calls do you have to make to book those
meetings? How much time do you have to spend on LinkedIn or anywhere
else looking for prospects? How many emails do you need to send per
day to hit those numbers?”
– Nigel Dunand, Director at Sandler Training
Individual metrics or KPIs

As well as high-level team metrics, it’s vital to track individual metrics, or Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs). They’re the only way that you can measure how well your outbound team
is performing. Tracking sales KPIs is particularly important if you work in the B2B SaaS sector,
where deals are signed and revenue is calculated on an ongoing, monthly basis.
Both halves of Cognism’s outbound team are tracked using different sets of KPIs. These are
the KPIs for our SDR and BDM teams:

SDR KPIs
These are the KPIs tracked by Cognism’s Sales
Development Representative (SDR) team.
PRODUCTIVITY
Emails sent Calls made LinkedIn activity

The number of emails The number of phone How many LinkedIn
an SDR sends during a calls an SDR makes InMail and connection
specific time period. during a specific requests an SDR sends
time period. and receives during a
specific time period.
SUCCESS RATES
Meetings booked Meetings attended

How many meetings an The number of meetings
SDR successfully books booked by the SDR where
in the calendar during the lead shows up.
a specific time period.
Booked to Meetings booked

attended ratio based on lead source
The number of meetings Whether the lead was
booked vs. the number sourced via inbound or
of meetings attended. outbound methods.
BDM KPIs
These are the KPIs tracked by Cognism’s
Business Development Management (BDM) team.
BDM METRICS
Average deal value Demo attended

The average dollar amount to opp won rate
of each BDM’s deals. The number of demos attended
vs. the number of opportunities won.

MONTHLY RECURRING REVENUE (MRR)
Amount Target % of target

The amount of MRR The MRR target for The percentage amount
booked by each BDM, each BDM in dollars. of MRR won by each
in dollars. BDM vs. their target.
DEMOS
Number of Number of
demos booked demos attended
The total number The total number
of demos booked by of demos attended
SDRs for each BDM. for each BDM.
INBOUND VS. OUTBOUND
Inbound conversion rate Outbound conversion rate

The percentage of leads The percentage of leads
converted from inbound. converted from outbound.
Inbound won $ Outbound won

The total number of deals The total number of deals
won from inbound. won from outbound.
Inbound revenue won Outbound revenue won

The total amount of revenue The total amount of revenue
generated from inbound, in dollars. generated from outbound, in dollars.
Total revenue won

The total amount of revenue generated from both inbound and outbound.

PIPELINE
Total number
of opps open
The total number of open
opportunities for each BDM.
Total number of
opps moved to demo
The total number of
opportunities that resulted
Total number of opps in a demo, for each BDM.
moved to a proposal
The total number of opportunities
where a BDM drafted a proposal.
Total number of opps moved
to contract/negotiation
The total number of opportunities
for each BDM which resulted
in a contract being drafted.
Total number
of opps lost
The total number
of rejected sales. Total number
of opps won
The total number of
successful sales.

Setting benchmarks
How do you set benchmarks for your B2B outbound team? One idea put forward by Collin
Waldrip, Sales Development Manager at SalesLoft, is to take the top three or five performers in
your team. Study their performance (e.g.: calls made and account conversion rates) and work
out what the averages are for each KPI.
Then, communicate those averages to the wider team as the “benchmarks” that every SDR or
BDM should be aiming for.
“Take your top three or five performers. Get their average metrics for the
last month or quarter. On average, how many calls did they make every day,
how many emails, how many LinkedIn touches? Then make those averages
the foundation benchmarks for the rest of the team.”
– Collin Waldrip, Sales Development Manager, SalesLoft
“Review your data on a weekly basis. Don’t wait until the end of the month
or the end of the quarter. Doing this will help you ensure your metrics are
being met.”
3. Creating a culture that supports your team

No matter the structures or processes you put in place; in the end, a successful B2B outbound
operation all comes down to the people. Issues of hiring, retention, incentives and progression
are critical. If you want to create a scalable outbound sales team, you have to hire highly-
motivated people and build a supportive culture around them.
We’ll be dealing with this all-important concept of culture throughout this section.
Hiring
How can you find those highly-motivated individuals who will motor your outbound sales?
The SDR role requires singular people with very particular qualities.

In B2B outbound, these are the type of people you want to hire as SDRs:
• They must be resilient and capable of dealing with rejection every day.
• They must be overachievers - in their personal lives, if not their careers.
• They must be enthusiastic about a career in sales and developing their skills.
• They must be creative and tech-savvy - able to communicate in-person and by phone,
email and video.
“You need to take a step back and understand what are the must-have
characteristics for a career in sales.”
“I always want somebody who wants to progress and learn in sales

specifically. The individuals who perform really well in an SDR role are those
who are very focused on developing their sales skills.”
“A good SDR must be articulate. You need product knowledge and also the
verbal skills to communicate that knowledge to others.”
– Karen Muldoon, Sales Leader, Zendesk

Top 5 SDR skills

It’s important to stress that while the SDR role is entry-level,
it’s by no means easy or simple. Being an excellent SDR
requires a great deal of skill and hard work.
David Bentham is Cognism’s Inside Sales Director, overseeing

a team of busy SDRs. He is an expert when it comes to scaling a
B2B outbound sales team. We asked him for his top five skills that
every SDR needs to master.
1. Organisation
To be a top SDR, organisational skills are imperative. It may not be the most glamorous part of
the sales process, but it’s nonetheless essential. Your admin game has to be strong!
At Cognism, we have a motto: “If it’s not in the CRM, it doesn’t exist.” Most other sales teams will
have a similar philosophy. Calls need to be logged quickly and in detail. You need to create
follow-up tasks that others can follow easily.
It’s vital to have an in-depth technical knowledge of your CRM, to help your team, but also
yourself. For example, if you can quickly build reportsther, you can better analyse your own
performance and improve it.
2. Active listening
Ideally, for a cold call, you want the prospect to be doing 70% of the talking. You, the SDR,
should only be talking for 30% of the time. That means you need to be a good listener.
The best SDRs listen carefully to what the customer says, as well as how they say it. Then, they
respond accordingly. It’s being able to do this that stops you sounding like a robot, which can
happen quickly if you don’t have a handle on it.
You might be making hundreds of calls a week, but your prospect wants to think that they’re
the only person on your mind!
3. Knowledge
To be a top-performing SDR, you need to know your stuff:
• Your product.
• Your industry.
• Your competition.

If you can demonstrate a breadth of knowledge to your prospects, you’ll gain their trust.
They will then be more open to your message and be more likely to book demos and attend
meetings.
4. Creativity
Think of the number of cold calls, emails, LinkedIn messages and everything else a prospect
receives every day; the best SDRs find a way to stand out from the crowd.
In 2019, standard sales training tells SDRs to create personalised emails based on the articles
prospects write, or their educational background etc. – but now, everyone is doing that! It’s all
about staying ahead; thinking outside the box to get noticed.
Video is an excellent tool for creative SDRs. It’s a quick and easy way to get attention. Plus, it
produces results - video has been shown to triple response rates and increase the number
of meetings booked by 500%!
5. Passion
Everyone needs to have a passion for what they do if they’re going to become successful.
The best SDRs are “sales geeks”. SDR work is famous for being difficult and repetitive at times.
However, the best will seek perfection within those constraints. They will consume books,
articles, webinars and more. They will own the process of getting better.
This passion is what keeps you coming back, staying engaged in a repetitive job where you
face a mountain of rejection.
David’s final thought

“If you’re an SDR, you should be looking to master these skills
every day. Curiosity is the key. When you are genuinely curious
about your prospect and how you can help them, you will
succeed. When you have a sense of curiosity about other ways
of doing things and how you can get better, you will win.”

10 questions to ask
when hiring an SDR
How can you find people who demonstrate all these qualities?
For most sales leaders, it all starts with the interview. You have to
ask relevant, searching questions that’ll help you determine if the
candidate is a good fit.
Harry Brown and Catherine Gardner are Cognism’s Sales Team Leaders.
They’re in charge of the SDR recruitment process at our company. We asked them
what they look for in an SDR candidate, and the top 10 questions they would ask
during an interview.
“A good SDR interview should be like qualifying a lead,” Harry told us. “You have to qualify the
candidate. Are they a good fit for your company? It’s not about asking questions simply to
progress the interviewee to the next stage or not - you have to pick up on other things as well.”
Catherine agreed. “There are things you have to look out for during the interview. Their tonality,
are they articulate, do they have confidence when speaking to strangers? Are they able to
think on their feet? Some of our top questions aren’t the usual ‘sales interview’ questions. Some
candidates are thrown off by those questions, but the best ones aren’t. That’s a good indicator
that they’ll be able to handle the pressures of a fast-moving sales job.”
“The big thing we look for at Cognism is, do they fit into the company culture?” Harry said. “Are
they going to fit into the team, will they work well with others? A good sales team is like a family
and especially at Cognism, we have a very diverse group of people working for us. It’s very
important that we maintain that culture.”
With all this in mind, Harry and Catherine selected their top 10 questions to ask when hiring an
SDR. They also gave their thoughts on why you should ask them.
Question 1: What do you know about the role you have applied for?
HARRY:
“This is a good first question to ask. As the SDR role is heavily weighted
towards cold calling and outbound sales, it’s important for prospective
candidates to know exactly what they’re getting themselves into.
This kind of work, day in day out, isn’t for everyone. It can be very
gruelling and there can be long periods where all you get is rejection.
We want to hire people who will be happy in the position.”

Question 2: Why are you interested in a sales role?
CATHERINE:
“Along the same lines of the first question, we want to interview
candidates who know exactly what they want to do. This question
helps us understand both what they perceive a sales role to entail,
helping us align candidates to our working culture, and what motivates
them. Understanding what motivates a new starter early on is the most
important factor in ensuring their success in the role.”
Question 3: What do you understand about our product or service?
HARRY:
“A lot of candidates for our SDR positions will be sent to interviews by
recruiters. We know exactly how we have prepped those recruiters.
Asking this question helps us to separate those candidates who simply
recite from the recruiter’s hymn sheet and those who have actively done
their own research on what we offer.”
Question 4: What do you know about the company journey?
CATHERINE:
“At Cognism, we pride ourselves on our company journey. Similar to
question 3, knowing a candidate has gone out and made the effort to
learn about the company can really set them apart from the rest.”
“What we’re looking for in SDR candidates are high achievers. We want
people who see a sales target and want to do even better. Those who do
the bare minimum preparation are unlikely to want to achieve above and
beyond the targets we set for them.”

Question 5: What’s your ideal workplace culture
HARRY:
“Retention is usually something that’s difficult to maintain in entry-level
sales roles. At Cognism, we’re very proud of our 98% retention rate. One
of the main reasons for this is that we align candidates and our company
culture during the interview. This question helps us to do this. It also
shows candidates that we care about their working lives and gives us a
chance to really sell the business to them!”
Question 6: What traits does your ideal leader embody?
CATHERINE:
“Following the same lines as question 5, we want to understand exactly
where a candidate sees themselves and how we can align the business
with them. What kind of support would they be looking for? It’s a good
question because it also helps us to review our own processes. Are we
missing out on something that we should be providing to our new SDRs?”
Question 7: Without being too personal, can you tell me about a time you’ve overcome
a challenge?
HARRY:
“All too often in sales interviews, candidates state classic characteristics
that they believe to be important without backing it up with evidence.
I ask this question to understand how a person has demonstrated
resilience.”
“It’s a vital trait that every SDR must have, due to the highs and lows of
the job. Asking the candidate for a real-world example will help you as an
interviewer determine whether they genuinely possess this quality.”

Question 8: What non-sales skills would you like to work on during your time at
Cognism?
CATHERINE:
“Rather than asking a simple strengths and weaknesses question, which
candidates often prepare for, ask this question! It’ll help you judge if the
candidate is able to think quickly. Another important SDR trait!”
“When you’re cold calling, you’ll be speaking to people from all walks of
life, from receptionists to CEOs. You’ll be asked difficult questions with
no preparation. This question will show you if the interviewee has what it
takes to face that.”
Question 9: Do you have any questions for me?
HARRY:
“It seems basic, but it’s always important to give candidates the
opportunity to ask questions about the role, company and expectations.
The best interviews I’ve conducted have had a near 50-50 split of me
asking questions vs. the candidate asking questions. It should be a
two-way conversation.”
“You need to sell the role to the candidate as much as possible. Especially
if they’ve come from a recruitment agency, as chances are they’ll have a
high number of interviews in any given week. You want to be memorable.
The more buy-in you get from the candidate early on, the greater the
chance that they’ll stay on and find success at your company. That’s a
win-win situation for both parties!”
Question 10: If you could do this interview again, is there anything you would do
differently?
CATHERINE:
“At the end of the interview, just as we’re preparing to part ways, I always
ask the candidate to reflect on their performance. It’s unrealistic to be
100% amazing during an interview, and we find that candidates often
leave us wishing they had done something more.”
“This is a question you can’t prepare for, so it demonstrates if the candidate
can think on their feet. It also gives them the opportunity to display their
analytical ability. We want candidates who are accountable for their own
actions, strive to do better and learn from every experience.”

Promotions and compensation

A lot of SDRs aren’t after greater compensation for their efforts - they’re after greater
recognition. SDRs often feel like they’re at the bottom of the company ladder and they can be
too easily ignored. A tactic used at Cognism to counteract this is to foster a culture of micro-
promotions, where top-performing SDRs are elevated to mentor or team leader roles.
Compensation schemes should also be highly personalised to fit the life goals of each SDR.
This will give them greater motivation to succeed in a repetitive job. If, for example, one of your
SDRs wants to a new car, then you can pivot commission payments as saving up to buy it!
“It’s very important to set out clear, well-defined progression plans and to
manage expectations with individuals.”
– James Ski, Founder and CEO, Sales Confidence
“Creating a visible culture of performance and reward has been core to

Cognism’s success.”
“SDRs really just want recognition. They often feel like they’re at the bottom
of a company. Ask yourself: am I making sure that a rep is recognised if
they’re doing something right?”
Training
The days of fortnight-long sales training workshops are long gone. Today’s generation of
salespeople expect and respond best to a dynamic training structure.
At Cognism, we pride ourselves on being able to ramp up new SDRs in 3 days! It’s a big reason
why our company has scaled so well (from 0 to over 500 customers in 3 years). We can take
enthusiastic but inexperienced salespeople (98% of Cognism’s B2B sales team are recent
graduates) and get them match-fit for selling in 72 hours.
How do we do it? David Bentham, Inside Sales Director at Cognism, returns to share our
company secrets.

How to ramp up
an SDR in 3 days
1. Don’t overtrain
Here at Cognism, we’re firm believers of getting stuck in. Unlike
other companies who provide week-long training sessions for their
new SDRs, we only provide our new starters with 2 days of learning
before we get them on the phones.
We give them all the information they need to get started quickly.
Just the basics - a little product knowledge, a little cold calling
roleplay - and no more.
We also believe in individuality in selling. We don’t want robots all

following the same script. Instead, what we prize are people with
passion, energy and flair.
As a salesperson on the phone, you have to make an immediate

impression. People who’ve just started a new job have a lot of drive
and motivation in their first few days. It’s good to take advantage of
that “new job energy” and get them selling as quickly as you can!
KEY TAKEAWAY:
A short training schedule for new SDRs is the perfect way to take advantage of that initial
“new job” energy.
2. Put a robust support system in place

On their first day in the office, every new SDR is allocated a mentor who sits next to them.
Typically, the mentor will be a senior colleague in the SDR team - someone who’s done the job
before, someone who knows the ropes and understands the pressure.
It’s the mentor’s role to support the SDR as they’re being ramped up. They help them to set
goals, get settled into the office environment and get used to the different processes and
procedures. Over the first 2 days, the new SDR will sit beside their mentor and listen in as
they make cold calls. A new joiner can get a lot of value from seeing how a senior colleague
approaches the art of selling.
The mentor-mentee scheme is all about creating a safe space for new starters, where nothing
is out of bounds. We have a saying at Cognism: “no question is a stupid question.”

KEY TAKEAWAY:
Encourage your new SDRs to ask questions. For them, it’s the best way of learning quickly
- and making them feel valued in those crucial early days in the role.
3. Make use of content

There is a wealth of content out there now for B2B salespeople. Much of it is freely available.
There are all manner of guides, ebooks, playbooks, webinars, whitepapers and podcasts (such
as this one, for example!).
As a sales team leader, you can help your new SDRs out massively by making use of this
content. Build up your own resource library and share it with your new starters.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Let your SDRs go through your content library at their own pace. Remember that different
people work in different ways and at different speeds. Let each SDR find his or her own
value out of your content library.
4. Deliver personalised learning

Everyone learns differently. Just as we don’t want conformity in selling, we don’t want
conformity in learning, either!
When it comes to training our salespeople, Cognism is very different from most other
companies. At other businesses, they train all their salespeople the same, using the same
materials and the same uniform style. We don’t do that. We provide our new SDRs personalised
learning materials. We recognise that people like to learn differently from one another and so
we provide a variety of training methods. For instance:
• Saif Khan joined Cognism as an SDR in June 2019. He found that the group training and
product knowledge sessions in the first 2 days were the best way for him to learn.
• Elizabeth Alli was another new SDR in June 2019. Her preferred learning method was to
sit with her mentor, listen in on cold calls and get started on the phone quickly.
• William Gay also joined us in June 2019. He gained a lot of motivation and confidence from
listening to sales audiobooks which Cognism provided.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Diversifying learning for your SDRs is a simple thing to do, but it will help you get the best
out of them.

5. Get them started!

All the learning and mentoring in the world can’t compare to actually doing the job. It’s still the
best way for anyone to learn and get better.
So, after 2 days, we stop the learning and get our new SDRs on the phone! From the third day
on, their working life is 100% cold calling. Are we worried if they make mistakes? Not a bit -
making mistakes is a vital part of gaining experience and improving your skills.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Don’t throw your new SDRs entirely in the deep end, though. Make sure their mentor is still
there to answer any questions or concerns they might have. Have the mentor sit in on their
mentee’s cold calls, make comments and suggest improvements.
Results
A common concern we hear from other companies when we explain our ramping up method
is: “Aren’t you just burning through leads?”
Not at all! We can tell you that this approach works. Every new SDR at Cognism started on a
Monday and they were ramped up to cold calling prospects in 3 days. By Friday, every one of
them had booked a demo!
Still not convinced? Take a look at these results:
• Less than one month after he joined us, Saif was booking up to 7 SQLs a week.
• In her second week in the role, Elizabeth booked 8 demos after 300 calls.
• 6 weeks after starting, William hit his July target halfway through the month.
Other training strategies

There are many other training strategies which can help new SDRs. Here are some of our favourites:
Call libraries
Cold call workshops
A central resource of recorded
Weekly meetings where the team listens to
cold calls, categorised by persona.
the week’s worst cold calls and discusses
areas for improvement.
Sales camps Persona training
Training days based around topics picked Recently-closed prospects are invited into
by the team (e.g.: objection handling, the office and speak with the SDRs about
email sequences). why they bought the product.

“Training is sitting in a room and absorbing information to apply at a later date.

The fact is, it’s better to learn from experience and actually doing the job.”
“We really focus on the phone. When a new SDR is onboarded, for the first 2
weeks, all they do is call.”
– David Bentham, Inside Sales Director, Cognism
Generating leads for B2B outbound

You’ve gone through the recruitment process, you’ve hired some top SDRs and ramped them up
quickly. The next question is: who are they going to reach out to today?
The answer should be on your B2B sales lead list; a list of contacts you can move through your
sales funnel to become customers. However, so many businesses waste time and leave money
on the table by using lead lists that are inaccurate and out of date. That’s bad news for B2B lead
generation; if you don’t have an accurate list of target customers, how can you sell?
Let’s look at how you can build a list of leads that take your sales to the next level.
1. Define your ideal customer

When it comes to B2B lead lists, size isn’t everything. What is important is that your list is well-
targeted, with everyone on it having a problem that your product can solve.
Develop an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) in your team. Your ICP is a comprehensive description
of your perfect customer; the kind of customer that can find massive benefits from your
product or service, while also being able to give you enough value in return to make your
business profitable.
Here are some tips for building your ICP:
• Analyse your current customer base and look for commonalities between your super-users.
• Look at the industries they are in. Consider company size, location and the job title of the
buyer.
• Take this a step further by talking with your best customers about the challenges they face
and how your product helps to overcome them.

All of this will help you paint a picture of your dream customer. This what Cognism’s ICP
looks like:
COGNISM IDEAL CUSTOMER PROFILE
Industry Geography
B2B Sales, SaaS USA
Company Size Budget

50 employees $10,000/month
Buying Process Decision Makers

Reliance on referrals for CEO, CRO
buying decisions
Pain Points Business Goals

Generating high-quality C-suite leads Short term: grow their client base
Automating outbound email campaigns by 20% over the next 3 months
Increasing sales team productivity Long term: raise their next funding
round and expand their sales team
Technologies Attributes
Salesforce CRM Primary social media channel = LinkedIn
SalesLoft Gaining a reputation as SaaS
industry thought leaders
Chili Piper
Uses ABM strategies

2. Build your list

There are many different ways to build a list of sales leads. All of them can be effective.
The method you choose depends on the budget you have at your disposal and how quickly
you need to generate your leads.
The traditional way was to buy lists from lead generation companies. Today, companies can
create content that is super-relevant to their Ideal Customer Profile, publish it on the web and
social media and drive engagement that way.
LinkedIn is an excellent way to build your lists in 2019. Users voluntarily publish every detail
of their business lives, which you can filter to create lists. However, the sheer size of LinkedIn
(260 million monthly active users at last count), can make creating something comprehensive a
challenge.
3. Scale your list

One of the problems with your list will be that many of the names on it will not be looking to
buy your product at the moment you contact them.
Our advice is to use sales triggers. They’re a good means of ensuring that when you do reach
out, your product is more likely to be something a prospect is looking for. Sales triggers are
events that signify if a company is in a position to make a B2B purchase.
Many different events could be sales triggers, including:
• Receiving a new round of funding - signifying the company has a renewed budget.
• Appointing a new CEO - this could point to a new direction for the company as the CEO
wants to make their mark.
• Hiring new employees - which shows the company is confident about their future growth
prospects.
You can look for sales triggers in the trade media for your industry or set up Google Alerts.
However, the easiest way to scale your list using sales triggers is through specialist B2B lead
generation software, such as Cognism Prospector.
4. Refresh your data

However you build your list, the problem with the data on it is that it deteriorates quickly. For
example, every day, people move jobs or change responsibilities in their organisation. Around
a third of lead data goes out-of-date every year.
This leads to sales reps wasting time trying to contact people on the list who have long since
moved on. It leads to emails that bounce back. It leads to buyers using your competitors
instead of you, because they don’t know about you.
Your goal should be to keep your data as fresh as it can be. Use data enrichment tools, such as
Cognism Refresh, to make sure your lead list data is always up to date.

The two major types of B2B outbound

activity
The two main types of B2B outbound activity are cold calling and emails. We’ll take a look at
each of these in turn.
Cold calling
Salesforce defines cold calling as:

“Any attempt to solicit business from a potential customer, via the telephone,
who may or may not know about your company.”
Cold calling is a fast, cost-effective and powerful part of the outbound sales process. Rumours of its
death have been greatly exaggerated; for many businesses in B2B and SaaS, cold calling is still very
much alive. It’s been identified that 92% of all customer interactions happen over the phone.
“The death of the cold call is simply not true. People still buy people.
It’s important to build an outbound engine for human interaction.”
– Neil Ryland, Chief Revenue Officer, Peakon
“There is no such thing as cold calling. If you pick up the phone, and you’re
calling another human being, then that’s warm.”

Top cold calling tips

Cognism’s sales team are experts in the art of the cold call. They’ve put together their ten top
tips for refining and improving your cold calling strategy.
1. Planning makes perfect

Your cold calling strategy cannot be simply picking up the phone and getting on with it.
You need to sit down and plan. If you’re calling to pitch a product or service, you must take
the time to educate yourself about it.
Doing this will increase your chances of success, because it changes the way you speak.
If you know everything about the product you’re selling, you will speak with confidence and
authority. This builds trust with your prospects.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
A good cold caller must be a product expert - you must know everything there is to know
about the product you’re selling.
2. Define your objectives

Before you start, you must work out what you’re looking to achieve from your cold call.
Are you looking to secure a face-to-face meeting? Are you trying to invite them to an event?
Keep your objective in mind and don’t stray from it.
Remember, cold calling is just one part of a multi-stage sales process. It’s not the entire sales
process. Do what you need to do on your cold call, no more and no less. Don’t bring up
pricing, for example, if your mission is to book a demo - it’s irrelevant at this stage.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Work out your goal for each cold call before you pick up the phone. Stay 100% focused on
it and don’t allow yourself to deviate.
3. Research your prospects

We’ve already spoken about ICPs and sales triggers. These can be very useful on your cold
calls, in terms of knowing who and when to dial.
But, as helpful as they are, ICPs and sales triggers can only take you so far. You have to dig
deeper into your prospects find out as much as you can about them.

Here are some tips:
Look up your prospects on LinkedIn. It’s a straightforward way to gather

valuable information which could “warm up” your cold call. LinkedIn profiles can
also help you to verify if the prospect is in a decision-making position.
Has the prospect published a blog or written any articles online? If so, read
them! They’ll help you to work out the kind of person you’ll be talking to. If the
articles are data-heavy and full of facts and stats, then you know to adjust your
pitch accordingly. Always try to speak the way your prospect speaks - it’s a
great way to build rapport!
Are there any career events in the prospect’s life that you can mention?
For example, have they recently won any industry awards or had a big
promotion? Use these events in your cold call to help forge a stronger
relationship with them. Remember that everyone likes to be flattered from
time to time!
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Conduct your own primary research on every one of your prospects. Use the insights you
gain to make your cold calls even more successful.
4. Timing is everything
There are times of day when people are happy to take cold calls. There are also times when
it’s just not convenient. Research when the best times are in your industry.
Contrary to popular opinion, lunchtime can be a very good time of day for cold callers. It’s the
time when PAs and secretaries (“gatekeepers”) take their lunches, while the CEO or Director
(“decision-maker”) often works through lunch. You could cut out the gatekeeper altogether by
calling at this time!
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Research the best times to cold call and get dialling! Study your most successful cold calls
and see if they happened at similar times of day.

5. Get past the gatekeeper

If you do find yourself talking to a gatekeeper, you need to have a plan to get past them and
get through to the prospect. Here are some ideas:
• Try to sound senior - keep calm! Speak confidently, slowly and concisely. If you can do
this, you will sound experienced and important. The gatekeeper may be less inclined to hold
you up.
• Don’t sell to the gatekeeper - remember the gatekeeper is not a decision-maker, so
don’t pitch to them. In fact, say as little as you can get away with. But always be friendly and
professional.
• Give the impression that you know your prospect well - use first names when you ask
to speak to your prospect.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
More than 50% of cold calls are answered by some sort of gatekeeper. Devising effective
strategies to deal with them is an important first step for any sales rep.
6. Qualify your prospects

Jonathon Ilett is the Sales Director at Cognism. He is responsible for managing our team of
BDMs, as well as conducting demos and negotiating and closing deals with VP and C-suite
decision-makers.
As such, he is well-placed to give us a run-down of cold call qualification, why it’s important
and the best tactics for getting it right.
What is qualification?
JONATHON:
“Qualification is the process of evaluating whether a prospect is a good
fit for your product or service. The core principle is to identify the
prospect’s pain and judge if your solution can be prescribed to fix it.”

Why is it important?
JONATHON:
“All salespeople are fighting against the clock. We’ve all got targets to
hit and a finite amount of time in which to hit them. You don’t want to be
wasting your time on a prospect that isn’t a serious contender for making
a purchase. This is why qualification is important - it saves you time and
means that you can quickly see if the prospect is a good candidate to be
progressed to the next stage.”
How can you qualify correctly?

At Cognism, we teach our SDRs to qualify cold call prospects according to the BANT criteria:
Budget Is the prospect able and willing to spend?
Authority Is the prospect the ultimate decision maker?
Need Does the prospect have a problem that your product can solve?
Time Is the prospect looking to buy quickly?
All of the questions we recommend our SDRs ask during their cold call qualification are based
around these four areas.
Jonathon had some more tips:
JONATHON:
“Use open-ended questions to get the prospect talking. These are
questions that don’t elicit a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. They help to get a
conversation going. The more information you get from the prospect,
the easier it is to qualify them.”
“If you find you can’t qualify the prospect, walk away. Never close a client
that you know you won’t be able to deliver to.”

Sample questions
What does your current business development process look like?
How does your sales team generate new leads?
Who would normally be involved in buying decisions for new tech?
What tools are you currently using?
What regions are you looking to prospect into?
Have you used data providers in the past?
What did you like about them? What did you dislike?
What are your current business growth goals?
Are you in a position to take on new clients right now?
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Use the BANT criteria to qualify prospects on your cold call. Ask open-ended questions to
make the process easier.
7. Use a script
Charlie Beale is a Business Development Manager at Cognism and the co-writer of our
SDR Playbook. He was responsible for developing the cold call script that every new SDR at
Cognism is given.
This script is at the heart of our B2B outbound strategy and we’re delighted to present it to
you now, in full!
The structure
The script is broken down into the following 5 segments:
1. Opening
2. Pitch
3. Questions
4. Conversation
5. Closing
It’s important to stress though that this is used as a general guide, not an absolute rule.
At Cognism, we encourage all our SDRs to find their individuality in selling. We all convey our
messages in different ways, using different tones and vocabulary. The structure is there to help
our reps with the flow of the conversation, not to pin down their every word.

After all, the last thing any prospect wants to hear is someone reading robotically down the
phone - that’s the surest route to cold call failure. When it comes to cold calling, one size
definitely doesn’t fit all.
Opening
This is the very start of your cold call. More often than not, if you’re calling a senior-level
prospect, it’s the gatekeeper (typically a PA or secretary) who will pick up the phone.
“Hi, it’s Charlie from Cognism. Is (first name) available?”
The gatekeeper will likely respond with:
“What’s it regarding?”
This is your chance to get creative. If it’s a first-time call, here are some replies you can use:
• “New business.”
• “Your client acquisition process.”
• “How you find new clients.”
Think about how you can make this work with your offering.
If it’s a follow-up, try:
• “Oh, I’m just following up on an email I sent to (first name).”

• “I’m just chasing up on some emails. They’ll know what it’s regarding.”
When speaking to the gatekeeper, don’t be afraid to think outside the box. It could make
the difference between being put through to the prospect, or never having your message
passed on.
One great tip which we teach our SDRs at Cognism is to always sound senior. If the
gatekeeper thinks you’re a management-level peer, rather than a salesperson, they’re much
more likely to transfer your call.
Assuming your call is transferred and the prospect picks up…
“Hi, it’s Charlie from Cognism. How are you?”
“Good.”
“Great! Look, (first name), I’ll keep it brief as I appreciate you’re busy. I came across
(company name) online and I can see you do (B2B sales/marketing/other). Have you got
30 seconds for me to explain the nature of my call?”
It’s vital to establish rapport early on in your cold call. Acknowledging that the prospect’s time
is limited, and asking for their permission to continue, is a good way to start.
“Okay.”
Pitch
Once you’ve got the all-clear from the prospect, it’s time to pitch. Again, the pitch isn’t
something that’s set in stone. It can change depending on the SDR and who they’re talking to.
But there are 3 things it must be:

• Clear - the prospect must be able to understand it. Make sure you adapt the pitch for each
prospect. It must be relevant to them and their industry.
• Concise - think of it as a springboard to further the conversation; you don’t need to reveal
absolutely everything about your business. One good tip is to think of your pitch as a tweet
- what can you convey in 280 characters or less?
• Easy to remember - you don’t want to get tongue-tied or lose the flow on your cold call.
Keep in mind 2-3 facts or stats and use them every time.
An example would be…
“We help companies like yours prospect and gain new clients by giving you access to our
lead generation tool that contains over 400 million B2B profiles.”
Or…
“We provide companies like yours with direct and accurate contact details for key
decision-makers in your target industries and locations. Ultimately saving you an
abundance of time prospecting.”
When you’ve delivered your pitch, it’s time to progress to the next stage.
Questions
Asking open-ended questions (questions that don’t require a simple “yes” or “no” answer) is
one of the most essential things any cold caller can do. Remember that in any cold call, the
prospect must do 70% of the talking, while the salesperson should do only 30%.
Why is this? Because the more the prospect talks and feels they’re being listened to, the more
likely they are to buy. In a recent study by HubSpot, 69% of buyers said that the one thing
they wanted from sales reps was to “listen to my needs.”
Open-ended questions are a great technique for showing the prospect you’re a good listener.
They open up the conversation, allowing you to gain vital insights that’ll help you in the last
stages of the call.
Here are some good examples:
• “How do you currently go about finding new clients?”

• “What does your outbound process look like at the moment?”
• “How are you generating new leads?”
• “What are your frustrations with your prospecting data currently?”
These types of questions usually work very well with senior-level prospects, as they are
focused around common pain points for a business - finding new customers, B2B lead
generation and data quality.
Conversation
Having delivered your pitch and asked some searching questions, by now your cold call will
be in full swing. There are a number of routes your call could go down. The prospect could
hang up, or they could be very much open to a conversation.

There are a number of tactics you can use to keep your prospect engaged. Here are some
good methods for getting the most out of your conversation:
Tonality
Tonality - the way you speak - is very important. You must always sound excited and
enthusiastic (the old “smile and dial!”), especially if the prospect is being blunt and
unresponsive. A lot of times, the prospect will be doing this on purpose to see how you react.
Remember that often you’ll be calling people who are sales professionals in their own right,
and know all the tricks of the trade.
Pauses and hyperbole

We teach our SDRs to use pauses and hyperbole to emphasise certain points. For example:
“Our lead generation tool gives you access to 400 million B2B profiles...globally.”
Just using a simple pause will ensure that important points are quickly highlighted and are
more likely to stick in the prospect’s mind.
Mirroring
Doing this can lead to great results on your cold call. All you have to do is keep your ear out
and listen to how the prospect speaks and the words they use. Then, imitate the way they talk.
It’s as easy as that!
What’s the purpose behind this? It’s proven to be an effective way of building rapport and
increasing the odds of being “accepted” by the person you’re talking to. It relaxes the prospect
and makes them feel more comfortable talking to you.
Repetition
Don’t be afraid to repeat what the prospect says in a questioning tone. You’ll be surprised how
much someone will reveal when they’re questioned like this.
For example, if the prospect says something like:
“All my sales team manually find their leads.”
You should then respond with:
“Your sales team find ALL their leads MANUALLY?”
Repeating their words back to them acts as a guide, leading them towards revealing more
about their business - what the process looks like, how long it takes, the amount of resources
they put into it. These are further pain points which you can then address one by one, steering
them ever closer to the final stage in your cold call.
Closing
Following a conversation, you might be ready to go in for the close. If you feel like you can
close early, if you’ve addressed all the key pain points and the prospect has shown interest in
seeing your product in more depth - go for it!

“Look, (first name), I appreciate this is a lot to take in over the phone. It would be great to
show you the tool and run some live searches for you. Have you got 15 minutes free later
this week?”
At this point, you’re likely to encounter some objections. The prospect will come back with
some obstacles that you’ll have to overcome. One of the most common ones that’ll crop up at
this stage is:
“Please could you send me some more info first?”
Some good responses to this are:
“I could send you some more information, but by the time you’ve read through it, I could
answer the questions you have. What would you like to know?”
Or...
“It would be quicker and more useful to show you the platform. How does (day) at (time)
sound?”
An element of judgement is needed, however. If you feel the prospect is on the move or very
busy at the time, and perhaps pushing harder for a demo will irritate them, you need to judge
whether sending them a further email would be easier.
In which case, a good option is to find out exactly what information they want in the email.
Like this:
“What would you like me to include in the email?”
This will get the prospect to reveal their concerns, which you can then address on the phone -
eventually leading them back to the close.
Try out the above strategies for handling objections and persuading a hesitant prospect to
agree to a demo. Before you do so though, you must first gauge the receptiveness of the
prospect. Some people do not respond well to being pushed for a meeting.
When you get to the close, always make sure you qualify the prospect further before you let
them go. Like so:
“Great! In order to tailor the demonstration as best as possible, so you get the most out of
it, I just need a few details. Please can you tell me about your target (industries/job titles/
locations).”
This will help the BDM or account executive to personalise the product demo to exactly the
prospect’s needs, increasing the chances of a sale. Then, when that’s over, it’s time to end
the call.
“That’s great, thanks a lot for your time just now (first name). I really appreciate it. Do you
need anything else from me or would you like me to include anyone else on the call?”
You can also repeat the agreed time of the demo back to the prospect. It’s another way of
making sure the demo stays in their mind and means that (hopefully!) they’ll show up.
“That’s great, thanks a lot for your time today (first name). I look forward to seeing you on
(day) at (time).”

KEY TAKEAWAY:
Write down a cold call script that works for you - but don’t stick to it rigidly. Follow a set
structure but within that, give yourself room to be flexible.
8. Learn how to handle objections

Knowing how to handle objections during a cold call is a key skill that all B2B salespeople
have to master. Especially so if you’re working in a scaling business, which may have limited
manpower, resources and technology at its disposal. When you’re scaling, you need all the
wins that you can get!
By learning how to handle objections smartly, you will increase your chances of closing a sale.
What is objection handling?
HubSpot defines objection handling as:

“Objection handling is when a prospect presents a concern about the
product/service a salesperson is selling, and the salesperson responds in a
way that alleviates those concerns and allows the deal to move forward.”
It’s important to remember two things about objection handling:
• Objections aren’t a sign that the prospect isn’t interested. Quite the opposite, in fact -
they’re an indicator that the prospect is interested, but doesn’t yet have a full understanding
of your product or service. It’s your job as a salesperson to give them that understanding.
• Most objections are entirely valid. You can’t just brush them off. You have to provide
insight and give the prospect a compelling reason to buy from you.
Why is objection handling important?

Being able to handle objections effectively can determine whether a deal is won or lost.
Always address objections on your cold call as quickly as you can. The longer you leave it,
the stronger the prospect’s concerns will become - and the harder it will be for you to change
their mind.
A five-point plan for cold call objection handling
In B2B outbound, preparation makes perfect. This is especially true when it comes to handling
objections, which could come at any time during your cold call and be about any subject.
Don’t improvise and make it hard for yourself. Instead, ensure you have a process in place. Cognism’s
sales team uses the following five-point plan when they face objections on their cold calls:

• Listen to the prospect and their objections.

• The more the prospect feels like they’re being heard and understood,
LISTEN the more likely they are to buy.
• Ask qualifying questions (see above).

• The more information you gain from the prospect, the easier it is to
ASK handle their objections.
• Create a sense of urgency. Remind the prospect of the costs of not

buying your product now.
• Answer the prospect’s most urgent objection first. This makes
SOLVE answering all the other, less troublesome objections much easier.
• Find out if the solution you’ve offered meets the prospect’s

requirements. Ask them if they’re happy with what you’ve suggested.
• Repeat the prospect’s words back to them - for example, if they’ve
CONFIRM objected to the pricing, you can say, “I understand the pricing is higher
than you expected.”
• Don’t spend more time on one objection than is strictly necessary.

Listen to the objection, ask questions, define it, provide a solution -
and then progress to the next one.
MOVE ON • Never go back to an objection once you’ve addressed it.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Investigate each objection, ask searching questions, listen to the prospect, uncover the
reason behind each one - and then use the information you’ve learned to handle them
effectively.
9. Analyse and adapt

To understand how well your cold calling strategy is working, collect as much data as you can.
Take notes on every call. Everything you hear is information that may come in useful later. Even
if you’re logging calls in your CRM later, don’t rely on your memory.
What times of day are best to call? How many calls does it take to get through to a prospect?
How long are you spending on each call? How can you improve these numbers? Record your
calls and go through them with your mentor, to look for ways to enhance your skills.
One useful piece of advice is to A/B test your cold calls. Try out different versions and
approaches. Do certain lines or ways of speaking work better than others?

KEY TAKEAWAY:
Be scientific about your cold calls - log your results, analyse the data and learn from any
patterns that emerge.
10. Keep calling!

It’s a well-known fact that cold calling is a numbers game. On average, it takes eight cold
call attempts to reach a prospect. The more calls you make, the more opportunities you
have of making a sale. So even if you’ve had a bad call or numerous rejections, always make
one more dial.
The trick is to remain positive and persevere. Never give up. Rejection is a fact of cold
calling life. But there are tactics you can use to turn even the most difficult cold call to
your advantage.
If the prospect says they’re not interested, ask them “Why?” This makes the prospect come
up with reasons for their rejection - reasons that may help you to improve your pitch or
technique in the future.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Don’t take rejection personally. Stay professional, ask the prospect for feedback and thank
them, even if it’s negative. Then, take a deep breath and move onto your next call. Never let
rejection affect your confidence!
B2B outbound email
Sales Hacker defines outbound email as:

“Outbound email is a type of email sent by sales reps and business
developers to establish a connection with anyone they’ve identified as
a potential customer. Email outbound is primarily used in B2B types of
businesses.”
Outbound email is a cost-effective way to reach lots of prospects quickly, so it’s an attractive
option for scaling B2B and SaaS companies with limited resources.
• 81% of SMBs rely on email as their primary customer acquisition channel.

• For every $1 spent on outbound email, you can expect to see an average return of $42.

If you’re a sales rep working in a scaling business, it’s essential that you master the outbound
email. Think about it this way - the outbound email is highly scalable - you can send out 1,000
emails a lot quicker than you can make 1,000 calls.
6 steps for building an effective B2B outbound email

Here are 6 tips on how to craft a B2B outbound email that delights your audience and makes
them take action.
1. Focus on benefits, not features

The recipients for your outbound emails will more than likely be high-level decision-makers.
They’re not going to have much time on their hands. If they open your email, they want to
know what’s in it for them, pretty quickly.
That means you can’t waste time telling them how great your company is. Your recipient
doesn’t want to know how long you’ve been in business or any other accomplishments.
So, get to the point! Identify your prospect’s pain points (you’ll know them from your ICP) and
talk about how your product solves them. Focus on the benefits of your product and how it
will improve the prospect’s life for the better!
2. Drop names (in a targeted way)

Nothing makes a buyer sit up more than thinking a competitor has an advantage over them.
If a company in your prospect’s industry is using your product and getting results, tell them.
Don’t be afraid to drop their names. If you can, use statistics to show how your product
benefitted them. It’s all social proof, which creates FOMO (fear of missing out!) for your prospect.
However - and this is absolutely vital - just make sure the clients you mention are in the same
sector or industry. Social proof only makes an impact if it’s targeted and relevant.
Another benefit of this approach is that it shows your prospect that you’ve done your
research. It helps to position you as an expert.
3. Don’t be boring
Possibly the most critical piece of advice here; make sure your outbound email is interesting! If
your prospect is bored after the first paragraph, they’re probably not going to bother reading
the second one. You need to grab their attention straight away.
Don’t be afraid to use humour in your email. You can also be provocative. A conversational
style usually comes over well.
The best advice is to judge your audience. The ideal tone of voice will differ depending on
the seniority of the client. Using slang, emojis and text speak probably won’t work on company
CEOs - but may produce good engagement from marketing agencies, for example.

4. Always include a Call To Action

Your outbound email must have an overarching goal. It could be to book a meeting or demo
or renew a contract; it could be to make people aware of an event and get them to register
or buy tickets. Whatever it is, your goal will be something you want your recipient to do after
they’ve read your email.
The only way to get your prospect to take action is to tell them what to do. This is your Call To
Action, or CTA. Here are 3 CTA tips:
• If you are offering something for free (e.g.: trial, scoping), mention it in your CTA.
• If your offer is time-sensitive, tell them. Create some urgency!
• Make your CTA very clear. Don’t have more than one CTA in an email.
5. Make sure your subject line stands out

The first thing your recipient will see when your email lands in their inbox is the subject line.
When they see this, they will make an instant decision on whether your email is worth reading
or not.
Your subject line has to be as good as it can possibly be. Here’s Cognism’s best practice on
subject lines:
• Keep it short – 50 characters max.

• The subject line should match the content and tone of the email. Be honest!
• Use personalisation if you can.
6. Always test
If you’re sending outbound emails at scale, chances are you’ll be using email automation
software, such as Cognism Prospector. This software will collect response data on your
outbound emails, such as open rates, click-through rates and reading time. Study this data and
use it to improve your email campaigns.
A/B test different messages to find out what resonates best with your target audience.
You can also experiment with what days and times you send emails. Boosting responses,
even by a small amount, can make a big difference.

5 examples of successful outbound

emails
Looking for more practical advice? We’ve studied the B2B data from our own email campaigns
and we have identified five outbound emails which had the highest response and engagement
rates. They are drawn from all stages of the sales cycle.
These are Cognism’s five most successful outbound emails, presented with commentary on
why they were so effective!
1. The first email in a cadence
Why does this email work?

• One-word subject line - one simple word: “Cognism!” Our email campaigns have shown us
that one-word subject lines lead to higher response rates. The use of our company name
creates intrigue and makes sure it sticks in the prospect’s mind.
• Short and concise - at only 60 words, this email is shorter than the average outbound
email, which is 125-150 words. Yet our campaigns demonstrate that the shorter the email,
the higher the response rates.
• It’s personalised - the email mentions the prospect’s name and their company name.
We’ve found that including both increases conversion rates by up to 20%. Personalisation
can determine the success or failure of an outbound email!
• Easy to read - sentences and paragraphs are as short as possible. If an outbound email
isn’t easy for a prospect to read, it’ll simply go straight to ‘Deleted Items’!

• Facts and statistics - the sales rep has included a statistic that shows the value that
Cognism can deliver to the prospect.
• Clear and simple CTA - the prospect is being guided to one single outcome - are they
free for a short phone call?
2. The follow-up email

• Subject line as CTA - the subject line acts as a de facto CTA, directing the prospect to
take a specific action. Also note the length - only 19 characters.
• Short and concise - at 69 words, it’s shorter than the average outbound email. The shorter
they are, the more chance you have of getting a response!
• Useful resources and advice - the sales rep has included links to reviews, case studies
and articles showcasing Cognism’s value. The links aren’t just to the Cognism website,
but to articles hosted on external sites. Doing this shows the prospect that you’re not
just there to sell, you’re providing value for free. The prospect is much more likely to
remember you and engage.

3. The referral introduction email

• Humourous subject line - don’t be afraid to use a little humour! It’s a good way to engage
the prospect and get them to open your email. Remember the old business adage: people
will forget what you did, people will forget what you said, but they will always remember how
you made them feel. Again, note the length: very short at 15 characters!
• Brief and to the point - the sales rep has written a direct message that clearly states their
reason for emailing. This email is only 68 words. Don’t waffle; get to the point as quickly as
possible.
• Value statement - a short statement displaying the benefits of Cognism has been included
- the platform will save time and money. Think of a short value statement for the product or
service you’re selling. What is the most important thing, or the two most important things,
that it does for your clients?
• Short CTA - always include a CTA. Think about what you want to get from the prospect.

4. An email to inbound contacts (following a whitepaper download)

• Clear subject line - the subject line makes it very clear why the contact is being
approached. Always use the subject line to share the reason why you’re getting in touch.
• Short and concise - the shortest of our templates yet, at only 56 words. We’ve found that
this email has got a 16% response rate, which is 4x the industry standard!
• Show interest - the sales rep is showing that they’re interested in what the contact
thought of the whitepaper they’ve downloaded. This is an excellent way to build rapport.
With emails to inbound contacts, it’s all about creating a relationship, which you can then
build on to potentially make a sale.
• Offer advice - the sales rep is offering the contact some assistance. Again, this is a great
way to get the contact to engage and build rapport.
• Create urgency - the CTA gives the inbound contact a choice of times in which to respond.
The times are not too far in the future. This is a good strategy, as it gives the contact time to
read the whitepaper, but not too long for them to forget about it.

5. The break-up email

We asked our friends at Juro, the contract management platform, which of their
emails got the highest response rates. They provided us with this winning break-up email.
Alex Moir, their Business Development Representative, told us that this email received very
high response rates - both positive and negative!

• Short and simple - only 32 words. This break-up email cuts straight to the point, with a
higher chance that the prospect will finish reading it, and therefore bother to reply.
• An antagonistic tone - the wording suggests to the prospect that they don’t have the
authority to make a decision on the matter. When read this way at the end of a long string
of outbound emails, it can warrant negative responses. It can also result in a simple “I am
the right person, but not right now” type of response, which can give you good leverage to
reach out in a few months’ time.
• A referral request in the CTA - by asking the prospect to pass them on to a colleague, the
sales rep is creating another chance for engagement. If the referral is successful, it can lead
to a very beneficial outcome. This is one of the most powerful tools in a rep’s arsenal, as it
gives you the credibility of a recommendation by someone from within the team.

B2B outbound cadences: combining cold

calling and emails
Even more powerful than cold calls and emails on their own are combining the two in a
sequence, along with other touchpoints (e.g.: social or video). This is known as a cadence.
G2 defines an outbound cadence as:

“A scheduled sequence of touchpoints created to establish a connection
with a potential buyer.”
This section will show you how to build a winning outbound cadence, and provide two
example cadences aimed at different senior-level audiences.
How to create a B2B outbound cadence

When creating your outbound cadences, you need to remember three important numbers:
45 25 17
This is Cognism’s formula for outbound success. We’ll deal with each of these numbers in turn.
First up…
45
45% represents the largest single demographic of buyers today. Surprisingly, these are
millennials (the generation defined as being born between 1981 and 1996, with ages
between 22 and 37 years old). This cohort has sparked a revolution in culture, politics, and
business. They bring with them needs and aspirations which are markedly different from older
generations.
What does this mean for B2B outbound? Quite simply, it means you have to up your game!
The way millennials consume content is unique. They are online more often than their older
peers and they engage across multiple channels - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram,
Snapchat, to name just a few!
So, to engage and convert the biggest group of B2B buyers today, you need to understand
where millennials spend their time and how they want to buy. You’re prospecting an audience
whose attention is split across many different channels. Your outbound cadences have to rise
to that challenge if you want them to succeed.

With this in mind, here are some tactics for creating outbound cadences which convert
millennials:
• The first step in the cadence is crucial. With so much noise and online chatter vying for
millennial attention, you have to make a big first impression!
• You will need to create multiple touch points across multiple channels. Millennials
are used to frequent engagement with their favourite brands and businesses. And it’s not
just the length of the cadence which matters - you’ll have to diversify, pushing out your
message on many different networks at once.
• Personalisation is key. Cognism’s own research into outbound emails shows that simply
by adding the prospect’s first name and company name into the text of an email, you can
increase conversion rates by up to 20%. But you can do even better than that! Forensically
research each prospect. Swot up on their LinkedIn profile. Find out if they’ve recently
won any awards, for instance. Use sales triggers to discover if they’ve been promoted or
changed jobs. Leverage that information to create a truly personal cadence that won’t fail to
get responses.
25
The second number in our formula, 25%, signifies the percentage increase in conversions you
can expect to see, if you use video at the right time in your cadence.
When you think about the majority of your buyers now being millennials, it makes sense that
video should play a key role in engaging with them. They’ve grown up in a world where online
video has exploded in accessibility and popularity. Video must play a part in your outbound
cadence - your conversion rates will thank you for it!
Here are some stats to back up the power of video, taken from our own research:
If used in the second or third step in a cadence, video increases conversion

25% rates by 25%.
If video is used in a confirmation email on the day of a demo, attendance rates

95% are lifted from 75% to 95%.
75% of our late-stage prospects who received a personal video message from
75% us decided to buy.
Here’s an example of a B2B outbound video in action. This is a video recorded by Alex
Shorthose, a Senior Business Development Specialist at Cognism. He sent it to one of his
prospects at the end of the month. It’s a great illustration of how video can be used to engage
with potential buyers.

17
Moving onto the final number in the Cognism formula - 17. This represents the number
The ultimate B2B outbound cadence
of steps you need to have in a winning cadence. It may sound like a lot, but it reflects the
following
Day 1 facts:
Day 3 Day 5 Day 7 Day 8 Day 10 Day 12 Day 14 Day 16 Day 20 Day 24
• Nearly half of all B2B buyers are now millennials.
• They are engaging with content across multiple channels - so the more steps you have in
your cadence, the better your chances of success.
This is the optimal cadence as used by Cognism’s sales team. It’s based on all the data and
analytics we’ve gathered to date - it’s the ultimate winning outbound cadence!
There are a few things to note:

• The first step must be multi-step. Use phone and email together in the first step of your
cadence.
• You must include phone calls in your first step. Our sales reps found that 80% of their
most successful cadences contained phone calls in the first step.
• Video increases engagement rates - but it’s best used further down the cadence.
This is where it will have the greatest impact and increase scalability.

2 examples of successful B2B outbound

cadences
Sales leaders
As a B2B lead generation platform, one of Cognism’s biggest markets are sales leaders and
directors. Outreaching to this senior-level audience is something we do every day.
There is a skill in communicating with this group, however. Their calendars are usually chock full
of appointments and they don’t have much time, if any, to listen to an outside sales pitch. Is there
a technique for engaging with this audience quickly and in a way that maximises success?
We asked our sales team to provide us with a winning cadence geared at sales leaders.
Here is an overview of the cadence:
1
Start
DAY
2
Phone call Voice mail Email Phone call
Voice mail
DAY DAY
4 3
DAY
Email
Phone call Email Phone call
Email
DAY DAY
3 Day
Break
8 9 DAY
10
LinkedIn Connect Email

with note
LinkedIn
DAY
DAY
DAY
13 11
14
Phone call
View the
prospect’s proﬁle Phone call Email
Email
Phone call
End
DAY
15
Email

The purpose of the cadence

The cadence is designed to be fast and hard-hitting. The intention is to create urgency, to
connect with the prospect as quickly as possible and to get appointments booked in a short
space of time.
The ultimate goal is to get the prospect to convert to a meeting in 15 days. It’s the cadence
of choice for the sales rep who’s working in a scaling company and wants to generate some
quick wins.
Results
Here are the results generated by this cadence:
• 341 calls were made and 341 emails were sent.
• Of those 341 emails, only 5 bounced - a bounce rate of 1.47%.
• 116 emails were opened - an open rate of 34.52%.
• Of those opened emails, 38 of them had the prospect click on a link - a click-through rate of
32.76%.
• 10 emails received a positive response where the prospect booked a demo - a conversion
rate of 2.98%.
The cadence
The first step is to call your prospect, pitch your value proposition to them and attempt to get
them booked in for a meeting. It’s an introductory call, but by trying to get a meeting booked
straight away, the sales rep is building up some urgency.
If you can’t get through, leave a voicemail explaining your product’s value and promising to
follow up with an email.
Follow this call on Day 1 with an email.

Keep this short and to the point. Remember that sales leaders have very busy lives and are
more likely to respond to a succinct and snappy message. This email is only 53 words long.
A good outbound email should be based around your product’s benefits, rather than features.
It should demonstrate the value that your product can deliver to the prospect. Don’t just reel
off a list of product features - instead, think about the advantages that the prospect will gain
from using it. You’re much more likely to get a response that way.

Start the second day with a phone call showing your product’s value. See if the prospect has
considered your earlier emails and phone calls and if they’re interested in booking a meeting.
Again, if there’s no connection, leave a voicemail!
The follow-up email on the second day is even shorter than the first - 31 words.
The messaging is easy to read and simple to understand. It’s demonstrating value
(“Cognism can help you”) while still reinforcing the intention to get a meeting in the diary.
The email ends on a strong CTA, asking the prospect to consider connecting on a specific date.

If you haven’t had any traction over the first few days, now’s the time to ask the prospect for
alternative contacts. Call them, check if they’re the decision-maker and if there’s anyone else in
their organisation that you should be talking to.
What’s the purpose of doing this? If they are the decision-maker, it may spur them into a
conversation. If they’re not, they may provide you with the contact details of someone who is.

This email works in much the same way as the last phone call. The intention is to find out if the
prospect is qualified to deal with your query, and if not, to get them to refer you to a better
qualified colleague.
The email also keeps the value proposition to the fore. It provides three clear reasons why
Cognism can make the prospect’s life easier. It deepens the value proposition by providing
something new - a link to a page of external customer reviews.
This phone call should also provide something new. Call the prospect and quote a relevant
case study or industry statistic. It’s a way of maintaining interest and making the prospect look
again at your product.

The purpose of this email is to provide knowledge and insight. By saying that they’ve
researched the prospect’s industry, the sales rep is building up trust and rapport. This is
backed up by the attachment of a case study that’s relevant to the prospect’s industry.
The email includes a clear value statement (“save time / lower costs”).
Finally, it ends with a strong CTA. Never forget the ultimate goal of your cadence is to secure
meetings!
Note: the cadence now includes a three-day break. This is to give the prospect time to read the
materials you’ve provided, and also prevents them from getting fatigued.
After the three-day break, it’s time to ramp up engagement. On the eighth day, connect with
the prospect on LinkedIn. Include a polite note with your connection request. Boost their ego
in no more than 20 words!
Remember to research the prospect thoroughly. It can really help you with this message.
Have they recently written an article that you can quote? Have they won an industry award or
been featured on an external website or publication? Leverage that information to keep your
conversation going.

At this point in the cadence, it’s important to offer the prospect something of value. The sales
rep suggests a 15-minute screen share. This is something that won’t take up too much of the
prospect’s time, while also giving them a fairly detailed overview of the product.
An open-ended question is used to close the email. Open-ended questions (questions that don’t
require a “yes” or “no” answer) are the best techniques for staying engaged with a prospect.
If they haven’t responded already, the prospect may be getting a little tired of seeing your
name crop up in their inbox! Defuse this tension by sending them a LinkedIn InMail.

Apologise for your persistence, but stick to your game plan. Tell them you really think your
product is a good fit for them and you’d like to show them over a short demo.
The day after the LinkedIn message, call the prospect directly and repeat the same message.
Apologise for your persistence, but try to persuade them to commit to booking a meeting.
This email is a simple request to be introduced to other stakeholders. Again, it may be the
catalyst for the prospect to initiate a dialogue.

Call the prospect and repeat much the same message from the above email. You’re sorry you
haven’t been able to connect but you’d like to move forward by contacting someone else.
Take some time to scroll through the prospect’s LinkedIn page. Maybe like or comment on one
of their recent posts. This shows that you’re still very keen.

This email is the last roll of the dice. It’s simple, direct, short at only 52 words and includes
everything you’ve communicated so far. If you get a response at this late stage - great! If not -
it’s time to move on to prospects new! Which brings us to…
This is the break-up phase of the cadence. You’ve tried everything, but it hasn’t quite worked.
Give the prospect a call and tell them you recognise that now isn’t the right time for them.
But...leave the door open. Don’t write the opportunity off completely. Say that you’ll get back in
touch in 6 months’ time. Who knows what might change for the prospect between now and then?

The final email in the cadence copies the messaging from the final phone call. It’s a break-
up, but it finishes on the intent to follow-up in the future. Until you hear a definite “no”, the
opportunity isn’t closed...just put on hold!
CEOs
Every B2B salesperson worth their salt knows that engaging with CEOs can be a tricky
business. Typically, they have little time at their disposal and they have needs and wants that
are very different from their lower-level colleagues. This makes prospecting CEOs to be a
difficult undertaking - difficult, but not impossible.
We asked Charlie Beale, Cognism’s Business Development Manager, for a winning cadence
aimed at CEOs. Charlie shared with us an epic 75-day cadence, which he’s used before
to engage with C-suite prospects. We also asked Hector Forwood, our Senior Business
Development Manager, for his advice in pitching to this highly specific and specialised audience.
Here’s an overview of the cadence:
DAY 01 DAY 05 DAY 10
DAY 15
Start
@
LinkedIn Connect Product Share content
with note Research on LinkedIn Tag the prospect
on LinkedIn
DAY 25
DAY 40 DAY 30
DAY 45 Share content
on LinkedIn
DAY 50
LinkedIn LinkedIn Like
LinkedIn InMail and Comment
InMail
Share content
on LinkedIn
DAY 60 DAY 63
DAY 65
DAY 55 @
LinkedIn
Tag the prospect Phone
InMail
on LinkedIn call
Email
DAY 68
DAY 75 DAY 73 DAY 70

Phone
call
End
Email Phone Email

call

The purpose of the cadence

Before you start out with this cadence, first of all forget everything you’ve learned prospecting
to managers, team leaders, department heads and the like. Prospecting to CEOs requires a
very different mindset. Don’t go charging in asking for a meeting right off the bat; you haven’t
earned it yet! Expect it to take months of engagement before you get to that point.
This cadence isn’t designed to get a quick win; quite the opposite, in fact. It’s about building a
relationship, establishing a meaningful dialogue and nurturing the prospect over an extended
period of time. The usual sales patter won’t work with a CEO. Instead, you’ll have to show that
you’re…
• Fully prepared by researching them and their industry thoroughly.
• Ready and able to share relevant, insightful content.
• Focused on the challenges and pain points that affect them.
If you can do all that, then - and only then - you will get your meeting. As always in B2B
outbound, but especially so in this case, persistence really will pay off.
Results
Charlie saw some impressive results by using this cadence:
• Email response rates of up to 15%.
• LinkedIn engagement rates of up to 52%.
• Asset download rates of up to 24%.

The cadence
For a lot of salespeople, this first touch may seem counter-intuitive. It doesn’t mention
anything about the sales rep’s business or product. It’s not providing any useful information or
memorable statistics.
What it is doing, however, is starting a relationship. By asking the CEO to provide you with
information, instead of the other way around, you’re increasing your chances of getting a
response. CEOs are generally outgoing and they love to share knowledge and talk about their
companies. They’re used to being the public face of a business and being asked questions
about it. If you can play on that, you’ll find that the CEO will be more than willing to engage.

In the run-up to Day 5, take the time to complete detailed research of the CEO’s company,
product or service. Browse the company website and take notes on their offering and USP.
Read any blogs or articles on the website, to get an idea of the company’s tone and voice.
Watch any videos or listen to any webinars or podcasts - especially if the CEO is involved.
If the company offers a free demo of the product, make sure you book yourself in for one.
This way, you’ll be fully prepared for future interaction with the CEO.
Ask your B2B marketing team (if you have one) if they have any content you can share on
your LinkedIn feed. It can be anything - a blog, a video, a webinar - but it must be focused on
the CEO and their business or industry.
If the content you require doesn’t exist, work with marketing to see if they can produce
something for you. A good piece of advice - and this is something that has helped at Cognism
- is to hold a weekly meeting between your senior salespeople and marketers, to identify the
content pieces that are needed going forward.
Find a relevant article (preferably one published by your own company) and tag the CEO in it.
The purpose of this is threefold:
• It furthers engagement with the CEO - look out if they reply or like!
• It shows that you’re keen to share knowledge, not sell a product.
• It keeps you and your business in the CEO’s busy mind.

On Day 9, you shared content about your company. On Day 25, you have to do something
different. This time, you have to get personal. Share some thoughts about your industry. Focus
on the pain points that might be affecting the CEO.
End your post with a CTA - a question asking for people to respond. If the cadence has been
working well, then you may get a reply from the CEO!
Scroll through the CEO’s Recent Activity tab. Have they shared an article, or better yet, written
one themselves? If so, like and comment on it - especially if it’s relevant to your product or
service.

Now that you’ve seeded some good, valuable content, it’s time to ramp up engagement. Send
the CEO a LinkedIn message, including a short offer. If the CEO did recommend that you talk to
a colleague, make sure you mention them! Leveraging internal champions will give you even
more of a buy-in with the CEO.
It doesn’t matter hugely if you don’t receive a reply at this stage - this is just the first step in
building a deeper relationship. Here’s an example:

If you don’t receive a positive response on Day 40, follow up on Day 45 with another LinkedIn
InMail. This time, instead of going for the standard sales message, try one of these tactics:
• Drop in a referral from an internal or external contact.
• Boost the CEO’s ego by mentioning a recent occurrence in their career - an award win,
perhaps, or good quarterly financials, or the completion of an important project - anything
that will get their attention!
• Keep the student-teacher relationship going by asking them for something. A good idea is
to look at their LinkedIn feed. Have they announced that they’re going to be speaking at
an event in the future? Most CEOs are active participants on the trade show and industry
conference circuit. Use that intel to your advantage! But make sure the speech is relevant to
your product or service.
Like so:

At this point in the cadence, the content you share must be super-relevant and hyper-focused
on the CEO’s business or industry. Your best bet is to look at your own list of clients. Choose
one based on the following criteria:
• They must be in the same sector as the CEO’s company.
• They must be based in the same geography (or nearest to) as the CEO’s company.
• They must be the same size as the CEO’s company (e.g., a startup, SMB or enterprise).
Then, ask your marketing team to produce a case study for the client (if one doesn’t exist
already). Share the case study on your company’s LinkedIn page and your own LinkedIn page.
If the CEO sees it, they’ll see how your business has helped another exactly like theirs - a
powerful message which you can return to later in the cadence.
Continue the mutual knowledge sharing by sending the CEO a recent article or industry
report. Keep your eyes peeled for any developments in the CEO’s sector. They will be
watching the business news channels and websites like a hawk, so you should do the same.
Include a CTA asking them to respond. As ever, remember that CEOs love to share their insight
and comment on events!

By now, you should’ve built up a good rapport with the CEO. You’ll know the sort of
approaches they like and the kinds of messages they respond well to. Find another good
article or news story that matches their business and tag them in it.

The time has come - time to pick up the phone! Call the prospect and give them your best
30-second pitch about why your product matters and which pain points it can solve.
When calling a CEO, however, remember that the best times to call are very different from
other workers. Here’s Charlie Beale’s advice:
• Mornings aren’t usually a good time as the CEO will be distracted, planning and working
through all the varied tasks they have to accomplish that day.
• Lunchtime is better. CEOs often work through their lunch break, while other workers are out.
It’s also a good time to reach the CEO without having to speak to the gatekeeper. Chances
are, their PA or secretary will be out on lunch, meaning you can bypass them and get
straight to the decision-maker.
• Later in the day or after working hours (5-8pm) are also good times to call an executive.
Their colleagues may have already left for the day, meaning that there will be less activity in
the office. The CEO may be more relaxed and more open to receiving a call.
For this touchpoint, you’ll have to provide the CEO with a proof of value (POV) document.
Typically, this is a longer-form document (maximum 2 pages), which sets out on a practical
level how your product or service will help the CEO’s business. The clue is in the name - you
have to prove the value of your offering.
Unsure about what a good proof of value document should contain? Hector Forwood has
some guidance for you:
• Start with a short introduction about the end goals. What is the best result the CEO can
expect from using your product?
• Then progress to a list of benefits your product or service can provide. What are the 3 most
important things you can deliver for them?
• Then give a POV timescale. List in detail the steps you’ll need to take to get the prospect
onboarded and using the product. Include the resources required from each company for
each step.

• Set some customer success parameters. What will the prospect be required to do in order
to maximise their chances of success?
• Make sure to include any legal considerations (if relevant and/or necessary).
• End the document with some bullet points detailing the immediate next steps. These can be
anything from promising to provide more information by a certain date to setting a time for a
follow-up call or face-to-face meeting.
Use this call to check in with the prospect, if they haven’t already replied. Try and schedule a
meeting with them, as per the next steps from your POV document.
Follow up on your POV document by sending the CEO something of benefit. A report detailing
the difference that your product or service can make, or a comparison between your company
and your biggest competitors.
This is the last touchpoint before break-up, so don’t waste it!

You’ve done your best, but it hasn’t worked. It’s time to break up.
Give the CEO a call and tell them that you’ll close their file...for now. Don’t completely end it,
though. Say that you’ll check up in 6 months’ time, just in case.
This is the very last touchpoint in the cadence. Follow up your phone call with an email,
repeating the same break-up message.

We asked James Isilay, Cognism’s founder and CEO, how he likes to be prospected. He gave
us the following tips:
• Focus on the pain points. They’re likely to be the only things that a CEO will respond to.
• Keep your messages short and simple. Don’t waste a single word. A CEO’s calendar is full
enough without having to read email essays! If your email is too long, it will just get deleted.
• Be persistent. It will take some time for a CEO to reply. But if you can convince them
that your product can remove their pain, you will get a positive response.

Perfecting B2B outbound: top tips from

3 top SDRs
B2B outbound isn’t something that you can lock down and set in stone. You have to keep
reviewing your processes and continually make adjustments and improvements.
Elizabeth “Lizzie” Alli, Hugh Campbell and Saif Khan are three of Cognism’s
top-performing SDRs. We asked them for their tips on how to succeed in one of the hardest
jobs in B2B outbound. Their thoughts will help you and your team perfect the outbound
process. Over to them!
Hi team! First question. What qualities/characteristics are essential to being a top-

performing SDR?
LIZZIE:
“Resilience, persistence and drive. As an SDR, you’re going to face a lot
of rejection every day. You have to be a really tough person to be able
to handle that. Having great support from your team will help you to get
through it.”
SAIF:
“My number one quality for a top-performing SDR is aspiration. You
should always be aspiring to do better. If you’re given a target, don’t just
try to achieve it - try to smash it! Always go one hundred times better!”
HUGH:
“You have to have confidence on the phone. People can tell if you’re not
speaking confidently, or you don’t know enough about the product you’re
selling. My number one quality for a top sales rep is a willingness to learn
- you need to know everything about your product. Only then can you
sell it effectively!”

Cognism is a fast-growing, scaling company. Our sales team headcount has doubled in
less than 12 months. What’s it been like working in sales here?
HUGH:
“I love the fast pace. It’s really exciting. But it can be really difficult. You
can’t rest on your laurels in outbound sales. If you have a great month in
January, in February you’re back to zero again. Support from your team is
so important in keeping you motivated.”
SAIF:
“I used to work in corporate sales. Cognism is the first startup I’ve worked
for. What I love most about working at a scaling company is that you see
the company grow as a direct result of your efforts. If the company hires
new SDRs, then that’s because we’ve all been doing our jobs properly!”
LIZZIE:
“What I love about Cognism is that everyone in sales started in the same
position. Our CRO and Sales Director used to do cold calls! It means that
they know how hard the SDR job can be. We can all relate to each other
in a way that doesn’t happen in other companies.”
How do you know when you’re succeeding as an SDR? Is it purely based on metrics, or
is there a “feeling” behind it?
LIZZIE:
“I’d say it’s a bit of both. Metrics obviously give you a clear picture of
how you’re doing. They’re especially useful when you first start out. But
you can also tell when you’re improving, based on the conversations
you have. One thing that really helped me was listening back to my least
successful cold calls and learning from them, making adjustments to my
tonality and pitch.”

HUGH:
“It’s all about growing professionally and personally. Are you hitting your
targets? Great! But are you also learning and improving what you do?
A top sales rep should always be looking to diversify and get creative.
Don’t just do what everyone else does. Cold calls and emails are a
core part of the SDR role, but there are lots of other channels you can
use. Create videos and send them to your prospects. Attend as many
industry-relevant events as you can.”
SAIF:
“All sales jobs are measured, but what’s important to me is, are you
delivering value to your prospects? Are you solving their pain points?
Are you helping to make their lives easier? That gives you a great feeling.”
What tech has helped you in your role? Do you have to use tech to be a top sales rep?
SAIF:
“Tech is important, for sure. The top four for me are SalesLoft, Salesforce,
LinkedIn - and Cognism! Our own platform is ideal for B2B prospecting.
To succeed as an SDR, you definitely need to plug into a sophisticated
CRM. That’ll help you out so much when it comes to organising your time.”
HUGH:
“Lead generation software is essential for me. At Cognism, we use our
own tool, Prospector, to find leads and engage with them.”
LIZZIE:
“You could do this job without tech. You could just pick up the phone and
have a copy of the Yellow Pages next to you. But why would you want to?
Sales is a numbers game. You’re up against the clock every single day.
Anything that helps you speed up the process and drives efficiency has
got to be good.”

How do you juggle the different aspects of the SDR role? There’s the cold calling, the
email outreach, but also the admin side as well. How do you cope with that?
HUGH:
“Your CRM is your best friend! I use Salesforce every day. Create tasks,
track and update them daily if not hourly! If you’ve got something to do -
just do it! Don’t put it off. In sales, you can easily get swamped.
At Cognism, we also have a zero inbox policy, which is a big help to me in
organising tasks.”
LIZZIE:
“Good admin is half the battle for an SDR! Get a good workflow going for
yourself. Put in your own rules and KPIs. For instance, if I go to an event,
then I always block out time in my calendar the following morning for
follow-ups.”
SAIF:
“A lot of salespeople overlook Outlook, but it’s vital for keeping track
of your time. I log everything on my Outlook calendar, even lunches!
That way, you know exactly where you should be and what you should
be doing every hour and every minute of the day. One thing we do at
Cognism is “power hour”, where the whole team just gets on the phones
and cold calls for an hour straight. That’s a great way to reset yourself
and focus on your core responsibilities.”
Are there any processes that you’ve put in place for yourselves that have really
helped you succeed?
LIZZIE:
“One thing I do is allocate time every month to review my own
performance. What were my successes, what were my failures? What’s
working for me right now and what isn’t? Doing this gives me some great
takeaways for improving my performance.”

SAIF:
“You have to have in-depth product knowledge to be a successful
sales rep. You need to buy in to the product to sell it! Go beyond the
product training your company gives you. Block out time to use it for
yourself. If you have any questions, ask your product team. Build up good
relationships with them.”
HUGH:
“Keep an eye on the collateral that your marketing team produces.
They can be a great resource for the SDR. Read your company blog and
case studies and use the messaging to improve your pitch.”
How do you manage expectations in sales? How do you keep the motivation going?
HUGH:
“If I’m given a target to make X number of calls in a day, then it’s my job
to do that. It’s as simple as that for me. Always keep your targets in mind
and organise your day to hit them. Saif already mentioned them, but our
power hours are critical to getting you 100% focused on cold calling.
Ignore everything else, pick up the phone and get selling!”
SAIF:
“Don’t overthink it. Keep moving ahead, keep calling. Believe in your own
ability. In my experience, self-belief is the key to consistency. If you go
into sales with confidence and persistence, then you’ll succeed. Don’t let
rejection get to you. So one call didn’t go your way? Never mind - move
onto the next one! The more calls you make, the better you’ll get, and the
more successful you’ll become.”
LIZZIE:
“If you’re having a bad week and you’re feeling demotivated, don’t be
afraid to ask for help! Sales is a very fickle business. You can have the
best day you’ve ever had followed by the worst. If you’ve got a good team
around you, then the support is there, all you have to do is ask for it.”

I’m an SDR and I’m failing to hit target. What advice can you give me?
SAIF:
“LinkedIn is a great tool to find people but it’s also a great knowledge hub
as well. If you’re having difficulties with a part of your role, search for it
on LinkedIn! Chances are, someone with experience has written a blog
about it or hosted a webinar about it. Leverage the knowledge of the
online sales community. Write a post asking your peers for their advice.
Learn from them and use their knowledge to sell better.”
HUGH:
“Good salespeople should always be good listeners. Listen to your peers
and colleagues. Speak to people in other departments - CS, marketing,
product. Your own company is a huge resource of knowledge and
information. Get a complete picture of your company so that you can
create a seamless journey for your prospects.”
LIZZIE:
“If your company hasn’t got a mentor-mentee system in place, then I
recommend that you start one right away! This is where a senior salesperson
is given a junior colleague to look after and advise. It’s a brilliant scheme
because it means you’ll be learning from someone who understands the
pressures of the job and knows the best shortcuts to success.”

It’s my first day as a sales rep and I’ve never done this job before. What would your
top tip be?
LIZZIE:
“Just pick up the phone and do it! The best teacher is experience. Don’t be
afraid of the unknown - learn from it!”
SAIF:
“When you first start, just focus on getting your pitch and conversation
right. It’s not about closing deals on day one. It’s about building your
confidence and getting familiar with selling your product to others.”
HUGH:
“Outbound sales involves a lot of trial and error. Don’t be afraid to
experiment. Try out different styles of pitches until you find one that works.”

The science of B2B outbound

At Cognism, we’re fond of the saying, “sales isn’t an art - it’s a science.” B2B outbound is
your pathway to introducing a scientific sales process into your business. With outbound,
everything can be measured and tracked. It creates B2B data, which you can use to analyse
your performance and sharpen your selling. It creates a data-driven sales team, fully focused
on goals and revenue.
Follow the steps outlined in our guide and you too will make your growth predictable and
repeatable. Be sure to share your successes with us on our social media:
We look forward to hearing from you!
Contact Cognism today

Cognism is the number one platform for B2B outbound. Our all-in-one, globally compliant
prospecting solution is designed to help B2B sales teams scale as quickly as possible.
Using our technology, you can:
• Build personas of your ideal customers, using a range of person and company filters.
• Generate leads from our global database of B2B firms and individuals.
• Take advantage of our event-based triggers, which highlight the best times to outreach.
• Engage with your leads through multi-touchpoint sales cadences.
Interested? Then book a demo with us today!
Request your demo now

Cognism is the world’s leading all-in-one

globally compliant prospecting solution.

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B2B OUTBOUND:

Building predictable growth

Outbound sales: your route to predictable growth 3

How to build a high-performing B2B outbound team 4

Top 5 SDR skills 14

10 questions to ask when hiring an SDR 16

How to ramp up an SDR in 3 days 21

Generating leads for B2B outbound 24

The two major types of B2B outbound activity 27

Top cold calling tips 28

B2B outbound email 39

5 examples of successful outbound emails 42

B2B outbound cadences: combining cold calling and emails 47

2 examples of successful B2B outbound cadences 50

Perfecting B2B outbound: top tips from 3 top SDRs 74

The science of B2B outbound 81

| B2B outbound: building predictable growth

Outbound sales: your route to

What is B2B outbound?

The difference between B2B and B2C outbound

Who conducts B2B outbound?

What skills does B2B outbound require?

Why is B2B outbound important?

B2B outbound: building predictable growth |

Your guide to B2B outbound

Over the course of this exhaustive guide, you’ll learn:

• How to build a B2B outbound sales team, geared for high-performance.

This is B2B outbound: Building predictable growth.

How to build a high-performing

| B2B outbound: building predictable growth

1. Structuring your B2B outbound team

SALES DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Key Tasks: Key Tasks:

• Cold calling • Conducting demos

The overall team structure looks like this:

Team structure: focused roles

Senior SDR Enterprise SDR

B2B outbound: building predictable growth |

What are the benefits of adopting this model?

– Nazma Qurban, Chief Revenue Officer, Cognism

2. Important B2B outbound metrics

Team metrics: the capacity model for B2B outbound

| B2B outbound: building predictable growth

January £32,000.00 7.5 45 180 54 234 175.5 55% 97 25% 32 5 12 47 0.63

B2B outbound: building predictable growth |

– Neil Ryland, Chief Revenue Officer, Peakon

– Nazma Qurban, Chief Revenue Officer, Cognism

– Nigel Dunand, Director at Sandler Training

Individual metrics or KPIs

| B2B outbound: building predictable growth

Emails sent Calls made LinkedIn activity

Meetings booked Meetings attended

Booked to Meetings booked

Average deal value Demo attended

B2B outbound: building predictable growth |

MONTHLY RECURRING REVENUE (MRR)

Amount Target % of target

INBOUND VS. OUTBOUND

Inbound conversion rate Outbound conversion rate