Diversity in where pipeline comes from matters as much as pipeline itself. If you’re all paid ads and inbound leads, what happens when ads have a bad month? No deals? It’s the same concept as diversifying your investments. Our team at Braze works on many sources of pipeline. The constraints of our new way of living are pushing us to be creative in outbound sales.
There are companies who have chosen to pause outbound outreach. They likely feel that prospecting right now may feel inauthentic. We’re proving there’s still a way to reach out and serve our company and our customer needs. We're doing so in a way that’s appreciated and valued, and Reachdesk is a part of that.
First - why focus on outbound right now?
Businesses now have more problems than before. As a salesperson, you have your unique and valuable perspective on the market. If educating a prospect on a potential outcome solves that problem, you get a new customer. Being proactive with these solutions is in high demand right now.
Someday soon the state of our world will start to trend back to something that feels like “normal.” Those who persist right now and continue to hone their craft are the ones who will succeed first on the other side.
Next - how to do outbound right
Of course batch and blast is the wrong idea here. If we’re going to provide solutions to our prospects, we’re going to have to do our research on them. The right research leads to thoughtful (and high performing) outreach that focuses on them.
At Braze, we’ve been experimenting with almost every facet of our outreach and messaging. One new addition to our sales stack is Reachdesk. With some clever usage, we’re driving new opportunities and reigniting stalled ones. When we’re not booking meetings, we’re appreciated for our ideas. This creates potential new customers down the line.
Direct Mail has always been a high performing channel for us. And we’re always trying new ideas. The closure of offices means that we can no longer get a package in front of a CEO ourselves. With Reachdesk, we can deliver digitally or let customers choose the delivery address, or use their address confirmation feature for verification. We’ve been able to run some high-performing campaigns with it:
- Virtual Coffees: For opportunities that have gone dark, we use Reachdesk. Send an eGift card for coffee delivery, with messaging to reconnect over a virtual cup. This was the most obvious, easy campaign we were able to run within hours of getting set up. All the data of activity and tracking synced with our CRM too.
- Experience our Customers: For net new prospecting and early-stage prospects. We'll send Domino’s eGift cards through Reachdesk in the flow of our prospecting. Usually on Friday and to folks who are engaging with our earlier outreach. The messaging is a very light ask: “Hey, hope you can treat yourself with some pizza. By the way, we power that messaging experience when you order Domino’s, so it’s a little bit of doing your homework, too. If we can support you in a similar way we’d love to talk”
- New Milestones: I feel like more people are switching jobs right now, or I’m more cognizant of it. In the past we’d send champagne to offices for teams celebrating a milestone or bringing on a new team member. You can’t do that when everyone’s at home. With Reachdesk, my team can send bottles. Reachdesk lets recipients choose the delivery address, taking the load off us.
We’re in the fortunate position of secure employment. Continuing to innovate where we can is our appreciation of that. Constraints force us to be creative. Reachdesk is removing an impediment to a high performing, but slow moving channel.
The outreach we’re doing now, even if it’s not leading to sales right now, has a ripple effect. If now is not the right time, we’re still on an individual’s radar and visible to their company. We’ll provide a reason for them to remember us even in their next career move.
A few of the responses to our latest campaigns which include Reachdesk
We’re going to keep building on these wins. My team is working on positioning our customers as the heroes in this time. We're guides for them on their way to their victory. Constantly, we work on new ideas to improve the sales experience, and Reachdesk is a part of that. Even after work, I'm using the coding I’ve learned to improve my conversations with CTOs. I'm creating tools for BDR career mentorship and sales job boards for those out of work.
Top: The first pic of what would years later, become the Braze East SMB team
Bottom: The most recent picture of Braze East SMB with leader, Rick Trader
“The day we stop losing sleep over the success of our business and start losing sleep over the success of our customers is the day our business will start growing again.” Donald Miller’s StoryBrand has been influential on our sales methodology. If you can stay creative and focused on the outcomes of your prospects, success will come.
