A major difference is the mindset the client arrives with. In traditional sales, you have to go out and “chase” or convince someone from scratch. In contrast, in inbound sales, the client is already coming to you. Since they have already read your content, watched your videos, or downloaded a guide, when you speak with them, they already know who you are and trust you. You don’t have to “push” them aggressively, but rather help them make the best decision
Inbound sales are attracted, not sought out.
I can say that, based on what has been observed so far, there are two purposes:
- To provide visibility into the customer’s journey, not just the sales process line that the company manages or that salespeople are typically familiar with. This creates a better structure throughout the entire sales process, making it much more customer-oriented.
- It challenges traditional models where only the salesperson talks and explains everything, fostering a deeper understanding of whether a customer is qualified or not, and saving time by discarding leads that are not compatible with the products offered.
During the approach or initial contact stage with potential clients, we were accustomed to scheduling a meeting to present solutions and strategies that would help their businesses stand out. In the meeting itself, we offered the service and the competitive advantages of acquiring our product. We did not assess whether the client actually needed that service; we simply tried to make it look appealing to them. In some situations, this approach worked, but in the majority of cases, it did not. Inbound sales are definitely different from the way I have been selling.