Jul 11, 20218:46 PM - edited Aug 12, 202110:39 AM
HubSpot Employee
What makes inbound sales different?
Inbound sales transforms sales to match the way people buy. It's all about meeting prospects where they are and helping them move toward a purchasing decision. Is this different from the way you're used to approaching sales, or have you been doing sales in this way but calling it something else? Leave your thoughts in the comments about how inbound sales is similar to or different from the way you've been doing sales.
Inbound sales strategy fits todays world perfectly.As a buyer I know for sure I would like if the sales persons would listen to what i want or need rather than insisting on their version from the get go.
Inbound sales focuses on aligning with how buyers research and make decisions, rather than pushing a product. It involves attracting, engaging, and nurturing leads through relevant content and personalized interactions. This is different from traditional sales, which often relies on cold calling and direct selling tactics. If you've been focusing on building relationships and providing value, you might already be practicing inbound sales but without formally labeling it that way.
This process feels refreshing to me. It takes the pressure off of the seller and allows for focus on the customer's needs. Ultimately meeting the customer where they are in the buyer's journey and collaboratively identifying problems and possible solutions feels more customer centric.
Also for me, to have a process to walk a customer through gives clarity and makes the sales process more rewarding.
1. Build trust by gaining understanding and articulating their problem/Identify buyers. 2. Be helpful by showing them the problem/Connect with buyers. 3. Map or guide them through the solutions/Explore solutions with buyers. 4. Solve the demand by offering the solution and asking for the sale/Advise buyers phase.
I believe inbound sales are similar to how I usually approach sales. As a customer, I tend to gather information myself, search for what I need, and make purchasing decisions based on my research.
However, from the perspective of a sales team member, today’s inbound sales are somewhat different from traditional outbound sales and have evolved significantly. In reality, I think both approaches coexist and overlap.
For example, when I mention or search for something using voice recognition or AI on my phone, my feed gets flooded with related product advertisements. Would this be considered inbound or outbound sales? Technically, since the user initiates the search, it leans toward inbound sales. However, if the exposure happens regardless of the user’s intent, it also contains outbound elements.
Ultimately, inbound sales are more effective in building customer trust and achieving long-term success. Therefore, I believe businesses should focus on developing and enhancing their inbound sales strategies.
Inbound sales, is a mindset of consultancy covered by channels. There is an area of consultancy among cases studies, guide to steps etc, that drives potential users or clients to the right path!
Both inbound sales and outbound sales have been worthwhile strategies while securing clients for my small health coach/personal chef business. I've used inbound sales strategies by posting flyers around social channels and local businesses and receiving calls/messages about my services. I've also utilized it by setting up a station at the farmer's market and introducing prospects to my services, asking them questions about what current challenges they are facing that I might be able to help them solve, and gathering their contact information. Here, I'm having prospecting conversations with leads that are already showing interest or a need for my services. Outbound sales strategies entail more research using social media to understand who leads might be, conducting research about the potential leads and coming up with a particular strategy that would be effective to engage with this lead based on my research (what goals am I gathering through research that they might have that I could lead the conversation with? or what current struggles might they be facing that I can tailor my introduction to? What questions do I want to ask them to uncover their challenges?) before performing cold outreach that may or may not work. Here, I must use my research, critical thinking and problem-solving skills BEFORE I secure interest from the lead.... Inbound sales has a certain level of trust that is already generated, whereas outbound strategies require more prior research and effective strategies during discovery calls/conversations to build that trust.
Inbound sales differ from traditional (outbound) sales because they focus on attracting potential customers who are already interested in a product or service, rather than reaching out to cold leads. Here’s what makes inbound sales unique:
Customer-Driven – Inbound sales rely on customers finding the business through content marketing, SEO, social media, and referrals. Outbound sales, on the other hand, involve direct outreach like cold calls and emails.
Consultative Approach – Instead of aggressively pushing a product, inbound sales teams act as advisors, understanding the customer’s needs and providing tailored solutions.
Lead Nurturing – Inbound sales focus on building relationships over time, using email marketing, automation, and personalized follow-ups to guide leads through the sales funnel.
Data-Driven – Inbound sales leverage analytics to track customer behavior, engagement, and preferences, allowing for more targeted and effective sales strategies.
Less Disruptive – Unlike outbound sales, which often interrupt prospects, inbound sales engage customers when they are already seeking solutions, making interactions more welcomed.
I have been in retail sales and have being doing sales this similar way but not called inbound sales, even though all the phases are not propally followed
I have been doing sales this way, just refering to it as customer service or being "straight up" with your customer. Locating customers in the wild that might havce a need you can fill, establishing trust by being helpful, asking questions, finding out what their true needs are through discovery, and whether you are in a position to help them solve their problem or not.
I have a background in higher education and while I was there, it actually took me awhile to realize just how sales-oriented my job was so to be learning now about the Buyer's Journey is making me realize just how much of that I witnessed in person. Our approach to getting students to consider enrolling with us was very old school; very much me trying to convince these high school students that my institution was THE best one for them without even really listening to what they wanted or needed out of a college/university. That was until I decided to change that and thankfully my director and my team were extremely lax and did not mind me going off script and the conversations became so much more genuine and wholesome and students were actually getting the help and advice they needed from me.
I worked as an Inbound Sales Associate in a call center here in the Philippines. To meet our quota and keep our jobs, we were required to hit a certain number of sales, which often pushed us toward force selling. It’s refreshing to learn that there are effective ways to help potential buyers without misleading them and ultimately leading to genuine and successful sales.
I work at the membership department at the zoo. We have a similar mindset to what was discussed in the lessons. However, I have worked at hard sales jobs and it is totally different and it wasn't enjoyable because it was all about getting numbers of sales than understanding customers needs and wants to buy the product in the first place.
I have been working in sales for the past 20 or so years. Just now having started a new job, I was told by the management that I needed to take a HusSpot course on Inbound Sales. But whatever I have learnt so far, is pretty much how I learned to do sales. Back when i started, internet wasnt a huge thing, but I would regularly visit seminars, community meetings, sometimes events that werent even related to what I was selling, just to socialize with people, often steering the conversations to what challenges they were facing. Incase their issue wasnt related to my product(s) I would still earn a contact and if their problem was something I was dealing in, it would allow me to help them research. I am very open to direct my lead to somewhere he or she would find a more suitable solution; however, mostly I had the solution in my arsenal to help them. My technique comes from the fact, that I am allergic to the old-school salesperson mentality of bombarding your lead with your information. Most often, resulting in the lead being chased away. I would always focus on building long-term relationships.
Feb 17, 20255:17 AM - edited Feb 17, 20255:18 AM
Participant
What makes inbound sales different?
Inbound sales is different from outbound sales which is based on assumptions. In Inbound sales pipeline, we are assisting the customers' purchase decisions since they are attracted already with the products or services. By knowing well between key features of your product and customers' concerns, you need to show up yourself first by building relationship and then offering product with personalized customer service thought buying journey, so it can generate succuessful deal from lead.
Inbound sales is different from classical sale techniques, in that it doesn't begin with a cold-call to someone who may or may ot need your product. It involves researching your prospects, and helping them in the "buyers journey" they are most likely already undertaking. Making resources and information available on your company's webiste, and allowing customers who are seeking your services to do their own research is a vital component to inside sales, as the public has an inherent distrust of salespeople. They want to look into options themselves, and it is up to you, the salesperson, to guide them through the sale, and give them assistance wherever they may need it. Overloading them on a cold-call with more info than they can retain isn't an effective strategy to building trust or providing a positive experience to a customer.
Inbound sales is different because it focuses on meeting buyers where they are in their journey and guiding them toward the best solution for their needs. Unlike traditional sales methods that rely on rigid scripts, pre-made slides, and waiting for customers to come to us, inbound sales is about actively engaging with prospects, adding value, and adapting to their unique situations.
Many customers, especially when dealing with important purchases, prefer to have a conversation rather than just browsing options online. They want to discuss their needs, explore alternatives, and ensure they're making the right decision. As sales professionals, we must be prepared with the right tools, insights, and altenatives to offer the best possible solution tailored to each customer.
It doesnt matter what industry you are in. If you are selling a product, you need to understand the buyer's journey/point of view and once you place yourself in their shoes, you can see the process a lot clearer and respond accordingly, assisting them. They dont want sellers gambit; they want you to chat and talk to them normally in aiding their decision. This is something a lot of people struggle with, forgetting you are chatting to another human, and more like a machine, and I think once you are aware of this, the process of sales is more like common sense in reframing how you would like to be sold something if it was you buying a product.
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