Uniting Experts: All You Need to Know About Using Data in Outbound Sales

In the evolving sales landscape, data has become the linchpin of outbound strategies. But how do we navigate the complexities of using data to boost our contact rates and sales figures?

In this live roundtable, we’re bringing together the leading minds from all major data providers for an exclusive discussion to provide industry insights and answer your burning questions.

Our cracking panel features:
James Isilay – CEO at Cognism
Saif Khan – Director of Sales at ZoomInfo
Liz Fulham – Founder & CEO at TAMI
Paul Gilhooly – VP of Sales at 6sense

Host:
Owen Richards – Founder & CEO of Air Marketing

Key discussion points:
– Most common myths/misunderstood elements of using/procuring data for outbound sales
– Innovative strategies to increase contact rate
– What data is best to use, and how to use it to its full potential to target the right prospects at the right time and through the right channels
– Intent data – How is this evolving and how data can help customers to be more relevant
– How data providers ensure data accuracy for their customers
– The strategic role accurate data plays to improve the quality of pipeline
– The major developments in the data industry the last 12-18 months
– Data providers future plans to evolve their solutions and make prospecting more effective for sales professionals

Who is it for?
Founders & CEOs
Sales & Marketing Leaders
Revenue Leaders
Sales & Marketing Managers
Sales Development Representatives (SDRs)
Business Development Representatives (BDRs)

This roundtable presents a unique opportunity to engage with the best in the industry and come away with knowledge that will place you at the forefront of outbound sales success. Whether you’re in sales, marketing, or business development, understanding how to harness data will give you a competitive edge.

From Good to Great: Transforming Sales Teams – Powered by Air Sales Academy

Are you ready to take your sales team to new heights of success? Air Sales Academy presents a special live event aimed to reshape the way businesses approach SDR training and development.

Join our esteemed panel of sales leaders and experts as they unveil their strategies and approaches to building world-class SDR teams.

Panellists:
Erik Pollitt – Sales Trainer & Performance Coach
Michael Hanson – Founder & CEO of Growth Genie
Chris Ritson – Co-Founder & CEO of Flexprts

Host:
Owen Richards – Founder & CEO of Air Marketing

This live roundtable will give you a front-row seat to captivating discussions and valuable insights from experts in the field.

You will hear about:
– Insight from the experts who have achieved extraordinary success in building and empowering top-performing SDR teams.
– Innovative approaches to SDR training, enablement, and development that are redefining industry standards.
– Proven strategies, cutting-edge techniques, and best practices for transforming your sales team’s performance.
– The latest tools, technologies, and methodologies that have driven SDR performance in recent years.
– Exclusive insight into the brand new sessions and resources offered by Air Sales Academy, designed to equip SDR teams for success.

Who is it for?
Founders & CEOs
Sales & Marketing Leaders
Revenue Leaders
Sales & Marketing Managers
Sales Development Representatives (SDRs)
Business Development Representatives (BDRs)

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to unlock your team’s true potential and set new standards of success in the SDR landscape.

The Revenue Revolution Podcast by Jointflows Featuring Owen Richards – Founder & CEO, Air Marketing

We’re thrilled to share an exciting podcast episode from The Revenue Revolution series, hosted by Jointflows – a game-changing tool that simplifies the sales process, with a particular focus on the crucial closing stages. 

In this episode, hosts Mick Gosset (CEO of Jointflows) and Hitesh Kapadia (CRO of Jointflows) engage in a captivating conversation with Air Marketing’s Founder & CEO, Owen Richards. They delve into Owen’s insightful perspective on the current state of the sales and revenue landscape; shedding light on various factors that influence it, including the emergence of new stakeholders during the final stages of the sales process.

They share their thoughts on the essential skills that sales leaders should possess, which unfortunately many often lack. Moreover, Owen reveals the innovative and creative strategies that set Air Marketing apart from competitors in a saturated market.

As the conversation continues, Hitesh and Mick explore Owen’s thoughts on the potential revolution brought about by AI in the sales industry, including how it may reshape the sales landscape, presenting exciting possibilities for the future.

I Bet Your SDRs Aren’t Hitting Quota… Here’s Why | SaaSGrowth2023 | Owen Richards

Discover the top 10 reasons why your SDRs may not be hitting their quota in this insightful event talk by our Founder & CEO, Owen Richards, at SaaSGrowth2023 – powered by Sales Confidence.

A bit about Owen:

Originally from Kent, Owen started his sales career at our Sister Company, Forrest Marketing Group (FMG), in Sydney, Australia while traveling. He started as a Telesales Executive and, having planned to be in Australia for a year, he was sponsored by the company and one year eventually became 8. During this time he progressed into a Head of Sales and Operations role.

In 2015, Owen and his wife, Amy, moved back to the UK to start a family, and in early 2016, he co-founded Air Marketing Group with his business partner and Managing Director of FMG, Richard Forrest. Seven years on, Air is now one of the UKs leading sales and marketing agencies; is the parent company to a sales and marketing recruitment company (Seed Talent); and trains and coaches other sales professionals to elevate their performance from good to great through Air Sales Academy

Launch of The SDR Academy by Air Sales Academy

We are delighted to announce our further expansion with the launch of  The SDR Academy by Air Sales Academy – a virtual sales training academy to help businesses upskill their sales teams.

The SDR Academy is designed to help businesses across the UK, train Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) in skills including cold calling, social selling, email writing, and objection handling. All sessions are live and interactive, allowing delegates to ask questions as they learn.

Delivering the live sessions will be trainers like Erik Pollitt, a Sales Trainer & Consultant with over fifteen years of experience (including as Learning & Performance Manager at ao.com), Owen Richards (Air’s Founder & CEO) and James Ski (Founder of Sales Confidence).

Erik said: “Many businesses want to create a comprehensive training package for sales staff but don’t have the time, money, or experience. This is where Air’s Sales Academy comes into its own. With over 100 sessions on offer, delegates can attend as many or as few sessions as they want, whether they’re working from home or the office.

We offer an ongoing training solution. One that sees your sales reps experience industry leading training sessions every week. And with a cost of as little as £15 per person per session, companies will see a fantastic return on their investment.”

Owen Richards, Founder & CEO of Air Marketing, continued: “We’ve been providing sales support to companies across the country for several years, employing and training SDRs. As a part of that journey we have built a best-in-class training academy internally, and it makes sense to open that experience up to other organisations. We’re perfectly placed to offer relevant, innovative, and effective SDR training, and help other companies get the most out of their investment in sales roles.

It’s been exciting pulling all of the content together and now we’re able to offer this brand-new service to businesses that want to improve their sales results and see tangible results. I’m just looking forward to getting started.”

To find out more about The SDR Academy, visit the website here, or call our team on 0345 241 3038.

From Zero Knowledge to Big Sales Success – Event Talk with Air Marketing’s Katelyn Tomlinson

We’re excited to share the inspiring talk by our very own Business Development Executive (BDE), Katelyn Tomlinson, at Sales Confidence‘s SDRs and BDRs event. Katelyn shared her personal journey of going from a beginner position with little knowledge of SaaS to becoming a successful BDE at Air Marketing.

In her talk, Katelyn gave insightful B2B sales tips that helped her achieve her goals, and encouraged others who are new to the SaaS space, thinking about launching a new career in sales, or even seasoned professionals to learn from her experience.

Through her infectious motivation and drive, Katelyn showed that success in sales is not only about having prior knowledge or experience, but also about the right mindset, determination, and willingness to learn and grow.

At Air, we believe that everyone has the potential to achieve their goals, and we are proud to have Katelyn as a part of our team. Her success story is a testament to the value we place on personal development and continuous learning, which we believe is vital to our growth as a business.

So, whether you’re new to the SaaS space or a seasoned professional, we invite you to watch Katelyn’s 7-minute talk and get inspired to take your sales game to the next level!

LIVE Roundtable: Be Brave, Sell More – Why bravery in your sales and marketing can drive growth

Re-play our FIRST live roundtable event of 2023, where we brought together some of the bravest marketers and personal brands to discuss the power of being brave in the world of sales and marketing.

Our panel of experts shared their experiences and insights on how taking bold actions and embracing risk can lead to greater success.

Featuring:
Bethany Joy – Brand Voice Strategist
James Brooks – Founder of Team Brooks
Lewis Kemp – CEO at Lightbulb Media
Matty Potter – Illustrator & Animator at Offended

They covered:

✔️ The role of bravery in innovation – how can companies balance the need to try new things with the need to protect their reputation and bottom line?

✔️ Impact on customer trust and loyalty – how can companies build trust with customers while taking risks and trying new things?

✔️ Use of data and analytics – how can businesses use data to inform their approach and mitigate potential negative outcomes?

✔️ Potential benefits and drawbacks of “playing it safe” in marketing – in what situations might a conservative approach be more effective?

✔️ The role of leadership in promoting a culture of being brave – how can leaders encourage their teams to take risks and try new things.

Take the opportunity to learn from the best and gain valuable insights on how to take your brands to the next level.

Who is it for?
Founders & CEOs
Sales & Marketing Leaders
Revenue Leaders
Sales & Marketing Managers

DOWNLOAD OUR GUIDE

TO FEARLESS MARKETING

We’ve pulled together 4 lessons to help you think differently about your marketing strategy, ultimately resulting in more sales and long-lasting relationships with your ideal customer. Just fill out the form below to receive your copy.

CloudTask’s Transform Sales Podcast Featuring Owen Richards – Founder & CEO, Air Marketing

Want to know the secret to a successful sales strategy? Air Marketing’s Founder & CEO, Owen Richards, reveals all in an interview with Amir Reiter, CEO of CloudTask.

They discuss:
– How to qualify leads efficiently
– How to find the right niche for any product or service
– How to identify when buyers don’t fit your target

Learn more about how Air Marketing works with expert teams that provide all the sales and marketing services you need to generate a pipeline that drives results and revenue, here.

Connect with Owen and Amir on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/owenjrichards/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirreiter/

Day 6 of Air Marketing’s 12 Days of Christmas: Cold Call Teardowns with Owen Richards

Your phone is your biggest tool as a B2B sales professional. But most people don’t use it correctly.

Because they:
– start with a stiff intro
– don’t highlight pain points
– try to sell the product

Instead of:
– getting right into why they should listen to you
– framing the “pitch” around painfully accurate pain points
– selling a longer call or demo

Interested in learning how to book meetings with cold calls?  Watch the video or continue reading for our Founder & CEO, Owen Richards’, top tips for filling your calendar.*

How To Book Meetings Through Cold Calls

How to modify your script

Remove:

  • questions with “no” answers, this adds negativity into the call
  • “how are you” → doesn’t add value for you or the prospect.
  • generic language (ex. industry leader) → instead say “We help {{industryType}} solve {{specific problems}}.
  • undervalued time asks → don’t only ask for 15-30 seconds, instead ask if they can help you out (example below).
  • assumptive asks → don’t ask to setup a meeting right away, ask to start a conversation.
  • don’t use a high pitched voice or have fake high energy, just be yourself

Add:

  • a permission to go into questions (ex: But I don’t know enough about your situation to even know if this will make sense for you. Would it be okay if I ask you a few questions…”
  • questions that are easy to ask before getting into the harder ones
  • “what’s in it for me” straight in the start
  • a natural call ask “what i’d recommend is to set up a call to help you…”
  • specifics about who you’re talking to “ex: I speak to a lot of CTOs that…”
  • a bit of cheekiness that makes you human “ex: Is this the worst time ever?”

How to prepare for a successful call

  • Practice how things sound before making calls so you can be confident when people pick up
  • Find a time to make your calls that fits when you have high energy + when your prospects will be available
  • How to find leads:
    • data suppliers
    • tools like Sales Nav
    • industry specific data bases
  • How to research for cold calls:
    • use the research you’ve already done based on your email + LinkedIn outreach
    • google the company while you’re calling them up
    • use relevancy (ex: find the main pain points for a specific group of people like CTOs of manufacturing companies) → use job descriptions for this

Tips to help you meet your goals

  • The best SDRs Owen has worked with spend about half the day on the phone. Owen’s goal is to get 1-2 good conversations per hour.
  • How to bring your lead’s guard down:
    • be extremely honest
    • making the conversation permission based
    • add your personality, be human
  • If you get a gatekeeper saying someone isn’t in the office any more, ask for the cell phone number.
  • Add a cold call in at the beginning and at end of the sequence

→ Can be after a LinkedIn step and first email to give initial context

Examples for each section of the call

  • Opener to ask for their time

→“Look I know you weren’t expecting my call, can you help me out for a moment?”

→ “I’ll be honest with you, this is a sales call. But I’m hoping to have a few moments to tell you why I chose to call you today”

  • Pitch that answers “what’s in it for me”

→ “We work with (target audience here) to help them achieve (target audience’s goals)

→ “We work with (target audience here) who are typically battling with challenges such as (target audience’s challenges)

    • When saying who you work with, the more specific the better. If you can bucket calls based on specific roles this is the best, ex. Heads of People for SMBs, CTOs for manufacturing companies, Heads of Sales in bootstrapped startups, etc.)
    • When mentioning goals and challenges, use jobs ads to find what people in this specific role need to handle. These tasks are their main challenges.
  • Transition to discovery questions

→ “Now, I don’t know enough about your situation to know if something like this would make sense for you, so would it be okay if I asked you a couple of quick questions?”

  • Close (book the meeting)

→ “{{Name}}, I genuinely think we can help you with [some of the learnings you have from their answers]. I’m going to suggest we book a time to go into more detail on this.

Can I suggest we book 30 minutes for next Wednesday or Thursday? Are mornings or afternoons usually better for you?”

  • Wrap-up (summary + next steps)

→ “Right, that’s great {{Name}}. So just to summarize, we’re going to speak again next Friday, November 25th at 2pm and together we’ll go over some ways to help you {{solve problem}}. Myself and (Senior Name) will be in the conversation from our side. Is there anyone else you’d like me to invite from yours?”

No problem. So I’ll send you a confirmation email and calendar invite now. Is there anything else you need from me between now and then? That’s great. Then I’ll say thank you for your time and look forward to our conversation next Friday.”

  • How to handle objections – diffuse, statement, question

→ “That’s absolutely fine, no problem at all. Most of the people I speak to tell me the same thing, I hear it almost every day. {{firstName}} tell me out of interest, (discovery question)”

  • When someone says “Can you just send me an email?” you have two choices:
    • accept they aren’t interested and move on
    • call them out on the BS and go back into the conversation

→ example from Blissful prospecting: “firstName, can I ask you an awkward question? I’ve done a lot of these cold calls and generally when someone says this it’s really just their way of telling me they aren’t interested in my lame cold call. Am I completely off base with that?”

Owen’s cold call script

“Hi {{FirstName}} it’s Owen calling from Air Marketing, you and I haven’t spoken before but I’m just hoping you can help me out for a moment.

We help ambitious SaaS companies who’s SDRs are struggling to build enough pipeline and hit target. (depending on the current problems your leads are facing)

Obviously I don’t know enough about your situation to know if this would be a fit for you, do you mind if I ask you a couple questions?

Looking for more more content to increase meetings booked rate? 

*In collaboration with Lemlist.

DAY 7 OF AIR MARKETING’S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

What’s behind door number 7?

LIVE Event: The Great Sales Debate – Outsourced SDR Vs. In-House SDR

Join us for our LAST live event of 2022, in our popular series ‘The Great Sales Debate’. Watch as we bring together some of the top sales and revenue leaders from around the world, to argue their cases in controversial sales and marketing disputes.

This month’s topic is: Outsourced SDR Vs. In-house SDR

Everybody has an opinion, most have chosen a side. Our panellists have tried and tested in their field, they have their favourite and they’re ready to battle it out…

Fighting for team ‘Outsourced’ we have:
Luke James – Founder & Director at 4Marketing
Marco Alfano-Rogers – Sales Director at Air Marketing

And on team ‘In-House’ we have:
Benjamin DennehyThe UK’s Most Hated Sales Trainer®
Matt Milligan – Co-Founder at Uhubs

Sitting in the cross-fire and chairing the debate is our very own Founder & CEO, Owen Richards.

Who is it for?
Founders
Sales Leaders
Revenue Leaders
Sales Managers
Sales Development Representatives