The key is to develop two parallel systems:
One for approaching potential customers, I'll call it the Outbound Operating System (OS)
The other is building a system where people will find you, the Inbound OS.
Building the Inbound OS will take time, typically around a year to a year and a half, before you start seeing results.
You have to build a system that generates and captures demand using a variety of channels and content forms tailored to your customers’ needs. It requires lots of effort and testing.
It is your Inbound OS that will help you compound your marketing & sales efforts.
The energy and time you invest in creating high-quality content will never be wasted, especially when compared to the repetitive effort required for cold outreach.
However, while you are building your Inbound OS, it's crucial to gather as many customer cases as possible.
These customer cases should demonstrate that you have successfully solved various problems for different customers, with very specific outcomes each time.
Every case study adds credibility to your Inbound OS.
Waiting a year or more to build these cases is not feasible, so you need to proactively approach people through channels like phone calls, emails, advertisements or LinkedIn.
If your value proposition is compelling enough, you will find that people are interested in your offering and want to become your customers.
However, having a strong value proposition is crucial for this approach to succeed.
Otherwise, there is a risk of being perceived as just another individual sending a cold email or LinkedIn message.
Nowadays, building a relationship with potential customers and delivering value has become even more important.
Understanding the specific problems and needs of your target audience will help you establish that relationship and make it easier to present your solution without it feeling like a direct sales pitch.
While an inbound system allows you to control the content and events you create, it provides limited control over the number of people who actually see and engage with your content. In the long run, it helps you build a pipeline with decreasing investments per customer.
But, to get there it is crucial to build both an Outbound OS to gather your first case studies and cross the valley of death.
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Don't create unicorns,
Let's breed blue whales. 🐋
