#012: Why your reply rates are low

Read time: 2 Min

The problem with outbound prospecting is the sheer volume required for it to become an effective channel.

For many reps, this is a daunting hill to climb.

Your reply rate determines how many emails you need to send to get the number of meetings you need to hit your quota (refer to the hit your quota formula).

So the goal of our outbound emails should be about increasing reply rates, right? Seems simple enough.

So then why does every email ask to schedule a meeting? 15 min, 30 min, etc…

This is a huge time investment for someone who knows nothing about you or your company. If you’re only CTA is to “book a meeting” it’s no wonder reply rates are <1% across the industry.

Community Highlight

Reading books was one of the main ways I learned the knowledge of how to sell. However, the implementation of that knowledge is where the real learning happens.

The problem: There wasn’t anyone to discuss or practice those learnings with.

Well, now that’s changing!

Brian Schneider, a member of the Succession community and veteran life science sales rep, just launched a book club!

Brian has a wealth of experience selling in the life sciences. This is a great opportunity to learn from him and your peers selling in the life sciences.

Come join us

Upgrade your offer

Your offer is the value you’re providing your recipient in exchange for them reading your email.

Most people offer a meeting - and who wants more meetings on their calendar?

Let’s look at how we can create better offers that start conversations.

Reframe the meeting: Make your meeting the value itself where the prospect comes away with a tangible outcome. Ex: CRISPR design consultation, troubleshooting a failed experiment, custom-built protocol, help writing a grant proposal. What is something you can provide that makes your prospect better at their job?

Short video: In a follow-up email, create a 60-second video teaching a process that will pique their curiosity to learn more.

On-demand recording: Share a link to a previously recorded webinar and point to the exact minute in the video they should watch.

New data: Screenshot some new data about your approach to solving a problem they might have. Bonus points: include a video walking through the data and how it’s relevant.

Invitation to present: Invite them to come and present their science to your team. Make them feel special and give them a platform to share their ideas.

Share novel insights: Talk to people in the lab, identify a problem, and diagnose the root cause. Offer to share those insights with the decision-maker. They likely won’t be aware of the challenges and you’re providing unique insights into their business. I talked about this in this LinkedIn post.

Start a conversation: Share a unique or novel approach to solving a problem. Ask for their opinion or thoughts on how that approach might work.

Pizza party: Offer to come on-site and share some interesting data or novel discoveries with the team. Always bring food or pizza!

Hopefully, you can see how these approaches are unique, will spark conversations, and pique curiosity in your prospects.

In the outbound we do for clients, we’re seeing these conversation starters drive up to 4x more replies!

It sure beats the old “Do you have 15 minutes this week to meet?”

4 ways Succession can help you

1. Join the Community: The #1 community and training platform for growth-minded life science sales reps who want to improve their skills, exceed their quota, and take the next step in their career.

2. Live Workshops: We’re now hosting live virtual interactive workshops for teams across a range of topics. Inquire for availability.

3. Strategy Call: In a 30-minute call we will assess your company’s current situation and identify growth opportunities.

4. Uncover Your Sales Blindspots: You know your sales team can do better but you're not sure where to start. This 20-question assessment is your path to clarity.