Glossary
Outbound vs Inbound
Outbound is initiating contact with prospects; inbound is prospects initiating contact with you.
Definition
Outbound covers proactive prospecting motions — cold email, LinkedIn, phone, paid outbound list-rental, direct mail. Inbound covers SEO, content, paid search, organic social, referrals and any motion that creates pull. Most mature B2B funnels run both.
Why it matters
Outbound creates pipeline this quarter. Inbound creates pipeline next year. Companies that pick one usually wish they had both.
Related at EngageBizDev
More terms
ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
The exact firmographic, persona and trigger combination of the accounts most likely to buy from you.
SDR (Sales Development Representative)
The role responsible for prospecting and booking qualified meetings for closers.
BDR (Business Development Representative)
An outbound prospecting role, often used interchangeably with SDR.
MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead)
A lead that has shown enough interest in your marketing to be worth a sales follow-up.
SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)
A lead that sales has accepted and confirmed is worth working toward a deal.
SAL (Sales Accepted Lead)
The intermediate step between MQL and SQL where sales accepts ownership.
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