Concept
Outbound
Also known as: outbound sales
Proactive sales approach where you actively contact prospects you've chosen — typically via email, LinkedIn, or cold calls.
Outbound is the opposite of inbound. Instead of waiting for prospects to find you, you actively select target accounts and initiate the conversation via personalized email sequences, LinkedIn messages, or phone calls.
Modern 2026 outbound is almost always signal-based: you don't reach out randomly, but based on buying signals (new leaders, tech changes, funding rounds). Well-executed outbound hits 5-15% reply rates; poorly executed stays below 1%.