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Inbounding
Is it better for you to find a new job and apply to it, or for a recruiter to come reach out to you? Is it better for you to find a new client and sell to them, or for a client to come find you? Is it better for you to reach out to a peer, or to have them reach out to you?
In business, you reaching out to someone is called “outbound,” and someone reaching out to you is called “inbound.”
Early in my career, I thought it meant the same thing, because the end result seemed the same. You either get to work together, or you don’t.
But now, I think that it’s always better to have someone reach out to you.
There’s a ton of value to inbound opportunities; the conversation starts with minimal research on your end, and the other person initiated it which means that they have a need and believe that you can solve it, or at the very least they’ve established in their mind that you’re worth meeting and talking to and taking the time to set a meeting with. In other words, they are bought in, even if just a little bit.
The challenge is for you to filter inbound opportunities; whereas if you’re doing outbound opportunities, you simply really need to persuade and sell.
“Inbound” has a bunch of alignment with thought leadership and content marketing, but there are so many other inbound marketing opportunities that…
