B2B Sales

Outbound sales cycles take longer than inbound ones. It can be frustrating, but that’s just the way it is.

Does that mean you have to sit back and wait for a “miracle” to happen? Absolutely not.

The good news is, you can actually speed things up. Let us show you how.

‍

What is a sales cycle?

The sales cycle is the time it takes from the moment a lead shows interest to the moment the deal closes. 

For inbound leads, that moment is when they reach out. 

For outbound, it’s when you reach out to them.

Here’s a rough estimate of length for both:

• Inbound sales cycle length: ~2–3 weeks
• Outbound sales cycle length: ~3 months (often longer)

Outreach’s 2024 data shows the median global sales cycle is now 120 days. For Mid-Market and Commercial accounts, it’s 150 days. And for $250M–$1B companies targeting those segments, it jumps to 408 days.

‍

‍

Of course, that’s not set in stone — it depends on many factors (more on this below).

‍

Inbound vs. outbound: Why do sales cycles differ?

Inbound leads already know they have a problem. They’ve Googled it. They’ve browsed your site or clicked on your LinkedIn post. Maybe they even compared a few providers. They’re ready to talk.

Outbound, on the other hand, starts with cold outreach – email, LinkedIn messages, calls. You’re showing up in someone’s inbox out of nowhere, uninvited. They might not even know they had a problem, let alone that your product is the answer.

So outbound sales cycles naturally take longer because:

• The lead wasn't actively looking for your solution
• Trust needs to be built from scratch
• More education is required
• Decision-makers may be looped in later
  
  

What factors influence the length of a sales cycle?

The length of your outbound sales cycle depends on a mix of things. Some are within your control, others aren’t, but all of them affect how fast you close deals:

1. Company size: Bigger companies have longer cycles due to more stakeholders, decision-makers, and internal steps.
2. Pricing: The more expensive the offering, the longer the cycle. Higher cost usually means more approvals.
3. Product complexity: If your product or service is complex, expect a longer cycle. Prospects need more time to understand and evaluate it.
4. Industry type: Some industries, like healthcare, have longer cycles due to strict regulations or slow approval processes.
5. Timing: Some products or services are more in demand during certain times or seasons, which can speed up or slow down the process.
6. Competitor activity: Strong competition can make decision-making slower as prospects compare options and negotiate terms.
7. Sales team experience: Experienced sales teams can move deals faster by addressing objections quickly and streamlining the process.

Fun fact: buyer demographics also play a role in the sales cycle length.

According to Forrester's survey, 79% of B2B buyers are younger (millennials and Gen Z). They usually need more time to get everyone on the same page, which can extend the sales cycle.

Moreover, HubSpot’s 2024 report found that, on average, 5 decision-makers are involved in the sales process, and 28% of sales pros say slow cycles are the main reason deals fall through.

‍

‍

How to shorten the outbound sales cycle?

You’ll never be able to make outbound as fast as inbound, but you can speed it up. 

Here’s how:

Build a funnel

Most outbound fails because people send two cold emails and expect magic. Instead, create a funnel with micro-steps that build trust over time.

Example funnel steps:

• Step 1: Cold email (+ catchy subject line): “Was doing some digging and it seems like this might be something you're dealing with. Am I close?”
• Step 2: If yes, send a short video showing how you solve it.
• Step 3: Share a case study or a quick win (no sales pitch yet)
• Step 4: Connect on LinkedIn, so they see your content and social proof
• Step 5: At this point, feel free to ask for a call or demo

‍

Use buying signals 

Buying signals are indicators that help you identify whether a company is potentially interested in what you offer. 

There are two types: direct signals and indirect signals.

‍

1. Direct Signals (Intent data)

Direct signals show that a company is actively researching your service or product.

Bombora is a pretty good helper here. It integrates with Apollo, where you can see if a company is interested in specific services (like content marketing, CRM, etc.).

‍

‍

For instance, if a CMO is researching content marketing services, Bombora will detect this and send a signal to show that they might be interested. You can then reach out to them.

A downside is that intent data only covers around 10% of the market, so you're working with a limited pool. Plus, this data can have a lag time. By the time you reach out, the company might have already made their decision weeks ago.

‍

2. Indirect signals 

Indirect signals are more subtle but can often be even more powerful. These signals come in different shapes, and while they're not as obvious as intent data, they can give you a serious edge (if you use them the right way).

One popular signal is the hiring expansion signal. 

Let’s say we notice a company is hiring SDRs or BDRs, it’s a strong signal that they’re likely setting up an outbound sales motion. That’s our cue to pitch them exactly what they need.

Another common signal is recent funding. Extremely popular, but overused. 

The biggest issue here? 

Once a company secures funding, everyone starts reaching out with their pitch. By that point, they've already been hit with a ton of messages and tend to ignore them. So while funding is still a valid signal, it’s not always the most effective one to rely on.

‍

Use the right tools to track the signals

Here are the tools we’ve tested and tried that make it easier to spot when prospects are ready to engage:

• Clay: Tracks a wide range of buying signals, including social mentions, hiring trends, and activity on niche platforms.

For instance, we use Clay to track if a client has been mentioned on specific subreddits relevant to their industry, like marketing or sales, and Clay automatically pulls that data for us. This helps us stay on top of signals that might otherwise be missed.

‍

‍

• Trigify: Trigify focuses on social media signals, specifically LinkedIn and X. It tells you when people in your target audience engage with content related to your service. Trigify integrates well with Clay, so you can manage all these signals in one place.
  
  
• Common Room: This tool tracks community engagement (who’s active in relevant online communities). If a company is engaging in a niche industry community, it might be a sign they’re exploring services that could align with what you offer.
  
  
• R2B2: Super popular for tracking website visitors, specifically from the USA. It can tell you which companies are visiting your site, and sometimes even identify specific people from those companies, making it way easier to follow up on relevant leads.

‍

Use content to build trust (before you pitch)

If someone gets your cold message and checks your profile – what do they see?

You want them to land on:

• LinkedIn posts showing your expertise

‍

‍

• Short YouTube videos explaining how your solution works
• Testimonials
• Social proof
• Case studies on your site

‍

‍

Every piece of content helps them feel like they already know and trust you. That’s how you “quietly” cut down the sales cycle without even realizing it.

‍

Qualify leads early in the process

If someone’s never going to buy, it’s better to find out early — no point wasting time for nothing. That’s where proper qualifying saves you. 

Use frameworks like BANT (budget, authority, need, timeline) and ask smart questions right from the start.

Are they even in the market? Do they have a budget? If not, don’t keep pushing. Move on.

‍

Spot the bottlenecks in your sales cycle

Five Whys method can help figure out why deals get stuck and what’s causing delays – unclear value propositions, pricing issues, sales reps having trouble with objections or something else?

‍

‍

For example:

1. Why? Sales reps are going back and forth with pricing.
2. Why? Clients keep pushing for lower prices.
3. Why? The pricing isn’t clearly aligned with the value.
4. Why? Sales reps aren’t emphasizing the ROI enough.
5. Why? They don’t have clear ROI data or case studies.

Solution: Provide sales reps with ROI data and case studies to better communicate value, speeding up the negotiation process.

Once you find the choke points, you can easily fix them. Maybe it’s your proposal format, maybe it’s your timing. Either way, a detailed analysis will tell you.

‍

Final thoughts

Outbound sales cycles will always be longer than inbound – unless you’ve got a super rare product that everyone goes crazy about, which is pretty rare. 

But with the right funnel, buying signals, and trust-building content, you can still close deals faster.

So instead of just “doing outreach,” build a system. One step at a time, and you’ll win.