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Hey there - it's Brian 👋

Inbound leads are unpredictable. But they scale like crazy.

Outbound leads scale harder. But they’re more predictable.

Are you frustrated that your leads aren’t predictable? Or that they don’t scale?

Let’s crack it:

Today we get you consistent leads (that scale).

It’s a new method that combines the best of both inbound + outbound (we built this system in-house ourselves for TalentHQ)

It’s called “Inbound-led Outbound.”

Today’s issue is for you if:

• Your outbound feels like cold calling in 2005

• Your inbound doesn’t generate enough leads

• You want a scalable way to close more deals

Let’s get into it 👇

For my friends: what’s up with Brian?

Geez I haven’t posted in a while.

Demand for talent has been insane. We tripled the business. We’ve been deep building the systems to deliver.

I’ll give you the details so you can design your systems before this point.

It seems like everyone wants LatAm talent in January. 60% of our client-base bought more talent all at the same time (AND referred friends).

📝 Rule of thumb:

Every time your business triples, your systems break and you need to re-build them.

I didn’t sleep in January. But we delivered. Now we have systems to take us to our next tripling.

We hired a project manager and that’s been incredible.

We had 2,000 applicants and I hated that I could only pick one.

If you want the other project managers for your business, reply “Project.” I’ll put you guys in touch. They’re awesome.

Anyway quick lesson: Watch your triple! Build systems before you hit your triple to make the transition smoother.

You’ll thank me.

Reply “Systems” if you have questions on this.

I’ll share more tactical examples of how we solved it.

Okay, let’s get into inbound-led outbound 👇

Here’s how inbound-led outbound works:

1️⃣ Create content that attracts the right leads
2️⃣ Your BDRs reach out to people who engage
3️⃣ They book sales calls for you

Instead of pitching a random list of prospects, you engage leads that interact with your brand.

That changes the game because the conversation shifts from "who are you?" to "I’ve seen your company before."

It’s a new hybrid method to use both social content and have people on your team spark sales conversations with people who engage.

Here are the 3 steps for a successful inbound-led outbound strategy 👇

Step 1) How to hook your target customer

Most companies create content no one cares about.

They write what they want to say, not what their audience needs to hear.

Here’s what we do instead:

👉 Define the right avatar
👉 Pinpoint their needs and desires
👉 Create content that solves their problems

🧔🏻‍♂️ Brian’s nerdy side rant:

Sound familiar? Positioning your content is the same as positioning your business:

1. Who’s the customer?

2. What’s their pain?

3. How do you solve that pain (better than anyone)?

We’re building a customer-base, not a follower-base.

1: Define the right avatar

Before writing a single word, we get hyper-specific on who we’re speaking to.

For TalentHQ, we prioritize industries where we have an unfair advantage:

✅ Agencies (main focus)
✅ Consulting firms
✅ SaaS
✅ E-commerce

And we don’t create content for some vague persona.

We write every post as if we’re speaking to one real person.

2: Pinpoint their needs and desires

Most people produce content in the wrong way.

They think: “What do I want to post?”

Instead, we ask: “What does my audience need to hear right now?”

To do that, we:

📌 Talk to real business owners (We don’t guess. We ask.)
📌 Find out the biggest pain / frustration in their business today

The more specific the pain, the more likely it is to lead to a sales call.

3: Create content that solves their problems

We create content that:

✅ Proves we’ve solved this before – People trust what’s been tested.
✅ Builds credibility through transparency – Show the process, not just the outcome
✅ Gives practical solutions – Readers should feel like they can take action immediately.

Here’s how:

1️⃣ Show, don’t tell

• Use numbers & specific examples to prove a point

• Share real business challenges we’ve solved

• Show how we solved them with a clear before/after

2️⃣ Break down what works into repeatable steps

• Deconstruct success into clear, actionable frameworks.

• Show what worked, and what didn’t.

• Give them one small action they can take today

3️⃣ Bridge theory to execution

• Translate high-level concepts into practical strategies

• Show how abstract ideas apply to different business scenarios

• Break it down into simple steps they can act on

People don’t need more information; they need clarity on how to use it.

So this is how we create content that turns into booked calls.

We track revenue, not vanity metrics. We write to sell, not just to be seen. We create for decision-makers, not general audiences

Next step 👇

Step 2) Look at engagement and see who’s qualified

Most outbound fails before it even starts. Why?

Because sales teams waste time talking to everyone instead of focusing on the right leads.

If you don’t qualify properly, you’ll waste hours on calls that go nowhere.

Bad qualification = lower close rates, and a burnt-out sales team.

📌 Outbound typically closes at 30%.
With Inbound-led Outbound, you get closer to 50%.

That’s almost DOUBLE the sales!

(not quite but you get the point)

Why? Because you only reach out to engaged, qualified leads.

Here’s how to do it 👇

1: Identify engagement signals

Not all engagement is equal. A like ≠ a comment ≠ a direct request for content.

Here’s how we categorize engagement in terms of strength:

🧔🏻‍♂️ Brian’s nerdy side rant:

You can actually score leads based on how strong the engagement signals are.

Saw an Ad? Read Newsletter? Read LinkedIn post? Saw YouTube video?

The more they see the higher the score. Reach out to stronger scoring leads faster.

We score ours in Go High Level but use any lead scoring tool you want.

2: Qualify the lead (Company & Person)

The biggest mistake?

To reach out just because someone engaged, without checking if they’re actually a good fit.

Before making a move, we separate leads into two groups:

1️⃣ Marketing qualified lead (Marketing Qualified Lead) → They match our ideal profile but haven’t shown buying intent yet
2️⃣ Sales qualified lead (Sales Qualified Lead) → They match our Ideal Customer Profile AND are ready to buy

🧔🏻‍♂️ Brian’s nerdy side rant:

We say someone is sales qualified on the sales call using BANT:

Budget - have the money
Authority - can make the decision
Need - have the pain
Timing - need it now!

How we identify an Marketing Qualified Lead

A Marketing Qualified Lead isn’t just someone who fits our Ideal Customer Profile.

It’s someone engaged enough to book a call.

At this stage, we’re not filtering for budget or urgency yet. That happens later.

Right now, we’re looking for leads that are interested and relevant enough to move forward.

Here’s how we qualify MQLs:

📌 Is this company in our ICP?

✔️ Do they match our target industry, company size, and region?
✔️ Do they have a problem we solve?

📌 Is this person relevant?

✔️ Are they in a role that typically engages with us
✔️ Are they close enough to the decision-maker to influence buying?

If they meet these criteria, they’re Marketing Qualified Leads.

Marketing Qualified Lead → Sales Qualified Lead transition

Most teams stop at MQLs and hope they convert. That’s a mistake.

An MQL only becomes a Sales Qualified Lead when they show buying intent.

📌 MQL = They fit our ICP and are engaged enough to book a call
📌 SQL = They pass the BANT criteria

BANT is just:
✔️ Budget – They have the money
✔️ Authority – They can make the decision
✔️ Need – They have the pain
✔️ Timing – They need a solution now

If we have a high volume of leads, we use a pre-call survey to qualify Sales Leads before they hop on.

That way, every sales call is highly qualified.

Marketing Qualified Lead = Ready to talk
Sales Qualified Lead = Ready to buy

This system ensures we’re only booking calls with engaged, high-intent prospects.

Next step: how to reach out the right way 👇

Step 3) BDRs reach out to engaged, qualified leads. Outbound starts

Outbound starts here.

But how it starts determines everything.

A BDR reaching out to a random list of contacts? 30% close rate at best.

A BDR reaching out to someone who already engaged with your content? closer to 50% close rate.

This is the difference between cold outbound and Inbound-led Outbound.

Most outbound fails because the prospect don’t expect the outreach.

But when done right, it feels like a natural conversation, not a sales pitch.

Here’s how we bridge the gap:

1️⃣ The creator sets up the follow-up

• If someone comments on a post asking for a guide, you reply:

  • “I’ll have [BDR’s Name] send it over!”

• This sets up expectations and warms up the follow-up.

2️⃣ BDR follows up quickly, referencing engagement

The money is in the follow ups!

Look up this stat: People need to have 7 touchpoints before they trust you enough to buy.

So follow up!

🧔🏻‍♂️ Brian’s nerdy side rant:

Calling leads within 60 seconds increases sales by 400% compared to waiting just 10 minutes.

Source: Harvard Business Review

3️⃣ Call booked? Here’s how to transition to the closer

The BDR books the call, then emails both the closer and the prospect to build excitement and position the closer as the expert.

To ensure show rates, they follow up twice—24 hours before and again 2-3 hours before the meeting.

For better close rates, they send a video sales letter or an overview to address common objections and set the stage for a productive call.

Outbound works best with multi-channel touchpoints

People engage on one platform but respond on another.

Here’s why multi-channel outreach wins:

1️⃣ Familiarity builds trust. The more places someone sees you, the safer and more legit you seem. (Mere Exposure Effect: people trust what they recognize.)
2️⃣ People have platform preferences. Some reply on LinkedIn, some on email, some only to calls. You have to meet them where they’re most likely to engage.

How we do it at TalentHQ

We use Apollo to run semi-automated sequences across email, phone, and LinkedIn.

✔️ Email – Short, direct message with context
✔️ LinkedIn DMs – Reference something they engaged with
✔️ Phone calls – Best for high-intent leads who need a nudge

Personalization is key. Our BDRs look for shared connections, same industry, or mutual interests to make outreach feel natural.

What we test daily

We don’t just send messages, my BDR team test 100+ times per day using Apollo to optimize:

📌 Positioning – What angles sparks the most interest?
📌 Messaging – Which scripts get the highest replies?
📌 Offers – What value makes leads actually respond?

(Offers ≠ CTAs. A CTA is “Let’s book a call.” An offer is VALUE upfront.)

🧔🏻‍♂️ Brian’s nerdy side rant:

We use Hormozi’s 4 value levers to make outreach irresistible:

1️⃣ Dream outcome – What’s the best result they want?
2️⃣ Perceived likelihood of success – How can we show them this works?
3️⃣ Time delay – How fast can they see results?
4️⃣ Effort & sacrifice – How easy is it to get started?

When our offers check all four boxes, response rates shoot up.

Summing up

Inbound-led Outbound isn’t a hack, it’s a system.

Create demand, track engagement, and reach out when it actually makes sense.

That’s why it converts better, scales faster, and feels natural instead of forced.

If you’re adding BDRs, make sure they do more than just blast lists. The best ones turn warm leads into booked calls, not just noise.

We’ve placed 11+ BDRs in the last few months, and each time we do, we get over 2,000 applicants.

🚀 Reply “BDR” if you want to talk to them.

See you next week 👋

Brian
[email protected]
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TalentHQ

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