Editor’s Note:
This post is part of our Inbound for SMBs series—an inside look at how small and mid-sized businesses can drive smarter, more sustainable growth. If you missed the first post, start here with “What Inbound Really Means (and Why It’s Not Just About Leads).”
I talk to a lot of small business owners who say, “I just need someone to sell this.” So they hire a salesperson, or an SDR, or start cold calling themselves. A few months later, they’re frustrated. The deals aren’t coming. The new hire isn’t working out. Growth is stuck.
Sound familiar?
It’s not that sales doesn’t work. It’s that sales alone rarely works.
Here’s why.
Sales Without Inbound Is Just a Grind
Sales reps are expected to make magic happen from a spreadsheet and a script. They’re told to “pound the phones” and “go get the business.”
And sometimes, they do. But it’s inefficient, expensive, and it doesn’t scale. You end up relying on heroic efforts instead of building a system.
Worse, if your product or service isn’t clearly differentiated, the rep has to invent the pitch, create the story, and try to close a deal without any real air cover. That’s not a sales strategy. That’s burnout on a timeline.
What Inbound Does That Sales Can’t
Inbound marketing is what creates visibility, credibility, and trust before the sales conversation ever begins.
- It answers the buyer’s early questions.
- It reinforces your positioning in the market.
- It educates your prospect on what makes you different.
- It gives your salespeople a reason to call.
Inbound isn’t about waiting for leads to show up. It’s about creating the conditions that make selling easier.
When inbound is working, your rep walks into a conversation with:
- A warm prospect who knows who you are
- A shared understanding of your value
- Content to support the conversation
Sales + Inbound = Leverage
When outbound sales is supported by inbound marketing, the whole system gets more efficient:
- Cold calls turn into warm calls when prospects have seen your content before.
- Follow-up emails actually get read when they link to relevant blog posts or videos.
- Discovery calls go deeper because the buyer already understands the basics.
Now your sales team isn’t just chasing people. They’re building relationships, moving deals forward, and closing with confidence.
Most SMBs Skip Inbound (and Pay the Price)
The truth is, most small businesses don’t invest in inbound early enough. They try to shortcut the process by hiring someone to “just go sell it.”
But without a foundation—a clear message, a well-defined audience, some proof points, and a steady stream of content—you’re putting your entire growth plan on one person’s shoulders.
And when that person leaves, so does your pipeline.
Real Talk: Sales Reps Aren’t Marketers (And Shouldn’t Have to Be)
If your sales rep is creating pitch decks, writing follow-up emails from scratch, and trying to figure out what makes you different on the fly, something’s broken.
Salespeople should be spending time:
- Having conversations
- Qualifying opportunities
- Moving deals forward
They shouldn’t have to build the marketing engine. That’s your job.
Final Thoughts
Sales still matters. I believe in it. But it works best when it’s backed by an inbound system that:
- Creates awareness
- Builds trust
- Answers objections before they arise
- Provides tools and content for every step of the journey
That’s how you stop relying on heroic effort and start building predictable growth.
If you’re selling without inbound support, you’re making it harder than it has to be. Let’s fix that.
Up Next:
In the next post in this series, we’ll unpack Sales Enablement—what it is, why it’s not just for big companies, and how SMBs can use it to close more deals with less waste.