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Transcript

OK14: How build a strong outbound culture with Prospecting Days (Guide)

With Ralph Barsi, VP of Sales at Kahua

Listen now on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple.

We’re back with new episodes on how to build the go-to podcast for scaling outbound and making it your #1 growth engine.

Chef's specials:

  • What's a prospecting day?

  • Implementing Successful Prospecting Days

  • Preparing for a Prospecting Day

In this first episode of the year, Ralph breaks down how he started prospecting days at ServiceNow and used them to build scalable outbound sales cultures. He’ll walk you through how to run successful prospecting days, tackle common challenges, and get your whole company involved in driving pipeline.

You’ll learn why proactive prospecting is critical, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to use data and a little competition to keep the energy up. Plus, we’re sharing practical tips and a free guide to help you set up prospecting days in your own team.

⁠📌 Ralph's guide


Who is Ralph Barsi?

  • ​VP of Sales, Kahua

  • ​Limited Partner, GTMfund

  • Advisor, Scale Venture Partners

Connect with Ralph:


Some takeaways

The Hidden Truth About Pipeline Failure

The #1 reason sales teams fail isn’t bad closing skills or weak value props, it’s an empty pipeline.

Most companies obsess over sales enablement while ignoring the real problem: consistent prospecting.

Cross-Functional Prospecting Revolution

Prospecting Days break silos by involving everyone, from execs to customer success. This approach can drive 30–35% engagement rates with target accounts in one day, results most teams can’t hit in a month.

The Inbound Marketing Trap

Relying too much on inbound leads is a dangerous game. When markets shift, companies that over-rely on inbound get stuck. The strongest teams keep their outbound engine running no matter how good inbound looks.

How to Set It Up

  1. Plan Prospecting Days in Advance: Schedule all prospecting days for the year in January so everyone commits.

  2. Use Themes to Fill Pipeline Gaps: Focus on specific groups for each day: partners, dormant leads, or target accounts.

  3. Build a Tiger Team: Have a small group own the initiative and coordinate across teams.

What Makes This Work

  • Non-Sales Teams Shine: Some of the best results come from non-sales teams once they see how they can contribute.

  • Faster Wins Than Expected: Some opportunities close in 30 days, proving outbound doesn’t always mean long sales cycles.

  • Focused Efforts Beat Daily Drip Prospecting: Concentrated efforts create momentum, energy, and accountability.

How to Track Success

Use dashboards in Salesforce to measure:

  • Engagement rates with target accounts.

  • Number of meaningful conversations.

  • Pipeline generated.

  • Conversion rates to closed deals.


In this episode, we cover:

00:00 The Importance of Outbound Prospecting

01:13 The Challenges of Prospecting

02:16 The Risks of Relying Solely on Inbound Leads

04:07 What is a Prospecting Day?

05:22 Implementing Prospecting Days at ServiceNow and Beyond

09:21 The Mechanics of a Successful Prospecting Day

13:01 Preparing for a Prospecting Day

17:40 Involving Different Teams in Prospecting Days

20:54 Handling Skepticism and Resistance

26:28 Success Stories and Metrics

28:52 Gamifying Prospecting Days

30:23 Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned, how to implement