James Dooley: So, a very commonly asked question we get is, “How do I get more clients or more leads without needing to cold call people?”

Kasra Dash: Yeah. For me, cold calling and outbound lead emails are really a thing of the past. Businesses should be focusing on inbound marketing—getting customers to come to you and enquire about the services you offer.

James Dooley: Exactly. And there are many different strategies for this: PPC, Facebook ads, Twitter ads, YouTube ads, SEO, and LLM optimisation. All of these work to get your brand in front of customers at the exact moment they’re searching for the service you provide—whether it’s “best accountancy practice in Manchester” or “best carpet cleaning company in London.”

Kasra Dash: Inbound is far more effective than calling random people asking, “Do you want your carpets cleaned? Do you want double glazing?” You want enquiries from people who already have the budget, know what they want, and just need the final specification so you can price the job and win the work.

James Dooley: And you used to do cold calling years ago. Can you talk about the conversion rates of outbound vs inbound?

Kasra Dash: Yes. Conversion rates vary by industry, but outbound cold calling generally converts at around 0.5%. If you're working from purchased lists, it drops to about 0.08%. That means you need to call nearly a thousand people just to get one conversion.

James Dooley: And inbound?

Kasra Dash: Inbound typically converts anywhere from 6% to 14%, averaging around 10%. That’s a dramatic difference. It reduces workload for the sales team, increases their close rate, and allows companies to offer bigger bonuses because the sales are easier to convert. Too many companies overspend on sales and underspend on marketing, when really, investing more in marketing brings in higher-quality, ready-to-buy leads.