XDR foundations checklist

5 days to complete

Account setup

1. Enable baseline settings in Outreach to configure your instance and utilize all Outreach has to offer.

   • Sync your email so your Outreach communications come from your mailbox
   • Sync your calendar to book and hold more meetings
   • Install the Outreach Everywhere plugin to unlock Outreach functionality from your inbox
   • Enable Universal TaskFlow to execute tasks more efficiently on top of Salesforce, LinkedIn, or other websites
   • Set up Outreach Voice to make and receive dials directly through your phone or computer.
   • Configure your Kaia settings (if applicable) and enable auto-join to improve the customer experience on your customer calls and meetings
   • Configure your email signature to personalize and brand your email communications Review the Content tab in Outreach to familiarize yourself with content types your team has built to save time on customer communications

---

2. Surface meaningful account data in one place with the Account Deal Grid view and create saved views to bucket similar accounts together to prospect at scale.

   • Familiarize yourself with the data-driven insights available to you in the Account Deal Grid view
   • Apply filters and customize columns based on your needs to create custom saved views. We recommend you create the following saved views:
     • Accounts assigned to you
     • Your target accounts
     • Accounts set to close this quarter
     • Upcoming renewals, expansions, or upsell opportunities

   Try it in Outreach

---

3. Surface all of your opportunity data in one place with the Opportunities Deal Grid view and create saved views to improve how you review your pipeline.

   • Familiarize yourself with the opportunity data available to you in the Opportunities Deal Grid view
   • Apply filters and customize columns based on your needs, such as qualification criteria or sales methodology, to create saved views. We recommend you create the following saved views:
     • Opportunities you own
     • Deals set to close this quarter

   Try it in Outreach

---

4. Set up Smart Account Plans for access to comprehensive account insights that you can leverage to build an effective and personalized account strategy.

   • Configure sales intelligence tiles to automatically pull in data-driven account insights (if available) to simplify account research
   • Add prospects to the Relationship Map to show the hierarchy of power within an account and call out key stakeholders, champions, and detractors

   Try it in Outreach

---

90 days to complete

Prospect and manage accounts

Build a quality sales pipeline and organize your book of business.

Account planning

1. Research your accounts using Smart Account Plans to develop custom strategies that build and strengthen relationships with the right people.

   • Leverage insights from sales intelligence tiles to understand your account's business, competitors, and market position
   • Review Opportunities in the side panel for a look at details and Deal Health scores of previous opportunities
   • Use the Engagement Timeline's concise summary and timeline of account activities to identify key takeaways and next steps
   • Ask Smart Account Assist questions for instant account insights you can use to pinpoint risk and opportunity
   • Use the Relationship Map to understand lines of power and entry points into your account so you can target qualified buyers and champions
   • Outline relevant findings in Strategic Initiatives and Outcomes to share comprehensive insight into your account
   • Outline your prospecting plan in Engagement Strategy to develop a targeted account engagement strategy
   • Add or review any competitive contract end dates in the Purchases tab

   Try it in Outreach

---

Prospecting

1. Build predictable, quality pipeline by reaching out with the right message to the right prospect at the right time.

   • Add the following filters to identify qualified prospects to target:
     • In sequence is false
     • Persona is (select leadership personas you want to target)
     • Stage is not, Closed - Not interested, Closed - Left company
   • Identify qualified buyers you would like to engage and add them to sequence
   • Edit and personalize your sequence to optimize response rates

   BEST PRACTICE:

   To build predictable, quality pipeline, Outreach recommends that XDRs add ten prospects per day to a personalized, high-touch sequence. Use research from your account planning in Smart Account Plans above to tailor sequences to your prospect or account.

   Try it in Outreach

---

2. Automate busywork when executing tasks in Outreach 360 so you can focus on the strategic selling efforts and personal touches that increase qualified pipeline.

   • Review your upcoming tasks to understand your task load for the week
   • Sort and group tasks to increase productivity by prioritizing how you spend your time
   • Log and complete LinkedIn tasks and use Universal Taskflow insights to personalize engagements
   • Log and complete Email tasks and use Smart Email Assist to generate emails using AI in just a few clicks
   • Log and complete Call tasks to make dials directly in Outreach Voice. Handle objections in real-time using Kaia's content cards, created by your Outreach Admin.
   • Generate a calendar invite in one click while on the call and ask your Outreach Admin to set up automated meeting reminders to reduce cancellation and no show rates
   • Enable desktop notifications for inbound leads so you can immediately take action regardless of what webpage you're on

   Try it in Outreach

---

3. Save time when communicating with customers using Outreach's integrated email experience to access content directly in your inbox.

   • Use Sequences to schedule an automated follow-up to keep customers engaged and ensure threads stay active
   • Use an email bump to get a reminder when a customer hasn't responded
   • Use Templates and Snippets to insert pre-written content in just two clicks
   • Use Smart Email Assist to generate emails in under a minute using AI
   • Use Meetings to insert your meeting availability so customers can automatically book time on your calendar

   Try it in Outreach

---

4. Align your prospecting targets with earnings goal and see which activities you need to complete to hit quota using the Pipeline Generation calculator.

---

Resources for your first 90 days in Outreach

Use these resources to learn more about how to use Outreach to prospect and manage your accounts.

1. Strategy articles and videos

   • How to manage accounts strategically in Outreach
   • Master email prospecting: Templates, examples, and more
   • How Outreach makes your inbox work for you
   • 11 account planning best practice to win more business

---

2. University courses and Office Hours

   • Engage and learn with Outreach experts: XDR edition
   • Prospecting sequences for deeper engagement
   • Leverage Outreach from your inbox for XDRs
   • Task management and execution
   • Use Outreach to book more meetings

---

180 days to complete

Performance management

Data-backed performance insights to help you create and close more pipeline.

1. Track and improve your progress towards your activity KPIs using the Pipeline Generation Report.

   • Review your meeting conversion rate, we recommend aiming for a conversion rate of about 10% to ensure you hit your meeting booked rate. To improve your meeting conversion rate, make sure that you're targeting higher level personas with personalized sequences.
   • Look at your meetings held rate, we recommend aiming for a rate of about 70% to ensure you hit your meetings target. To improve your meetings held rate, make sure that your message to prospects is driving urgency and interest.
   • Compare your cumulative calls to the Calls metric from the calculator, are you conducting enough calls?
   • Review your call connect rate, we recommend aiming for a CCR of about 10%. To improve your call connect rate, consider adjusting when you call prospects and ensure that before you call prospects you have done your research to drive urgency and interest.

   Try it in Outreach

---

2. Track activity and meetings metrics in the Team Performance Report to improve conversion rates.

   TIP: When prospecting, you should be targeting at least two priority personas for each of your target accounts and using persona-based, personalized sequences to improve conversion rates.

   • See how you're pacing to your monthly goals identified with the Pipeline Generation Report above
   • Review the seniority levels of the prospects you're contacting and ensure that you're engaging decision makers who are most likely to book meetings with you
   • Review the sequences that you're using to ensure that your putting the right level of effort into prospecting with personalized messaging
   • Review your team's top performers to see their mix of leadership levels and how they execute personalization and messaging and apply learnings accordingly to replicate their success

   Try it in Outreach

---

3. Book more meetings using insights from the Sequence Performance Report.

   • See which sequences your team is using to book the most meetings. Are there sequences you can be using to see similar results?
   • Sort by positive email sentiment to see which sequences receive the most positive responses. Are there sequences you can be using to see similar results?

---