One thing about sales development has become increasingly clear. The standard process for sales reps of sending out sequenced emails, calling, leaving voicemails has developed into a dreadful rinse and repeat process - and we've noticed that this is no longer working well.
If you're new to this role, or if you're leading a new team, let's start by going back to the basics - what is sales development?
A sales development rep is a member of the sales team whose role is to focus on external prospecting, moving leads through the pipeline and qualifying leads they've connected with. Most times they don't close deals, but they help other members of the team to determine if a lead will be an ideal customer fit - or not.
Their role or measure of how well they carry out this role is often measured on their ability to move leads through the sales pipeline. Their focus is to nurture lead quality, not close deals.
Here's an ideal scenario:
The marketing team shares lead information to Sales Development reps to qualify and nurture leads until they're ready to make a purchase and Sales reps then take over to offer the right products at the right time in order to close the deal.
This is the simplest sales workflow and forms the basic operational foundation for most sales teams.
What does this mean?
Sales development rep roles can be challenging as you navigate your way through different obstacles. And with a clear understanding of the role, here's what industry experts have cited as the top 7 skills that are essential for every sales development rep.
1. Video prospecting
Currently the buzz of the world for the past few months for food reason. This is a customized outreach in a short, two-minute max, video format. Unlike a phone call or an email, prospects get to connect with you on a more personal level without the hassle or time commitment of scheduling an online call.
You don't need to be a tech-master or an Oscar-worthy movie to star to this. Just practice being comfortable on-screen and show a genuine interest to have a meeting with the prospect.
Here's a tip:
Create a script, practice to deliver a short and engaging clip, introduce yourself, deliver value with a quick tip, and end asking to schedule a call.
The more videos you make the more efficient your workflow will be.
2. Customised Outreach
Balancing quantity and quality when prospecting can be tricky. There are two sides you want to build and maintain a healthy pipeline but on the other, you know you have to connect with the leads and this requires time. Research at Hubspot shows that there seems to be a shift - the most successful reps are actually slowing down spending more time on outreach and connecting with fewer prospects.
Here's a great balanced outreach example:
Hi [name],
I hope this email finds you well! I wanted to reach out to you because based on my research on LinkedIn, it seems you're heading marketing initiatives that focus on the overall growth strategy for [company name].
After doing some research on [company name], a bunch of things stood out to me as reasons to have a conversation about how inbound marketing & Hubspot cold help.
- Point 1
- Point 2
- Point 3
Any interest in connecting sometime this week? Feel free to book 15 minutes with me here.
Thanks in advance,
[Your name]
3. Active listening
Here's the biggest distinction between you and a chatbot. A chatbot may be able to qualify a lead. It's the interaction between you and a prospect that's genuine, helpful, not robotic and not forced.
It does not matter what you sell, it's how highly attuned you are to certain phrases that indicate whether a prospect could be a good fit for your product. You should focus on gathering valuable information that will help move your prospect further along your sales pipeline as opposed to just ticking off lead qualification boxes.
4. Follow-up
Ideally speaking on the phone is the best option, but we've found voicemail to be the next-best option. If you leave quality voicemails you'll at least have a chance to receive a callback but if you don't leave any voicemails your probability of getting any callback diminishes significantly
Here's a great example:
Hi, I'm [name] from [company]. I would like to speak with you about [strategy]. Give me a call back at [number].
5. Organisation
The process can vary from person to person, but the key is to stay organised. Whether you choose to write out your to-do list or to use a calendar management tool to create your schedule, creating a strict schedule will help you master the cadence for outreach and keep you in line with your prospects.
6. Relationship-building
Your primary objective is to prime a prospect for the sale before turning them over to the closer for a close. Build genuine relationships with prospects and build trust. You must be able to communicate with a wide variety of people across multiple different channels. The key is you want to make sure that you communicate your points and ideas while keeping them engaged.
7. Overcoming objections
This is one skill that has survived through the times and is a great asset for any sales development rep. Overcoming objections is a skill that most reps get better at over time because they've come to understand all the solutions their business provides and have seen them work in creative ways. This skill is very critical but a great way to go around this is to prepare some basic objection answers and help you along the way.
Conclusion
We're confident that these skills will improve your performance. It's simple to understand but the key is to put this into consistent practice.
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