 Next up on my sales education reading list was The Sales Development Playbook: Build Repeatable Pipeline and Accelerate Growth with Inside Sales by Trish Bertuzzi, and it was excellent. It reminded me a lot of The Sales Acceleration Formula and built on top of it. It explained building up a sales dev function across several key areas: Strategy, Specialization, Recruiting, Retention, Execution, and Leadership. I learned a lot from all of those sections, especially around specialization and recruiting. I also really liked how it gave industry benchmarks and actual recommendations rather than just saying everything depends on the situation. I highly recommend this book for anyone building a sales team. My main notes and takeaways are below. Intro
Strategy Specialization Recruiting Retention Execution Leadership Bridge group consulting she does Part 1 strategy 1 selling in 21st century 2 consider five why’s AIDA Attention Interest Decision Action Five why’s of buyer journey Why listen Why care Why change Why you Why now Why listen and why care is domain of sales development Evolve curiosity into interest 3 let requirements guide your model Two models: setting intro meetings (just why listen stage) or generating qualified opps (why listen and why care stages) Equal number of orgs use either model Use intro meeting model when market immature and account execs need more at bats Key is to just have right profile, right person, right pain AE should develop interest into actual opp When calendar not full enough, use intro meeting model Qualified opps Full BANT PACT qualification: pain, authority, consequence, target profile Consequence is they realize the problem of not acting Target profile is checking for cultural or organizational red flags to make sure it’s a fit 4 build a solid foundation Market message fit Part 2 specialization 5 go allbound for pipeline Role specialization Inbound + outbound is allbound 6 sell to everyone, close no one ABCDs Tier A accounts: dream list, named accounts B: bread and butter accounts C: compelling events D: dead ends Prioritize prospects A list rarely comes inbound A list is where outbound reps should focus effort B list is inbound SDR focused C list good for prospecting but competitive D list look for red flags 7 specialize to accelerate Specialize inbound vs outbound reps Inbound and outbound skills differ in some ways listed in exhibit table Inbound teams structure Hard to equalize territories and lead flow Round robin uniform quotas better or territory based different quotas Round robin simplest 1 inbound SDR can do 200-300 inbound leads per month Outbound team structure Partnering outbound SDRs with specific account execs Assigned outbound SDRs named or strategic accounts Combo of above two 1 outbound SDR can target 100-200 accounts per month (cumulative not new new) Rules of engagement Cooling off periods based on average cycle length Channel conflicts 8 consider the research role Lead researcher role Streamline data gathering for dialing and providing personalization context Access Data hygiene Update the data in the crm so the reps don’t need to spend time on that Org charts Context Scanning earnings reports and other research to find nuggets to personalize Pre sales analyst role 9 follow the early adopters Part 3 recruiting 10 hire with urgency Hire in groups Start with at least 3 reps Camaraderie Onboarding efficiencies 11 spot qualities of qualified candidates Passion Perseverance Grit Stamina What’s something you’re obsessed with right now What gives you a sense of accomplishment What’s the hardest task you’ve recently tackled Competitiveness Compassionate competitors Tell me about the last time you were competitive Where are you currently competing like fantasy sports and where are you in ranking Would you rather be the number one rep while the team misses the number or the number two rep while the team hits the goal Curiosity Ask how they prepared for the interview When’s the last time you had to learn a new skill and how did you go about it What is the last book you read In prepping for this interview, what surprised you about our company 12 write job descriptions Don’t make it dreary Sell the job Role elevator pitch One minute job specific marketing video 13 compensate at market rate Region Required sales experience Model (intro meetings or qualified opps) Average sales price Type of product 72K OTE, 64/36 split Calculator in pdf 14 build attractive compensation plans Clarity Payment follows action Reps control own destinies Pay commissions monthly Most use number of meetings for incentive Pay on meetings held with right person, profile, pain Use accelerators to pay more for meetings after quota 18 meetings monthly quota 0-9 meetings at 80% of base rate 10-17 meetings: 100% of base rate 18 or more: 160% of base rate Uncapped Qualified opps model: balance of quantity and quality so reps have skin in the game 50/40/10 Bucket 1: opps generated is 50% of incentive comp Bucket 2: opps accepted is 40% of incentive comp Bucket 3: opps won is 10% of incentive comp If sales cycle longer than 90 days, make first bucket 60% and use second bucket more for promos and career path Don’t tie more than 20% of comp to opps won If sales cycle over 120 days, don’t tie any incentive comp to wins 15 source candidates effectively Green candidates post on campus recruiting Career fairs Experienced SDRs Pitch them Not job boards Go after passive candidates Messenger CEO reach out Ask Sell convo not the role or applying Sell the next step (quick convo) LinkedIn plus messenger plus ask Standout subject, short and sweet Why listen Why care Sell next step, 1 line reply or 5 min call instead of fill out application Use their name or their school Be specific about why reaching out Ask for referral to another good candidate Prompting employee referrals Forced referral Go through new rep’s network and make list of all their contacts that could be a fit for the role Share list of names with rep and ask them to review and reach out Setting a networking quota Always be recruiting Set quota for self for sourcing Phone interview daily Onsite interview weekly 16 Glassdoor like a pro Stars Percent who recommend to friend Percent who approve of CEO Want 3.7+ and over 80% recommended Beef up profile page Videos about company photo Photos of real employees Encourage, respond to reviews Ask for reviews a few months after hire and after promotion 17 treat hiring like sales process Application plus survey Which of our products interest you most and why Which of the following do you consider our closest competitors (pick list of 2 real ones and 2 wrong ones) In what year was our company founded (pick list of correct and wrong options) If you had only 30 seconds, how would you explain what we do to somebody in an airport Phone screen Recruiter Screen for red flags Phone interview What do you know about our company What do you know about me personally Great candidates come prepared Onsite interview Show up on time Ask what they know about your product and market In what situation did you have to learn a new skill Look for clear beginning, middle, and end to answers Candidate should try to close you SDR shadow on site Have them sit with current rep who operates by the book and ask them candid questions After shadowing, ask them do you see yourself in this role now Offer Lean interview process 10 days from application to offer Offer from founder or CEO Part 4 retention 18 lead your people Rep tenure: usually takes 3-4 months to ramp up, 8-14 months tenure average Managers matter Need to be hands on Longer training 19 prioritize coaching Coaching improves NPS 20 Coach to improve Desk to 5C program in pdf Define commitment Create a schedule Measure results Vary method and setting Recorded call reviews Side by side coaching with Coach listening live while rep works Group coaching Self assessments by reps of specific calls Leader does 10 outbound calls per day to validate everything and set example 21 develop to grow Give reps 10% time to sit in on other jobs and departments and learn Quarterly buy business book for reps Sales book Industry book What buyers are reading Book club session date scheduled Each rep shares top 3 takeaways Leader creates action plan to implement what learned Fund outside learning opps like events and webinars Require reps to present what learned back to group American association of inside sales professionals Use contests to keep it fun Change up the contests Team based contests Split team into 2 Winner is highest average meetings per rep Team prize like jerseys or catered dinner 22 build career paths Expectation gap Overselling during hiring Build in micro promotions Build steps within roles like from junior to senior 5-9 month cadence Ramp, achieve, advance and repeat Promote on achievement not tenure 3 month quota attainment 3 month opportunity acceptance rate Recommendation of peers Embed expectations into hiring Moving from prospector to closer Sit in on calls they generate Let them run first call Need skills beyond just metrics Average sales price affects timing to promotion to AE Higher price takes longer to promote 9-16 months for mid Put SDRs through same hiring process for AEs as external candidates Give off-ramp for AEs who don’t perform in a quarter Go back to SDR Find another role Go on 45 day pip Part 5 execution 23 master blocking and tackling Efficient onboarding Chunking, sequencing, and connecting Learn new subject in bite sized chunks Sequence proper order of learning Connect the dots Not just shadowing top reps and role playing Learn then do 24 onboard by a process not an event White glove training with specific schedule for first few weeks Why before what Why company exists Purpose and beliefs Teach about urgency of solving the problem Template at http://sdrbook.io/3WEEKONB for onboarding topics Film some customer Q&A sessions about day in their life for new hires to listen to What was life like before our solution Why was status quo not ok Leverage internal prospects Eat own Dog food Exit the bubble Sessions with other departments There will be a test Certification process Role plays Verbal and written tests Why do customers choose us Which trigger events create the need What red flags identify a bad fit Write down expected answers for each Several modules of certification Prospect evaluation Process ready, dry run with tool usage Message ready Pre call planning and personalized emails to dummy leads Phone role play Hundreds of live connects on phone to be ready Live calling end of first week and reflect over weekend. Sample 3 week onboarding calendar in book 25 create compelling conversations Suspend your ego to get people to like you Be interested in other people Buyer based messaging Cross functional team to share perspectives on customer targeting and messaging Persona cheat sheet, titles, objectives, responsibilities, challenges, success metrics, risks and fears, consequences of status quo, big win we deliver Buyer based inbound Create campaign specific call backs Specific questions per content piece Event prep cliff notes Sample cheat sheet for messaging and questions in pdf Pre call planning Personalization 3 C Company, contact, conversation starters Ideas in pdf 26 architect your outreach Multitouch cadence Reps give up too quickly takes 6-10 attempts Multimedia approach Voicemail Texting 6 touches across channels minimum 27 formalize your cadence Consistency across reps 9 touches in 14 days in pdf 7 touches in 7 days 28 instill a love of voicemail Warms up calls and emails for future Be different and relevant Be specific with the ask Offer relevant research Don’t reference previous attempts Don’t trick prospects with something too vague Focus on what’s relevant to prospect and put name and company at end 29 engage with email Open What’s in it for me Generate interest, don’t teach everything Ask Part 6 leadership 30 choose the right captain Director to set strategy Managed to manage people Skill for spotting talent High motivational energy Ability to sit at exec table Team lead to also be individual contributor Not good idea Usually promoting rep to manager is a bad idea 31 equip the team Sales dev toolkit Blueprint in pdf Understand the target Strategize and plan Contact Messaging Overcoming Execute 32 set approximate quotas Hit team goal Ok if 35% don’t hit quota Monthly passed meetings 21 Qualified opps monthly 13 Ramp up plan over 4 months 33 build your process Speed to contact Not all leads created equally Speed to lead needs preset plays Speed limits Account centric prospecting When someone in a company comes inbound, if unresponsive, reach out to others in that company and reference the inbound activity Two no rule: need two separate contacts to say no Lead and their boss 34 perfect the handoff Rules of engagement Text prospect to confirm meeting day before SDR listens in on discovery call 35 measure what matters Results Objectives Activities Count number of quality conversations 36 manage with meaningful metrics Activities per day Accounts per rep SLA for inbound Objectives metrics Number of connects Email response rate Number of quality convos over 2 minutes Results Number of disco calls Show rate Accept rate of the opps Win rates of deals 21 meetings set, 11 accepted opps No Show rate 15-20% Promote on show rate above 75% for prior 90 days Amount of pipeline sourced and % of pipeline sourced by sales dev Dashboard to see all metrics in pdf Which metrics Which timeframe Which audience 37 enable with technologies Tools not toys Alleviate the burdens Automated dialers and email trackers Account and contact data Sales intelligence Automated personalization research Dialing platform 100 dials per day results in 10 quality conversations per day Local presence Email platforms Schedule send References Agile selling Cracking sales management code
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