Part 5 - Making the most of every (selling) interaction

Context

In the last post, we looked at the first of two key elements for making the most of every selling interaction with a customer.

You will quickly reach diminishing returns in your efforts to enable your business development reps (BDRs) and sellers, if you have not carefully crafted a culture where everyone embraces the idea that job one is the success of each customer.

How to do that is a whole different discussion.

So, now let’s turn to maximizing the impact of every business development and sales interaction.

First: Stop

Stop doing things that don’t work (see Part 1).

Stop. Right. Now.

Only then can you “Pass Go”.

Second: Develop

Develop the seller’s (and BDRs) networks and knowledge. Develop a plan to put them where they meet prospects and make them amicably aware of your “Who”, “What”, and “Why.” Create a metric that reflects your progress (you also probably need to drop a couple of metrics that are clouding your vision).

Remember, this will not happen by scolding your folks into doing more cold calls, cold emails, or “InMails”, and, then trying to measure that (see the first point, above).

As professionals, we have a network of networks. Think of your company’s network of networks as a growing tree. The trunk of the tree is composed of the networks of the CRO and the CEO. And they need to be willing to use them.

If you want your biz dev and sellers to put their personal and professional reputations on the line, the CRO and CEO need to lead by example.

The goal, here, obviously, is to get more qualified first meetings. That’s the hardest, and most important task in growing your business.

Third: Transform

Transform the BDR and seller roles into those of a concierge. This will not be easy.

BDRs need to be knowledge concierges, focused on minimally qualified leads who are “aware” and seeking more information. BDRs should do this under the guidance of, and in coordination with, account executives (sellers).

An account executive or seller is a more senior “experience concierge” (or EC for short) whose responsibility is to know and track the progress of each customer through the Business Development Funnel (see Part 3). ECs motivate customers to contractually commit to your firm, smoothly facilitating all of the activities and resources that are required to reach that point.

The core competence for this is helping your customers navigate THEIR OWN PROCESS with respect to your offering and organization. ECs need to be particularly skilled here because this is their primary value for which you pay them the “big bucks.”

BDRs and ECs must know the “Who”, “What” and “Why” (see Part 2) and be conversant a layer or two down. They also need to know what resources are available and how to make them available to the “aware” seekers. BDRs should be capable of independently handling the merely curious, while also identifying serious seekers who need to be connected with an “experience concierge”, always erring on the side of connecting, of course.

Transform Your Go-to-Market Approach

The word “transformation” has become so frequently used in nearly any context as to be practically without meaning anymore. But this third step might be a place where it really does apply. In fact, if you have followed this series of five posts, you will appreciate the fact that growing your business may require a significant transformation of your whole got-to-market approach.

Feel free to reach out if you are interested in a free template or two that might help you get started.