As SDRs, we all understand that time is valuable. We’re responsible for identifying qualified leads and making sure these potential customers move to the closing stage smoothly and quickly. It requires effort to achieve this, so here are three tips to help you save time in your sales development process:
1. Target Title
Make sure you are reaching out to the right person.
Before picking up the phone, SDRs should know the best “target title” to contact and prioritize these individuals. Your target title is the person or people in a company who are the decision-makers or, at the very least, influencers. For example, if you’re trying to reach someone in the IT department, your target title could be Vice President or Director of IT. Contacting someone in marketing when you’re discussing IT services would be unproductive. The same goes for reaching out to IT-related titles at entry-level positions, as they may be too far from decision-making roles to add value to your outreach. However, don’t completely rule out prospects outside your target title; just keep in mind they may only be able to refer you to someone else.
Quick tip: Start by reaching out to the most relevant title and work your way down your contacts list from there. Another rule of thumb is to research each prospect on LinkedIn so that you do not waste a phone call on someone who is no longer with the company!
2. Target Profile
Make sure the company you are reaching out to is the right fit for your offering.
Another helpful way to save time in the sales development process is by eliminating the companies on your list that don’t fit your “target profile.” Your target profile should be a description of your ideal customer. Depending on your market, your target profile may consist of anything from company size, revenue, number of users, or current technology being leveraged. Creating a target profile can help highlight companies that would be a great fit for you and save you time by removing ones that are not a fit and won’t convert into opportunities.
Quick tip: Strategize with your account manager to best understand the key factors that make a company a fit for your offering. Then, organize your account list views by these various factors to quickly distinguish the accounts that are best to target first. Organize these ideal accounts into a separate list view to stay focused.
3. Target Messaging
Make sure you have the right messaging.
As soon as you get a prospect live on the phone, you have to know what you are going to say. If you are talking to someone with a technical background, cater your messaging to terminology they are familiar with. That being said, if you are speaking with someone who may not be familiar with this area, you have to be clear about what you are talking about so as not to confuse the conversation. Don’t read word for word from a script, but it is always good to have a messaging map to help with conversation flow. As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, our time is a precious commodity, and we want to qualify and pass opportunities without wasting time. Target messaging can help this.
Quick tip: Focus on 3 key questions you need answered from your prospect in order to qualify or disqualify them as a prospective customer. Using these questions to guide your conversation will keep you on track and will not waste your prospect’s time or your own. Also, don’t get caught off guard, prepare a 30-second “what we do” statement so that when the question is asked (and it always is) you are ready.
The sales development process can be much more efficient if you know you are reaching out to the right people at the right companies with the right messaging. Before you pick up the phone and make your next dial, be sure to do your research and always stay prepared!