The Missing Link to More Revenue: Standing up a SDR Department - Part 1
Today’s episode of the Aligned podcast launches a three-part series featuring Ed Rusch. Ed has served as Chief Marketing Officer for several different companies, and his efforts yielded significant parts of their success. In this series, he and Sean discuss the importance of finding a happy medium between sales and marketing alignment.
Run your business like you want to sell it.
- Many elements of sales and marketing would work if they were correctly integrated. Unfortunately, and most frequently, the gap between the two is where there isn’t enough support.
- In many ways, the closing game has not changed in its goals. However, the applications of closing are what have changed so rapidly. If you can combine these two facets, you’ll find new opportunities.
- SDRs, or Sales Development Representatives, play a vital role in that process.
What would an SDR do?
- Also known as BDRs (Business Development Representatives), these roles provide many supplemental resources to pursue alignment.
- Marketing-based leads frequently produce prospects considered “low quality.” However, they aren’t low-quality; they’re just in the early stages of the sales funnel.
- Sales professionals like end-funnel leads because they’re closer to purchasing. SDRs can take those early-stage leads and nurture them later in the process so a sales professional can close more quickly.
- This also speaks to the increased ability to act on leads promptly. A company that responds to a form fill within 60 minutes will win almost every time.
Frustrations arise when high-quality leads fizzle out.
- This issue arises when there’s a difference between what they want to hear and what your business communicates.
- SDRs keep this from happening by maintaining consumer expectations and aligning those expectations with what sales will bring to the table.
Five qualifications Ed uses to define a sales-qualified lead:
- SDRs should book prospect meetings within 30 days.
- Have stated sub-verticals you know your business can support and win.
- Include revenue bands in your ideal consumer profile that automatically qualify if they pass that threshold.
- Determine if you can serve where they’re located.
- The situation must be in an area your solution can help solve.
Ed’s qualifications aren’t a silver solution for every business - decide that qualities automatically qualify a lead for your organization. Tune in to the next episode of Aligned to learn more from Ed and Sean as they detail how an SDR can contribute to the lead qualification process.
This episode is sponsored in part by FitzMartin’s Sales and Marketing Alignment:
Why does proper sales and marketing alignment result in a 32% average lift in revenue? Because a unified company centered around its prospects can’t help but thrive.
FitzMartin’s Sales and Marketing Alignment program will analyze your current sales and marketing structure to deliver a plan based on the needs of your prospects, bringing you increased revenue, expansion opportunities, and (above all) a unified front when communicating with prospects.
To set your company up for success, visit fitzmartin.com/solutions to discover how to unify your sales and marketing for the best results.
This episode is sponsored in part by Fitzmartin’s Organization and Culture Alignment:
Company culture and retention are directly connected. After all, if you fail to build good company culture, you fail to retain top talent. At FitzMartin, we help leaders like you raise their NPS scores from the low 60s to the high 80s (and, more importantly, present a plan to help you do the same.)
Create your company culture based on a shared mission to attract and retain top talent. Visit fitzmartin.com/solutions to learn more.