Summary:
In this episode, David interviews Trish Bertuzzi, CEO of The Bridge Group. She has also authored the bestseller Sales Development Playbook: Build Repeatable Pipeline and Accelerate Growth with Inside Sales. Trish believes that today’s job market works in the favor of potential candidates. Therefore, she outlines the key strategies companies can employ to retain their top talent, keep them engaged, and have them operating at their strongest by investing in their training.
Tune-in to hear why being a sales development rep prepares you for any future endeavor. Trish will also discuss other topics such as how to be effective in outbound sales and leveraging client feedback to create new services that will drive your growth.
3 Key Points:
1. In the business of sales, those who focus are those who win.
2. Work for an organization that is willing to invest in your training.
3. Examining client feedback is the best way to come up with new products and services—and pave the way for future success.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
- 00:00 – Sales Development Conference is coming up on September 21st in downtown San Francisco
- 00:20 – Keynote speakers include Henry Schuck, CEO, Discoverorg; Manny Medina, CEO, Outreach; Kristina McMillan, Director of Research, TOPO and John Barrows, Legendary sales trainer
- 00:46 – Get your early bird ticket from tenbound.com
- 01:09 – David introduces Trish Bertuzzi
- 01:35 – Trish still works as a sales development rep and focuses mainly on outbound sales
- 02:20 – Trish’s approach to outbound sales
- 02:20 – Expansive B2B database which has been developed over 20 years
- 02:34 – Keeps a tab on all her contacts via LinkedIn
- 02:52 – Those who focus are those who win—get focused on your sweet spot
- 03:05 – Resorts to storytelling to engage clients
- 04:40 – Importance of onboarding and training
- 04:40 – If a new SDR has not been handed a sales playbook, this shows that the company is not willing to invest in the rep’s success—a sales rep should consider finding another job in this scenario
- 05:53 – Job seekers should take advantage of the fact that it is a candidate’s market and to inquire about onboarding and training before accepting a job
- 07:00 – While you might not get to learn as much in a big organization as compared to a startup, you can receive perks such as stock options
- 07:46 – Back in the day, it was common for sales reps to get trained at IBM and Xerox—find companies today who are willing to invest in reps and create a talent pool
- 09:04 – Training budget is miniscule when compared to the hiring budget
- 10:11 – Critical to structure training in an appropriate manner
- 10:11 – Start off by teaching reps about your buyer, their buying habits, appropriate language
- 10:50 – Talk about the product and solution once you have informed the rep about the buyer
- 11:32 – Publicly shaming SDR’s on LinkedIn is disgraceful
- 13:30 – Contrary to popular belief, a well-structured voicemail does manage to create awareness and subsequently value
- 14:50 – Traditional selling tools such as phone and email can still provide results
- 15:22 – Use as many different forms of media as possible since buyers may react differently
- 16:46 – Try something different that sets you apart from your peers—this will make your job less of a grind
- 19:54 – “If you can do this job, you can do any job, any job. If you can figure this out, there is never going to be any job that you can’t figure out. It is the most amazing launchpad to the rest of your life and to the rest of your career”
- 21:03 – Important to ask for feedback from your clients—you will learn so much about your method and process that you will leapfrog ahead
- 22:10 – If you can learn and get feedback, even a “No” is a positive thing
- 23:28 – Incorporating client feedback to structure new services and drive growth at Bridge Group
- 23:27 – Best ever quarter at the Bridge Group; Trish attributes this performance to the fact that they learn from their clients
- 23:51 – Created a new service focusing on account based revenue last year
- 24:17 – Will be offering a new service focusing on customer success
- 26:22 – Selling account based revenue services rather than account based sales development or account based marketing makes it easier to convey your vision across the entire organization
- 28:06 – Likely to see a cross over the long run—CRO’s and CMO’s will end up managing sales as well as marketing
- 29:37 – Get in touch with Trish via email or Twitter
Resources Mentioned:
- Sales Development Conference – Upcoming sales conference in San Francisco
- Tenbound.com – Where you can get your early bird ticket for the Sales Development Conference
- The Bridge Group – Trish’s organization
- LinkedIn – Trish’s recommendation for keeping tabs on your contacts
- “Sales Development Playbook: Build Repeatable Pipeline and Accelerate Growth with Inside Sales” – Trish’s Sales Playbook
Sponsored By:
Credits
- Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
