Sales Development is a great career path. All companies need sales appointments, pipeline and revenue; and Sales Development acts as that critical connective tissue between departments.
That’s why we’re so passionate about this industry.
This week on the pod, we have @Tenbound alumni and all around rock star @Chris Kinnard, who has had a varied career that has lead to Sales Development leadership at @PatSnap.
Chris breaks down his journey from PhD Candidate to a top Sales Development Leader. Inspiration for everyone, this one has some great tips for up and comers!
Thinking about attending The Sales Development Conference on August 30th in San Francisco? Check out this quick video explainer. https://youtu.be/lnkHJavTFjY
Still haven’t picked up your tickets yet? This Conference will sell out so grab them today.
Summary:
In this episode, David welcomes Chris Kinnard to the show. Chris is the Director of Sales at Totango, a customer success software that helps enterprises drive revenue growth, with focused programs for every stage of the SaaS customer journey. Tune in as Chris shares how a missed deadline for a PhD program led him to sales development and how he came to love the industry he’s in now.
3 Key Points:
- Processes in the back end should always be matched up with the processes at the front.
- Help your team find that motivation to strive and get better.
- Understand that automations are not failproof and that you always need to put personalization as a priority.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
- 00:01 – Accelerate your growth at The Sales Development Conference on August 31, 2018
- 00:52 – Subscribe to our show on YouTube and review us on iTunes
- 01:33 – David introduces Chris
- 02:02 – Chris came through the Tenbound management program
- 02:55 – Chris took a common route in sales development
- He studied cognitive neuroscience in college
- He took an interview at his dad’s company and worked as an outbound SDR
- 05:53 – MLM is great for your first experience in sales
- 06:21 – Chris shares the difference between telemarketing and sales development
- It was like trying to set up meetings with potential customers
- 08:09 – He stayed with that company for more than a year
- Chris was promoted to junior account reps before he moved to a B2B SaaS company
- He moved into account management
- After the economy took a downfall, he moved to San Francisco and took on his first AE role
- 10:35 – More about Totango and Chris’ work
- For the first few months, Chris observed the team and their motivations
- 13:20 – Introducing automation to the AEs helped Chris and his team avoid missing follow ups
- Chris monitors the process
- 14:35 – The structure ratio: 2 AE’s: 1 SDR
- Totango has a TP Program for their SDRs
- It also helps working directly with the AEs
- 17:01 – Chris shares how their marketing department help in the process
- Make sure all processes behind the scenes are matched up
- 18:02 – Accelerate your growth at The Sales Development Conference on August 31, 2018
- 19:36 – Chris’ compensation depends on his team’s attainment of their goal
- “We’re always trying to get better”
- 23:25 – Chris talks about Totango’s Zombie Campaigns
- 24:49 – Farm Don’t Hunt is a book written by Totango’s CEO
- 26:57 – Lower risks = lower ASPs
- 29:13 – Compensate towards the behavior that you want
- 30:35 – What works for Chris and his team
- Introducing automations and ghost campaigns help a lot
- 33:26 – Automation is great BUT NOT FAILPROOF
- Personalize ahead of time
- 38:10 – Being an SDR is a hard job
- You want to make things as easy it is as possible for them to do their jobs
- LeadIQ is an app that Totango use to help their SDRs
- 41:45 – Connect with Chris on LinkedIn
- 42:52 – Subscribe to our show on YouTube and review us on iTunes
- 43:00 – Contact us to discuss your sales development needs
Resources Mentioned:
- Totango – Company where Chris works
- Farm Don’t Hunt – A book that Chris recommends
- LeadIQ – App that helps Totango’s SDRs