Structures that we see work most effectively for sales development teams. How AI, Social Selling and increased levels of prospecting competition may effect the structure of these sales development teams moving forward. And things you should consider to keep up.
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In the rapidly evolving landscape of sales, adapting to the changes in buyer behavior is crucial for success. Modernizing your sales development structure is not just a choice; it's a necessity in catering to the preferences and expectations of the contemporary buyer. In this article, we'll explore the shifts in buyer journeys, the challenges posed by the bombardment of emails and prospecting, the increased emphasis on education and value, and why a revamped sales development team, tailored to individual skills, is the key to thriving in this new era.
Evolution of Buyer Journeys - Managing Prospecting Overload
The traditional buyer journey has undergone significant changes. With the wealth of information available online, buyers are more informed and empowered than ever before. Understanding these shifts is fundamental to crafting a sales development strategy that resonates with the modern buyer. Buyers today are bombarded with emails and prospecting efforts. Standing out in a crowded inbox requires a strategic approach. This puts a much greater impetus, that some will argue has been lost in recent years, back onto the sales person to truly stand out by adding value and prospect effectively not just en mass.
Emphasis on Education, Value, and Confidence
To counteract the inundation of sales outreach, the modern sales development team must prioritize education and value. You must be providing valuable content and building confidence in your offerings to set you apart from competitors and establish meaningful connections with buyers. The modern team should be playing to individual strengths, whether it's content creation, social selling, or mastering the art of the phone call.
We believe this looks like junior or younger SDR's working in tandem with a top level cold caller.
The Role of Content Creators, Emailing, Social Selling, and Video
A comprehensive approach to sales development involves seamlessly integrating various channels, everyone argues. However with the changes to tool sets, ability to prospect at scale we've seen the indundation of prospecting already mentioned. Yes, each of these channels still have a place but you need to make calling a top element of your outreach still. Mor investment in calling and coaching wil lserve a company better than giving the SDR's 6 different outreach tools.
So instead of asking an SDR to be great at all of channels, restrucutres are being done by the most forward thinking SDR agencies and companies that are smart will soon follow suit.
In the modern sales structure, having one or two dedicated content creators is step one. These individuals are instrumental in crafting compelling and relevant content that engages and educates potential clients, setting the stage for successful interactions. They might use email, linkedin messaging, post content and interact with prospects.
Top Caller Collaboration with Account Executives
Step two is that collaboration between the top callers and/or Account Executives (AEs). The best callers in the team whether SDRs or AE's work through the same account list as the social/content/junior SDRs and follows up all of their activity with dials. Good old fashinoed dials. You can buy one license for this, the email steps are carried out by one part of the team, the calls the other. This means you play to all the teams skills, and you are more thoughtful and considered in your approaches here. Resulting in better buyer prospecting exepriences as well. As well as creating a career path and trajectory for the team.
In conclusion, modernizing your sales development structure is not just about keeping up with trends; it's about aligning with the preferences and behaviors of the modern buyer. By understanding the shifts in buyer journeys, navigating the challenges of information overload, and crafting a dynamic team that leverages individual skills, your organization can not only adapt but thrive in the competitive world of modern sales.
The Stack To Consider To Achieve This
Firstly you need a team of 3-5 SDRs and AE's combined. The split in an ideal world is 1 SDR to 1 AE. And the titles are here nor there, the split of responsibility is the key here.
Better Intent caputring tools and ABM tools like LeadForensics and Terminus, Retention.com if you're US based.
Followed by the correct triggers and notifcations in a CRM like Hubspot or Pipedrive. Up to 75% off Hubspot for start ups using our link.
The SDRs, content creators, email and social sellers use the inbuilt functionality here, or a enablement tool like Lemlist.
FInally the AE / calling SDR executes the calling side at scale to create real follow up and pipeline management, using a solution like Aircall or Rocketphone.
It may not be for every company depending on the size of your customer base, revenue and marketing right now. However, try to play to the strengths of each SDR in your team. Have them work account lists as a team, and you'll stand out to the prospects in a crazy B2B landscape.
