LET’S GET WISER : 2016 SDR PROPOSAL12.17.2015 Christian Kendall

AGENDA

• My Understanding• Proposal Summary

• Simplify• Prioritize• Unify

• Vision• Requirements• Next Steps

STATUS QUO

• Executive buy-in for a sales development team• Tools, large investment• In house, Outsourced, Outbound vs. Inbound

• Plan :• Playbook in place• Reps not hitting activity quota• Not in chair on time• Foreign counterparts outperforming in house team

• Reporting• No Conversion Metrics• Multiple systems of record

PROPOSAL SUMMARYSimplify : Define, Structure, Enable

Prioritize : Measure, Manage, LearnUnify: Develop, Leverage, Collaborate

SUMMARY

Based on the discussions that I have had with ----- over the last several weeks, I have developed a proposal to improve pipeline and closed won opportunities for the Wiser SDR team.

Three tenets of the plan are to : -Simplify the current SDR process by defining terms, building structure, and removing barriers-PrioritizeSDR efforts by developing baseline metrics, managing outbound efforts based on those numbers, and learning from past performance-Unify the team by developing career paths, leveraging strengths with specialized projects, and peer to peer coaching

SIMPLIFY : DEFINE, STRUCTURE, ENABLE

The current SDR process involves many tools and systems of record without a daily sounding board who is listening, observing and coaching SDR performance.

Clearly defining terms, setting team expectations, and building a clear consistent sales process will enable SDRs to spend less time logging activity and deciding whom to call and more time generating quality pipeline/closed won opportunities. Removing redundant tools, automating as much of the mechanics of being an SDR as is possible and developing step by step guides is paramount to improving team performance.

Simplifying the sales process by defining terms and roles while developing a clear sales structure will enable the team to succeed.

SIMPLIFY : DEFINE

Terms for lead types, team contribution, meaningful activities, and when hand-offs occur are necessary for clear communication between functions (AEs to SDRs, Sales to Marketing, and Sales Dev to Management)

• Qualified Lead Process (MQL, SQL, SAL, Sales Opportunity, Nurture)• Handoff criteria : BANT or AN (Authority Needs) or ¾ of BANT

• Expectations : • Working Hours• Time management (calendaring next-day activities day prior)• # of activities, closed won quota, # of active leads managed• Project ownership

SIMPLIFY : DEFINE IB VS. OB SDR

• Inbound SDRs (IB) operate from the leads object in Salesforce• 100% focused on leads coming into database• Sole responsibility is to make contact with MQLs, overcome objections, make

sure they are a fit, and get them connected to an Account Executive• Higher conversion rates vs. passing leads directly to sales (8x according to TOPO)

• Outbound SDR (OB) operate from the contacts/account object in Salesforce• Focused on targeted accounts designated by sales team• Segmented by industry vertical, size, AE directed criteria• Why contacts? Leads object doesn’t allow for all conversations with different

people at a company to be aggregated• Targeted accounts may involve multiple prospects

SIMPLIFY : DEFINE

• Develop a qualified lead definition• Sales and marketing commit to develop a qualified lead definition = improved

marketing and sales alignment + communication

• Develop buyer personas as a starting point• Reference target buyer personas to develop definition

• Get feedback from sales• What is a qualified lead for you?

SIMPLIFY :STRUCTURE

The sales process for SDRs should be as simple as possible while allowing for the granular reporting necessary for conversion metrics and active lead management. This process is how cold leads become closed won opportunities.

OutreachCold Lead SDR QualifyConnect AE QualifyMeeting

AE Decides if

Opportunity Exists

Opportunity

SIMPLIFY : ENABLE

Enable the SDR team with the resources they need from a coaching and tools perspective. Achieved by developing a robust playbook in concert with current sales team which includes quick reference guides and build this into SFDC with Sales Coach module. Enablement may involve consolidating tools or adding new tools. A daily operational dashboard in SFDC for SDRs to direct their OB efforts based on is also necessary.

Allow each SDR to manage their territory as their own book of business which they are solely responsible for the production of. Provide goals, objectives feedback, recommended processes, but allow SDRs to execute as they see best fit for their territory. Do not micromanage. Encourage, build, develop, and nurture.

PRIORITIZE :MEASURE, MANAGE, LEARN

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Developing a baseline of SDR team performance, understanding which levers to pull when, comparing performance to industry standards, and learning from past performance are all necessary to create a best in breed team.

Measuring performance and behavior allows management to prioritize daily SDR activity to be most effective. With a limited amount of time in each day, Management and SDRs must know which tactics and strategies work best to help them achieve their goals. Prioritizing outbound efforts based on real measurements is needed to manage, learn, and improve.

PRIORITIZE :MEASURE

Implementing a well-defined qualified lead process and infrastructure in SFDC will allow the team to develop a baseline for performance.

Conversion metrics :• General SDR performance on longitudinal basis is best tracked by qualified

leads into opportunities over time• Sales generated leads à Sales accepted leads à Sales qualified leadsActivity metrics : • Touches/day, touches/lead, activity type segmentation• Dials : Conversations : Meaningful Conversations : Meeting : Oppty

PRIORITIZE : MANAGE

People are specialized. There will be favorites. Just because an employee struggles with a skill doesn’t mean we should try to make them better at it. Focus, build, and invest in what employees excel at once baseline skills are developed. (Philosophy from Marcus Buckingham. First, Break All the Rules.)

Build a family. Team members are owners : task assignment for projects based on strengths. Be a player/coach : hit the phones, be in the chair with the team. Listen and observe : identify trends and areas of opportunity. Communicate : clear and consistent messaging. Expectations : career path, effort, commitment, match and lead.

Hire the right candidate. Do not rush a candidate who isn’t a fit.

PRIORITIZE : MANAGE

A ship without a compass is lost. Lack of consistent clear messaging will lead to SDRs aiming for the wrong target, and inevitably missing their goal.

-Daily stand-ups 15 minutes, SDR owns agenda-Weekly team meetings : Agenda requests, marketing alignment update, tactic review, deal ‘win’ review (strategy, process, obstacles, persona, objections, urgency, why), weekly lesson, individual commits-Calendaring of daily activities the day prior-Is what you are doing now going to help you achieve your goal today?

PRIORITIZE :LEARN

By establishing a well defined sales process, a baseline, benchmarks, and historical dataset are built. This allows for identifying best practices of top performers and applying them to lower performers.

This includes projects like historical win/loss analysis for deals, scoring leads, and stratifying leads by buyer personas. Learning and iterating from the activities the SDR team logs helps create a culture of continuous improvement.

Learn from your mistakes, but also from what works.

UNIFY :DEVELOP, LEVERAGE, COLLABORATE

Let’s build a badass team. Building a team trustworthy and transparent team starts with hiring the right people, leading by example, and developing those individuals. A transparent, dedicated team is necessary to avoid the churn and burn nature of many SDR teams.

Unifying the team by developing their careers, leveraging strengths, and collaborating on projects enables a team culture of collective support and intrinsic motivation.

UNIFY :DEVELOP

SDRs have demanding jobs and hustle because they want to advance their sales career. Without clearly defined examples of career paths within Wiser and a coach/player developed career plan SDRs can easily lose focus on what they are working towards.

Setting expectations for the duration of the role, understanding SDR goals on an individual level, and developing benchmarks for the path to the next promotion are necessary for team members to be actively engaged after logging thousands of activities. Daily stand-up meetings and individual weekly check-ins along with ad-hoc coaching and a minimum six hours coaching per month will develop a dedicated team.

UNIFY : LEVERAGE

Identifying strengths, nurturing them, and leveraging those skills on specific team projects develops a sense of ownership and team unity.

Team members will be encouraged to actively suggest and take ownership of industry conferences to attend, team initiatives (call blitzes, outings), best practice guides, and marketing initiatives (email drips, content requests). As SDRs take ownership in leading projects that are suited to their skills those skills are enhanced and the team benefits with new initiatives.

UNIFY :COLLABORATE

Training, onboarding, and coaching present an opportunity to build a sense of kinship among the team. Collectively building the playbook components from objection handling, messaging talk tracks, communications best practices, tools, and closing techniques draws upon institutional knowledge and sharpens the teams’ skills.

The best way to learn is to teach. Our team will do this and develop a mindset of always doing better.

UNIFY :COLLABORATE

It’s not hard to make decisions once you know what your values are. – Roy E. Disney

Goal : Operate according to a set of clearly-defined values, alignedwith an inspiring vision that drives our behaviorsand decisionseveryday.

Values :Challenge the status quo – ”Why?” is your friendCuriosity – Don’t make assumptionsJudgment – Focus on the 20% of things that create 80% of valueCustomer Wow – Do your bestResponsible – Be impeccable with your wordJoy – Don’t take anything personally

VISION

Create an industry-leading SDR team through best-in-breed processes, tracking, and coaching to generate the most pipeline and closed won opportunities in the field.

• Streamline processes and clearly define objectives, which will increase productivity

• Prioritize prospecting efforts based on real data• Unify team with leadership presence, collaborative training, and team

events

THE SIZE OF THE PRIZESales Team Opportunity-5% increase in selling time can yield a 20% increase in revenue-1% increase in pipeline value can yield a 25% increase in revenue-15% decrease in length of sales cycle can yield 30% increase in revenue

With these numbers in mind, the gap you see in activity performance and effectiveness between outsourced SDRs and in-house SDRs represents a large opportunity. Active management presence, managing by metrics, and eventually increasing the AE:SDR ratio will help close this gap and grow revenues.

*Statistics from Marketo – “The Definitive Guide to Sales Lead Qualification and Sales Development”

SALES, MARKETING, AND SALES DEVELOPMENT : WINNING TOGETHER

• Trust

• Transparency

• Collaboration

• Communication

SEQUENCING STRAW MAN

Stage 1 – “Watch and Listen”January• Observe performance, tactics, and strategy• Conduct stakeholder interviews

Stage 2 - “Define and Deploy”January, February• Define sales process, toolkit, and terms• Develop playbook

Stage 3 – “Feedback and Iterate”February, March, and on going• Monitor performance, receive feedback, and improve• Implement recurring team events

REQUIREMENTS DISCOVERY1. Process Today

- Salesforce instance- Tools- Qualified lead procedure- Forecasting

2. Product Understanding- Marketing- Collateral- Value proposition

3. Team- Culture- Players- Operations

NEXT STEPS

• Confirm mutual vision• Define working plan and timeline• Assign resources and owners

2016 WISER SDR PROPOSALChristian Kendallchristiankendall@gmail.com | 925.330.2219