In the B2B world, it can sometimes seem impossible to separate lead generation and sales, as many sales teams are expected not only to close the sale, but to find their own leads too, and in some cases even manage accounts.
In order to get the most out of your sales team, you need to let them do exactly that: sell. It is important to focus your strategies around that goal. Taking away your reps’ other tasks means that they can focus on closing those all-important deals. This is where the concept of a specialised outbound team comes into play.
Splitting the lead generating and sales workload between two separate roles can make your whole team more efficient. Take a look at our break down of who your sales people should be and who your lead generators should be.
We take on the role of a specialised outbound team for our clients, supplying their reps with warm leads to follow up on and keeping their pipelines full even through the quiet months.
Who your Sales people should be
Whatever your business, your sales team can be the lifeblood of your whole operation. When allowed to focus on just sales, your team of salespeople begin to excel at communicating your products or services, and your company generates revenue.
Arguably, a good sales team should:
Demonstrate high integrity
Adopt a personable approach
Be persistent in their efforts, even ruthless
Have a passion for selling
While these qualities can make the perfect salesperson, you must ask yourself: are these also the qualities of a team member who should be reaching out to new leads and potential customers?
The answer is no.
Prospecting is a different skill set – one with very different requirements to closing a deal. According to a study by Hubspot, most salespeople agree that prospecting is the hardest part of their job. When surveyed about the elements of their role they struggle with most, 21% said it was identifying leads, 38% it was prospecting and 13% said it was qualifying leads.
Is it time to let your sales team do what they do best, and consider bringing in lead generators instead? These would form the basis of your specialised outbound team.
Who Your Lead Generators Should Be
Finding fresh leads for your business and enriching those which you have already found is key to growth. Lead generators are the people who uncover new leads, track down prospects, and secure the appointments, phone calls and key conversations that allow your sales team to succeed.
What was once primarily cold calling, has now developed into sending emails, reaching out on social media, constant Linkedin monitoring, and using the expanse of the internet’s digital tools to put your products and services in front of the people who matter most.
Lead generators should:
Not be afraid to cold call
Be personable and approachable
Effectively communicate the products or services that your business offers
Put time into researching the potential client to best understand their needs
Be knowledgeable of all platforms and avenues to reach potential customers
In recent years it has become clear that this is a skill in itself, and deserves the full attention of a dedicated lead generator, not the occasional attempt by a first-and-foremost sales person. Splitting you teams into functions gives you scope for a specialised outbound team focused on leads, as well as a specialised sales team focused on sales.
But why bother splitting?
“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” – Bruce Lee
“Ah, but what if my sales team are different? What if my sales team have mastered the art of effective lead generation and closing sales?”, you’re wondering.
Simply put, your team are definitely not doing both jobs to the best of their ability. This is not just a case of being a good multitasker, this is a doctor also trying to run the surgery reception desk. Yes, the doctor can do both, but he cannot do both well.
Here are some of the inefficiencies that come from having these two roles merged:
Motivation is low – Those who are good at sales may hate to reach out to potential new clients and therefore will try to avoid it at all costs.
There’s no focus – As soon as your salespeople bring in those new leads, they will inevitably become too busy to continue prospecting. Alternatively, they will spend so much time trying to fulfil their pipeline quota that they will neglect to sell.
Lack of training – You could hire the best salesperson on the planet, but if you have not trained them in how to effectively generate leads, they will lack the knowledge they need to create goals and manage this alongside their sales workload.
There’s no time to analyse the data – When your sales team are busy selling and generating leads at the same time, there’s almost no time left to keep track of relevant data, such as analysing inbound leads, conversion rates, and so on. Having a separate lead generation team means giving the data over to those who actually have the time and know-how to not only analyse it, but implement a strategy based on it too.
Issues are not resolved – When you have too much on your plate, it can be difficult to see the bigger picture, pinpoint where you’re lacking in your abilities and take action to fix the problem. Instead, you are caught in a constant cycle of trying to make yourself better by working more.
An outbound emailing strategy accommodates splitting your sales team more than traditional outbound methods.
So, what can you do to make your sales team more effective?
If you are reluctant to split up your in-house team outsourcing lead generation could be a solution.
Outsourcing your outbound marketing can often be more effective than hiring lead generators in-house, as it removes those unnecessary tasks from your team’s to-do list and frees them up to do what they do best, without introducing and training new team members.
This is key to Quantanite philosophy. Our business is built on the basis of saving teams time and increasing efficiency. We take on the role of a specialised outbound team for your sales reps, supplying them with leads to fill up their pipelines and keep them selling even through quiet months.
Learn more about our outbound services by booking a call with Growthonics: Part of Quantanite today.