Sales development is the process of warming up leads or prospects and readying them for the eventual buying decision. When sales development is used effectively, prospects are primed for decision-making when they’re handed over to sales closers, making the close of the deal easier to achieve.
The function of sales is to sell directly to the end customer. The better your sales development process, the more deals your sales team will close, and the more time they’ll have to focus on selling activities.
Sales development processes are most effective when they contain several strategic elements, carefully designed to advance prospects through the buying journey. Here’s a look at what your sales development process should include.
A CRM That Supports Your Sales Development
Customer relationship management (CRM) platforms are only as useful as their ability to support your sales development representatives’ working methods, rather than create additional administrative requirements that don’t make efficient use of time.
Choosing the right CRM that supports your initiatives enables sales development reps to efficiently gather lead information and conduct prospecting activities in a cost effective manner.
A Robust Lead Qualification System
What qualifies as a lead? At what point does a lead become a prospect, and a prospect become ready for transition to your sales closing team?
Sales development requires clear definitions and processes for qualifying leads for the greatest efficiency. Sending non-qualified leads to sales development wastes valuable time; likewise, sending prospects to sales closers who haven’t been adequately educated on the product or service can result in the loss of otherwise targeted prospects who would have converted with proper lead nurturing.
These definitions, and the processes for qualifying leads and nurturing processes, represent the movement of a lead through the buying journey.
A Central Content Management Portal
Sales development representatives make use of a variety of collateral and content assets to educate prospects and qualify leads. This material needs to be specific to the prospects area of interest and requirements. If done successfully, this process should nurture the buyer through their buying journey.
A Means for Collaboration and Feedback
Sales development is truly the bridge between marketing and sales, and ongoing input from both sides of the equation is necessary for continuous improvement.
Whether or not you define the process, all sales organisations utilize sales development processes in some form. The more carefully you construct your processes and the more thoroughly your marketing and sales teams are trained in each element of the process, the more qualified leads your teams will generate and the more sales they’ll close. It’s worth your time to develop a strategic, data-driven sales development plan to boost efficiency and achieve greater returns.
How ProAptivity can help
ProAptivity are an independent CRM solutions provider. We focus on the implementation, training, and support of highly customised CRM software solutions. Our CRM software supported by our sales training provide customers with the tools needed to deliver successful sales process management.
Fundamentally, we help organisations embed CRM best practice throughout their organisation. This helps organisations become more competitive, customer focused and ultimately more profitable.
If you need help in understanding why my business needs CRM, maybe some of our eBooks could help! Alternatively visit Maximizer CRM for more information. Contact us today in Belfast on 028 9099 6388 or at our Bedford office on 01234 214004. Alternatively email us on info@proaptivity.com. Contact us today for a free CRM consultation that will assess if your business is CRM ready.
