Sales Prospecting Perspectives

Even though February is technically the shortest month of the year, this year it feels like the longest.

With snowstorms Juno and Pandora having just passed, mountains of ice piling up in our parking lot, and temperatures at a record low, February has quickly become the Debbie Downer of the 12 months.

And even though you may keep your offices heated at a level that stimulates sales productivity, the constant snowfall and bitingly cold temperatures outside can affect your sales development team’s productivity if you're not keeping a close eye on your team. Especially when the storms make it so everyone has to work from home.

By now, if you have read a few of my blogs, you are well aware of my opinions on winter in New England…In short, I hate it. 

In Boston, February is jokingly referred to as the “longest short month of the year” due to what feels like near constant snowfall and nights and weekends spent hibernating to avoid the bitter cold temperatures. 

February is also a time when we need to keep our sales development reps extra motivated whether working from the office or at home during inclement weather. 

I tried to think of what motivated me when I was an SDR, and decided to source some help from our awesome sales development managers.  These four guys spend their days making sure our SDRs are performing at 100% every day.  I thought they could provide some great perspectives on what they do to keep their reps motivated and what they like most about sales development management, training and mentoring.  In part one of this blog post, we'll hear from Greg and Jimmy.

This past weekend, a certain sports team challenged me to be optimistic.

You guessed it: The Patriots.

While I’m not a fervent football fan by any means, I grew up in the New England area and have an avid sports fanatic of a father. After many years questioning what this or that meant, I’ve finally reached a point where I not only understand the rules of the game (well, most of them), but where I also can get worked up and over-excited by certain plays.

You know the plays I’m talking about. This Superbowl, there were plenty: interceptions on both teams, crazy catches that seem more luck than skill, and insane rushes that are simply unbelievable. This year, I wasn’t scrolling through my iPhone throughout the game (I wasn’t even tweeting), I was paying attention. And that cost me some energy.

As sales development reps, our time is precious.  It is essential that we manage our time in the most productive and efficient way possible in order to hit our goals, stay organized, and keep our clients happy.

The following are some tips I‘ve found make my day run smoother and allow me to make the most out of every day in the office. 

1. Lay out your day; have a plan.

Planning out your day as a sales development representative is a must, especially if you are working on multiple projects. I like to start off the day after my morning meeting by checking my inbox for each project and responding to any emails that I received after hours the day before. Responding first thing in the morning also gives prospects the whole day to get back to you. Creating a morning routine like this one is a great way to be productive while your cup of coffee wakes you up!

Getting back to the gym after the holidays is always fun. Everyone has their resolution to get back in shape after eating obscene amounts over the previous month. Of course, you end up having to deal with a sea of people taking up literally every piece of equipment that the gym has to offer. It's certainly enticing, since most gyms nowadays can offer memberships at $10 a month. Out of curiosity, I asked a friend who works at the gym what the sales numbers look like this time of year since the fees are so low. She said that they typically see a 35% growth in new membership in January, which you come to expect this time of year. 

While new sales are obviously very important for them focus on, she said that their corporate offices spend much of their time focused on what their "active membership" looks like. The definition of an active gym member would be someone that comes to workout 1 time a week. 

The holidays are behind us, and the New Year has begun! It is a season of resolutions, many of which focus on bettering yourself, living a healthier lifestyle, achieving financial goals, and spending more time with family. Although resolutions are key to personal growth and success, they can also be used in the workplace to motivate and encourage success for the upcoming year. Here are a few resolutions to help kick off your B2B sales prospecting on the right foot in 2015.

Like most people, I love Christmas.  I love the beautiful twinkling lights everywhere, shopping for gifts, and spending quality time with friends and family.  December is also a deceptively great month for sales prospecting as outlined in an earlier blog from Craig Ferrara.  What December brings to the operations team is an opportunity to come up with some creative ways to manage our sales development team.  Below are a few sales motivation tips for your teams in the month of December.