Dreamforce 2016 is almost upon us, and if your offices are anything like ours right now, you’re most likely surrounded by reps running through their sales cadences, hustling and hunting, trying to set up appointments before the event.
What’s more (if you remember the aftermath of Dreamforces’ past) the post-conference sales cadences will be even more frantic than the antecedent, with reps scrambling to remember who they met at the event, what to say now, and how to cut through the noise.
That’s why, according to Richard Harris over at Harris Consulting Group, you should start crafting your post-Dreamforce sales cadences now.
“This is a step that’s different than what everyone else is doing,” Harris suggested when I sat down with him last week to talk about this proactive strategy, “so why not try it?” As modern Sales Development Reps, with all of the right tools at your disposal, Harris has a valid point. What have you got to lose?
But before you get started building out these post-Dreamforce sales cadences, there are a few things you need to consider.
First, who in your ICP is going to Dreamforce? Strategically and tactically, you need to define your ICP, and quickly determine which ones are going to be in attendance.
“If they’re showing up, this is where social prospecting comes in,” says Harris — with a term originally coined by Trish Bertuzzi of The Bridge Group. “Of everybody you meet at Dreamforce, how quickly can you go follow them on social, retweet them…
Do something so that two weeks after Dreamforce, they’re going to have seen your name.
Dreamforce is the quintessential place to use this social prospecting strategy. Show the prospect that you have earned the right to ask for their time. Make 10-15 social touches before you actually greet them. “We’re all a little… Kardashian,” jokes Harris, “and this sends subliminal messages before hand to climb to the top of mind.”
SCHEDULE A DREAMFORCE DEMO TODAY
But this is where you also have to keep in mind the importance of respecting your prospects. The definition of adding value is giving somebody something without asking for anything. Make them feel respected, and have your first touchpoint with someone be solely about adding value.
“Don’t ask for anything yet,” warns Harris. “Just because someone gave you their email doesn’t mean you get a meeting… just like a woman doesn’t have to give you her number if you bought her a drink.”
My fellow lady readers: *raise your hand* if you agree. 🙋🏼
Remember, time is an investment. And since social prospecting actually delays your first real touch by about a week, take the time now and during the event to get going so that your post-Dreamforce sales cadences get even more of a head start over everyone else’s.
You may be asking yourself at this point: What investments in my sales stack should I be making to ensure this process is foolproof?
Harris’ answer? Depending on what companies are willing to spend, sales tools can be a great thing. But having the right messaging is always going to be more important than the tool.
Tools with bad messaging are just accelerating the suck.
So how do you get the right messaging down? Harris’s number one piece of advice is to make yourself human: “Even in automated outbound messages, I’ll always say something that says ‘If you respond it really does come back to my real inbox,’ or better yet, ‘Here’s my direct cell.’
Get creative. Start with the breakup email for a change. Try something different from your normal process. Rise above the noise. But the most important thing to remember is that it all comes back to is your attention to the prospect.
You need to be thinking constantly about your ICPs, where the prospect fits into that model, and have your post-Dreamforce sales cadences crafted based on the right messaging for those ICPs.
SDRs need to build their social cadences now and let prospects know, ‘We’ll be here when you’re ready.’
So take a tip from one of the top sales leaders in the space, and get ahead of the event game now. Start crafting your post-Dreamforce sales cadences now, and start thinking like a proactive, sincere seller. We’ll see you there!
