If we’re going to tell you that you need to build a sales development team — we’re going to have to back it up with why. Why should you have a sales development team? Why do you need it? And why should your executives buy into the idea?
To start, here’s something you need to know:
Sales development uses specialization to close more deals.
In the process, there are two main roles: One that focuses on finding and qualifying people who are a good fit for your product and scheduling demos or qualified appointments, and one that focuses on closing deals. To have a successful sales team, you need to understand both.
Now you may be saying, “Okay, so we understand why sales development is great. But how do I position it to my execs?”
Great question! Executives are focused on driving results: revenue and return on investment. If you’re looking to launch a sales development team, your mission is to prove that it will meet these needs. The goal (and your primary focus) is to demonstrate to your CEO that having an SDR team on board will be a game-changer in the sales process.
Here are the first three steps to get started and gain executive buy-in:
1. Show Them The Success Stories
First, present cases of teams who are doing this well. Who do you know? Which team is consistently hitting quota, month over month, quarter over quarter? Find use cases that will back up your game plan.
2. Explain Why Sales Development Works
One word. Specialization. Adding a team focused entirely on setting demos and qualified appointments means that your Account Executives will have more time to close deals and crush quota. As each role specializes, your organization will see more demos and more closed deals, because each role will be able to perfect their daily activities.
3. Make Saying Yes Easy
Share a roadmap where all paths lead to achieving a specific goal. For example, to have a great sales development team, you need to know your ideal customer profile and create a detailed playbook. Be prepared for questions about building the process and be willing to work with executives to establish a foundation for development.
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Need more proof of why you need a sales development team — and how to prove it to execs? Download the rest of How & Why You Need to Build an SDR Team and find out for yourself. This eBook contains everything you need to know to start building your revenue-generating, sales development, customer acquisition machine.
