The CRAP Report

Man, the summer of 1987 when I discovered Guns N’ Roses’ first release, Appetite for Destruction, was a good one.  I think I listened to their first album (cassette tape actually) so much that I probably needed to buy a second one.  My sister hated them, and would get mad at me every time I wanted to watch their videos on MTV (when they actually played videos).  In my opinion, there wasn’t a bad song on the whole album.  Do you have any like that in your music collection?  You know, one that you can just listen to over and over without feeling like you need to fast forward past a song.  I think I have a few, but the first one I ever encountered, where I liked EVERY song was Appetite for Destruction.  I thought I’d try and do something a little different today, so I’m going to relate some teleprospecting lessons through the titles of each of the songs on the Appetite for Destruction album.

I guess for starters, let’s take a look at the title of the album.  You need to have an appetite for destruction if you’re going to be in sales, and teleprospecting is no different.  Nobody wants to work with a sales rep or a BDR with an appetite for niceness.  That just sounds lame all around!  Teleprospecting is about crushing your numbers, crushing your client’s (or in-house sales team’s) expectations of your estimated production.  If you don’t have that, what are you doing in the industry in the first place?  Okay, well here we go, each title of a song and some advice on how the title relates to teleprospecting:

Welcome To the Jungle – Great way to kick this off!  Teleprospecting is like a jungle, and for those of you that are new to it or are new to managing a teleprospecting team, this is something you need to get used to.  You’ve got all different animals to meet, from BDR’s to prospects and from your sales managers to your vendor’s.  Become the “king” of your jungle by learning how to interact with all of the animals successfully.

It’s So Easy – Whether you’re managing an in-house team of teleprospectors or you’re partnering with a vendor, you’re going to encounter BDR’s who are naturals at qualifying potential sales opportunities.  Identify these folks soon and invest in them professionally.

Nightrain – Typically trains that run through the night don’t stop, right?  They’re chugging along all night until they reach their destinations.  Teleprospecting teams need to be the same way.  Don’t let your BDR’s get down on themselves for a dry spell – sales machines stop for no one, your BDR’s included.  Teach them to put yesterday behind and focus on a new day.

Out ta Get Me – Your BDR’s are going to feel like people are out to get them sometimes, especially with the amount of “no’s” they’re going to hear (or do hear) on a daily basis.  Remind them that they’re the ones on the hunt.  Sure, they may get down from the negativity (rejection) that can come with the job, but if they know they have someone in their corner, it makes that much easier to deal with.

Mr. Brownstone – This song title is a reminder that formalities have no place in your teleprospecting scripts.  Our teleprospectors are every bit the professionals that the prospects that they’re calling on are, so why would you want to create a distance between them with formalities?  I’m not saying that your BDR’s should be disrespectful.  What I am saying is that they are every bit as important as the people they call and if they want to be more successful, they need to act like it.

Paradise City – The compensation plan you have for your teleprospectors should make them feel like they hit this if they attain all of their goals.  From monthly SPIFF’s to their quarterly commissions, make sure that your BDR’s are excited about the comp plan you have for them.

My Michelle – Michelle is the name of one my favorite BDR’s of all time.  No lesson here, really, aside from the fact that if you can help it, make sure that you hire great BDR’s.  If you’ve got BDR’s like Michelle (and her clients will agree), you’re off to a great start.

Think About You – Here’s what you need to do about your prospects.  You need to think about them.  Like I said in yesterday’s blog, you need to prospect to your prospects they way they want to be prospected to (say that five times fast).  Everything you do, from building scripts to shaping messaging to the emails you send out need to be focused on how your future customers want to be prospected.

Sweet Child O’ Mine – Your sales qualified leads are precious, akin to the child of all of the hard work that your BDR’s put in.  Make sure you follow up on these little ones and watch them grow through the sales process.  If they’re not progressing, find out why.

You’re Crazy – You must be if you’re still reading at this point.  Seriously, though, there are going to be times when you have this reaction to a client’s request; I know I have.  Maybe you’ve got a sales or marketing manager who wants to know why there haven’t been any sales qualified leads from that tradeshow list you were given.  Tell them the truth that there aren’t going to be many since the list came WITHOUT phone numbers or company names.  Make sure you set expectations with everyone who is counting on you and your team’s efforts to minimize the crazy requests for stats you may get.

Anything Goes – Make sure that your BDR’s are thinking outside the box when it comes to getting the most of their conversations with prospects.  If their main contact isn’t available, have them talk with someone in the department and get something out of the call.  The point here is to not let an answered call go without getting something out of it.

Rocket Queen – I don’t even know what the hell this means.  Let’s go with this:  Make sure that your BDR’s are armed with the best tools you can give them.  Whether it’s subscriptions to great contact generation sources, a great CRM, or even greater teleprospecting messages, your BDR’s need to be outfitted with the best if you want them to generate great leads for you.  Invest in them and you’ll make out on the other end with stellar production.

Whew…if you stuck around, thanks!  What do you think?  What advice would you give using the song titles above?