The CRAP Report

Wow, so the first “official” work day of 2010 is over, and I can’t believe I’m just sitting down to blog at 10:30pm at night.  So sorry for the delay on this!  If you recall, last week I started talking to you about what I want for your teleprospectors this year.  I shared with you that I would want them to have more courage, because courageous BDR’s are more likely to pass fully qualified sales opportunities.  They’re not afraid to ask tough questions and they’re certainly not flustered when presented with difficult objections.  I also talked with you about how I want your BDR’s to have a better source of data from which to prospect from and a compensation plan that pays them out on the quality of their work.  Tonight, want to finish up this little series with numbers four and five of my “wants” for your teleprospectors in 2010.

The fourth desire I have for your teleprospectors in 2010 is a plan to be better BDR’s.  Chances are, if you’re managing a team of teleprospectors or if you’re partnering with a vendor to provide you with sales qualified leads, not every one of the folks on the phone for you are what you would call “A” players (and that’s okay).  Not everyone is going to be an “A,” and chances are also good that when the “A’s” realize they’re at that level, they move on to do something else.  You may have a lot of “B” and “C” level BDR’s, and that’s okay, too.  Okay for a while.  How are you going to bring those folks up?  How are you going to raise their skill levels?  What are you going to do when your “A’s” leave for more money or a different opportunity?  These are questions that if you haven’t yet, you need to start asking yourselves now.

You see, if there’s one thing that you take away from any of the “wants” that I have for your BDR’s, it’s this one.  Help them to better their skills.  Help them to prospect better.  Help them to mine for opportunities better.  Help them understand your solutions or services better.  Saying that you want to do that is one thing, but it is a whole different story to take this seriously and plan something for them.  They need skills enrichment programs if you’re expecting them to pass more and more qualified opportunities.  The money you invest in the training of your BDR’s is only going to serve to bring better sales qualified leads to your sales team.  Better leads mean better forecasts, and better forecasts means more closed business, which is what we’re all looking for.  I want your teleprospectors to have a plan to be better BDR’s in 2010.

Lastly, my fifth “want” for your BDR’s in 2010 is for them to have managers who have “been there” before.  I understand this cannot always be the case, but if it is at all possible, you should have someone managing your BDR’s who have made teleprospecting calls in the past.  The job of a BDR is not the easiest.  They typically talk with people who do not want to talk with them, and when they need a pep talk or a sounding board, a manager who has made those same calls before goes a long way.  I know that when I made teleprospecting calls, it meant a lot to me that my manager had made calls right by my side months ago.

If you are in the position to place someone in charge of your teleprospecting team who’s actually MADE B2B lead generation calls before, do it.  Your reps will see the authenticity in their leadership abilities (at least when it comes to teleprospecting) and chances are their production will increase.  It’s been my experience that BDR’s respond better to someone who has been in their shoes before.  In 2010, I want your teleprospectors to have managers that have “been there” before.

There you have it – my top five “wants” for your BDR’s in 2010.  What did I miss?  What else belongs on this list?