SDR, BDR, Jr. AE
Cold Calling Resource
Professional Sales
Mgmt Services
Background
I am a 35-year veteran of the B:SMB and B:Corporate selling profession. Over the years, I have worked as a cold-caller (SDR), an account executive (selling 4-5-6-7-figure corporate business deals), and as a fractional Chief Sales Officer (for small businesses seeking to grow). I have hired and trained SDR teams extensively. References are available.
I offer a suite of mix-and-match professional sales management services, sized to fit the client’s need, that will (1) increase appointment setting volume, (2) increase deal closing ratio, (3) increase revenue production, (4) reduce owner/manager time involvement, and (5) retain hired/trained sales staff longer. My services are mix-and-match, customized to each selling ecosystem, and I can ‘step in or step out’ at any time requested by the client. I work only with onshore staff. I do not work with offshore ‘call centers’.
For Those About To Hire “Cold Callers” or Salespeople on Upwork
I have noticed many firms and individuals are seeking to hire or have hired cold-callers, SDRs, appointment setters, or junior salespeople on Upwork. Many business owners were kind and offered to speak with me about their approaches to hiring, training, managing, and monitoring their sales staff. The results were eye-opening.
In practically every case, the concept was “hire someone, give them a list, practice the script a few times, and have them start calling….”. That was literally the extent of the planning. This practically guarantees extremely sub-optimal mid-long-term selling results. Meaning lost profit.
SERVICES SUMMARY
I offer consulting services that, in part, or in total, outsource the appointment-setting, SDR, and Jr. Salesperson management functions. These services are delivered ala cart and can be mixed and matched according to needs.
Data Acquisition Consulting | CRM Pipeline Development | Data Management
Recruiting | Hiring | Training | Managing | Monitoring | Releasing If Needed
Economic Analysis | Pipeline Tracking | Sales Forecasts | Revenue Tracking
Services Details
Financial (Economic) Planning
I build time-activity-cost-profit Excel models that factor in such metrics as time-on-phone, connection ratios, close ratios, resource cost, and revenue-per-sale to build a what-if economic model of the selling system.
- Excel Spreadsheet Model: Cost and Cash Flow modeling of the sales function or group
Benefit: Cash flow expectations setting This model helps the client see in advance how much they can project to spend and earn, then do simulations based what-if analysis of 6-8 variables such as pay rate, close ratio, and value of close.
Calling (or Email) Contact Data Acquisition
I have long-term relationships with top leadership in two data (contact list) provisioning firms: ExactData (VP of Sales) and Pro Marketing Leads (founder).
- ExactData: one of the top commodity data vendors in the market
- Pro Marketing Leads: specialty data vendor for enhanced data
Benefit: Best Data. I can introduce clients to top people in these firms, and they will work with us 1:1 to ensure top-quality service and attention, regardless of the size of the contact list pulls. I am highly experienced in determining search parameters that return the right contacts with the most effective contact information.
Recruiting | Hiring Assistance
I have an Upwork hiring account. I can set up a job listing, use my experience to review potential applicants, invite highly qualified candidates, then screen and provide a ‘top N candidate list’. The resources would ultimately be hired through your account, but for purposes of recruiting, I can outsource the process until we get down to the best few.
- I have an Upwork client account with premier credentials to post jobs in
Benefit: You’ll get top candidates. This is really important to understand: I have been hiring people on Upwork for eight years. My client ratings are perfect, and my freelancer reviews are off the charts. This will help to attract high quality applicants. Plus—in the body of the job listing, I will indicate, ‘You’ll be working with and mentored by an 11-year C-level Upwork sales professional’ (indicating they can be sure they will be treated fairly, will have skill development opportunities and the professional sales management support to ensure they succeed.)
CRM | Sales Process (Funnel) Configuration
I am an expert in the design of a multi-step sales process that integrates cold calling, appointment setting, opportunity development, and deal-closing phases. I can design a custom ‘funnel’ for any selling scenario that engages best practices and enhances sales results. Also, I am highly experienced in working with CRMS and can assist in configuring the sales funnel into the CRM.
- Pipedrive: A recommended SMB:SMB CRM for 7-10 step sales processes
- HubSpot: A recommended B:Corporate CRM for complex selling scenarios
- Other CRMS: The theory is understood, I can adapt to working with them quickly
Benefit: Most Efficient Sales Activity. A correctly configured sales process, sales funnel, and CRM significantly increase sales efficiency. I will ensure sales activity is streamlined and your selling resources are highly adept at using the CRM correctly.
Joint Calendar Set Up
I can assist in the setup of Calendly.com and its linking into personal calendars so that appointment setters can see ‘times open’ to book appointments into. In addition, I can assist appointment setters in using the CRM to set programmatic call-backs or emails to remind prospects of upcoming appointments, if desired.
- Calendly: A recommended appointment setting, shared-calendar solution
Benefit: More appointments are kept. Through the use of CRM ‘task setting’ skills and Calendly, appointment setters can be trained to conduct communication activity that reminds prospects of appointments and increases the number of appointments kept. I have several ‘tricks of the trade’ to share here.
Tactical Selling Tools (Information Sheets)
Part of my experience base includes a decade of work developing marketing materials. I have learned over time that having a simple 1-pager Information Sheet on the service or product is highly effective when sent as an email attachment follow-up following a positive cold call connection. They are also used as tools to achieve ‘bypasses’ with ‘gatekeepers’ (a tactic I train SDRs to be expert in.)
- Information Sheets: custom-designed professional sales collateral for prospecting
Benefit: Higher gatekeeper bypass rate. Information Sheets are a key tactical tool that, when used in combination with specific communication tactics by the SDR, will result in a higher ‘bypass rate’ to get around blockers or gatekeepers.
Funnel Analysis and Reporting
I typically meet with the sales resources 1x at least every other day to both analytically review their results and ‘talk with them’ about what is happening. I develop quantitative reports to meet specific information needs and will see in real-time if issues are developing in sales activity before they develop.
- Activity tracking: Summary Excel or CRM report produced weekly
Benefit: Conservation of your time, confirmation of good selling activity. This supervisory work frees you up from having to ‘keep an eye on the sales resource. I will manage the activity, stay closely tuned in to selling results, and you will be continuously informed of the selling system’s activity, success, and developing issues.
Sales Rep Training | Coaching | Mentoring
I bring 30 years of selling experience, from cold-calling to CSO-level work, to the table. I have been fortunate to have Fortune 500-class professional sales training myself. With minimal investments of time and expense, I can train Cold Callers, Appointment Setters, and Jr. Account Executives in the premier techniques to engage in sales dialog, get past gatekeepers, get the best results from scripts, and teach them over time how to gain selling results from unexpected one-off turns in dialogs.
- Sales skill development: this is a constant learning/improvement process
Benefit: you do not have to hire premium-skill ‘uber-reps’. I can turn the middle-tier sales resource into a highly trained, highly effective salesperson within a short period of time. And I provide this mentorship in a way they will value; hence, they will want to stay engaged with you even more since the learning experience is so valuable to them over time.
Critical Sales Performance Issue Resolution
This one is key. If, for some reason, the representative has a hard time achieving performance objectives, and it seems that perhaps it may be a problem with the viability or desirability of the service/product, I will ‘get on the phone’ and for the hourly rate of the rep, make calls myself, personally. This is done, so we will know, with the application of 30 years of corporate-grade selling expertise, if there are closing problems (however “closing” is defined – appointments set, deals signed, etc.), it is not an issue with the data, sales process, or selling skill being applied.
- Test sales calls: I will ferret out problems if need be
Benefit: reduces staff turnover and provides market data back to the client. If we find the success rate is not working right, I’ll step in and ‘sell it myself’ for a while to figure out what is causing the problems.
Services Cost
I scope my services on an hourly rate basis and use Upwork Time Tracker (I will explain this; it is good to know about if you don’t yet). I do not get involved on a commission basis. My rates:
Selling Ecosystem Financial-Economic Model Development
$25/hour | Fixed Fee Project To Start
Usually takes about 7 hours to develop one
Consultative time provided as requested
Recruiting Assistance | Using my Upwork Client Account
$25/hour | Time Tracker
Usually takes about 5-7 hours to get to a ‘best few’ ready for your to interview
Consultative time provided during your hiring phase as requested
Data Acquisition Consulting | Working with vendors to procure data
$60/hour | Time Tracker
Time budget will be determined before work starts
Sales Process Design | CRM setup (if I am familiar with the CRM)
$60/hour | Time Tracker
Time budget will be determined before work starts
Weekly Resource Management | Sales Process Management
$60/hour | Time Tracker
Time budget will be determined before work starts
It usually takes about 2 hours/week/resource to ‘manage them to success’
The point of my services is to INCREASE YOUR PROFIT
And INCREASE the TIME YOU HAVE TO DO OTHER WORK
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