HubSpot's SVP of Sales Strategy and Operations, Channing Ferrer, hosted a webinar in August 2020 focused on sharing the lessons he's learned designing sales teams. Click here to get the recording, or click here for the slides.
The Q&A with Channing below is now closed. Check out the thread for answers to questions like:
What are the top 3 attributes or skills you hire for?
How do you balance Sales & Account Management roles?
What were the greatest win and greatest lessons learned from experiments you ran?
My question is how have trained or incentivized Sales members to enter the data they need into HubSpot?
How long should an BDR be in their role before they graduate? I used to work somewhere where the rule was 1 year at least.
@walterwWe typically see BDRs in role for about 12-18 months. Less than 12 months in the BDR role is doable, but can be problematic for a few reasons: 1) Career development - BDRs need to go through a series of learning steps so they can become a productive rep. These learning steps need to be spaced out and programmatic. 2) Pipeline generation challenges - BDR pipeline typically takes longer to mature. Thus, if a BDR is in role for a short period of time it puts your pipeline generation at risk and 3) Rep - BDR relationships - the most efficienct BDR has a strong BDR - rep relationship. The rep and BDR need to learn how to work together. Once they do, they become a much more efficient team.
Thanks for the Lessons Learned presentation. Do you think COVID has changed the way you are approaching your operations work or maybe your team culture and if so how?
Thanks for the Lessons Learned presentation. Do you think COVID has changed the way you are approaching your operations work or maybe your team culture and if so how?
@DFarringtonTNYes it has. I had previously thought that we needed team members that sit nearby one-another. However, now I am learning how the team can operate effectively in a remote environment. This change has recently led me to make several remote hires and change my approach to remote work. This change has expanded my available pool of ops team members. My team has taken to remote work and a remote team and we are all working well together.
Related to the tools question you already answered, how involved are you in choosing the tools your teams use? Wondering if that decision lives in Sales Ops as the ops team or somewhere else
Related to the tools question you already answered, how involved are you in choosing the tools your teams use? Wondering if that decision lives in Sales Ops as the ops team or somewhere else
@amanda_pThese decisions live on my team and I am very involved. I feel strongly that we should be reguarly evaluating software tools. We are always looking for ways to improve efficiency for both Ops team and sales reps.
How did you learn how to do Sales Operations? How do you 'break into' departments like that?
@jeyso10I stumbled into it, but I think this happened because of my approach to sales. I was a sales leader first, but asked to help lead sales ops. I had always taken a very analytical approach to selling and customer engagements. This helped me to transition easily into sales ops. I believe you can be a very effective sales leader by leveraging data, this is the same thinking that sales ops leaders have. If you are already a sales leader then I suggest leaning into your analytical skills and leverage data to drive decisions. If your an individual contributor then you can do the same thing, but through your role (e.g. as a rep, look at your total interactions, total leads, conversion rates etc). In addition to these recommendations, take some SQL classes. Strong data analytical skills are more and more important for sales ops. Learning SQL will help you leverage data insight tools like Looker, Tableau etc.I stumbled into it, but I think this happened because of my approach to sales. I was a sales leader first, but asked to help lead sales ops. I had always taken a very analytical approach to selling and customer engagements. This helped me to transition easily into sales ops. I believe you can be a very effective sales leader by leveraging data, this is the same thinking that sales ops leaders have. If you are already a sales leader then I suggest leaning into your analytical skills and leverage data to drive decisions. If your an individual contributor then you can do the same thing, but through your role (e.g. as a rep, look at your total interactions, total leads, conversion rates etc). In addition to these recommendations, take some SQL classes. Strong data analytical skills are more and more important for sales ops. Learning SQL will help you leverage data insight tools like Looker, Tableau etc.
Question from the webinar Q&A: How should one go about setting up a system of record if they haven’t already?
System of record” is similar to a CRM and could be the same. But you need something to get started. Could be Excel, or something very basic to get going but don't overlook this step. Your longer-term CRM can come later, but start tracking data as early as possible.
Question from the webinar Q&A: What is SER/BDR function?
SDR = Sales Development Rep; BDR = Business Development Rep. Both are essentially the same thing, they help with prospecting and setting up meetings for the account executive.
Question from the webinar Q&A: What are the best tools for small businesses to train newer sales team members?
It's less about the tools and more about what a new rep needs to know and when they need to know to be successful in your business. Once you know that you need to figure out how do you want them to learn those things. Choosing tools is more a function of how quickly the information and/or skills being taught are going to change. If you have a high rate of change it's going to be VERY hard to keep content inside a tool current. In that type of scenario I would rely more on people than systems. If your business has a slow rate of change and content stays evergreen for at least 12 months you can effectively house learning content in an LMS or in enablement tools like Brainshark, MindTickle, HighSpot, etc.
Question from the webinar Q&A: Also any advice on whether we should have sales reps in areas that we do not have offices but there might be a lot of potential customers?
Question from the webinar Q&A: Also any advice on whether we should have sales reps in areas that we do not have offices but there might be a lot of potential customers?
I am a fan of hiring remote reps. It takes a bit of enablement work and more travel (once Covid ends…), but I think it is very doable. The 2nd part of your question (reps near customers) depends on if your product is a high or low consider purchase. If high, then in person near customers makes sense. If low, then consider an inside/zoom-based sales team and location doesnt really matter.
Question from the webinar Q&A: We are small startup biochemical company in Oklahoma. Any advice on how to find good sales representatives?
Hire remote employess. Now is as good a time as any. Remote hiring expands your target market. Then look at some of your competitors and see if you can pull some reps over to join your organization.
Question from the webinar Q&A: What are ways to mitigate an organization from progressing too fast through the phases you defined? ie, Smart ramping up or tempted to operate bigger than we really are?