A day in the life with the Business Development team.

Last week we were down three Business Development Representatives (BDR). It was the last week of February and hitting our monthly goal was in sight. Knowing that, I cleared my calendar and parked myself at a BDR desk (with a really cool disco ball) to provide additional coverage and support. Never did it occur to me I’d soon be served a lesson on empathy. The idiom Before you judge a person, walk a mile in their shoes came full circle as I stepped into one of the toughest roles in an organization. A 21st century BDR is no longer a phone jockey or batch and blast emailer. While I know this and correct anyone that assumes this, seeing our BDRs in action and providing real-time support and escalation was the least I could offer. We practiced what Mother Theresa says best, “I can do things you cannot, You can do things I cannot. Together we do great things.”  Below are a handful of my learnings after spending a few days in a BDR role. 

BDRs have to be creative.

Mary Shea from Forrester shared this statistic with us at our SKO last year, “63% of buyers are choosing the sales professional and company that was first to add value and insight in the buying journey.” Knowing this, crafting personalized messages with compelling, relevant hooks were created all around me in an effort to make email stand out in a sea of crowded inboxes. It takes extra time to create a video email message via Vidyard. However, I saw first-hand this added effort generate 2 meetings in a matter of minutes. If you ask anyone on my team you’ll know I cringe when I see emails asking the prospect if they’ve been ran over by hippos as a reason for not responding. While I didn’t see that particular email go out this week, I saw a milder version…and…it…worked. I quickly ate a piece of humble pie and agreed to monitor the actual effectiveness of those types of emails. Countless phone calls were made with references to compelling events and vertical specific messaging. The biggest take-away: those taking the time to do their homework and engage prospects with messages that provide the greatest impact (personalizing the buyer’s experience), secured meetings. 

Tools and processes must work properly (clearly stating the obvious here).

Sales tools should make a seller’s job easier, not harder. Phones not connecting correctly to a system designed to automate a process and uncertainty around ownership of a particular account were two frustrating examples I witnessed. It was when these challenges hit the floor I experienced a different level of empathy for the BDR role. Getting systems and tools working properly is a thankless job and those in operational and/or IT roles have their work cut out for them – I was empathetic to the obstacles they face and realized how challenging their jobs are as well. Despite the challenges, the perseverance I saw in highly driven BDRs was inspirational. Finding work-arounds when tough situations came into play, made me proud to see some team members make the most of a bad hand they’d been dealt that day.

Align and conquer.    

Those BDRs having a regular meeting cadence with their outside Account Executives, had better lists and attack plans. The results spoke for themselves as I saw one BDR collect her spiff reward in a matter of hours due to a targeted list she’d been working. Another BDR secured three enterprise level meetings in under 24 hours. When I asked what he did he shared his list and plan that was mapped out earlier in the week with his outside seller. For those that have ever had to market or sell a challenger brand, know that competition makes us faster but collaboration makes us better. 

Be a servant leader.

We’ve all seen or heard of the ABC series Undercover Boss. While I was certainly not undercover and didn’t secure any meetings or give away big cash prizes, the time I spent covering desks gave me tremendous insights into what is working and what needs improvement. I’d encourage any people leader to set aside time to jump into the role of their employee, even if it is just for one day. By sitting on the floor I was able to give constructive feedback and pass along encouragement.  At the end of day 1, I received this unexpected, encouraging message from one of the BDRs. “So great having you on the floor. It felt like someone high up sat in our shoes today… and I appreciate you getting in the weeds with us and making things happen!” 

Being a servant leader means getting out of your comfort zone and striving to understand and empathize with others on your team. People need to be recognized for their talents and accomplishments and anything a leader can do to set them up for success should always be done. In my case, it was working the sales floor and escalating areas and correcting challenges on the spot.  My "day in the life" experience gave me a whole new appreciation for those sellers sitting on the front lines.