EARLY STAGE SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Marcy Campbell Senior VP, Worldwide Sales and Business Development
Starting Point Starting Point When we got started at Qubole… We had a great pipeline of over 100 prospects …most of whom were totally unqualified and never going to close We had made some easy sales …by tapping the rolodexes of our founders and board We had some real clients 70+ people …by “throwing a proposal” at absolutely everyone Word class product and engineering team from: Qubole 2
Lessons Learned We learned a few things. Sales is not magic. Sales is not magic. We called pr e called prospects who did not buy and asked why ospects who did not buy and asked why. . We listened to the questions pr e listened to the questions prospects asked. ospects asked. We looked for r e looked for repeatable pr epeatable problems to solve. oblems to solve. We came up with 5 qualifying questions. e came up with 5 qualifying questions. We deter e determined who was not our customer mined who was not our customer. . It It’s about maximizing r s about maximizing resour esources & time. ces & time. Qubole 3
Lessons Learned “Just Close 10 Customers” “Just Close 10 Customers” Doesn’ Doesn’t Make Sense. t Make Sense. Assumes you know: Why customers buy Who your customers are What the complete sales cycle is Messaging is correct & company is well positioned in the market You have a sales process in place Know who to call, what to say, how to generate interest Assumes you already built a Flywheel Qubole 4
Strategy Building Your Sales Flywheel At a High Level: At a High Level: What does your product do best? GTM Strategy is determined by market Who is the When Do right Sales Strategy You Bring Market is determined by product Person? in Sales? Sales Strategy is a series of What tactics helping you to determine Model Do You Use? a repeatable process Qubole 5
Building a Sales Flywheel Pipeline management is Key Pipeline management is Key Activity incr Activity increases pr eases probability - doesn’ obability - doesn’t guarantee r t guarantee results esults Know why and how customers bought Know why and how customers bought Measure Everything Measur e Everything Build a sales framework, then focus on Build a sales framework, then focus on shortening it shortening it Look for Repeatable Patter Look for Repeatable Patterns in Every Step ns in Every Step Qubole 6
Understaning the Target Customer at Qubole Test for your Target Customer – At Qubole.. We thought it was mid market Publishing Retail But it really was anyone willing to put their data in the cloud…. MarkeDng/ Ad Tech Adjust Accordingly. “Born “Bor n in the in the Cloud Cloud ” ” Qubole 7
When Do I Need Sales People ? For Most Products It’s Later than You Think… ü Cloud Allows You To Use Lean GTM Principles ü Most Products - Early Adopters Can Be Acquired via Website ü Lean Principles Work When Price Point & Product Complexity Are Low ...And You Have Nailed Ease of Use. Sales People Ar Sales People Are W e Warranted When: arranted When: • Product Has to be Sold to More than One Person For Acceptance • Messaging is Complex • You Are In a Very Early Market that Needs Some Evangelism • Competition Is High And You Need To Create A Different Market Entry Qubole 8
Strategy Sales Entry - Building a Defensible Battlefield Sales Entry - Building a Defensible Battlefield Qualify customers based on your unique value Qualify customers based on your unique value • – Simple, memorable qualification pr Simple, memorable qualification process – Qubole has COMSA ocess – Qubole has COMSA Position your outside your battlefield in the qualifying process Position your outside your battlefield in the qualifying pr ocess • Create an elevator pitch that is the r Cr eate an elevator pitch that is the reverse of your qualification questions. everse of your qualification questions. • Establish a POC that is dif Establish a POC that is differ ferentiated entiated • Qubole 9
Competition Based on Your Battlefield – Pick One Enemy. Weakest T eakest Tar arget First – T get First – Tar arget Wher get Where They Can’ e They Can’t W t Win in • – Then Everybody Else Then Everybody Else Pr Promote W omote Wins Everywher ins Everywhere – Claim V e – Claim Victory Early & Often ictory Early & Often • Plant Land Mines for Y Plant Land Mines for Your Competition our Competition • – Know what they ar Know what they are saying about you, and say it first e saying about you, and say it first – Use their exact wor Use their exact words if you can ds if you can • So when they say it, it will sound like a sales pitch So when they say it, it will sound like a sales pitch Use Y Use Your Sales model as a way to disrupt your competition. our Sales model as a way to disrupt your competition. • Qubole 10
Building a Team Repeatable Process, Now What? Dogs vs.Cats - Which Do you Need When? All Sales Early Stage Sales • generaDng interest • Good PaSern RecogniDon • qualifying • Experimental • Tie needs to features and benefits • PosiDonsoluDons creaDvely • negoDaDng and closing • Feedback to engineering • public speaking • CreaDve Closers Qubole 11
Conclusion And Finally.. Build Behind Y Build Behind Yourself – Str ourself – Stretch befor etch before you Expand e you Expand • Experiment Constantly Experiment Constantly • Condense Messages to Sound Bites, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat Condense Messages to Sound Bites, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat • Build Repeatable Model that is Easy to Understand, Easy to Learn Build Repeatable Model that is Easy to Understand, Easy to Lear n • Claim V Claim Victory Early ictory Early • Sales is A Pr Sales is A Process, A Lear ocess, A Learned Skill, Not an Inherited T ned Skill, Not an Inherited Trait rait • Qubole Confidential: Subject to NDA Provisions 12
Questions Marcy Campbell marcy@qubole.com
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