Mark Roberge wrote this best-seller in 2015 when he was CRO at Hubspot. Being the 4th employee recruited, his main mission was to develop the sales team. To do it the right way, he adopted several successful techniques and processes. Here are our main takeaways from the book.
Why it matters : Hiring the right talents for your sales team is a major key for success.
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For instance, Mark figured that the best pick was someone with the following characteristics: coachability, intelligence (ie. the ability to synthesize complex information), proven track record, curiosity and work ethic.
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Why it matters: “Ride-along sales training are neither scalable nor predictable” according to Mark. The power of a sales team lies in the diversity of its profiles.
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To let everyone identify their particular strengths, adopt a systemized process:
1. Buyer journey: “Starting with the buyer journey increases the likelihood that the buyer's needs will remain front and center during all aspects of the selling process”
2. Sales process: “Once the buyer journey is defined, the sales process can be created. The sales process supports the customer along his buying journey…”
3. Qualifying matrix: “The qualifying matrix defines the information needed from a potential buyer in order to understand whether we can help the prospective buyer and whether the buyer wants help. The information is gathered at various stages of the sales process. It is rarely gathered in the same order across different deals.”
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Why it matters: to develop your team’s skills and performance, coaching is key.
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Why it matters: According to Mark, outbound is dead and sales depend on understanding how to create value for your customers, not harassing them with your product.
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Before sending leads to sales, identify where our prospects are in their buyer journey. For instance, Mark identified 3 recurring patterns for Hubspot’s prospects:
Game-changer tip: The bigger the company, the sooner you need to get in touch with potential customers to make them aware of the problem, encourage them to reach for solutions and finally do your best to make them choose your solution.