B2B Outbound

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) was constructed to ‘flip the funnel’. Where traditional marketing methods focused on casting a wide net, ABM sought to switch it up by focusing on quality over quantity. Because of this, it’s often thought that the fewer accounts you target, the better chance of success. Whilst this can sometimes be true, it very much depends on one key point: your objectives with ABM.

Even those with just a base knowledge of ABM will tell you how important the actual accounts you target are to the success of the campaign. After all, it’s in the name.  

Yes, account selection is a pivotal, if not the most pivotal part of ABM. However, this tends to be focused on the right accounts to target, based on the best fit to your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), the lowest hanging fruit, etc. Despite this, what companies don’t often truly consider is how many accounts they should actually target with ABM.

Whilst ABM is primarily used to win new business, it’s being used more and more frequently to hit other KPIs for both marketing and sales. In this blog, we’ll be going over three key ABM objectives and whether it’s still best to narrow down the account list. If you’re wondering what kind of objectives you should be measuring for ABM, you can check out our list of the top 10 ABM metrics here.

If engagement is the key objective…

If generating engagement is your ABM objective, you should immediately be discounting one-to-few and one-to-one ABM. One-to-one ABM should only be used to target existing customers with high potential for upsell or cross-sell opportunities. Similarly, one-to-few ABM should be used on target accounts with high engagement and penetration across multiple key stakeholders.

To ensure maximum engagement from your ABM programme, you need to maximise the number of accounts/contacts you’re targeting. This may sound fairly obvious, but some are fixated on narrowing the account list down to the ones they really want to win, regardless of if the objective is to just get a foot in the door.

Looking for leads?

Similar to engagement, if leads are the end goal, why restrict yourself with a one-to-few approach? Often, the rationale is that by narrowing down the account list, but targeting lots of different personas in each account, the contact list will still be large enough to get the desired results.

Whilst it’s best practice ABM to target multiple stakeholders at each account, the problem is that you’re limiting the amount of eventual pipeline you will get.

Say you’re targeting 20 accounts, but are targeting 10 contacts at each account for 200 contacts in total. Using the 95-5 rule^[1], which states that based on a five-year contract length (for example, this principle can still be applied to any contract length), only 20% of accounts are in market in any year, and only 5% in any quarter. Therefore, only four accounts of the 20 will be in market in a year, and just one in any quarter.

Oh, and this is all whilst going up against your competitors.

So yes you may get 10 leads, but if all 10 are at the same company (the only one in market), then the pipeline value is going to be limited. Of course this is all hypothetical, but if it’s leads you’re after, why wouldn’t you go out to as many accounts within your total addressable market (TAM)? If for nothing else, to ensure maximum returns.

Is ROI the end goal?

Ultimately, if you’re targeting a small number of accounts in a one-to-few ABM approach, the most likely KPI is return on investment. This makes sense; these are likely to be large, strategic accounts with lots of potential, and if they’re current customers with good engagement, and you’re looking to cross-sell or upsell, perfect.

However, this is seldom the case. Sometimes they are the biggest named accounts that will spend the most money, other times it’s the best case scenario accounts that sales have struggled to penetrate. Either way, if there aren’t relationships to leverage, it’s going to be very hard to land the account.

With all marketing campaigns but especially with ABM, you need to weigh up what is more important to your organisation: the accounts or the objectives. If you want to be penetrating certain accounts (however you decide upon them), you need to seriously consider what metrics you’re putting against the campaign into them and how you determine success within the account.

If the ultimate goal is the focus of building your campaign, then you need to do everything in your power to tailor the campaign to succeed in that regard. If that objective is ROI, that means picking the accounts that are most likely to succeed and putting the necessary resources into them. This is where picking a one-to-few or one-to-one approach makes complete sense. Just remember that these accounts need to have a level of engagement that makes success more likely, you need to be picking the ‘lowest hanging fruit’.

So, more or less accounts? The answer? It depends, but more often than not, more.

ABM is sometimes seen as a counter to traditional marketing efforts, ‘flipping the funnel’ and less is more… but as we’ve seen, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes it’s worth widening the pool to ensure maximum returns, then once you have the engagement from the initial campaign, you can leverage a more targeted approach.

Just be sure to truly consider what’s more important for the business at the time, the accounts, or the objectives.

[1] https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/business/en-us/marketing-solutions/resources/pdfs/advertising-effectiveness-and-the-95-5-rule.pdf

It has long been assumed in B2B marketing that the people behind the face of a business are entities who buy strictly with rational thought. In other words, they only respond to rational and product focused messaging, tactics and content.

This has led to what the B2B Institute refers to as an ‘objectivity trap,’ which ignores the fact that the people making decisions are humans just like you and me, and that our decisions are influenced by emotional motivators that drive our behaviour.

Unfortunately, many B2B marketers have fallen into the objectivity trap, and as a result, they are missing out on potential opportunities of using behavioural thinking within their tactics.

According to the Mindworx Academy^[1], in behavioural science and economics, there are 5 key drivers of behaviour:

• Uncertainty
• Social proof
• Reciprocity
• Perceived effort
• Loss aversion

These drivers work by either removing friction or adding motivation to achieve a desired behavioural outcome. But what’s too often overlooked, is that these drivers can be used in B2B marketing to influence your customers’ journey.  

Driver 1: Uncertainty

There isn’t a single person on the planet who likes uncertainty. You can probably think of a time you became stressed due to a train delay, or a traffic jam, that meant you were unsure if you would make your destination on time (an all too familiar feeling for the commuters out there). As creatures of habit, the unpredictability or change to routine tasks leaves you feeling worried or nervous. So, it's reasonable to assume that your customers also don’t like to feel uncertain about their future. But, how does this translate into marketing?

The B2B buyer journey is often very complex, and the sales cycle is very long. Therefore, by removing uncertainty we can make this process a lot less complex and fear-free.

First, you need to go through each step of the customer's journey and identify any uncertainties they could have. This could be due to future changes within their market, or uncertainty about your product offering. By learning the uncertainties your buyers may face, you can use these insights to influence your outreach strategy and either address your buyers' fears directly or remove them from the buying process entirely.

Netflix’s sign-up process is a great example of removing uncertainty by adding a line of copy that reads ‘cancel anytime’ on their sign-up page. This means that customers are aware during the sign-up process that they have the freedom to cancel the subscription whenever they please.

Driver 2: Social Proof

Social proof is our tendency to be influenced by what others do, how they think and how they behave.

It can be difficult to associate social proof in a business setting because, at the end of the day, your customers are operating in a work environment. However, one of the most conclusive ways to use social proof in B2B marketing is through the use of client testimonials and case studies. In fact, 92% of B2B buyers are more likely to buy after reading a trusted review or testimonial^[2].

These assets prove that your solution delivers results for businesses like the one they work for. In simple terms, you are using a comparable setting to prove to your customer that you are the right choice for them.

A great example of social proof is Fitbit’s ‘Buzz’ section on its website. This enables health and technology industry experts to speak of the quality of their products, as a result, adding a lot of weight to the claims of the value and quality of their products.

Driver 3: Reciprocity

Reciprocity is the act of responding to a positive action with another positive action, as a result, rewarding those kind efforts. In short, If someone does something for you, you’re more inclined to do something back for them.

You can see this in its simplest form in B2B marketing through value exchange. By creating valuable content for your target audience, such as a gated report like Iron Mountain’s shown above, you can ask for their contact information in order to qualify them as a lead.

However, when using reciprocity you must be careful by ensuring you are exchanging the expected level of value. Do not misuse reciprocity, as it is very easy for your customers to see through it. If you are not delivering the expected level of quality, when you follow that lead, there may be no further reciprocation from the contact next time.

For example, a detailed report should deliver a comprehensive level of information and value, in order for your customers to exchange their contact details. If your report is not original and insightful you will be falling short of your customer's expectations. As a result, you are unlikely to retain their interest or loyalty as you have misused their reciprocation.

Driver 4: Perceived Effort

“The easiest way to change someone's behaviour is to make the desired behaviour seem and feel as easy as possible.” A quote from Daniel Kahneman, the grandfather of behavioural economics, and a statement that hits close to home for many of today's modern marketers.

The average attention span of consumers is continually decreasing, with a study by Microsoft concluding that attention spans have dropped to just 8 seconds in 2022^[3]. Furthermore, we know that many personas in the B2B stratosphere do not have a lot of time on their hands. Busy working days leave little time for excessively long form fills just to be able to book a call with your sales team.

That is why you need to ensure that you are making your target audience’s customer journey as seamless as possible.

B2B marketers can do this through ‘chunking and progress’, which is one of the best ways to make a difficult or long task seem simple and shorter. Hubspot is a great example of how you can use this. They split their training courses into bite-sized sessions, making it easy for the user to see and feel like they are making progress quickly. 

For B2B marketers chunking could also be implemented through the use of a chatbot. Chatbots allow you to gather details in a non-intrusive way and can also be used to ask for details in chunks. For example, first, ask for the prospect's name, then their email address, and then their company name. Breaking this sequence up into chunks reduces the level of perceived effort for your buyers.

Driver 5: Loss Aversion

Loss aversion is the fear of missing out on a perceived benefit of receiving something. In the context we are speaking about, this would be a benefit or feature of your product or service.

Losses in everyday life are unpleasant and inflict negative emotions like fear and regret. We are much more sensitive to losses than we are to gains - by as much as 2.5 times in fact^[4].

We can take this sentiment and use it to reframe the messaging in our outreach to make our customers feel like they are missing out on something. This could be a consequence of not interacting with us, downloading our valuable content or buying our product or service.

In a study run by psychologists^[5], they tried to encourage homeowners to reduce their total energy use.

Half of the respondents were told, “If you will insulate your home fully, you’ll be able to save 50 cents a day, every day.”

And the other half were told, “If you fail to insulate your home fully, you’ll lose 50 cents a day.”

The second statement that utilised the theory of loss aversion, increased the number of people choosing to insulate their home by 150%. This shows how B2B marketers can make simple changes to their messaging by using loss aversion and can make a significant impact doing so.

Conclusion

Overall, the most important thing for B2B marketers to remember is that the people buying your products and services are human beings. Just like you and I.

These humans are influenced by a range of emotional factors that motivate their decisions and behaviour, and ultimately, make them want to buy from you. Consequently, you can use the 5 drivers of behaviour to influence decision-making and improve the impact and performance of your B2B marketing efforts.

[1] https://insidebe.com/online-courses/5-key-drivers-of-customer-behavior/
[2] https://trustmary.com/social-proof/social-proof-examples/#:~:text=User%2Dgenerated%20content%20such%20as,valuable%20form%20of%20social%20proof.
[3] ranieriandco.com/post/changing-attention-span-and-what-it-means-for-content-in-2021
[4] https://insidebe.com/articles/loss-aversion/#:~:text=Loss%20aversion%20defined&text=We%20are%20roughly%202.5%20times,Think%20about%20it.
[5] https://insidebe.com/articles/loss-aversion/#:~:text=Loss%20aversion%20defined&text=We%20are%20roughly%202.5%20times,Think%20about%20it.

When starting out a sales development programme, it is often good to begin with defining the type of clientele you want to target. In just five simple steps you will have a shining account list, and be well on the road towards building a healthy pipeline.

Step 1: Compile a list of your top 15 best clients  

In order to find your optimal audience, you need to understand what clients fit best now. What is considered ‘best’ will always be subjective to your business, but we suggest you think about: 

• Budgets and revenue
• Potential for growth within the account (i.e. upsell or cross-sell opportunities)
• Length of sales cycle
• Longevity and loyalty
• Your team’s relationship with the account
• Any outstanding issues with the account in relation to your solution
• External risks that may affect the account

Step 2: Identify commonalities between these top 15

 Next, take a deep dive into the 15 clients you have selected, have a look at each account:

• Industry
• Headcount
• Finances
• Locations
• Technologies or Solutions they provide

As you note down this information, a pattern of commonalities between clients should begin to emerge.

Step 3: Build your ICP

Take a long look at the client list and identify the similar characteristics they have. What you are trying to navigate is the ‘sweet spot’ for your ideal customer profile. This tends to be the select few accounts that have most characteristics in common.

i.e. 400-500 employees, EMEA Based, In the Cyber Security Industry

You may find two sweet spots, which would suggest you need two ICPs. If you are running an Account-Based Marketing programme, it would be most effective to take a different approach for each group.

Step 4: Remove your Anomalies 

The goal of building your best-fit audience is to keep the search specific and sharp, this means getting really detailed with what you are searching for, to avoid generalised search criteria!

There are two common anomalies to keep an eye out for before you input your accounts into a data platform.

If all your best-fit clients are of the same size, location, industry etc. bar one, remove this client from your list.

If your best clients are split 50/50, you’ll need to separate the groups and run two data ranges to avoid affecting your results.

Step 5: Implementing your data ranges 

Finally, it is time to use a data provider to build out your account list and input your identified ‘sweet spot’ group of clients, as well as the key characteristics that you are searching for.

 It is at this point you would also introduce search criteria such as job titles and departments, to provide the specific contact information of who you are aiming to target in that company.

And, like magic, you will have a shining list of accounts to treasure, that your Sales Development team can then begin to nurture. If you would like to get in touch to learn more about building your best-fit audience, contact us at adam.clarke@punch-sales.com.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve created recipes that will hopefully guide SDRs to develop their sales confidence, have more productive conversations, and ultimately generate more leads.

A lot of this meal prep involved discussion around how to approach a phone conversation - with my last piece touching on how to close a call, and move a prospect into pipeline!

 But, with the dish now ready to be served, you and I are left facing what many consider to be the worst part of cooking… cleaning up!

In this piece I want to talk through how to make your lead as strong as possible, leaving your kitchen/ opportunity spick and span ready to cook/ book again.

Cleaning as you go

When speaking to a prospect, occasionally you’ll gain some additional qualifying/ useful contact information. If a prospect is providing valuable information it can be helpful to jump in and ask a quick qualifying information question.

For example, if a prospect says they would like to see more information, now might be a great time to pause your conversation and ask for their email. Equally, if a prospect mentions how busy they are or some annual leave they have booked, it may be a good opportunity to ask a quick question about what days might be good for them to take some time to discuss further. I liken this to finishing one part of your dish and cleaning the pan whilst the rest cooks!

Top Tip: Try using ‘how’ or ‘do’ questions in these instances.

For example: “...ok great, how many users are there” or “do you already use this platform?”

Finding little tidbits of information in a conversation can make light work of the qualification and contact information that usually comes at the end of the call. It avoids the need to keep the prospect for an extra couple of minutes, as you will have already gained the info naturally. I’ve said on so many occasions that I won’t take up too much of your time only then to have to rattle off a ton more questions after arranging a date, just to get their email, phone number, best time, volume, metrics, contract length and so on! By cleaning as you go you make your life easier, and the prospect’s too!

Reuse your utensils

Countless times on Kitchen’s Takeaways I have pointed out that less is more when it comes to talking. If you can use the same utensil and pot or pan for multiple parts of your meal, do it! When speaking to prospects try to ask questions which will reveal the most information with the least amount of effort. Of course, a good place to start is with open questions, but it’s really more than that. Where appropriate, try to ask questions that logically will have a follow on question. For example: “How many staff do X task?” leads into “and how do they do it?” Often, upon asking the first question the prospect will answer both at once, saving you a couple of extra follow-ups. Additionally, when questions flow into each other nicely it can help move the conversation along smoothly.

Top Tip: It’s absolutely crucial when being economical with your questioning that you don’t try and ask multiple questions at once. At best you’ll only get an answer to one, and at worst you’ll draw the ire of the person on the other end of the phone.

Pack up the leftovers

So you’re cleaning the kitchen after a delicious meal and there’s still a good few servings leftover. Let’s make sure to pack these away properly and have meals ready for the next few days.

When packing away leftovers, or wrapping up with a prospect, remember now they’ve agreed to a meeting you have some power in the conversation. The prospect will no doubt want to make the meeting productive, especially as they are giving up their time to attend it, so don’t rush, portion out your servings and wrap up appropriately:

• Confirm the date and time
• Get the best number for them
• Set meeting expectations
• Send the invitation whilst you’re on the call (and ask them to accept it there and then!)

Bon Appetit

There you have it, the kitchen is clean and dinner is done. You should have some recipes for sales success to tie you over for a while. But if you’re worried about a particularly high-pressure holiday that can often require cooking for lots of family and friends, do not fear… these Kitchen Takeaways will return with a festive feast edition later in the year!

As the festive season fast approaches, many will find themselves preparing to cook up a feast! Yet, often the thought of making a grand dinner for the family will be met not with excitement, but trepidation and stress...

This overwhelming feeling is similarly experienced by many SDRs throughout their daily grind - but it doesn’t have to be this way. Ultimately most of us know how to prep the vegetables, roast a turkey, and set the table. Just like most SDRs know how to research a prospect, pick up the phone, and set a meeting.

So what makes cooking Christmas dinner and sales development so stressful?

The honest answer is the pressure you put on it, combined with the idea of having to bring all of the elements together to make the perfect meal or provide your salespeople with the perfect SQL.

All I want for Christmas is you, Mr Turkey

When reflecting on my previous editions of Kitchen’s Takeaways in preparation for this festive feast, I noticed that almost by accident I’d spent 90% of my time discussing phone conversations. I came to the realisation that the phone call is the turkey of the Christmas dinner. Families won’t eat turkey at all throughout the year, but the very mention of duck or nut roast alternatives for the holidays are met with scoffs of disapproval.

So with that dietary caveat in mind; LinkedIn, other socials, emails, inbound forms, content downloads, personalised video, and SMS are all incredibly valuable tools in your sales development arsenal. But it’s well established that speaking to someone on the phone is going to be the most instant way to schedule sales meetings; with a shocking 59% of decision-makers thinking that a sales email will only contain irrelevant information! So, much like turkey on December 25th, calling still reigns supreme.

Therefore, I thought it would be best to go through the calling process from the pre-call research all the way through to post-call follow-up, and how to use outbound phone outreach to generate leads.

T'was the night before calling

The more prep that can be done ahead of time, the easier the task will be on the day. Veggies can be chopped, pigs can be wrapped in blankets and the turkey can be stuffed and basted. The same rings true for a conversation, or any engagement for that matter.

My top 5 call prep items:

1. Go into the call with a direct referral from a colleague to speak to this person
2. The knowledge that the decision-maker has worked previously at a current/ previous customer of yours
3. The knowledge of personal (but not sensitive) information about the individual you’re reaching out to, or their team/department.
4. The knowledge of current relevant buying signals or business events OR knowledge of individual tenure, promotions, or place within the business
5. At a bare minimum: the knowledge of the person’s role, why they’re likely the right decision-maker, and why they and their business are ideal for the offering

TIP: Asking for a referral often doesn’t come across well, it seems as if it may be inconvenient to the person you’re speaking with, and they don’t want to send an email for you or introduce you to the decision-maker. A winning line can be to simply say "based on the conversation we’ve had here today would you be happy for me to reach out to your (named) colleague?"

Let it snow, and the conversation flow

Once everything is in the oven or bubbling away on the stove, there is a sigh of relief with the feeling that all one has to do now is wait. It can be exactly like this in a sales conversation, after getting past awkward introductions and initial qualification questions, the conversation can settle into a rhythm.

There are lots to remember when it comes to extracting important qualifying information, handling objections, and eventually navigating your way to a successful close (more on this later). But the key takeaway here is that every conversation is different, and just like cooking instructions on the back of the package if you take them with a pinch of salt, follow best practices and trust your eyes, you’ll end up with the best-cooked dish.

Best Practices

• Slow down! If I had a cracker for every time I’ve told an SDR this, I’d have a joke and a party hat for every day of the year. It’s basic but it’s true. Most people speak at around 150 words per minute, public speaking and the most persuasive form of speech is slower at around 125 words per minute. But my estimation during a sales call is that SDRs speak at around 200 words per minute!
• If you can’t speak slower… speak less. Open questions and staying silent with affirmative noises keep the responsibility of the conversation on the other person.
• Repeat stuff! Active listening involves a lot of repetition, it also ensures that nothing gets misinterpreted during a conversation.
• People’s favourite topic... themselves. Ask ‘you’ questions to keep a prospect engaged (I often make this into a game where every question I ask has to include the word you).
• Don’t focus on the outcome. Instead, focus on your performance and demeanor in the conversation. If you’re asking the right questions and have effectively piqued the prospect’s interest the opportunity will present itself. Santa won’t come if you stay up waiting for him, just like closing won’t happen if you’re trying to close from the moment the person picks up the phone.

Closing time, mistletoe and wine

Closing is crucial and lots of my previous takeaways have been based on how to do so effectively and with flair. This pivotal moment in a conversation is like dishing up dinner - ideally, everything should be ready to be served and piping hot at the same time. Equally, if soggy vegetables and a more ‘hacked’ than carved turkey is served, the hours of effort in making the meal can all be for nothing.

When it comes to closing, the old adage I’ve mentioned in other pieces is Always Be Closing. But I think as it’s approaching the end of the year it’s time for a refresh and a new acronym.

Ask another question. If someone declines the invitation to a meeting, pushing repeatedly can be futile, ask another question about the individual, and get more information that can eventually bring you back to another opportunity to close.

Bring something to the table. A prospect needs to see value from a meeting, otherwise, they’ll consider it a waste of time. Don’t be offended by this, they may well think the same about lots of their meetings. Provide the prospect with enough information to pique their interest but don’t over-egg the pudding! Help the prospect see the value of your offering for their business challenges.

Change your close. Asking the same question three times is a recipe for disaster. Change up your invitation for a meeting by making it feel different each time. If you base it on different reasoning or newly acquired information you’ll have more chance of getting a different response.

Don't have a blue Christmas

No one wants to clean a kitchen that looks like a bomb has gone off, especially when you’ve got a full belly and had one too many sherries. The key is to clean as you go and be economical with your cookware and utensils.

Being economical means asking questions that have easy follow-ups and ensuring you ask just one question at a time to engage the prospect rather than confuse them.

Cleaning as you go means getting as much information as possible, and neatening up the opportunity in the most conversational way. If a prospect tells you about a system they use, some holiday they have booked, or maybe mentions an email, then drop in a quick question to help qualify the opportunity. For example- find out when they’re back from holiday and suggest a meeting a few days after they’ve settled back in.

Step into sales development

Now all that remains is to sit down and enjoy your meal. Hopefully, this guide provides some useful insights for anyone working in sales development, that might be stressing like it’s Christmas dinner, trying to bring all the elements of a call to reach out together.

Maybe next year we’ll talk about dessert.

Oh, and one last COOKING TIP for good measure- use vegetable water and just a drop of fat rather than just boiled water for a delicious gravy.

Happy Holidays!

A sales development representative (also known as an SDR, BDR, ADR or SDE) works from a targeted list of potential prospects to develop new sales opportunities. Their success is often measured based on the number of qualified leads passed on and appointments set.

It’s all too easy to picture rows of bored people in headsets making cold call after cold call – but that certainly isn’t the case here at Punch!

We caught up with Henry, a keen golfer and self-confessed ASOS addict, to learn more about the role of a sales development executive at one of the UK’s top B2B marketing agencies.

ell us about your role at Punch!

I’m a sales development executive, which means I seek out opportunities and appointments on behalf of my clients. I spend a lot of time on the phone trying to reach the right people in my clients’ target audience.

What does a typical day look like for you?

After my morning coffee I normally go out into the garden to check on the birds. I see if the feeder needs topping up and have a quick walk around for some fresh air before I start my working day from home.

I check my emails first and then load up what I need for my various projects. It’s the dream to log in and find an email or a LinkedIn message confirming a date and time for an appointment!

I spend the first couple of hours of the day calling through the warm leads – ones that are signalling the most interest and more likely to become sales opportunities. We then have a team meeting at 11am and then another hour or so making calls before lunch.

After lunch we continue working until 3:15pm when we have a whole department drop-in session. It’s a chance to catch up with everyone and have a coffee to break the day up; the same as we would if we were all in the office. Then I tend to go back to making calls, sending emails, reaching out on LinkedIn before wrapping up at quarter past five and settling down for the evening.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

It sounds like a cliché but each day is different and I enjoy talking to a variety of new people every day. A lot of the work I do involves speaking to people in other countries such as France and Germany, which is quite exciting. There’s a lot of variety in the role, meaning you never feel like you’re stuck on one task.

How do you keep sane working from home?

In the evenings I make sure I close my laptop down and don’t check my emails until the morning.

Netflix has been a big help, and ASOS! The amount of things I’ve ordered that I didn’t need is ridiculous! Then obviously chatting to my friends and keeping in touch with everyone is also important.

I’ve been playing golf in the garden as well! I need to keep practising on my golf game while the clubs are shut.

Did you always want to work in sales?

This is a question that I don’t really have an answer for! I guess when I was younger I probably wanted to be an astronaut – I can’t say I remember thinking I wanted to work in sales.

My degree is in History and International Relations which is very different to what I do now, but joining Punch! was a good opportunity for me because I’ve been able to build my confidence, grow and progress. I certainly don’t have any regrets about the route I’ve chosen.

Why did you want to join Punch!?

To be honest, when I was finishing up at University I applied for as many jobs as I could! But Punch! stood out to me because it felt different – I loved the branding and the relaxed feel of the office and the people. I actually turned up to my interview in a suit and was quite surprised to see everyone else in short-sleeved tops and casual jumpers!

What are your goals for 2022?

The trouble is, I don’t really know what’s going to happen in 2022! It’s difficult to know what will be possible outside of work at the moment.

My professional goals are to keep progressing, keep working hard and keep climbing up the career ladder. I’d like to be running projects and doing more behind-the-scenes client work.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I’m still quite young, I’ve no idea where I’ll be in five years’ time. I haven’t thought of that yet. I’m just focused on working hard and progressing in my career. I had absolutely no experience in sales but Punch! has provided me with all the support and training needed to develop my skills and reach my full potential.

What makes a great SDR in your opinion?

Someone who, on the phones, can be confident but not overly confident. You need to let the other person speak.

I’ve fallen victim to this before. I have been speaking to someone and it feels like it’s going in a brilliant direction. Then bombard them with information. It’s like writing an exam – the first question comes up and you just want to write everything down that you know.

Being able to listen to what the prospect has to say is a great trait to have; as well as just being open and friendly.

Three tips for anyone thinking about a career in sales?

Be confident, friendly and chatty. Be engaging and learn to listen. Be resourceful as well – and proactive! That’s more than three, sorry!

Do you have what it takes to be the next big thing in sales? Punch! is always keen to hear from bright new talent.

Send your CV and cover letter to Talent@punchb2b.com

Diversity, equity and inclusion

The corporate world has intensified its focus on diversity and inclusion throughout the 21st century, but more recent events suggest that there is still a lot of work left to do when it comes to inequities across the globe, beginning in the workplace. A survey carried out by HRD.com found that while half of the companies reported having a DEI mission statement, only 49% have a strategic diversity plan in place (John Corrigan, HRD.com, 2022).

An introduction to the committee

Punch! has recently established our own D,E&I committee made up of 6 passionate members, all having the chance to chair the committee each quarter. In conjunction with the team, we have created a dedicated email address (d.e.i.committee@punchabm.com) for any employees that want to spark thoughts and ideas with us or to send questions with regards to D,E&I to allow each and every person a voice on such important issues.

Being the lucky first members of the newly found committee, we have been given the exciting opportunity to not only create a more inclusive workspace alongside like-minded people but to further our own knowledge on the topic of DE&I itself. So, without further ado, here are some of our founding members discussing what the D,E&I committee means to them as well as why they applied to sit on such an important body.

Temi Oguntanse, Sales Development Executive, believes that “being part of the committee embraces spirit, character, and pride and is a vital element of a healthy community” while Becky Davies, Senior Sales Development Manager, says “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are fundamental to my core beliefs as a human being - I believe everyone should be treated equally no matter their background, their ethnicity, their sexuality or their gender. Everyone should be afforded the same opportunities to succeed.”

Each member of the committee has ultimately joined for the same goal of implementing better D,E&I practices across the company to foster an environment that promotes inclusion, but personal passions have played a part too. Az Ahmed, Strategist at Punch!, says he joined the committee because “I wanted to help influence our policies around D,E&I and come up with ideas to help more people that are from a similar background to me find roles in marketing, excel at those roles and see more people that look like them in their workplace”.

What D,E&I means to us

Diversity and inclusion are so much more than policies, programs or headcounts. It is evident that equitable employers outpace their competitors by respecting all unique needs, perspectives and potential of their people. As a result, diverse and inclusive workplaces earn deeper trust and more commitment from their team. It is arguably the most important topic facing the corporate world, but even still, we have a lot to learn about what it truly means to be a company that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive (Addressing Diversity and Inclusion, Oracle, 2021).

There are two types of exclusion when thinking about D,E&I - The main form of exclusion is overt, whether it's “run-of-the mill’ misogyny or outright racism, all forms of prejudice and ignorance should be intolerable. But it is not always so overt and obvious, so equally bad are the insidious forms of exclusion, which are often put down to a simple lack of consideration for others. It is therefore of the utmost importance to us, as the committee, that inclusion is at the forefront of the company’s culture in order to understand each person’s perspectives and needs.

Our first steps

A company can reap so many benefits when a strong D,E&I strategy is put in place and the committee at Punch! believes just that! Some of the first steps we’d like to take in implementing a strong strategy for D,E&I as well as the company’s culture is:

• Authoring a survey for internal use in order to understand what we can be doing better as a company in terms of diversity and inclusion. (The best way to do this is to hear from the people it directly impacts!)
• Pioneering policies which promote and enable diverse recruitment. (A diverse team allows for diverse ideas and mindsets!)
• Recognising that mental health is an important issue when considering inclusion and equity. (All health-related issues should matter in the workplace!)
• Educating ourselves, as members, about what diversity, equity and inclusion truly means. (We want to have a better understanding so we can make a difference within the company and for its people!)

Each of our members feels passionate about a different subject matter within the umbrella of diversity and equity, thus we have found the committee to explore those passions further, putting them to good use by assisting in creating a culture that leverages diversity to its fullest potential. We are excited to be involved in such an important part of the company and eager to begin tackling the challenges that come with it!

Welcome to this week’s recipe for sales development success. In my latest video, I discuss a typical SDR’s challenges when it comes to closing a call; likening it to a lost art of hibachi cooking. Check it out here if you haven’t done so already.

https://youtu.be/uREP0IssfKc

Closing is such an important skill, not only for a successful salesperson, but for anyone in business that’s trying to achieve a certain outcome off the back of a conversation. With this in mind, I thought it would be beneficial to continue the discussion, and teach you how to go in for the kill vegan-style!

Open up the kitchen cupboard

The first challenge to overcome when closing is actually the art of opening up. Usually, when you close the kitchen cupboard you’ve decided what you’re having to eat… or you’ve just given up! What you’re really looking to do is open it up and invite the prospect to see what’s inside. Consider this: an SDR’s ‘close’ is only really the opening of a sales cycle. It’s the first of many conversations with your decision-maker.

The attitude that salespeople need to ABC (always be closing), and therefore need to close as quickly as possible, often leads salespeople to come across with an air of desperation; serving to be more pushy than consultative. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “you won’t close on 100% of the calls you don’t offer a close on”, and this is true to an extent, but it’s massively oversimplifying the situation. Instead, the phrase should be “always aim to close when appropriate, and once a level of interest is established.”

A double-edged knife

A typical sales call should be transparent. People are put off when they sense underhanded sales tactics, so embrace honesty. “Yes, this is a sales call and yes I think it’s going to be worth your time.” Use it to your advantage. It is a great confidence to take into a conversation, and won’t leave the prospect feeling like they’re being ‘tricked’ into a meeting.

That said, a transparent sales call is like a double-edged kitchen knife; it can hinder you. The reason this ‘obviousness’ can hurt you in a conversation is because a prospect may be unwilling to provide certain pieces of information because they’re wise to the fact that as soon as they tell you, you’ll smell the delicious opportunity to close and jump right in for the kill.

For example – consider what information you need to know to ensure that a prospect is a good fit for your offering. Now imagine the prospect gives you that exact answer. What do you do? If the answer is close, close, close, then you’ve smelt the steak and fallen into the classic trap of ABC.

A simple tactic to avoid displaying this kind of carnivorous, and somewhat desperate, attack is by going vegan… stick with me here!

Resisting Temptation

Just like any hungry salesperson, you want to schedule a meeting and successfully close a call. But, as a vegan, you’ve learnt the art of resisting temptation. You’re not jumping in at the first opportunity to close. Plus, the smell of fresh meat doesn’t really do it for you.

Here’s my top tips for going vegan on your opportunities to close…

1. Keep your mouth closed

Don’t say a word when you first smell a sale.

When a prospect provides the information that tells you they’re a good lead, it’s usually followed by a natural pause in the conversation. This is where a blood-thirsty salesperson would pounce. But a vegan knows how to resist the temptation and keeps their mouth closed. So keep your words brief and merely acknowledge the prospect with an “mhmm” or “sure” and let them pick up the responsibility for continuing the conversation. I’ve had many calls where the prospect actually suggests I schedule a meeting using this technique. And – for the times they do stay silent or ask “Are you still there? What do you think?” – read on.

2. Choose a meat-free alternative

And by meat-free I mean motiveless.

Keep the spotlight focused on the prospect by asking a question that seemingly has no motive once they’ve offered up your cue to close. I like to do this by slowly repeating what they’ve said as if I’m thoughtfully considering their answer and then following up with something like: “how are you finding that?”, or “can you explain that a little further?”

This approach feels a lot more measured and leaves less margin for error. It feels like a sale. And remember – when they’ve finished talking – keep your mouth closed!

Bon Appetit!

So there you have it! That’s how to resist the temptation of a tasty opportunity, and close a sales call properly, like a vegan.

If you would like more tips on sales development success, then join me next time for Kitchen’s Tuesday Takeaways!

Buyer personas are an integral part of creating a successful marketing campaign. You can create the most breathtaking piece of content with beautifully crafted copy, but if you don’t have an accurate buyer persona, you may as well have not tried at all. Without a buyer persona, you are randomly throwing a fishing line into the sea and hoping to catch a salmon. Unfortunately, all you’ll end up with is a soggy old boot. Buyer personas, if done correctly, will tell you the best place to go salmon fishing, what kind of bait to use, what’s the best time of day to fish… you get the point.

So, what is a buyer persona? According to Hubspot ‘A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.’ It is a detailed projection of your audience, looking at their demographic data, likes, dislikes, challenges, behaviour patterns, and so on. In short, buyer personas will help you target your audience by speaking their language. This is why you need to create accurate ones.

1. IT'S A JOB DESCRIPTION

Forming insights based solely on secondary research is problematic, especially when job descriptions are used to influence your insight. Job descriptions consist of a long list of skills and requirements necessary to be an ideal candidate for the job role – rarely does someone tick all the boxes. 

Where job descriptions are idealistic, buyer personas should be realistic. Your personas should be a detailed summary that accurately describes who the customer is, not who you want them to be. How to avoid this? Gain first-hand information. Interview your best-fit clients, and get their answers as to why your company is a great solution for them. Equally, interview those working in this role within your own company. Whilst your personas may need to be sector-specific, there will always be commonalities between those working the same job role, and they could provide some unique insight that you wouldn’t get elsewhere.

2. IT FEELS ROBOTIC

When it comes to crafting your personas, a common struggle is taking all the information you have gathered and churn it out into a simulation of a humanoid. Personas shouldn’t feel cold and robotic – unless your ICP is The Tin Man. 

Your personas should have a personality, even give them a name! Use your research to make your personas as realistic as possible. Go into detail about the personas likes, dislikes, day to day routine and common workplace challenges. All of this will help you craft your message to real prospects later down the line.

3. THERE'S TOO FEW (OR TOO MANY)

But, how many personas should you aim to target? One persona is acceptable if your product is extremely niche and specialised. However, with one persona you narrow down your options, limiting the size of your target audience. For this reason, it is generally best to create a handful of personas.

However, If three is a crowd then four or more is far too broad. To implement an efficient targeting programme you need to be specific, and it is incredibly hard to create a personalised campaign that speaks specifically to four different kinds of people.  Therefore, you should aim to create two to three personas, as a perfect middle ground.

4. IT HAS REACHED ITS EXPIRATION DATE

Are you the same person you were 20 years ago? Or even two years ago? Your answer is most likely no – because life isn’t static. You experience new things and take on new challenges, and with that, you grow and evolve as a person. But if buyer personas are based on real people, why would you keep the same persona for years on end?  

Keep your personas up to date. As a job role evolves and changes over time, your clients will be facing new challenges and difficulties. An up-to-date persona offers you the latest customer pain points, which can then influence how you market your products and services, to be the solution to your customer’s challenges.

Buyer personas can be an excellent tool to use within your marketing strategy. When created accurately, personas will strengthen your targeting efforts, and aid your ABM campaign, bringing you excellent results. If you’d like to chat about how Punch! can help create your buyer personas, email us at hello@punchabm.com