How to Help Reps Step into Prospects’ Shoes

Conversations with prospective customers should vary depending on the role of the person within that buying committee. Therefore, it is important not only to educate BDR and sales reps on industry verticals, but also to enable them to step into their prospect’s shoes. 

There are a lot of different people involved in purchase decisions today. Research from Demand Gen Report shows that more than half (54%) of businesses have four to nine different people involved in the purchase process, while 11% said they have more than 10 people involved in the decision! 

Based on the importance of relevancy, you must speak to that specific individual’s interests, needs, and pain points. If you received a call or email from a salesperson that did not speak to your day-to-day challenges, how would you react? Our guess is that you would hang up the phone (politely) or delete the email. Do not give your prospects the same treatment! 

Here are a few key areas of focus when you want to step into prospects’ shoes: 

Know Your Roles

Some of the major players in a purchase decision will be those who are part of the C-suite. Whether it is the CEO, CMO, CIO, or CFO, your BDRs and sales reps must be able to differentiate how they engage C-level prospects versus end users. There is a difference (especially when selling to an enterprise) between a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and a Chief Information Officer (CIO), for example.  

Show you care enough to know their role. Position your BDRs and sales reps to understand what is most important to these specific roles and promote a constant state of learning. This education helps reps be relatable with their prospects. 

Know Your Audience’s World 

When you are pitching to SVPs, CEOs, CFOs, their careers can be 15+ years old. They have earned your respect already, so it is vital to not waste their time with preliminary qualifying questions. This is done by ensuring your BDRs and sales reps are educated on their audience, proactive in their research, and homed in on their messaging. BDRs and salespeople do not need to know everything that a CIO does, but they must know enough to understand and have contextual questions.   

For example, instead of asking about their priorities —a lazy sales approach — you can say something like: 

“We’re working with CIOs in the Healthcare industry right now, and some of the top things that we’re hearing from them are they’re focused on X, Y, and Z. Are these your focuses, too?” 

Even if X, Y, and Z are not their focus, the fact you showed them that you know their world tends to open the conversation way more than a generic question would.

Want more tips, tricks, and best practices for prospecting and selling in an ever-changing marketplace? Check out this E-book to get our full guide for better sales practices!