The Outbound Manager’s First Responsibility

This is a part of a series that was cre­at­ed to help you get the prac­tice of out­bound prospect­ing built into your com­pany.  This series will walk through the process, nec­es­sary roles, in addi­tion to guides for each role to help your com­pany get started quickly.  In the next few posts, I’ll be releasing the contents of a quick start guide for the outbound prospecting manager to use to attain success during this process.

Hiring Your Business Development Reps

Not everyone is cut out for outbound prospecting. The job requires quick wit, thick skin, and strong determination. OpenView has designed and tested a particular profile/skill set that has proven to be very successful for this type of role within an expansion stage technology company.

A candidate for this role should be:

 

• Previous experience in sales (1-2 years – preferably no more than 5)
• Highly self-motivated and driven
• Proficient in CRM/SA systems
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills
• Results oriented and proven track record of hitting goals
• Strong organizational and follow-up skills
• Ability to work well in a team environment
• Competitive (desire to be the best)
• High energy and enthusiasm
• Bachelor’s degree
• Aptitude for technology

Compensation

The recommended base salary range is $40-48K depending on geographic location, plus performance-based incentives.

To keep motivation high, it is important to reward outbound prospectors with a bonus on a quarterly basis if they hit their goals:

• The incentives should be based on the target performance for qualified leads/quarter
• The target performance should be driven from overarching revenue goals
• The incentive structure should accelerate as results approach quota

When designing the structure, be careful not to lose perspective of the revenue that will be produced if the specialists hit their targets — reward appropriately!

Additional resources:

How to Hire Good Sales People, Resources for Entrepreneurs

Next week, I’ll share the next part of our quick start guide to help with establishing and evaluating your automation platform.

Photo by: tableatny