None of us ever seem to have enough time, and I’m certainly no different. As an Account Development Representative (ADR), I have many different responsibilities and I constantly find myself wishing that there were more hours in each day. Saving time is important to me because every minute I’m not on the phone reaching out to prospects is a minute wasted from discovering potential deals. Every company has equipped their Sales Development Teams with various tools to help maximize the sales process. One that I have found to be very valuable in helping maximize an ADR’s time management is LeanData and its innovative leads-to-accounts matching engine.
To illustrate this, let’s imagine going to an unfamiliar Costco without a grocery list. Think of the confusion that would create and the questions that you might end up asking yourself.
Do I need milk?
What aisle is it on?
Is there anything else I need on this aisle?
Now, it would be a complete waste of time to walk down every aisle and look at every item searching for milk and other goods, right? Without a list, it’s difficult to navigate through a warehouse-sized store and know exactly what you are searching for and even where to look. It’s also easy to become distracted by the vast amount of items you see at the store that you don’t need. In a sense, you can think of Salesforce as one giant warehouse. Salesforce is the most popular CRM platform, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed and even get lost when looking for the right people that you’re hoping to prospect. LeanData empowers me with a grocery list, so to speak, that allows me to find the relevant leads that I need to engage, and not waste time prospecting to people who may find my calls irrelevant.
For instance with the directions on that grocery list, I know the milk I’m looking for is is on Aisle 9, and perhaps ketchup is on Aisle 5, and so on. It helps me navigate what seems to always be a crowded store, and decreases the amount of time I spend shopping. That gives me more time for other activities that I enjoy in my life. On the job, LeanData enables me with a complete list matching leads to existing accounts. I don’t have to go down every single “aisle” looking for leads aimlessly. With LeanData, all of the aisles are organized in a way where each one appears on my complete grocery list. Imagine planning for a barbeque and you only had to walk down a single aisle for all your needs – like steaks, snacks and utensils. Matching leads to accounts is like one-stop shopping. Because I have greater visibility, I am able to see all the related leads and contacts that have been tied to the account I am targeting. It saves an incredible amount of time by eliminating busy work.
Previously I worked at Oracle. Although I wasn’t using Salesforce, the amount of time I invested in searching for quality leads and accounts was tedious and frustrating. It wasn’t until I started working for LeanData, and using our own Sales Acceleration tools, that I began to see how I could save valuable time. Because leads automatically are matched to accounts, I don’t have to scour throughout the CRM system and Internet researching if they are viable leads. Using LeanData means eliminating manual, time-consuming processes. So I am able to spend more time calling on quality prospects instead of researching them. I no longer have to create a list from scratch and know exactly how to navigate my way through the maze that is Salesforce.
Not only do I have more visibility into my leads, but any inbound leads belonging to accounts in my territory that arrive will be automatically routed to me. This gives me a more complete picture of all marketing touch points in each account. The result is my response time to someone who registers for a webinar or downloads a white paper becomes significantly faster. During my time at Oracle, I averaged 15 meetings per quarter. That met my quota, but it wasn’t easy because I spent so much time searching and creating my own leads. It’s much different at LeanData. Using our own technology, I’m able to consistently set a minimum of 30 meetings per quarter. I’m much more productive and efficient. LeanData has become an invaluable time-saver, giving me back more time in my day.
Think of it this way: That trip to “Costco” has become much more productive and easier now that I have my LeanData list.