How to Successfully Transfer Leads from BD to Sales

What is Business Development?

Tired of watching your GTM team fumble?

It happens when BD transfers the ball to Sales.

These unforced errors can lead to

• Fumbles: The prospect loses trust watching your GTM team fumble the ball in the hand-off between BD and Sales.

• Interceptions: The competition swoops in and grabs your prospect's trust because of your failed passes between BD and Sales.

Why does it happen?

1. BD Confusion:

Some or all of the team is confused about the role of BD.

BD = Quarterback
Sales = Skill Players (Wide Receivers, Running Backs, Tight Ends)

For non-American football fans...

BD controls the Information Qualified Lead (IQL), at the beginning of the Activation Phase, and handles the lead until transferring to Sales as a Sales Accepted Lead (SAL).

How to fix it?
Everyone on the GTM team learns role and responsibilities of BD.

2. Bunch Ball:

Ever watch toddler sports when all the kids simultaneously run to the ball with no play discipline?

In the corporate world, this happens when everyone (BD & Sales) simultaneously chases the same lead causing confusion for the team and the prospect.

18% more revenue is generated when corporations follow defined BD & Sales processs [Harvard Business Review]

WARNING:
If Sales engages before the prospect completes the Activation Phase, your win rate actually decreases [6Sense]

How to Fix It?
Clearly define your Sales Accepted Lead. Prospects enter the Conversion Phase when they Declare Intent as an Outbound Lead (nurtured by BD) or an Inbound Lead that surprisingly appears at the end of the Activation Phase because they self-navigated the Activation Phase in the Dark Funnel.

Declared intent means the prospect clearly indicates they are ready to make a buying decision. Then, it's Sales' job to grab the ball and quickly close the prospect.

3. Bad Visbility

Efficient and effective lead qualification and nurtuing is critical for maximizing Sales Velocity triaging leads by PWIN and PGROWTH

·  Probability of Win (PWIN): Probability of converting the prospect into a customer

·  Probability of Growth (PGROWTH): Probability of successfully supporting customer so they become champions and raving fans.

It's BD's job to execute successful nurturing during the Activation Phase and give Sales full visibility of PWIN and PGROWTH at the SAL hand-off.

4. Bad Play Calls
If the lead meets parameters, they become Sales Qualified Leads (SQL), also called a Sales Qualified Opportunity (SQO).

At this point, leadership decides to invest the resources to continue pursuing the prospect in a phase called the “Pursuit,” “Deal,” or “Capture Effort.”

Wasting limited Bid & Proposal (B&P) resources on bad bets decreases win rate.

What's your favorite GTM play?

Tony Gray, BDP
Author of the Business Development Body of Knowledge

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