Lead Development Rep Competency Profile

Essential Skills for Lead Development Reps (LDR)

Active Listening LDR Characteristics
consistently provides acceptance responses (like "OK", "I see", "I get it", etc.) in a timely manner to show that he/she is listening, yet without interrupting captures verbal and non-verbal cues naturally consistently and casually provides repeat back input in normal flow of dialogue obtains actionable insight from reluctant talkers and documents this in the CRM/lead management system resists temptation to interrupt

Capturing verbal cues; repeating back input; working with reluctant talkers; obtaining (and documenting) insights into the CRM; redirecting ability; interacting with peers, superiors, and subordinates

Retaining Customers
Gaining customer loyalty; possessing personal connections with accounts; asking for references; preventing customer attrition; serving as a trusted advisor; generating repeat business; this is about contacts from existing customers.

LDR Characteristics
accomplished at establishing close personal connections with existing customer Leads, in particular decision-makers, and despite differences in background, tastes, personal interests, etc.. requests and receives strong references (written, in person, phone calls) from majority of existing customer Leads to support other customer lead development efforts experiences Lead inactivity rates below peer average cited by the existing customer Lead as a 3rd party who 'knows their business'

Dealing with Ambiguity

Maintaining productivity and quality during times of significant change; reacting to situations of sparse information; handling customer situations with high levels of risk and uncertainty; providing guidance when no clear policy, corporate governance, or best practices exist; responding to sales campaigns where customer communication is infrequent

LDR Characteristics
has a proven system of handling ambiguous situations that includes the use of a concrete action plan maintains high level of productivity and does not lose quality during times of significant organizational or marketplace change reacts calmly and with clarity in situations where there is sparse information and no institutional knowledge exhibits poise and demonstrates confidence when involved in customer situations with high levels of risk and uncertainty provides helpful guidance to other LDRs when no clear policy, corporate governance, or best practices exist and works up the chain to fill the gap in guidance

Resilience
Resilience is the ability to handle rejection and accept criticism in a manner which is constructive and growth oriented. People high in resilience tend to have a healthy, intact ego and a positive self-picture. Those scoring low tend to be more self-critical and less tolerant of critical feedback and rejection.

LDR Characteristics
consistently unfazed when faced with multiple rejections can show a history of overcoming rejections from Leads uses a method to build confidence and shares tips with peers creatively leverages multiple channels/modes of communication in order to keep a Lead engaged is known as a positive, optimistic person actively encourages peers through times of rejection and difficulty seeks out constructive criticism, views it as healthy and welcomes dialogue on it from all sources always rejects unfounded criticism, not letting it affect his/her demeanor or performance

Copyright 2013 - SBI

Lead Development Rep Competency Profile

Essential Skills for Lead Development Reps (LDR)
Customer Focus
Developing customer loyalty; preventing customer attrition; generating repeat business, keeping your company top-of-mind; this is about leads from new logo accounts.

LDR Characteristics

frequently uses the applicable Persona document(s) to prepare for and execute Lead qualification, communication, and engagement activity receives praise from Leads regarding the LDR's ability to be a trusted advisor/guide consistently shows a customer-centric view in interactions with Leads not 'pushing' a sales agenda understands a Lead's business and issues at an intimate level - including awareness of issues beyond the scope of your company's solutions actively generates referrals from engaged Leads both within and without the Lead's company for companies that have progressed to closed sales deals, they have much higher renewal, repeat business, and upsell rates than similar companies of other LDRs
shows use of a methodical approach to finding appropriate resources for solving a challenge (for example, the use of TRIZ) demonstrates resourcefulness in creating solutions to challenges that defy easy solution exhaustively seeks out internal and external resources that could help to advance stalled Lead development campaigns leverages customer leads/contacts to aid in seeking positive solutions to difficult situations related to a lead development effort consistently gathers together people, resources, tools, and guidance to support customer-centric approaches when normal company approaches fall short finds unique 'sources of supply' among internal colleagues, business partners, 3rd-parties, professional network, existing customers and prospective customers that enable successful projects, lead development efforts, sales campaigns, and other efforts

Resourcefulness
Demonstrating resourcefulness when faced with challenges that defy easy solution; utilizing internal and external resources to advance sales campaigns when faced with objections; leveraging customer champions to address challenges; cobbling together customercentric solutions when company approaches fall short; finding unique sources of supply for projects, lead and sales campaigns, and other efforts

LDR Characteristics

Personal Learning
Highly educated vis--vis peers; self-educates frequently and applies learnings to business situations; possesses knowledge across multiple disciplines, both professional and secular pursuits; invests time and effort in staying on the cutting edge of industry trends; known by peers as early adopter of lead gen strategies, approaches, and tools; known by customers as an effective advocate for new ideas

LDR Characteristics
always improving skills through consistent practice of learned methods both on and off the job, via volunteering, shadowing, auditing courses, etc. active in completing any Individual Development Plan items on time while surpassing expectations goes beyond annual learning requirements by actively identifying and consuming available internal or external training courses maintains, always updates and shares a list of go-to resources for everincreasing knowledge in the areas of marketing, lead generation, sales, served industries/verticals, market trends, and competitors is always reading a job-related book and provides synopses to management and peers when complete ups own skills by actively asking questions, commenting and entering dialogues on websites, blogs, forums, webinars, etc. Copyright 2013 - SBI

Lead Development Rep Competency Profile

Essential Skills for Lead Development Reps (LDR)
Value Provision LDR Characteristics
in all Lead interactions, strives to create a "we" space - devoid of any LDR preconceived outcomes known as one who can turn seemingly unimportant data into valuable insight enters interactions with a curious mindset and is able to stay in observation mode holding the "selling" nature in check until the right time continuously builds a library of artifacts (data, articles, blogs, links, etc.) and associated insights for each artifact that can be repurposed at will thoughtfully plans ahead for each Lead on which potential insights to share at what time is astute enough to know when sharing of an insight could potentially favor the competition, yet knows this is the insight that will get the Lead past an acute challenge

Mindset and actions that strive to always provide value (in the form of buyer-valued insights). This goes so far as to work with ALL potential prospects to direct them to the appropriate resources even if your offerings do not suit them.

Customized Insight Generation

Generation of insightful messaging that is custom to a buyer persona's issues/preferences. This means the LDR needs to take a common message and customize it to the multiple buyer personas they are working with in an organization.

LDR Characteristics
provides insight that consistently disrupts the Lead's view of their business is able to leverage other's insight and effectively customize it to specific Leads delivery of insights evokes a "I've never thought about it that way..." from Leads developed insight frequently causes the Lead to act insight consistently is commercial in nature, causing Leads to prefer to continue their journey with company rather than look to a competitor the multiple variations of insight (for each different Lead) are all saved, catalogued and shared with peers LDR is a master of the Buyer Personas and Journey and evidently leverages this information in generating insights

Persuasion
Using language and other communication skills to influence business partners and customers to do what the individual wants them to do; convincing peers of the merits of their point of view; managing up; utilizing give get frameworks; presenting to general audiences, industry thought leaders, and business partners; presenting company value proposition and persona-based business issue education

LDR Characteristics
effectively employs persuasion of Leads to accept meetings with Sales resources as evidenced by higher conversion rates (SQLs to Opportunities) than peers uses language and other communication skills to influence business partners and customers to do what the individual wants them to do frequently convinces peers of the merits of a point of view without resorting to bullying demonstrates an almost unique ability to 'manage up' without being a sycophant or resorting to 'soft bribery' utilizes give-get negotiation frameworks to obtain more than they concede, largely due to persuasive skills presents to general audiences, industry thought leaders, and business partners in a way that results in the key messages being internalized, accepted, and adopted by them

Copyright 2013 - SBI