In a recent webinar, SugarCRM’s Global Director of Business Development – Darren Burton – shared the strategy that fuels their pipeline growth and has improved their outbound efficiency.
BDRs Have 5 Minutes to Follow-Up with Leads
SugarCRM uses Lead Forensics to see when key target accounts are browsing their websites. They don’t have to wait for prospects to complete a form to reach out to them; instead, they get alerts when the businesses are on their site, and the leads are routed to the relevant Business Development Representative.
The BDRs have a specific process they need to follow, and they’re expected to do this within 5 minutes of receiving the lead. They must:
- Review visitor behavior to identify likely pain points
- Research the company for fit and industry relevance
- Find verified decision-maker data using ZoomInfo
- Auto-enroll contacts into a SalesLoft cadence
- Place an outbound call that’s personalized, relevant, and informed
“You’re looking to open that door as quickly as possible and start a conversation,” Darren said. “Our core focus is to push that first call out within five minutes… Timing is everything,”
Their Tech Stack Drives Rep Efficiency
The outbound BDRs at SugarCRM could have a thousand accounts to target at any time, but they use a particular tech stack to focus the reps on the most viable and valuable opportunities.
“If you’re going to make 50 calls today, let’s make it the best 50 you can make,” Darren explained. “It’s about putting the BDR in the right place, at the right time.”
Their tech stack includes:
- Lead Forensics to identify anonymous website visitors and track engagement
- ZoomInfo to instantly surface contacts at the visiting company
- SalesLoft to orchestrate multi-touch cadences with email, phone, and LinkedIn
- SugarCRM to act as a central source of truth that’s automatically updated from SalesLoft
Each step in the process is integrated, so once a visitor is identified, the rep can slide between tools in one flow.
Their Follow-Up is Structured
Often, it’s a lack of structure that causes outbound efforts to fail, not a lack of leads. SugarCRM solves this by using pre-built cadences that they tailor by industry and persona.
They will outreach to a prospect three times within 90 seconds and make a total of seven touches to that prospect in the first two days. They call it Ring, Ding, Ding, and it typically consists of a phone call and voicemail message, an email send, and a LinkedIn message.
“It’s something we refer to in the business world as pattern interrupt,” Darren explained. “It’s about grabbing somebody’s attention straight away and them knowing that we’re trying to reach them.”
They Turn Web Visitors into Pipeline
SugarCRM doesn’t just use Lead Forensics to power their outbound efforts. They also use the platform to:
- Alert account managers when existing customers browse new product pages, so they can reach out to cross-sell or up-sell.
- Identify early-stage intent users and support marketing retargeting campaigns.
- Help prioritize pipeline based on who’s actively researching.
This system gives SugarCRM visibility across the entire funnel, from net-new to existing accounts, and helps to align marketing and sales around real buyer behavior.
They Speak to Influencers, Not Just Decision Makers
Many businesses want to only speak with a decision maker when they’re selling – but not SugarCRM.
They get a lot of value from speaking with sales team members and influencers, as it helps build a better picture before the final pitch is made to the decision maker.
“They way we look at is if we get some time on a call with a CRO, for example, we’ve got one shot,” Darren said. “So, the more insight we can build in advance of that call, the more insightful the call is for them.”
By talking with influencers, the team can get more context on the current situation, including their pain points and any frustrations with their existing tools. They also find that influencers are often more candid during these exploratory calls, and the conversations can help their reps to prepare for stronger pitches when they do reach the decision maker.
Their Pipeline ROI is 20x
“I was working out the return on investment [of using Lead Forensics] the other day,” said Darren, “and we’re talking about 20x, when we look at the pipeline to the cost, and that’s simply because we’re acting quickly.”
Book a demo of Lead Forensics to start your free trial and start following up with leads quickly.
