Why CRM & Marketing Automation Is Causing A Rise In BDRs

Despite the advances in technology and automation, in even the most complex and independent sales systems it is likely there is always going to be the need for at least one person to be involved at some point to, for example, control the quality of the lead, interpret the information, answer questions from leads, add missing data or trigger events.

Sales and marketing automation have provided teams with excellent tools to improve efficiency, reduce downtime, provide consistent messaging, gain better insights and reduce manual efforts. 

But like in any process, there are some downsides or pain points that can appear, that need to be solved due to lack of personalization, lack of information or the need for manual interpretation. 

Sales automations can only personalize so much.

In sales, CRMs and Marketing Automation Systems can help provide teams with lead prioritization and processes to better attend to critical cases. But modern systems can’t interpret personalized messages or create a relationship with a lead.

That’s where BDRs come into the scene.

According to a Forbes study, sales executives spend 35.2% of their time selling and 65% on everything else. What are they doing the rest of the time? Preparing for meetings, loading information in the CRM, conducting research or doing administrative tasks.

What Does A Business Development Representative Do?‍

The main goal for the Business Development Representative is to reduce the sales executive’s secondary tasks, and qualify leads, therefore freeing up time to do more technical and high-level duties. 

A Business Development Representative helps companies boost growth and sales by gathering valuable sales enablement information, importing or correcting information in the CRM, conducting research, qualifying leads and helping to build client relationships.

They’re usually methodical and organized people, who are very service oriented. In an office, you’ll probably find them responding to prospects’ and clients’ questions through phone calls or emails, analyzing data, completing spreadsheets, making outbound phone calls to validate information, qualifying leads, and reaching out to the sales team to see how they can help. 

Business Development Representatives are key to understanding leads at the top (and sometimes middle) of the funnel and providing sales and marketing with the intelligence needed to improve their processes. 

What Is The BDR’s Relationship With The CRM And Marketing Automation Systems?

‍Their daily work usually revolves around the CRM, adding valuable information to be able to better qualify leads into the sales funnel and through the whole buyer’s journey. They can be responsible for parts of sales and marketing cadences, where they may be in charge of sending out personalized emails, analyzing data and behavior or making outbound calls.

This allows for salespeople to be more productive, and focus on leads who are more likely to complete the sales process based on the information provided by their marketing and sales systems, which help them prioritize their workload. 

The key to understanding why BDR’s are on the rise due to marketing automation is to understand that even though these systems can help improve and accelerate sales processes, they still need people to be feeding, interpreting and correcting information. They can help provide the human touch that’s needed to build a relationship and better understand each potential customer’s needs.

An example of where a BDR could add value is in contact us forms. If a lead fills out the form with a question, in an inefficient process, they may be loaded directly to the CRM and considered as a qualified lead just because they completed this action. But you may not be able to define if they are a good fit for your team until a clearer analysis is made about what made them reach out and what their current needs are. A BDR could quickly introduce the company and ask for further information to classify the lead, and provide them with a personalized experience and a contact reference point. This will most likely help your team to understand if they are a good fit for lead nurturing or if they are ready to be handed off to sales. 

This process will also provide the prospect with a positive customer experience that could influence their buying intent in the future. 

What Are The Benefits Of Hiring A BDR?

• Easy to onboard into sales processes, as they tend to fill more routine tasks.
• Frees up sales executive’s time and helps them focus on their most relevant and qualified leads.
• Provides clear visibility to what leads are coming into the funnel and if inbound marketing campaigns are getting the results needed.
• Helps keep the CRM updated with healthy and relevant information.
• They provide a more personalized customer experience.

Are you considering adding a Business Development Representative to your team? 

You can request a free 30-minute growth consultation with our marketing strategists to learn how we help you build a data-driven process for hiring and managing BDRs and salespeople to get the best results.