Springboard

We Make Sales Happen

FAQ’s When do we need you?

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Answering more of your questions-

When Do you NEED me?

Again it depends.  Just because we have relationships with these decision makers doesn’t mean that when we walk in the door they say “oh thank God you’re here and you brought me another vendor!”.  It’s still a process and they may not need your services so we need to do our due diligence.  Initially it’s networking and seeing how your message is received, it’s market research – what is and is not coming down the pike that may be of interest to you,  it’s creating partners that can help us expand into other markets more easily, it’s direct conversations with potential prospects.  At this point it’s our job to identify who is and is not a prospect and this takes a little time.  Once we’ve had initial conversations with prospects and know a bit more about what they need, what they are currently doing, what the plan moving forward looks like, who the decision making team might be and what the budget may be if they know then we bring you in to discuss the technical aspects of the service.  From here on out this is a joint venture – we manage the communications and you handle any proposals or technical follow up.   Its our job to open the door for you and assist in the closing.

FAQ’s Your Card or Mine?

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I’ve compiled a very long list of questions we receive everyday and it typically starts like this “So, how does this work?”.  Over the next week or so we’ll be answering those questions and I suggest if you have additional questions please email me directly at kschwartz@springboardbizdev.com, we’d love to answer them for you.

Question 1 –

Do you carry our business cards or yours?  Do you act as us or you with the prospect?

We’ve done both and we find that it’s actually easier if the prospect knows we’re from an outside firm.  They typically tell us more information as they aren’t concerned about us “selling” them and we can really play the consultant role in determining if they are the right fit for you.  As an outsourced business developer it’s imperative that we remain focused on the goal – creating long term happy client relationships and that means being able and committed to walking away from deals that don’t work.  The prospect doesn’t really care if we show up as you or as us, what they care about is how we treat them.

Regardless of who we show us as we are representing you and the prospect knows why we’re there.  They usually ask how we work and what our relationship is to you.   We explain that we’re working with you to focus on business development and finding right fit clients while you continue to grow your business.  They know once we have determined a good fit you will come in as the expert.  They appreciate your dedication to your client base and they respect your efficiency in hiring a sales team.

FAQ’s What we need from you

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What do you need from me?

Initially as we work through the market research phase and begin the build the pipeline we’ll need to learn more about your experiences with clients, what’s worked, what didn’t and why.  We need to know your ideas about target markets and review your marketing material.  We certainly do not rely on marketing material however it can be helpful; if you don’t have marketing material it’s not a deal breaker.  Case studies are always helpful for us to learn more about your business but also so we can share results with your prospects.

What we need most from you is to be a team member.  Our ability to be successful requires us working as a team.  We need to know enough about your services to be dangerous but we need you to be the expert.  We are able to open doors to extremely high level decision makers and we need you to shine or we risk damaging that relationship that has taken years to develop.  We’re very careful about who we bring in front of our contacts as we know one wrong move and we may never get that opportunity again.  So for you it’s about respecting all that we do today and all we’ve done to create the relationships we have that ultimately will benefit you.  We put those relationships on the line to help you grow your business.  We need you to recognize that you need to bring your “A” game to those meetings, you need to follow up in the appropriate manner and frequency, you need to deliver on what was promised at the time it was promised and you need to service the hell out of that account.  If you intend to raise your game by growing your business you need to start today with our very first introduction.

How Fast can you Close Deals?

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When I’m asked a question like this I immediately start to wonder if this prospect is the right fit.  Why are they asking this question?  I get it, you’re looking for Return on Investment, I understand completely, you’re putting out money and you want to know the value of what you’ll receive in return and here’s the answer…I don’t know yet.

Let’s face it sales can be a bit of a crap shoot.  Anyone who guarantees you increases in sales/revenue at “x”% is without question lying.  A couple things we need to consider:

 

  • What’s your currently sales cycle?  Why is it that long?  Are there challenges that contribute to the length of the cycle or is it just that long?
  • Who is your potential buyer?  And why?  How do you connect with the potential buyer currently?
  • Do you have a presentation or marketing materials?
  • How do you price?
  • Who’s your competition?  What do they do really well?  What’s unique about you?

Many of these questions may seem silly but here’s why I ask:  We can typically shorten the time it takes to get to a decision maker but the sales cycle is the sales cycle.  You should not expect any major changes to the amount of time it takes someone to close a deal just because you’ve hired an outsourcing firm.  That being said it’s not uncommon for us to close deals in half the time it takes you but for others it may take longer.  It depends on the complexity of the deal, the process necessary to get the deal complete (RFP, multiple decision makers, large vs small deal, etc).  We find that many of our clients don’t have a strong grasp of their target market or they target someone they want to be a client but will never be one.  We find that many of our clients have little marketing materials that are usable while others have too much and it can become confusing for the prospect.  We don’t rely on marketing material but it can be a good conversation starter so it’s certainly helpful if done right.

When we ask you about your competition there’s nothing that drives me more insane then hearing you say “Well, our people are smarter and our service is better.”  As if your competition would actually say, even if it were true, that they hire below average staff and their service stinks.  This is the equivalent of telling your prospect “blahblahblahblahblah”.  What makes you unique, if you don’t know, it’s time to figure it out or you can forget competing – you’re essentially making yourself a commodity and now it’s all about price.

Pricing.  Oh pricing, it can be the devil in this relationship.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken a prospect into a decision maker for a deal that would double the revenue of their company only for them to price the project so far out of the realm of possibility that the prospect is literally in shock.  They loved you, you came highly recommended, they felt you could deliver and make them shine like the rock star they are and you blew it with cocky aggressive pricing and then you blamed me for losing the deal.  Here’s the deal, when it comes to closing with outsourced business development, it’s a partnership.  You rely on us to ensure you have a qualified lead, a decision maker with a budget and a strong connection either personally or professionally.  We rely on you to showcase your value, deliver high quality and always on time, and to price competitively.  We can go to bat for you if you’re within reason but if you’re off the mark, there’s nothing we can do to help.  In fact we’ve probably damaged that relationship by bringing you in the door.

So how fast can we close deals?  I don’t know, it’s different for every client.  Some happen within the first 2 months while others can take a year or two.  If you’re not viewing business development as an investment in your company’s future then perhaps it’s not right for you at this time.  If you’re counting every dollar and every minute that goes by you’re not seeing the forest through the trees.  Business development is about building the relationships that are going to change your business and when was the last time you built a long lasting, happy client relationship over night?

Meet the Springboard Team – Don Goff, Ph.D.

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Don has recently joined the Springboard team and we’d like to welcome him and share with you are excitement – Don brings amazing capabilities to our clients looking to expand in the Intelligence Community.

Dr. Goff has over forty years experience in business, education and the military. Nationally recognized for superior, innovative, and profitable approaches in cyber security, he built the first remote access laboratories for network security, intrusion detection, and forensics, and developed curriculum for Information Assurance and Homeland Security masters degrees which were designated a National Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Education by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency. He has successfully developed profitable marketing programs for small businesses and has served as a Proxy Director for a foreign-owned cyber security company that grew its EBITDA from negative 1% to positive 10% in 5 quarters.

As a practitioner, he has experience in Information Assurance, Computer Network Operations, Certification & Accreditation, FISMA, NIST-800 series, DoD Instruction 8570.1 and other federal standards. He has written agency-level security policies and plans and provided written reports and chaired or participated in blue ribbon studies.

Dr. Goff works with his clients to identify and develop markets for its cyber security services, including SharePoint development and maintenance. He understands his client’s goals and works to build on current service offerings in the Department of Defense and other sectors including but not limited to healthcare and financial,as identified.  Dr. Goff will advise on federal and commercial market potential and access beyond his client’s current customer base; identify and evaluate potential markets and new customers; provide consulting services to interact with potential customers and clients to identify their needs; review technical and pricing volumes; assist in drafting technical and pricing volumes; introduce clients to potential additional target-specific marketers, as desired; and secure meetings with potential customers.

In addition, Dr Goff will provide subject matter expertise in cyber security and critical information protection in developing a strategic marketing plan for Springboard clients.  Actions may include identifying specific target clients from government agencies.  Deliverables will include developing a meeting and presentation schedule within the designated agencies and assisting in the preparation and development of meeting-specific marketing collateral.

Dr. Goff is a well know expert in and around the Intelligence Community, his expertise and ability to communicate with prospects is a true asset to Springboard clients.  If you’re looking to increase your opportunities at Fort Meade, NSA, the Intelligence Community or in the Department of Defense, Don may be an excellent fit to help you win business.  Call 410-832-7560 and ask for Karin.

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