Trish Bertuzzi, my good friend who heads up The Bridge Group, has written an exceptionally detailed playbook for sales development, that part of the sales process that is so often treated superficially. I love how it integrates seamlessly with The Whale Hunters Process, adding much-needed depth to Scouting in ways that I have not begun to explore. Most of my work on Scouting assumes that you are working with whale hunting leads that your team has identified by means of a Target Filter and subsequent research. But Trish takes a much broader view, starting with the process of an inside sales team that responds to all kinds of leads that marketing generates. The handoff from sales development to an account rep is fully detailed in this book.
The book is as lively and alive as Trish in person, and her advice on job descriptions to “sell the job” ought to really recruit great new intellectually curious salespeople and potential sales leaders into the profession. She makes great use of cases and interviews, capturing the quick essence of what she’s learned. In a profession that is sometimes overwhelmed with tips and tricks and gimmicks, especially on the “lead generation” end of the pipeline, Trish has contributed a thorough, serious treatment–serious but never stiff–that does justice to the burgeoning field of inside sales.
I recommend the book highly, whether or not you have an inside sales team or are considering the move to one. The sales development function needs careful nurturing no matter how you accomplish it, and Trish’s biggest contribution is her understanding that this work has to be done by people who think–and who like to think!
If you are an entrepreneur/CEO, sales VP or manager, or sales rep in any capacity, you will get real value from this book, whether you’re a veteran or a newbie.
