My Pipeline Generation Boot Camp Experience

I won’t lie. Pipeline Generation Bootcamp (PGB), run by Sergeant Major Dan Tyre, was a daunting prospect. My role at work had recently changed to Business Development Executive — selling HubSpot and inbound marketing retainers.

It is my responsibility to find prospects, identify leads, have quality connect calls and develop them to exploratory calls/meetings. The next stage involves my colleagues once a prospect develops from a sales qualified lead to an opportunity. Before my role changed I had been cold calling prospects, selling digital marketing training courses. A very different sell.

The sales process has changed and evolved thanks to the internet — as have buying habits. Why go from shop to shop or scour through masses of newspapers when you can find everything you need with a few clicks and a bit of research? Prospects need to be helped in the buying process not closed down at every opportunity. So, always look to be helpful.

Why the training?

The boot camp came just at the right time. I needed training but, ultimately, I needed confidence in my abilities.

My manager at Klood had been very positive about what I could do for the company but to me it was all new and a lot to take on, and now I was about to be flung into the lion’s den with seven strangers who would know a lot more than me. All under the eye of Dan Tyre who I saw as ‘Mr HubSpot’.

Session 1

The first session quickly approached. Full of nerves I sat and waited for the link to open.

Dan — larger than life even though it was very early in the morning for him — was on my screen. That first session was a bit of a blur — introductions, a run through the programme and HOMEWORK. Too quickly, the session was done, over. My head was swimming with the task ahead BUT the ice was broken and I was left with a new motivation. I was going to do this.

The focus of the sessions is on making that connect call and moving it on to the exploratory call. Luckily, I already had an idea of the ‘method’, but PGB showed me why and how it works, just reaffirming that sales actually works really well when done this way. There is a reason for it!

Dan’s sales experience shines through. He just knows people, their behaviour, reactions and, more importantly, how to respond to them. I’ve adapted the way I introduce myself to prospects on the phone (pause, pause, pause). I’ve always managed to build quite a good rapport — I’ve been told I’m quite natural on the phone — but the questions started to flow more easily.

How was I going to fit the homework (who likes homework?!) into my working week? Actually, it was involved in my working week anyway. Calls I made to prospects, along with some research (blog reading, prospecting) and practicing. The homework just added strength to what I was learning in the sessions.

RESULTS!

The last eight weeks have been a huge learning curve, but the results are there too. My calls have more depth, more quality and I know what I’m talking about! The number of exploratory calls I am booking is slowly increasing. There are requirements for graduation — including a closed sale.

Every week the group talks about big wins, little victories and ugly potholes. So, in week seven I couldn’t wait to share my news‚ BOOM! A closed deal! It wasn’t the HubSpot retainer I’d been chasing but it was achieved with the tools I’d learnt how to use during my PGB training.

Just do it!

Participating in PGB will mean climbing out of your comfort zone, but isn’t that what sales is about? The challenge! What have you got to lose? Absolutely nothing! A tip taken from one of my colleagues: “there’s no such thing as failure, only feedback”. And PGB will give you that in abundance.

Sergeant Major Dan Tyre

Finally, Dan Tyre. He does dozens of these sessions every week, yet I felt like we were the only ones. His enthusiasm never waned and he never seemed like he didn’t want to be there. All he wanted was for us to be a success. Like the leader of a pride, he wants us to go forward and conquer. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge for others to use. And he’s not at all Sergeant Major-like. He teaches you the art of helping.

If I’m having a moment, I remind myself - “Ellie! you’re a Lioness!”

Klood Digital isn’t just a digital marketing agency, we’re a GROWTH agency, identifying a company’s pain and finding a way to solve it. Businesses see a positive return, resulting in an increase in lead generation and ultimately more customers. We love to see success for our clients!

Book a call with me here and let’s see what inbound sales and marketing can do for your business.