What is full-cycle sales experience?

Let's jump into the world of full-cycle sales!

In the full-cycle sales model, junior reps get the opportunity to dive right in with selling simpler products and services, shorter sales cycles, and easier decision processes. And if they're feeling extra ambitious, they can even jump straight into high-end complex B2B sales. In that case, they'll tag along with a seasoned senior salesperson and learn the ropes on the job. It's all about learning by doing. These junior reps start off with smaller deals and lower-value products, getting a taste of the thrill that comes with closing deals at their very first job.

By going through the whole shebang, from prospecting to closing, junior reps gain some serious street smarts and get a taste of the adrenaline rush that comes with sealing the deal on their first sales wins. Before you know it, they're falling head over heels for sales.  As they gain more experience, they can step out of the shadow of a senior rep and become independent quota carriers. After a year or two, they'll be ready to take on more complex solutions, whether it's with the same company or a new one.

On the flip side, the SDR/BDR/AE Model consists of the Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) or Business Development Representatives (BDRs), who are the worker bees behind sales prospecting. Unlike the sales executives (the deal-closing winners), SDRs take charge of reaching out to new leads, evaluating their potential, and nudging them further along the sales funnel before handing over to Account Executives (AE) to close.  

The AE, being the more experienced player in the game, takes on the high-stakes deals. They identify customer needs, align products/services with their leads, and create a wave of excitement to seal the deal.  

What's the problem with the SDR Model?

It's unfortunate how many serious challenges the SDR model is facing! From poor customer satisfaction rates to low sales staff retention rates, higher costs of SDRs and a failure to become customer-centric and align with the buyer's journey, the list goes on!

It used to be the golden child in its early days, but now it's struggling to keep up in its more mature stage. Back then, junior SDRs could easily schedule meetings with a killer sales script because there wasn't as much competition for your buyer's attention. Customers actually had the time and patience to listen.

But times have changed, as we all know! Customers are bombarded with endless sales emails, voicemails, and phone calls. They're tired of salespeople making big promises and trying to change their lives. They've become wise to these tactics and are cautious of many approaches that are used to catch their interest.

A better solution is to increase overall sales team effectiveness. 

Figure out where you want to make your mark and grow your market share. Forget about those generic, mass-produced messages sent by inexperienced rookies. Instead, focus on crafting personalised, value-driven messages delivered by skilled salespeople.

If your teams is big enough, bring in support staff - dedicated sales support who can maximise the time your top-notch sales professionals spend with clients and ensure deals don't slip through the cracks.

Regardless of the size of your team, utilising a sales tool that harnesses Automation and AI, such as Sales Hub, can provide you with a competitive edge.

What attributes does a successful full cycle salesperson have?

Top full cycle salespeople typically have mastered these four sales skills;

• Customer Segmentation
• Clarifying Questions
• Customer Objections
• Well defined Cross-Sell and Upsell pathways

Additionally, they regularly access sales training and adhere to best practices. We go into more detail in our blog article  Beginners Guide to B2B Sales.

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Useful Links

Align your sales process with the buyer's journey

How full cycle sales reps are changing the role of sales

It's time for a new sales strategy plan