What do sales teams do on a daily basis? That’s exactly what Elina Long, student at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, wanted to know.
Elina joined us at our Helsinki office to ask questions, shadow our sales team and gain insights into the inner workings of a functioning sales and marketing team. With a positive attitude, a strong knowledge of sales processes and a willingness to learn, Elina fit right in with the spirit of the team here at Feedbackly.
What Did Elina Hope To Achieve?
As part of the Sales and Marketing course at Haaga-Helia University, students set out to learn the theory behind the sales life-cycle, lead generation/nurturing, sales funnels, inbound marketing and all other aspects of developing a sales strategy. Having laid the theoretical foundation of sales and marketing techniques in the classroom, the aim of this placement with Feedbackly was to better understand these concepts by observing them in a functioning B2B sales environment.
Shadowing Our Sales Sensei, Santiago
As with any good sales pitch, Santiago started off the day by finding out exactly what it was that Elina hoped to achieve from her time at Feedbackly. By outlining her main objectives and understanding the guidelines of the project that was assigned to her by the university, Santiago could then tailor the material and tasks for the day so as to properly focus on Elina’s educational needs. The first lesson of the day? Sales is not about you, it’s about the needs of others.
Next was understanding where the leads (or list of prospective customers) comes from. In-bound sales qualified leads (SQL) are how most customer interactions start, with the goal to convert them into marketing qualified leads (MQL). At which point, there is a need for close co-operation between sales and marketing teams as the customer is now aware of the product and is already interested (either directly in the product or at least in your area of expertise). With leads already in the funnel and ready to be contacted, Santiago then went on to discuss how salespeople develop a strategy for contacting prospects, via email, phone or through other communication channels.
The main goal of a salesperson is to understand their customer’s challenges and the way they operate to be able to offer a solution that will enhance the customer’s processes and increase their revenue. For a company/person to purchase your product it is important to first clarify what the challenge is, so that you can then describe what differentiates the product from your competitors’ offerings and, above all else, how it will add value and increase revenue. This is where theory often falls short and is where practice is the only solution for success. Elina was able to shadow Santiago on a call with our partner and a prospective customer to see first hand how the techniques and strategies she learned in the classroom were applied in real life.
A Great Experience For Everyone
“It was a great opportunity for me to come and learn from the Feedbackly team. I was happy that the team was so supportive about my project and shared their insights and also included me in their every day work life.” – Elina Long
We were delighted to have Elina join us here at Feedbackly to learn from our sales experts. At Feedbackly we firmly believe in creating an environment where everyone can learn from one another, develop new skills and become the best possible version of you. Personal and professional development is embedded deep in our culture so we were delighted to be able to welcome Elina into our offices in Helsinki. Not only did this experience give us the opportunity to impart some knowledge upon someone who was as eager to learn as Elina, but also offered us the opportunity to reflect on our own processes and make sure that our processes are working as efficiently as possible.
Thank you Elina for bringing such a great attitude and energy, and we wish you all the best in your studies.
– The Feedbackly Team