SalesTechStar Interview with Bob Leibholz, SVP of Business Development at BairesDev

Bob Leibholz, SVP of Business Development at BairesDev shares a few tips on what it takes to build a proactive sales team in B2B in this quick chat with SalesTechStar:

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Hi Bob, welcome to this SalesTechStar chat, tell us more about your journey through the years and more about your role at BairesDev?

I have had the opportunity to work for several industries and roles. I possess more than 20 years of proven experience creating, building, and executing world-class GTM strategies, developing sales and channel organizations, guiding international expansion (EMEA, APAC), and spearheading growth initiatives. I have worked for NGOs, SaaS companies, and Tech Consulting firms. 

As an SVP of Business Development at BairesDev, my goal is to build out a proactive sales organization combining deep industry expertise and geo-specific business development efforts while developing broad reach.

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As some companies and businesses look at initiating back-to-office models from 2022, what should sales leaders keep in mind as things transition?

Covid is still part of our reality, clients will transition at their own pace based on a variety of factors: industry, geography, employee demographics, and emerging risks, to name a few.  It is important to give clients safe options, such as meeting outdoors or for coffee in their hometown rather than in their office or forcing them to commute. Opportunities to network outside of the office environment are becoming increasingly important as Covid-19 restrictions decrease. People crave live human interactions.

Clients are focusing on their core business objectives in addition to the requirements of the new normal, but above all they are focused on creating or enhancing a self-service paradigm. It’s important that sales leaders build for the long-term, but make sure to offer and identify quick wins for clients. 

This new reality brings ever-shifting work modalities, enablement of client self-service paradigms, and vastly increased automation. So innovate, even if it’s just a small adjustment to a long-standing process that can save time or money. 

What are some of the biggest lags you still see in many B2B sales processes? A few best practices to help overcome them?

Organizations of all sizes and across industries must implement strategic steps to meet new demands, instituting new workflows that leverage digital technologies.  This will allow responding to clients’ needs faster. But, while digital communications (email, social, etc.) are ever more important, never forget the value of a well-placed call or conversation. Ultimately, relationships close deals, not just metrics.

There is a need for thoughtful and creative use of data (including AI/ML) and continuous delivery of enhancements to respond to market needs. We need to focus on the objective and business needs of clients instead of on the traditional way to do things. 

In the new reality we live in, businesses should aim to challenge the status quo and be prepared for uncertainty.

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As B2B sales evolves, how can sales teams plan better strategies and processes (and salestech choices) to help drive growth?

Data is a powerful tool that is sometimes overlooked. We need to rely on data to identify industry trends accurately and understand what the market is actually doing. You must look at your clients’ competitors in the broadest sense. As an example, video games directly compete against movies, music, TikTok, and other forms of entertainment.  There are very few isolated markets! Sales teams should have a deep knowledge of the served industries to provide the best solutions to clients.

What do you think the future of B2B sales would look like a few years from now?

B2B sales relationships will be based on customization, efficiency, fast delivery, and value for the client. As APIs and technology become, in general, more standardized, third-party partnerships will become less important. As companies continue to learn how to leverage technological tools and how to integrate them into their operations, businesses will increase partnerships with development companies that can rapidly provide businesses with top talent, proven processes, time zone alignment, and flexibility in order to quickly create scalable solutions that provide tangible benefits to their operations.

A few thoughts on ‘’salestech’’ that matters versus ‘’salestech’’ that’s good to have?

The Salestech that matters is the one that adds value to critical steps of the sales funnel. Data quality is becoming ever more important for decision-making and trend identification, so this must become a key component of any data subscription decision. Also, tools that boost organization and productivity, drive lead generation, improve customer experience, drive Speed to Lead, and help to better understand customers are worth the investment. 

Some last thoughts and takeaways before we wrap up? 

Navigating this new reality is not easy, so make sure you are nurturing client relationships while staying focused on providing value. Remember, relationships close deals, not just metrics!

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