We spoke with Álvaro Verdoy , CEO of Sales Layer , where he tells us about the importance of developing long-term sustainable processes when it comes to qualifying leads. He also explains the Sales Layer sales db center.uk funnel process, integrating the Marketing, Sales and Customer Success departments in order to build strong relationships with customers at all stages.
Join us to discover the secrets behind Álvaro Verdoy's success and his impact on the world of business marketing!
Let's start from the beginning, Álvaro. In 2013, when Sales Layer was just taking its first steps, what was the initial approach to organizing the Marketing and Sales area?
Well, back then we were faced with two major challenges. On the one hand, we had a very tight budget, and on the other, we were launching a project from scratch. So we had to combine short-term and long-term strategies.
One of the key decisions was to focus on generating quality content. From the beginning, we focused on creating blog posts, ebooks and webinars. Although at that time it was just me during my free time or on weekends generating them as I could. It took a while for them to attract traffic, but they eventually became our main online assets.
And then, in the short term, we allocated small budgets to advertising and outbound work. We wanted to move quickly to get leads and get the sales engine up and running .
So how did you integrate lead generation with the subsequent steps?
From the beginning, we were clear that lead generation was just the first step. At that time, integrating the entire process was easy, because everything was handled by one person. And that person was me.
I created the content, but I was also in charge of making the first call, carrying out the proof of concept, signing the contract. In this way, I was able to learn and divide up the tasks.
I find it very interesting that there is a single person who knows the whole process from start to finish. It could be the founder, the Sales Director or someone who starts the Marketing area. In this way, it is very easy to divide it into pieces, industrialize it and involve different profiles to carry it out.
In our experience, one of the first difficulties to overcome in aligning Marketing and Sales is lead qualification. How did you establish the criteria?
The truth is that the discussion about what is an MQL, what is an SQL, what is an opportunity and what is not, is something that never ends. We are always working on it. In fact, we discussed it again a few days ago.
It's good to discuss it, especially when it becomes a KPI and when the process becomes more complex. There comes a point where the lead goes from an SDR to an Account Executive. At that point, agreement is more necessary than ever, to reduce friction. It's important to have a clear definition. It can no longer be a subjective matter; an established criterion is needed.
