A Pattern of Note-taking Drives Sales Success w/ Derek Draper [Episode 491]

In this episode, we think about what note-taking means for sales reps as a discipline.

Derek Draper, CEO of Pattern, an application that’s an enterprise notepad for sales teams, joins me on this episode.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Derek sees ‘overwhelm’ as the biggest single challenge sales professionals face today. Sales is increasingly complex, and sales reps are asked to manage a lot of relationships.

Salespeople do not have the advantage today of controlling the buying process. Today the buyer controls it to a greater degree than ever before. They make price and value assumptions before they ever interact with a salesperson.

The book Absolute Value asserts that the abundance of information online gives a buyer a much better idea of the experienced utility they can expect from a product.

Hiring for Customer Success, Marketing, and Account Executives, and other non-technical roles from the SDR pool is better for company culture and success than hiring externally, in Derek’s experience.

Pattern is in the form of a digital note, that puts information back into Salesforce. Instead of using an off-the-shelf took, use a tool that is fully interactive with Salesforce. This is a strong fit for account executives.

Derek explains the Pattern process, compared to using Evernote or Apple Notes. Derek says users have reported a savings of five hours per week over other note apps they have used. They no longer block time to update pipeline.

Making notes on site gives a more accurate account, and more data, than filling out call sheets at day’s end. Derek says some reps like to refer back to their notes; others get the value from recording them. Pattern helps with ‘overwhelm.’

Pattern can help you recap a meeting for the customer. The best customers are those who are happy with the process. Your attention to their needs is a big part of their satisfaction.

Derek’s vision for the future: at some point there will be a portal where the buyer and seller can communicate effectively, and work together; not against each other.

Andy cites the Challenger Customer, about the buying process. Companies have a strong approval process, but a vague buying process. Derek recalls his sales trainer told him, “Buyers want to be led.”

If you skip a step, you have to come back to it, and it’s hard to get a customer on a discovery call when you’ve already given them your proposal.

The book Getting Things Done, offers a five-step process, but responding to an inbound lead takes 24 steps. It requires discipline and thought to organize them. The top salespeople do every step 1% better than anyone else.

The Sales Enablement Podcast with Andy Paul was formerly Accelerate! with Andy Paul.