{"id":4381,"date":"2016-02-22T16:56:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T16:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=4381"},"modified":"2023-10-18T17:35:59","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T17:35:59","slug":"smbs-develop-own-demand-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/smbs-develop-own-demand-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"How SMBs Can Develop Their Own Demand Generation Consultants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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There are some titles that may sound a little too grandiose for a small and medium-sized business. \u201cPresident\u201d or even \u201cowner\u201d might sound more appropriate than \u201cchief executive officer,\u201d for example, if you\u2019re not running Fortune<\/i> 500 firm. Similarly, \u201chead of sales\u201d often works rather than VP of sales.<\/p>\n

When you get to something like \u201cdemand generation specialist,\u201d on the other hand, it\u2019s less about a title and more about identifying a need and focusing attention on it. Though sometimes used interchangeably with \u201csales development consultant,\u201d demand generation specialists or consultants represent a very savvy and strategic way to approach how a company manages information about their clients and ultimately grows the business. In that sense, it\u2019s an area of specialty that belongs within SMBs just as it might in a large enterprise.<\/p>\n

The obvious concern, of course, is how the average SMB can find, train (or even afford) a demand generation consultant if they\u2019re only working with a handful of people in their entire sales group. The answer lies in understanding more about what the role encompasses and how it could be applied successfully within your environment.<\/p>\n

Demand Gen Defined<\/b><\/p>\n

In some cases, demand generation is thought of as a function of marketing \u2014 creating content and using tactics to drive interest in potential prospects and providing leads to the sales team. In other large firms, demand generation represents the evolution of a sales development representative who connects with prospects by working the phones or using other means to essentially get an appointment for a member of the field sales team or an account executive.<\/p>\n

The average SMB probably doesn\u2019t have that kind of division of labour today. More likely there is a group of sales reps who manage their own accounts, from pipeline creation to closing the deal. There aren\u2019t enough people to hand over a list of accounts, and even if there were, they might be too junior to trust with those relationships. And in the SMB space, getting a meeting is truly only the first step in an often prolonged purchase process.<\/p>\n

Hacking The Demand Gen Role<\/b><\/p>\n

The flip side of all this is that demand generation is arguably even more critical for SMBs than a large enterprise. Putting all your eggs into a few account baskets makes it difficult to grow. There\u2019s greater risk if an account goes quiet, or goes away entirely. Nurturing that pipeline by researching prospects in granular detail, helping offer competitive intelligence or otherwise paving the way for the initial pitch can\u2019t be ignored. That\u2019s why it may be necessary to think creativity about making a demand generation consulting strategy, even if you\u2019re not a big company. There are a few different ways to go about it:<\/p>\n