Have you ever wondered what other salespeople’s days are like? Or wished you could see what makes them tick?
We probably all have.
Lucky for you this series goes behind the scenes with top salespeople to get the inside scoop. (You’re welcome!)
Today, we’re looking under the hood of a Lead Development Manager at an IT consulting company, and for that, we talked to Joe Latchaw.
About Joe Latchaw
Company Name: itelligence North America
Title: Lead Development Manager
City/Country: Cincinnati, OH
What You Sell: We are an NTT DATA company, and we focus on SAP solutions to create value for our clients all over the world. As a partner, we help our clients transform, grow, and be more successful.
ACV: Varies based on software/solution
Sales Cycle Timeline: Varies based on software/solution
Number of people reporting to you: 3
A Day in the Life of a Lead Development Manager in IT
Pre-Work Routine
Most days I wake up at 6:30am, unless I am going to the gym. Then it’s 5:30am.
I check my phone (not the best habit). After that, I pound a glass of cold water and read a chapter or two of whatever book I am into.
I am currently reading Sell It Like Serhant by Ryan Serhant. It’s a great read for anyone in or around sales.
During-Work Routine
I start my day in the office at 7:30am.
7:30–8:00am: I check work emails, new MQLs that came into the CRM overnight, and LinkedIn.
8:00–9:00am: I work on the meeting agenda for an SDR meeting at 11am.
9:00–10:00am: Check in on sales/leads opportunities in the CRM to monitor deal progression. I will reach out to account executives/SDRs if I need be to move them forward or if something is unclear.
11:00am–12:00pm: I have my weekly SDR meeting. This is done with my internal report. I have two external reports who I meet on Tuesday.
In this meeting, we review call activity, leads from the past week, CRM activities, etc. It’s also a chance for us to discuss old and new MQL’s, and strategize on how we get to the first meeting with them.
12:00–12:30pm: During this time, I work on a meeting recap to be sent later in the day.
12:30–1:00pm: Lunch. I typically take lunch away from my desk, as we are fortunate to have a large area we call the “Cantina,” where I can eat and do a mid-day reset. I’ll do a quick reflection on what I’ve accomplished so far and what items I want to get done before the day’s end.
1:00–2:00pm: Prospect. I will look into internal accounts and into those visiting our site from Leadfeeder. I’ll verify if the accounts are in our wheelhouse, and if so, I’ll distribute them to Inside Sales or an AE to follow up.
2:00–3:00pm: Marketing meeting to discuss campaign progress, new leads, content, strategy, etc. This meeting is done with our entire marketing team, and it’s a great check-in, as we have a few folks who work outside of the office. The call ensures we are all aligned and moving in the same direction.
Our leader encourages us to be very forward-thinking and entrepreneurial, so this is also a great place for our ideas to be shared!
3:00–4:00pm: Here I do more prospecting, and I’ll look at future leads for our team(s). We are fortunate to generate lists internally and receive them from our partner(s).
4:00–4:30pm: I’ll wrap up my day by viewing articles on Saleshacker.com, and figuring out how we can implement those ideas in our business. If I am caught up on those, I will view a TED talk. I am a big believer in personal development, so this one of the ways in which I invest in myself.
4:30pm: I depart from the office.
Post-Work Routine
From the time I walk in the door until bed, it is 100% family time. I am a father to a beautiful 3½-year-old daughter, so most of our time is spent playing with food and babies.
Once she is down for bed, my wife and I will check in with each other and share our days and what we could be doing more of for the other.
Inside My Head
What’s the one app you can’t live without and why?
LinkedIn. Not only is it great for networking, but it’s a great way to stay in touch with friends in other parts of the country and the world.
Name one unsung hero to your day-to-day and why?
Rebecca, my SDR. Since becoming her direct boss a little over a year ago, our relationship has grown by leaps and bounds. I am so thankful for her willingness to do one-off projects that come up in an instant.
What is the one thing you can’t do your day without?
Podcasts. I will often listen to them throughout the day. They can be a nice escape at times, but they also contain valuable, actionable information.
Some of my favorites include NPR’s How I Built This, Lewis Howes’ The School of Greatness, and The #FlipMyFunnel Podcast with Sangram Vajre.
What’s the one piece of advice you wish you had when you were 22?
It’s ok to fail. I went through most of my life having people tell me that I couldn’t afford to fail. Once I learned that this was part of growing in business, I was able to embrace the fact that failure is going to happen, but it’s all about how you rise above it.
Embracing new opportunities is essential for growth.
You have one communication channel to sell through that you can use for the rest of your life, and nothing else. What do you pick?
One-on-one conversations. Whether it’s over the phone or in-person, I just love talking with people and getting to learn more about them. We can have meetings with elaborate presentations, but I prefer the face-to-face interaction, as it allows me to read someone’s body language.
If you were starting your career over right now, what would you do to kickstart success?
I would take more chances. I tended to “play it safe” early on, going with a sure job with a decent salary and benefits instead of following my passion. I would also read more books. Every book I have read, whether a best seller or not, has taught me valuable, practical advice.
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