BC Startup Sales Podcast – Ups and Downs of Building Sales Teams in Smaller Markets With Richard Harris (The Harris Consulting Group)

We sat down with Richard Harris, Founder of The Harris Consulting Group and Director of Sales Training & Consulting Services at Sales Hacker, to discuss the ups and downs of building sales teams in smaller markets. As companies begin to position for scale, the question of where and how to expand always comes up. Is there a guaranteed rubric or algorithm that can tell you what cities to consider? Give it a listen to find out.

It’s also worth noting that we recorded this podcast at the beginning of the COVID-19 shelter in place and talked through Richard’s predictions on what building sales teams will look like post-COVID-19. While most cities are now entering Phase 2 of reopening, we still have a long way to go before we’re out of the woods and Richards’ thoughts are especially relevant as companies think through their return-to-work plans.

First, we talked through the process of determining the right location for building sales teams in smaller markets, and which tools can help guide you to success. We then touched on how this period of remote work has inspired what Richard calls the “trust economy,” in which companies have begun to eliminate unnecessary meetings, stop wasting time, and ultimately, increase productivity by trusting their employees to get the job done. We then dove into the demographics of your location’s talent pool and discussed compensation, building effective hiring pipelines, and localizing team culture. We then wrapped things up with addressing how to take care of employees once your company transitions back into an office setting, emphasizing the importance of empathy throughout the process.

Richard brings over 20 years of technology and SaaS experience in sales training, operations and sales leadership into his role as a Sales Consultant. He has built, led and consulted with a wide range of organizations including start-ups, mid-size companies, and global organizations. Richard is also the current Director of Sales Consulting and Training for Sales Hacker and is a regular speaker at the various Sales Hacker events, workshops, and SalesStack conference. Some of the companies that Richard consults for include Mashery (acquired by Intel), Spanning (acquired by EMC), Outbound Engine, TopOpps, Village Voice Media, Riverdeep (acquired by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), PC Guardian (acquired by Acco Brands), DotNext Inc., Telecom Inc., and Yozio.

If you liked “Ups and Downs of Building Sales Teams in Smaller Markets” and want to read more content from the Bowery Capital Team, check out other relevant posts on the Bowery Capital Blog.