Hi there,
In April I am starting a new AE role in a startup that now expands to the DACH region. That said, I will be one of the first AEs on the ground. Basically, all accounts will be greenfield.
Before I was used to working with a determined account set. Now, I feel a possible struggle will be to focus on the right accounts with such a large territory in front of me.
My situation aside, what would be your strategies, ideas, or advice to tackle a large untouched territory?
Based on the situation you have described, I would first get an overview of what works well in other regions: which product, which industry, but also the messaging (via CRM Reports).
Even if I’m not the biggest fan of cold calls myself, I would first try to get as many connects as possible to get a better understanding of which messaging the target group identifies with.
Then the grind begins. First AE on the Ground offers many opportunities, but can also mean that you have to build your entire pipeline yourself.
Regarding the pipeline, I would approach companies of various sizes so that you can keep your head above water with smaller deals that close quickly, while enterprise deals tend to close after 9 months, but then really impact quota attainment.
If you can take over existing customers, then I would focus on them first because it is always easier to expand an account then to close new business.
Inbound leads are of course also hotter than cold leads, which means I would tackle them first if there are any.
Furthermore, I would experiment with different target groups. For deal sizes around 50k+, it can often make sense to go straight for the decision-makers (or to involve them asap).
Finally, I would also work hard to qualify the opportunities. A lot of greenfield and a new product on the market can mean a lot of opportunities, but also a lot of people who just want to have a look. You have to be careful here that you don’t just educate the market, otherwise the next AE will reap the rewards.