We want to test your technology, research, and lead-generation skills. You will be given a link to a Google Sheet that simulates a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) spreadsheet you will use in your role at RSS. Sales and Business Development professionals need a system to organize contacts, solidify a sales process, and automate ongoing tasks. That is where a CRM solution is valuable.
This is a three-part assessment.
PART 1: We want to see how well you research (investigate) information and generate leads. Search online for businesses like stores, warehouses, business parks, shopping centers, construction sites (pending or active), etc., within and surrounding the Rodgers Security Solutions (RSS) service areas [review our company website for details on our service areas].
Search for businesses that might need security guard services. Understand that you will be responsible for qualifying these leads, so choose cautiously.
Find at least five (5) potential leads.
Your goal is to turn cold leads into hot leads that become satisfied RSS clients. You will need to gather as much of their information as possible to input on the CRM spreadsheet to demonstrate your ability to research, track, and follow up with potential leads.
The link to the CRM sheet can be accessed here:
PART 2: Using the provided CRM sheet, familiarize yourself with the spreadsheet and its tabs until you are comfortable inputting data. Begin with the “To Start” tab at the sheet’s bottom, then proceed to the remaining tabs. This template provides you with the basics of a CRM report. It’s the perfect place to assess your skill level. It’s also beneficial for people without a CRM system with advanced features. This mini-CRM automatically saves changes, so you will never lose data. Just enter your contacts manually or copy and paste existing data (that you may have written in another document or that you are collecting directly from a business website) into this sheet to get started.
Do not delete any information that is already on the CRM spreadsheet.
NOTE: For any sheet showing a column for “RSS Assignee,” you will input your first and last name (but only beside the entries that are yours). When you see a column that says “Description/Notes,” you can type any useful information to help you and RSS close and satisfy this potential client.
PART 3: To further test your research and lead-generating skills, you will need to start the process of qualifying these contacts as potential leads. To qualify leads, we must determine if the prospect could potentially be interested in the opportunity RSS offers. That requires gathering as much information on the company as possible, finding the decision-maker within that company (who has the power to approve our security guard services proposal and enter a contract with RSS), and finding the “gatekeepers” (usually administrative or executive assistants or office managers) who serve as a barrier between RSS and the decision-maker, so that we can pitch our service offerings with confidence.
It is important to identify the gatekeepers because they are usually your first point of contact and the person the decision-maker trusts to filter and sort who and what reaches them. If the gatekeeper likes or dislikes you, they will express this to the decision-maker, which can impact our sales and CRM efforts. Our relationship with the company includes our relationship with gatekeepers and the decision-makers they protect.
If a company’s decision-maker is the General Manager, don’t waste time getting information about the warehouse manager, CEO, or another executive. You should only be interested in who decides if, when, and which security guard company is hired.
You need to gather as much information on the companies and the key people within them to demonstrate your ability to handle this task interdependently.
What we are looking for in the CRM sheet:
- The “Companies” sheet should reflect at least five (5) entries from you. Each entry should have a completed row reflecting the company’s name, industry, contact type, and contact information. If they have a LinkedIn page, provide the link to it. If not, leave it blank.
- On the “Companies” and “People” sheets, where you see the “RSS Assignee” column, you will type your name —so you receive credit for your work and can be assigned to work this lead through the sales cycle.
- Only complete the “People” sheet if your research has uncovered the names and contact information of the decision-makers and/or gatekeepers at the companies RSS will pitch to. If they have a LinkedIn page, provide the link to it. If not, leave it blank. The “Description/Notes” section is for you to type any useful information, including, if you choose, the gatekeeper’s information (if you have the decision-maker’s information listed on the sheet).
You will have five (5) business days from the start of this assessment to complete the spreadsheet and notify RSS’s Human Resources team of your completion. When you complete the CRM sheet, please notify us. Our management team will review your submission and then schedule time with you to discuss your process, entries, and reasoning.