Lauren Collins, BDM at Chilli Apple
Lauren describes drifting from account management into business development by accident; her genuine curiosity kept growing accounts before she realised she was selling. The episode details consultative, solutions-led selling in a digital agency, using website-visitor intent data to open transparent and helpful conversations, running a structured multi-channel cadence across email, phone and LinkedIn, reading buyer personality types (the "Surrounded by Idiots" framework), handling rejection, and the organisation and persistence needed to close a 230-day deal.