A “bird dog” is someone who helps a salesperson find prospects, just like a “real” bird dog helps hunters find birds. Usually, a salesperson pays a bird dog a referral fee after the bird dog makes a referral or closes a sale.
Different things happen between a sales rep and a bird dog. Some bird dogs don’t get any formal training or direction from the sales rep, while others go to meetings or training sessions to learn how to find specific prospects and talk to them. The goal of bird dogging is to help salespeople get more clients faster than they could if they just prospected on their own.
