06/28/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/28/2024 07:40
There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes for sales teams before a deal is ever closed - and a sales development representative (SDR) is key to the process. You can think of SDRs as your company's supporting players. While they may not be your star closers, they complete the vital presales tasks that set your entire team up for success. Without them, the show - or sale - would not go on.
If you're thinking about becoming an SDR and want to understand what's involved, we'll explain what you need to know - including how to get hired and tips for success once you've landed the job.
Join the Salesblazer movement
We're building the largest and most successful community of sales professionals, so you can learn, connect, and grow.
What you'll learn
What is a sales development representative (SDR)?
A sales development representative (SDR) is a sales professional who manages all top-of-the-funnel activities in the sales cycle. Top-of-the-funnel activities include everything that happens before a prospect is ready to make a purchase - from gathering prospect data and educating prospects to qualifying leads and booking meetings.
SDRs have traditionally been seen as entry-level positions, but they do require a specialized skill set. In my experience, companies that treat them as top-of-the-funnel experts with an important role to play see more success as a result.
What does a sales development representative do?
SDRs often function as a bridge between the sales and marketing departments, doing a mix of inbound and outbound presales work.
The main responsibilities of an SDR often include:
There's a lot to juggle. However, SDRs are often part of a sales team that divides these responsibilities between multiple people, so you won't necessarily be tasked with the whole list. You may focus on one area or a combination of presale tasks based on how an organization defines the role. In most cases, an SDR's most important partnership is with the sales rep they set meetings for.
How to get hired as an SDR
If you're curious about pursuing a sales development representative role, consider relevant training programs and online courses that cover key skills and basic sales concepts to help you in the job. These are often great places to network and have the potential to open doors.
While some SDR job listings will include a degree as a "preferred" qualification, many companies value direct experience at least as much - especially if you show a willingness to learn on the job. Getting some experience in a sales role - even if it's in a different field, like retail - can be a good alternative first step because many skills, like understanding customer needs and handling objections, are transferrable.
But the best strategy for landing an SDR job in my opinion is to act like a salesperson. Don't settle for sending out resumes or responding to job ads. That's what everyone does. Be proactive.
In practice, that means:
5 tips for success as an SDR
Getting the job is just the first step. You also want to do the job well once you have it. Here are a few good tips:
1. Understand your role
Being an SDR at an enterprise tech company will look different than being one at a mom-and-pop card shop. SDR is a role where job responsibilities can vary considerably based on how the sales team is structured. That means the first step to succeeding is making sure you understand what your position entails.
At the application stage, read the job description closely to make sure it matches what you want in an SDR position. You don't want to end up in a role that emphasizes growing inbound leads if your preference is to focus on outbound. In the training stage, ask a lot of questions about what the sales team's goals are, what your main responsibilities will be, and how to measure the success of your work.
The best approach to the job will depend on your main objectives. Some common metrics companies use to measure an SDR's success include:
At organizations where the emphasis is more on finding and booking qualified leads, the typical day will include more research to better understand each prospect. Where activity metrics are the priority, more of your time will go toward cold calling and emailing.
And make use of the institutional knowledge around you. Veterans on a sales team are one of the best resources available for learning about strategies that work. Ask them to talk you through how they found past accounts, identified the most lucrative ones, and moved them through the pipeline. You don't have to start from scratch; you can use their experience to help you develop your own process.
2. Get to know the company
You can't sell effectively without understanding your product, who it's for, and how it helps solve their problems. Learn as much as you can about your company's customers, including how they use your product, what they like about it, and what challenges it helps them solve. Pay attention to which customers are the most valuable to the company - those who tend to spend more or who display long-term loyalty - and use that information to create your buyer personas for prospecting.
3. Find a workflow that works for you
As a rookie SDR, you may be tempted to just sit down and start calling as many prospects as you can. But I've seen how quickly that can lead to burnout. Cold calls are a big part of the job - they're the most customized way you can get in touch with someone to bring them to the table. But you should approach them strategically.
To sustainably make all those calls, developing an organizational system for how you approach the job each day is crucial. For example, you might try a productivity strategy like time blocking. At the end of the day, you'll need to know what tools you have support your work and improve efficiency. Your company might already have some powerful tech tools in place that can automate routine tasks, speed up your process, and help you achieve more effective results.
4. Hone your soft skills
A good SDR is always working to improve. Apart from the technical skills required for the job, you also need to build the soft skills that matter most, such as:
5. Embrace collaboration
In my experience, building community can also make the hardest parts of the job easier. Let's look at cold calling, for example. This is usually a solitary activity, and it can be tough getting rejected over and over. I've found that making cold calls with a team (not simultaneously, but with others watching in over Zoom), can be a great way to show support for your peers. Plus, it's a good way to learn - you might see some techniques you haven't tried yet. And maybe most importantly, it's a good reminder that everyone faces those hard calls. Even your most skilled colleague will get hung up on from time to time. Experiencing that together can help you build the resilience the role requires.
Here are some of the most valuable tools SDR's can use to do the job more efficiently and effectively.
1. CRM
A CRM (customer relationship management software) is the central source of truth for your sales organization. Your team can log detailed notes about each lead, such as where they are in the funnel and their communication preferences. CRMs update in real time for all users, so everyone has easy access to the most current information about each account.
Some CRMs include automation features that will handle routine parts of the sales process, taking them off your to-do list. A good CRM will also provide comprehensive analytics to help you learn from past deals and continually improve.
AI can't do the job of an SDR, but it can speed up and automate some of your most common tasks. For example, an AI tool like Einstein offers features to enhance your workflow. You can learn key details about each prospect with less manual digging, pull that information into your CRM automatically, and use the product's conversational insights to enable more productive, successful calls. Predictive AI features can parse your data to identify which accounts are most likely to close, helping you prioritize your activities. And all those cold emails no one likes writing? AI can draft emails for you that are personalized with details pulled from the CRM, so all you have to do is review and tweak them before hitting "send."
Communication and collaboration are essential aspects of the job. Tools like Slack can help you stay in touch with your team throughout the day. Communication tools that integrate with your CRM let you access real-time account and deal info in the same place where you connect with colleagues, making effective communication more efficient. When you need to connect in a more immediate way, video conferencing software is a good tool for all your virtual meetings.
Find success as an SDR
Being an SDR requires a specialized skill set and a lot of hard work. But with the right tools and a strong community, it can be a rewarding career. Whether you're still considering if becoming an SDR is right for you or you're years into your sales career, finding a professional community is a valuable resource for connecting and learning from others. And once you've landed your dream SDR job, using the right tools is key to creating an effective workflow that increases your odds of success.