Meet Afiyah Nadeem, Revenue Enablement Analyst at OneAdvanced

As we prepare for our upcoming Sales Development Representative (SDR) Assessment Day, we caught up with Afiyah to understand how her experience as an SDR has contributed to her career journey in Sales. Being part of the panel of interviewers for our first Assessment Day back in May, she knows what it takes to excel in the SDR role, making her the perfect choice for running our SDR onboarding programme: Bootcamp 1: Prospecting.

How did your experience in your SDR role impact your career journey?

My experience as an SDR (Sales Development Representative) had a profound impact on my career journey. During my 2.5 years in that role, I honed critical skills that became foundational for my growth. I developed a deep understanding of prospecting, lead qualification, and customer engagement. These skills helped me build resilience, persistence, and the ability to manage rejection effectively-qualities that are essential in any revenue-focused role.

Moving into a sales role afterward allowed me to see the sales cycle from a broader perspective, gaining insight into the challenges that sales teams face. However, I quickly realized that while I appreciated the strategic aspects of sales, the quota-driven, direct sales environment wasn't where my strengths or passions lay. I was more drawn to enabling others to succeed in their roles rather than being on the front lines of closing deals myself.

Ultimately, this experience led me to find my true fit in revenue enablement. The SDR role gave me a strong foundation in understanding the importance of pipeline building, messaging, and cross-team collaboration. Now, in revenue enablement, I leverage my firsthand knowledge of the challenges SDRs, and sales teams face to create better training programs, improve processes, and support overall revenue growth. It's the perfect blend of my operational and strategic skills, where I can make an impact without being directly in a sales quota-carrying position.

What has been the most exciting thing since progressing from your SDR role?

The most exciting part of progressing from my SDR role has been transitioning into revenue enablement and working closely with the SDR team. Having once been in their shoes, it's incredibly rewarding to now be in a position where I can support them directly. I get to onboard new SDRs, run training sessions, and help them overcome challenges that I once faced myself.

Knowing that I've been where they are and can now contribute to their success is incredibly fulfilling. It's a full-circle moment that makes my work both meaningful and exciting every day.

What exactly is the SDR Bootcamp 1: Prospecting all about?

Bootcamp 1 takes place the moment they begin their journey as an SDR within the company, so from day 1. The SDR Bootcamp 1: Prospecting is designed to equip new Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) with the essential skills required to effectively prospect, which is one of the three main buckets of sales activities (prospecting, competing, and closing). The bootcamp focuses on building foundational competencies in areas like effective research, questioning techniques, and applying the sales methodology.

The goal of Bootcamp 1 is to ensure that SDRs can confidently identify and engage potential leads, qualify them and do an effective handover to the sales team. Once SDRs master these skills, they advance to senior roles, where the focus shifts to competing and closing (Bootcamp 2), addressing a common gap for SDRs transitioning to sales or account management. This next phase prepares them to handle the full sales cycle by giving them both theoretical training and hands-on experience through mentorship, allowing them to shadow more experienced colleagues and understand the practical aspects of sales. By completing both bootcamps, SDRs are better equipped to excel as effective sales or account managers.

Looking to kickstart a career in Sales? Our next Sales Development Representative (SDR) Assessment Day is fast approaching. We are hiring multiple candidates for our Sales Development Representative role, inviting 20 applicants to experience our culture, connect with the team and interview for potential roles as part of our Assessment Day. Click here to learn more and apply today.