The Hidden Hero of the B2B Sales World: The Sales Development Representative.
If you read this, you know what the acronym SDR stands for, right?
But if you don't know, no worries.
SDR (Sales Development Representative) is the sales function at the storefront of any B2B sales cycle. They prospect, qualify inbound leads, and start every sales conversation at your company.
The SDR Role and What To Expect
The role is, by definition, junior. We are talking about someone who is starting or shifting their career.
They are usually fresh from university or college and have held a few customer-facing roles (sales, sales assistant, customer support).
Their tasks are usually:
Qualify inbound leads
Reach out to prospects (outbound prospecting)
Keep CRM up to date
Work with marketing on campaigns, events or any sales-related activity.
Why It's Important and Why Most People Fail
The SDR function is crucial.
However, it's also not quota-carrying. Therefore, I understand sometimes they are not on the company map.
So often, SDR orgs are seen as a cost and not a revenue machine only because they 'don't close the deals'.
However, as I keep saying, SDR is the new CEO.
Why? Three simple reasons:
1. They get unfiltered feedback from the market
Getting blunt, genuine feedback from your users is fundamental, but how powerful is the feedback from your prospects? Rather than having focus groups with your friends and family, who tell you how good you are, SDR is every day, in and out, talking to prospects and getting rejected. They have the most helpful information for your Go To Market and Product Market Fit.
2. They are the first to test your GTM
If things go well, they will know. If things don't go well, they will know too. They are the ones who do the most sales activities. Therefore, they will know if your value proposition, messaging, pricing, and geographies are on or off.
3. They are the initiator of every sales conversation
They set the tone for the rest of the deal. They influence the whole conversation: if they talk features, you sell features; if they talk value, you sell value. If they deep dived pains, you will sell on pains.
How to Find Them and Who to Look For
The best way to find the best talent is to work with universities.
Pick the two or three top universities around your region and engage. Run workshops and sessions, and get them to know you. But doesn't mean that your top talent will come from a top university.
Sometimes, you also get top-notch people outside the shiny universities.
Then, there is always LinkedIn.
Being active and building a strong brand awareness with which they can relate creates a potential better outcome when looking to hire someone.
When building your A-player scorecard, look for the soft skills first, then the hard skills. You want people who are:
Accountable
They have a track record of activities (email, call)
They are Curious
It seems easy, but those three skills are scarce.
Interview & Onboarding
Keep it simple, but you need an intense interview process.
You also need a strong job description that explains the role, salary, and overall expectations well. The interview process can include:
Screening.
Role-play (very important).
A chronological interview.
A motivational interview.
Ask lots of behavioural questions precisely because they may have little experience.
Then, the person should be evaluated overall, not only the professional.
Once they are in, prepare a compelling compensation plan (pay them for opportunities created + revenue won through those opportunities) and have a clear and structured onboarding for the first four weeks.
Coaching & Developing
This is the best part. Coaching your SDRs is incredibly satisfying because SDRs are usually young, fresh and hungry - at least for me, who have a leadership coaching style. They are like sponges.
The most effective way would be shadowing and feedback sharing straight after, as well as open-floor coaching sessions.
Where you and the team get together and brainstorm and learn about one piece of the sales cycle.
SDRs face lots of rejection, so another strong coaching is soft skills coaching: how to deal with rejection, developing accountability and so on.
Ultimately, give them a career plan. Since SDRs - by definition - want to move to AEs or AMs roles, make sure to give them a clear career development plan to grow into the role and beyond.
Summary
If you are reading this far, you must be passionate about SDRs, as I am. Too often, SDRs have been left behind, and companies have invested little in them. However, SDR is the most crucial function of your sales team.
They are fundamental in creating pipelines for future account executives, managers, or leaders.
They are the best talent pool you can wish for; nurture them. You won't regret it.
