Sales Development Representatives, or SDRs, are an essential part of the modern sales team. They are responsible for making initial contact with potential customers and setting up appointments for other representatives to follow up on these conversations.
When associated with a reputable company, an SDR sales rep position is a great experience to get your feet wet in the sales industry. Most of the time, especially at smaller companies that don't have a big marketing or PR department, SDRs come up with their own list of prospects and reach out to the cold.
They're responsible for researching lists of potential customers and generating leads on their own (i.e., finding email addresses of decision-makers at prospective companies).
An SDR is a person who calls and emails potential customers to acquire new business and guide them through the buying process. They may be one of your first points of contact with customers, but they're not the only ones - their job is to qualify leads, then pass those leads on to higher-level salespeople.
The main goal of an SDR rep is to increase revenue without spending too much money. To do that, they use lead generation tools like cold calling and outreach software. You'll also use CRM software to organize leads and communicate with them throughout the entire buyer's journey. It's all about building relationships in order to close more deals in less time.
There are two types of companies: those with an SDR rep and those that need one. Even if your company doesn't have one yet, it's a good idea to know what they do - you may be asked to hire someone in the future.
The primary function of an SDR rep is to generate new business for a company through outbound prospecting. They spend most of their time on the phone or sending emails, trying to bring in as many new customers as possible.
When they're not cold calling, they're locating potential leads from pre-existing lists of companies by looking at data enrichment sources like Hoovers, Lead411, Google Finance, and LinkedIn.
So why would a company hire an SDR sales rep? Because they're cost-effective. It usually takes a good deal of time and money to acquire new customers, but an SDR can do that in less than half the time at a quarter of the cost.
If your company is going to scale operations, you'll need more reps - and it's better to have them making money right from the beginning instead of waiting three months for revenue.
The main responsibility of an SDR sales rep is lead generation. They find potential customers and sell a specific product or service, then qualify those leads before passing them on to someone else who closes deals. To generate as many qualified leads as possible, you'll use outbound prospecting tools like cold calling, outreach software, SDR software, and LinkedIn.
Logistically, this means you'll be calling or emailing lists of companies to introduce yourself. It's easier to convince someone to hear your pitch if they've heard it before - which is why the first interaction with a company may not be over the phone.
You may send them mailers, emails, texts, or other prospecting material ahead of time, then follow up with them later on when you're ready for that first call.
You'll also use tools like CRM software to organize contacts into specific groups based on what stage they're at in their buying journey. This depends entirely on what kind of business you work for - some industries require more pre-qualifying than others. For instance, if you work in the marketing industry, you'll need to provide more value upfront through content before asking for money.
An SDR sales rep's main function is outreach - finding new leads and moving them through the pipeline. But they also play an important role in prospecting for your company by generating new potential customers.
They may do this through cold calling or finding companies on their own, but the ultimate goal is always to introduce your business to as many people as possible using different outreach materials like emails, texts, and print ads.
Lead generation usually involves several steps: initial research, lead enrichment, outbound prospecting (usually over email or phone), qualification based on education or interest level, then assignment of a salesperson (ideally) to close the deal.
For example, if you're an SDR sales rep in the education industry, this could mean finding students who are interested in attending your college or university, then passing them onto a recruiter who can try to close them.
Outreach is all about bringing in new customers - but it's important to remember that each customer has different needs. Sales reps should be able to identify which level of product or service they need at any given time, and pass leads on when appropriate.
They may even suggest other products or services complement their current purchase for greater satisfaction, especially if they're working within a larger company like VMWare.
An SDR works with different kinds of companies: B2B, B2C, SaaS, etc. Some are startups, some have been around forever - but they all have one thing in common: they need to find new customers.
At the beginning of your career as an SDR sales rep, you'll probably be focused on generating leads. But not all leads are created equal - so it's important to know what kind of lead generation each company needs, and how best to generate them.
For instance, you might find prospects on LinkedIn or by cold calling, which is why you should have enough experience to be able to tell if someone will need your product or service just from speaking with them briefly.
If they're ready for lead generation, they're likely already aware that your business exists. If they aren't interested in learning more about you at this time, then it's better to move on into another stage of the pipeline.
One simple way of generating leads is to look for businesses in your area that are doing something similar to what you do - or ones that are working with companies very similar to yours.
If they're already buying from someone, then they're probably open to hearing about other options. And if you can't find any prospects in your geographical area, it's still possible to generate leads over the phone, but be prepared for rejection!
Once you've successfully identified a company as a lead, there are several ways of moving them through the sales pipeline. The simplest way is by emailing them directly - which makes sense if they fit all three of these criteria:
However, this isn't always possible if you're selling to larger companies, or targeting smaller businesses that may not have someone who's directly in charge of purchasing. In this case, your best bet is to find an intern with one staff member, then work your way up the ladder until you get to someone who can buy what you're selling!
But even if a prospect has said they'd like to move forward with your product or service - it doesn't necessarily mean they'll be ready for purchase tomorrow. If they aren't ready right away, start nurturing them through the sales pipeline by sending them regular emails, texts and postcards.
This could include information about their industry, products you offer that are similar to theirs, announcements about upcoming events or anything else that could help them become a customer in the future.
While knowing your customer’s needs is important, it's also just as important to know what you're selling. If this seems obvious, remember that many salespeople fail because they don't have ample knowledge of their product or service.
Make sure you read up on current trends and news that affect your business, so you can speak with confidence about new features and developments - even if they didn't exist when you first came on board.
The average SDR has 4-7 leads at any one time moving through the pipeline. However, everyone will have a different number depending on how often potential customers come to them vs. actively seeking out prospects themselves.
This may also change depending on the kind of business you work for - if you're selling to smaller businesses, they may be more likely to come to you first.
In order to move a lead from one stage in the pipeline into the next, it's important that they know as much as possible about your product or service.
In some instances, this will require a demonstration, while at other points it'll be more effective for them to read testimonials and case studies from current satisfied customers. The following article details how to take your prospects through each stage of the sales pipeline:
On average, most SDRs accept 3-5 new leads per week and move on to the next stage with 2 of those. However, you should always set a target for yourself that's higher than this - as your manager will expect you to generate more new opportunities as time goes on.
As an SDR, it can be difficult to stand out from other applicants if you don't have any sales experience. One way around this is to highlight your marketing and business knowledge instead of focusing strictly on selling skills.
This could include presenting ideas and strategies for increasing website traffic or creating case studies based on insights from competitor businesses. It shows that you're proactive and shows initiative in research, which are qualities that most employers look for!
Below are some key skills to make sure you highlight on your resume and during interviews. Focus on these, rather than honing your sales skills (which is the same for all candidates).
As an SDR, you probably spend more time prospecting than anything else - as this is where you find new leads. In fact, 80% of your job will involve seeking out potential customers, so it's crucial that you have a number of different techniques at hand.
While this can be difficult in the beginning - as most people will tell you no when you first try to contact them - it does get easier with time. That's because there are a few tricks to prospecting that help increase your chances of getting through.
Some sales managers will expect their employees to take a brief look at the company's website and create a list of leads based on keywords and potential contacts. Other businesses prefer that an SDR researches companies in similar industries to theirs, who already have existing customers that they can reach out to.
In most cases, the best kind of content for your prospects is information about how their current problems could be solved by using your product or service. This could include case studies from other clients, videos about key features or benefits, webinars or even free trials. If you feel confident enough, there are also lead generation strategies listed below:
Also keep track of any user comments or questions that prospects leave on other members’ profiles and respond to these - if it looks like something relevant to them, they will see your comment as valuable content!
There are many ways in which you can go about generating leads. You just need to try out a few and see what works for your business. An SDR sales rep performs a combination of tasks such as cold calling/emailing, researching companies, creating lists of prospects, and nurturing relationships with current customers.
They essentially use their knowledge of data mining and research skills to find new clients for the company they work for. The main goal of an SDR is to increase revenue and maintain consistent growth by constantly generating high-quality leads for the business' sales team.
