Key to your success as an SDR is the partnership you build with your Sales counterparts. So how do you become the SDR that reps wants to work with and that sales managers want to hire?
Below are 5 tips on how to be an SDR that every sales rep will love.
#1- Be easy to work with
Sales reps have a lot to juggle. They have to build pipeline, keep forecasts updated, manage internal resources, navigate complex deal cycles, and a dozen other things. Is your partnership with them just another thing on a long list of “to-do’s”? Or does working with you make their life easier?
Make your partnership one that is a blessing rather than a burden to your rep. Be organized. Set clear expectations on what each of you is bringing to the table every week. Help them stay on top of their pipeline. Do they have visibility into what you’re working on? Are you aligned on your prospecting strategy?
#2 - Provide value early and often
WIIFM doesn’t just apply to customers. Understand what the most important things are for your rep, and double down on helping them succeed in those areas.
Is your sales rep incentivized to sell a specific product line or drive attendance to an event? Make that a priority.
Who are the key personas your rep needs to connect with to drive deals forward? Focus on getting those meetings.
Is there something simple you can do that is valuable to your rep? (ie sending them a juicy piece of research on a target account)
Go the extra mile. It will always pay dividends.
#3 - Manage up
EVERY rep needs pipeline. Their managers ask about it. Company leadership asks about it. There is never a situation when a rep doesn’t want more meetings (with the right people), more opportunities (real opportunities), and more deals (big deals). As an SDR, you are tasked with helping them generate these meetings and opportunities. But you can’t expect to find gold by turning over random stones.
What do you need from your rep to be an effective SDR? Do you need contextual information about the territory? Direction on what prospects to go after? Help with the messaging approach to a specific account? It is YOUR job to be proactive and communicate to your sales counterpart what you need from them.
Now this does not mean that your rep should be your babysitter or that you can constantly rely on them to hold your hand (see number #4). But just as you (hopefully) are giving your rep context on the meetings you book so that they can nail those conversations, your rep can provide direction and information that can set you up for success.
#4 - Be proactive
Don’t wait for your rep to guide you on everything you should be doing. Put in the work and perform the due diligence. Become an expert on your territory and your accounts. Set up alerts in your sales tools and technologies - follow Accounts and Leads in Sales Navigator, check ZoomInfo Scoops, Last Interesting Moments from Marketo, or 6Sense Trending People or Recent Activities.
Come to your syncs with suggestions and plans on what accounts and prospects you believe you should focus on and why. Be familiar with the deals your rep is currently working so if you stumble across any nuggets of useful information, you’re ready to share.
#5 - Master your craft
Most SDRs are in the early stages of their career and it’s pretty typical to think about the “next step”. But a mistake SDRs often make is to become so preoccupied with their next role that they fail to master their current one.
As an SDR you are uniquely positioned to be the Subject Matter Expert on prospecting. Because it is your sole focus, you have the opportunity and responsibility to become educated on the best practices, latest trends, and industry information on the art of prospecting and pipeline building.
There are a host of communities, resources, and thought leaders you can leverage for free - a few of my favorite include John Barrows, Morgan Ingram, Kevin Dorsey, Trish Bertuzzi and The Bridge Group and of course yours truly, Extrovert.
Keys to success
The single greatest thing you can do for your career as an SDR is to do your current job well. Learning to create excellent messaging, organize your work, attack the daily grind, handle objections, deal with rejection, and build mental toughness will set you up for success in any role or industry.
Following these 5 tips will not only lead to better professional and financial success, but they'll help you build your brand and make you an SDR every salesperson wishes they could work with.