A day in the life of a sales development representative at an e-commerce company.
A sales development representative is someone who helps a company grow and expand. They are in charge of finding new customers, building relationships with existing customers, and making sure the company has what it needs to succeed in the market.
SDRs (Sales Development Representatives): What Are They?
Outbound prospecting is the responsibility of sales development professionals. They do research and outreach to potential new customers who may be interested in the business’s goods and introduce them to the company. These customers are referred to as leads.
Instead of completing new transactions, an SDR’s life focuses around generating leads. SDRs are usually judged on how well they move prospects through the sales funnel.
Sales development professionals assist with the lead qualifying process, which determines the likelihood of a certain individual making a purchase. Typically, they will go as far as scheduling the initial meeting. This frees up account executives, the more senior salespeople, to concentrate on completing transactions rather than spending time prospecting.
At the end of the day, sales development representatives are educators who use data to help clients solve real problems.
What are the requirements for a Sales Development Representative?
Sales development reps spend a lot of time reaching out to individuals who are unfamiliar with their industry and encouraging them to take the first step, which is to schedule a meeting. That implies they are often told no.
SDRs need the following:
- Resilience
- Organization
- Excellent research abilities
- Knowledge of the industry and the business is essential.
- Adaptability
- an eagerness to learn
- Excellent communication and outreach abilities through phone, email, and social media.
SDRs spend a lot of time getting under the skin of potential customers, questioning them about their company requirements and what is currently giving them problems.
The greatest approach to engage with these new customers is to grasp their problems thoroughly. You may need to talk with them to get a better understanding of their company. Many prospects, however, are hesitant to disclose their true problems until you have shown that you understand their industry.
It’s a classic chicken-or-the-egg situation, and it’s a problem that makes salesmen envious of their marketing department counterparts.
Most salespeople are taught to pitch how great their solution is and how much better their product would make the customer’s life, which sounds like this: “pitch, pitch, pitch, blah, blah, blah.”
SDRs, on the other hand, may develop and share insights into the customer’s key problems with the proper training and procedures.
They may then utilize these insights to offer prospects with useful solutions, ideas, and information.
Because they “pull clients out of thin air,” SDRs are perhaps the most essential members of the sales team. Without them, the rest of their team would be left with no contracts to send or clients to satisfy.
Sales development reps must be fast on their feet, adept at conducting online interactions, understand the sales stack, be excellent content finders, and have a good attitude unaffected by a poor encounter.
How Much Do Sales Development Representatives Make?
According to Glassdoor, a mid-career sales development professional may anticipate total pay of approximately $45,000, including bonuses. However, bonuses, commissions, profit sharing, and other benefits have the potential to raise their overall pay by 50 percent to 150 percent.
Check out Payscale for U.S. averages and additional SDR pay statistics.
A Sales Development Representative’s Day in the Life
Nicole and Ned, two of GuideSpark’s best sales development representatives, recently met with us. We were fortunate in that they were willing to show us precisely how they do it.
Check out this video of Ned and Nicole’s average day:
Here’s a normal day in the life of Ned and Nicole.
5:00 a.m. – 5:00 a.m. – 5:00 a.m.
Days begin sooner for sales professionals who work with clients in various time zones, whether they snooze nine times or set four separate alarms. Some people are motivated by the list of eight tasks to accomplish before 8 a.m. Many SDRs start their day as early as 6 a.m., did you know?
7:00 a.m. – Work Commute
Taking the bus allows you to read, listen to podcasts, or check social media for the latest news that may be of interest to your team or clients for a few hours each week.
8:00 a.m. – Report to the office
When Ned from GuideSpark arrives at the office, he checks his email, scans for urgent messages, and then goes to the kitchen for a coffee and granola bar.
He monitors social media sources over coffee and utilizes Buffer to share excellent news and insights on Twitter and LinkedIn throughout the day.
If responding to an email will take him less than two minutes, he will do it immediately away. Then he selects topics that need more study and responds to them later.
Avoid the trap of spending too much time on email or social media. Some things can be put off.
Standup Meeting with the Team at 8:15 a.m.
In New York, Ned works with an Account Executive. They work together as a group to choose 1-3 main priorities. After deciding what can wait, they discuss what went well or poorly the day before and concentrate on something they can better today.
8:30 a.m. – Investigate and Respond
Ned is a professional who cares about assisting clients, therefore he doesn’t use automated technologies to “spray and pray” semi-personalized template emails. He discovers the most relevant ideas via research based on personalities and what has previously resonated with comparable individuals.
He looks at his LinkedIn profile views to see if any clients have visited his page. He reacts to comments on his articles and writes thank you notes or customized LinkedIn requests after doing some short research to discover unusual similarities or intriguing parts of their profile.
Avoid this blunder by sending a short note explaining why you’re connecting rather than the standard LinkedIn “Add you to my network” message.
9:00 a.m. – Make your top customers a priority.
Now that Ned’s coffee has kicked in, it’s time to pick up the phone. He utilizes this time block to make calls depending on Salesforce tasks.
Pro Tip: Don’t get sidetracked by checking your email frequently during this time slot – it’ll eat up a lot of time.
Pro tip: Use color blocks to organize your calendar for emails, calls, and breaks. Here’s an example of how Chad from Infer plans his week to be as productive as possible.
Take 15 minutes at 9:45 a.m.
Ned splits his day with planned breaks to optimize sales efficiency. If your colleagues are also taking a break, get to know them, go for a stroll, or practice your coffee-making abilities.
10:00 a.m. – Go for broke.
Ned goes to work for the next 75 minutes. He recalls that he is not selling anything. He is assisting clients with problem-solving education. He’s their “doctor” who conducted the study on their behalf.
Prescribe your solution only once a diagnosis has been made.
- Phone calls: Personable and direct, they elicit thinking.
- Social media may assist by delivering customized/relevant information.
11:15 a.m. – Email Follow-up Calls
Ned isn’t going to let it go. To really be helpful to consumers, he offers insights and adds a useful article in every of his emails. Then, utilizing technologies that postpone sending until the following day in your specified sequence, it arranges follow-up emails.
11:45 a.m. – Lunch break
Nicole and Ned go out to eat. Now is the opportunity to have some fun with your teammates, get a short exercise, or run 3.5 kilometers. Eat the post-workout burrito you earned on the way back.
Avoid the pitfall of eating at your work.
12:45 p.m. – Check-in at your manager’s desk.
Nicole doesn’t do it every day, but it makes a big impact when she does it now and again. She checks to see if there are any urgent problems that need to be addressed, and if so, she inquires as to how she may assist.
She then does further research on her clients in order to prioritize her time and concentrate on the appropriate individuals.
1:30 p.m. – Check Your Social Media and Email Accounts
Nicole checks her LinkedIn and email accounts. She handles important problems immediately, deletes spam, and notes what has to be done later based on research, much like Ned. She then downs a Diet Coke (or a Diet Dr. Pepper…. or a Red Bull) in anticipation of the 2 p.m. AWESOMENESS she’ll be delivering. It’s game time once she perfects her pitch and handles objections.
2:00 p.m. – AMAZING HOURS
The next round of qualifying calls is about to begin, and she is energized, prepared, and enthusiastic. Every decision is based on study. She has the customer’s LinkedIn profile up to date, she understands which value propositions are likely to connect with them based on their persona, and she is addressing typical objections like a boss in a customer-centric manner.
Pro Tip: Engage in genuine dialogue. Continue on, don’t glance back… you’re in the zone.
Take a break at 3:45 p.m.
The weather is just stunning. With your colleagues, celebrate a victory.
4:00 p.m. – Finish up, do some research, and get ready for tomorrow.
Nicole understands that information is power, and that research is the key to success. Nicole uses tools as a force multiplier to expand her intelligent outreach by sending targeted emails in small batches to comparable consumers.
Nicole is only interested in prospects who might profit from her solution, which she has identified. They’ll be “delayed sent” tomorrow morning, approximately 30 minutes before she comes at work, so she can prioritize her outreach depending on who opened/clicked and spend her time with the people who are most interested.
Avoid the pitfall of writing emails to “check-in” whether they received your previous email – or even worse, a “mass customized check-in” email.
5:00 p.m. – Another day, another satisfied client
Exercise and maintain a social life. Read books to learn more about your industry and sales. Attend events to learn about best practices and meet new people.
Wait a minute… The day isn’t over yet… There is another crucial window for you as an SDR…
8:30 p.m. – Communication Window for Executives
Keep your phone nearby when binge-watching your favorite Netflix series on the sofa. If you’ve earned it, many of the executives with whom you’re working are opening their email. They’re starting to reply to your emails now! You don’t want to wait until the following morning since you’ll become mixed up in their daily messaging. On a daily basis, the typical executive receives up to 700 dollars.
10:00 p.m. – Time to go to bed
Make certain you get adequate rest. Tomorrow is a significant day for you.
Particular considerations
The afternoon of Friday
Over the weekend, no follow-up or action may be “delayed-sent.” You’re better off waiting until the Sunday night window unless it’s an emergency.
Monday
Forth Monday afternoon, avoid any social events, check-in calls, and so on. Don’t waste your time. GSD considers Monday to be a 100 percent business day.
Evening of Sunday
On Sunday eve, there’s a great email productivity window to reach out to CEOs. You may want to start preparing for the week. It should just take one hour.
Note: There is a lot of subtlety depending on who you sell to and who your consumers are, so take this advice with a grain of salt.
The sales development representative job is a role that works with the sales team to help them grow. They are responsible for finding new customers and making sure they have the best experience possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a good sales development representative?
A good sales development representative is someone who is able to develop and maintain relationships with clients and prospects. They must be able to communicate effectively, listen well, and provide exceptional customer service.
What do sales development representatives do?
Sales development representatives are in charge of developing and implementing sales strategies for a company. They also work closely with the marketing department to develop new products that will increase revenue.
How do you structure your day as a SDR?
I structure my day as a SDR by having a morning routine, which includes waking up, drinking coffee, and checking the news. After that, I typically go to work at my job or start working on projects for my company.
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