What are the most effective ways to manage remote and hybrid Sales Development Representatives (SDRs)?

Clear under understanding of KPIs should be provided to employee to evaluate results and keep them engaged in company's vision and mission. Kpis should be divided into qualitative and quantitative KPIs.

Managing remote and hybrid SDRs in small companies often centers on personalized communication, with regular one-on-one virtual meetings to provide support and monitor progress. In larger companies like Amazon, structured systems like CRM tools and collaborative platforms are used for consistent oversight and communication. Regardless of company size, clear expectations, regular training, and providing the right digital tools are key. Encouraging a sense of team cohesion through virtual team-building activities and maintaining an open, supportive culture are essential for keeping remote and hybrid SDRs engaged and productive in any business environment.

Aside from providing all mentioned above, I find that training them intensively and let them know ahead of time of the metrics of harvesting these training fruits, especially if the company is in a highly competitive and performance sensitive industry.

The Coaching and feedback must be coupled with timelines and targets/expectations of the outcomes. And this work both ways, for the SDRs and for Training department.

Managing remote and hybrid SDRs effectively hinges on consistent and constructive feedback and coaching. Regular one-on-one video calls are crucial for providing personalized guidance and support. These sessions should focus not only on performance metrics but also on skill development and career aspirations. Utilize collaborative tools for real-time feedback during calls or email outreach. Additionally, incorporate group coaching sessions to foster a team environment and facilitate peer learning. It's important to create a feedback culture that’s continuous and bidirectional, allowing SDRs to share their insights and challenges. This approach ensures remote and hybrid SDRs feel supported, engaged, and aligned with the team's objectives.

Every SDR is unique, same as unique as each client, hence one of the strategies we developed is to create internal feedback groups to enhance communication with both, teammates and clients, results were amazing!

In our line of business, we noticed that the burnout rates are higher due to lack of intense-equal rewarding schemes. Once introduced and implemented, we had a surge of 300% talent retention rate and 40% business increase year to year.

Reward the behavior you want to see! And do it often! It has to be fun, collaborative, and competitive. If the teams are remote, the leader has to go above and beyond to make them feel connected. As a sales ops leader, or rev ops leader, this can be done through technology and helping the SDR leader fight for budget to run spiffs, contests, prizes etc. Keep it fun and motivating. But only reward the desired behavior and outcomes!

This might not be everyone's cup of tea, and very much against what is main stream media topic now, however we believe that work-life balance term is VERY relative and broad! We encourage our SDRs to prioritise what matters to them best at their life stage, and we support them on that call.