10 Tips for SDR's + BDR's Who Aspire to Become the Next AE's + VP's

I have so much love + respect for the SDR's + BDR's of the modern sales world. The job can be grueling + thankless, but simultaneously exhilarating + full of opportunity. It can seem almost a paradox to be working in a role that has such a direct impact on a company's business, yet still somehow feel as if you're on the outer fringes of the company hierarchy. I salute those of you who work in these positions today and wanted to share a few strategies with those of you who are hoping to parlay your current role into an elevated sales position within your company or elsewhere.

As someone who was able to leverage a successful track record as a SDR to move into AE/VP-type sales roles, I am frequently asked by those in SDR + BDR positions for advice on what led to my success and what they can do to follow a similar path. I figured as opposed to only sharing this advice with a few people, I could take the opportunity to share with a wider audience here on LinkedIn. I did my best to package some of the strategies that I personally deployed along the way and/or have seen others leverage with success in the list below and hope that you will find some, if not all, of these tips to be useful to you along your journey. I realize this is a bit of a longer article, but I did not want to cheat you from an idea that could possibly change the trajectory of your career.

Without further ado:

1.      Master Note-Taking – Take pride in becoming the best note-taker your company has ever seen. This is one of the easiest ways to add value in your relationship with the AE’s/VP’s that you work with. A few thoughts on note-taking:

a.      Send Your Notes to Your AE/VP After Every Meeting – Even if they don’t ask for it or you don’t think they’ll read it, send your notes! Over time, your AE/VP will begin to rely on your note-taking ability as an asset that they can leverage in meetings. You will begin to find yourself invited to meetings that you previously did not have access to, if for no other reason than to act as the stenographer. Trusting that they have someone to handle the note-taking frees up the AE/VP to think on their feet, pivot within a meeting, and actively engage with prospects without having to shift some of their focus to taking notes. Do not underestimate the value that you can provide here!

b.     Ask for Feedback on Your Notes – Ask your AE/VP to critique your notes, provide feedback, and share any details they captured from the conversation that you may have missed. This will allow for you to quickly understand what information is important to your AE/VP, to gain insight into how they think about deals, etc. It will also encourage the AE/VP to take a look at your notes – and if you’ve done a great job, they’ll begin to take notice.

c.      Highlight Next Steps + Agreed Upon Action Items – Next steps, action items, follow-up dates, etc. tend to have a way of occasionally slipping through the cracks. Having a quick list of who owns what, what was committed in the meeting, etc. to reference as you move forward can be a valuable tool to help your AE/VP shine in the deal process.

d.     Polish Before Sending – In dynamic conversations, notes have a way of getting a bit scrambled as you attempt to keep up with the flow of the conversation. Take a moment to read through your notes, add additional context that may be missing, check for typos, etc. Sending sloppy notes to your AE/VP shows a lack of attention-to-detail and can have harsh repercussions in how they will view your abilities

e.     Story-Order Trumps Chronological Order – The most impactful notes tell the story of the meeting and empower your AE/VP to quickly review the important details, recall the conversation at a future date, and will aid in painting a referenceable picture of the opportunity. Meetings don’t always follow a perfect order, rearranging your notes to group topics together will often be necessary to tie certain elements of a meeting together that may have been discussed at different phases of the conversation, as opposed to simply passing along a transcript of what was said

2.      Find Ways to Stay in the Deal – Getting intimately familiar with the entire deal-cycle at your organization is one of the biggest keys to preparing for a future transition into a AE/VP role, while simultaneously making you even better at your role as a SDR by being able to frame the process for prospects, better-qualify what a meaningful deal for your company is, etc. In many companies the SDR is frequently viewed as an appointment-setter, typically responsible for roughly the first 20% of the sales process. As a result, SDRs often have a limited understanding of the full sales cycle and the steps (both internal + client-facing) that need to be taken at each stage of the journey to progress an opportunity from 1st appointment all the way to closed/won. Shadowing your AE’s/VP’s is obviously the best way to gain this exposure and can be an amazing opportunity for a SDR to begin to build the full-cycle sales skillset that will be required to make a successful transition from SDR to AE/VP in the future. However, SDRs should never assume that they will automatically be given this level of access and should take it upon themselves to find ways to stay in the deal with their AE/VP by continuing to bring value as opposed to simply asking for the opportunity to be a fly on the wall. A few ideas:

a.      Offer to Send the Invite for the Next Meeting – If a follow-up meeting was agreed to, offer to send the invitation on behalf of your AE/VP to the prospect. This saves a step for your AE/VP and also makes the next meeting a part of your calendar. If this meeting is web-based and requires a conference bridge, you are almost guaranteed to be a part of the next meeting, if for no other reason than to open the bridge!

b.     Offer Your Continued Note-Taking Services – If you’ve mastered note-taking, you now have a service that you can offer to your AE/VP that makes you a valuable asset for follow-up meetings, internal discussions, etc. (thus, why I made it my #1 tip!)

c.      Draft a Follow-Up Note to the Prospect for the AE/VP to Send – One of the most crucial elements in maintaining the momentum from a first meeting is the follow-up note. That being said, AE’s and VP’s are very busy and may not have the time to turn around a thorough + thoughtful note in a timely manner, even if it was the most amazing meeting you’ve set for them all year. Becoming your AE/VP’s follow-up note ghost-writer can be one of the biggest value-add’s you could possibly provide. Here are just a few of the benefits of deploying this tactic:

  i.     Build Trust – Putting your ego to the side and helping your AE/VP shine through well-crafted follow-up notes that you have ghost-written for them will do wonders for the trust in your relationship and help them to begin to see you as more than just an appointment-setter

           ii.     Broadening Your Knowledge of the Sales-Cycle – Many times, a component of a follow-up note will be including materials that the prospect has asked for or the AE/VP has suggested sending. These materials can include: relevant case studies, client references, NDA’s/other legal documents, introductions to subject matter experts from your organization, white papers, PowerPoint decks, etc. Learning where to go inside of your organization to track down follow-up materials + gaining an understanding of what to use/when is an essential skill to master when you transition to a AE/VP role – use this opportunity to master it!

           iii.     Understanding What Your AE/VP Looks for in a Follow-Up Note- In many cases, the SDR gets left out of the follow-up process after the first meeting. Making the effort to draft a follow-up note and asking for feedback/critique may be the only chance you have to gain exposure to how your AE/VP drafts follow-up for prospects. 

            iv.     Maintain Momentum – Nothing kills a great first conversation better than taking too long to send the follow-up note. Pulling this note together for your AE/VP allows the deal to maintain velocity which will ultimately make the appointments/deals that you have generated move through the pipeline faster + with higher success rates which will serve as a positive reflection on your efforts as a SDR

             v.     You Might Even Get to Hit Send! – Over time, your AE/VP may begin to trust + rely upon your follow-up skills to the extent that they empower you to send the notes on their behalf. At this point, you’re in!

d.     Offer to Attend Internal Calls/Meetings – At many companies, as deals progress through the sales-cycle, there are a number of internal discussions that happen along the way. These calls can include proposal preparation meetings, meetings with internal subject matter experts to prepare for follow-up prospect discussions, executive deal reviews, solutions meetings, meetings with operations, legal/contract reviews, etc. Getting to know what happens on each of these calls, who’s who at your company, what your AE/VP’s role in each of these meetings is, etc. are all valuable lessons to help prepare for your eventual transition to the AE/VP role. Over time, your AE/VP may even begin to send you to these calls as their stand-in if they cannot make the meeting or have competing priorities

e.     Work on Proposals – Putting proposals together can be one of the most time-consuming tasks that your AE/VP is faced with. Offering to assist with the proposal creation can be a great way to demonstrate value while simultaneously gaining valuable exposure to the proposal process (something a SDR does not typically get to be a part of). It may start as simply tracking down a slide that the AE/VP can’t find, or pinging someone to get their input on a piece of the proposal strategy/content they are supposed to deliver – find a way to get involved. Over time, this may even evolve into you creating end-to-end proposals for your AE/VP once you’ve become familiar with the proposal creation process

f.       Stay Up-to-Date on Your Prospects + Target Accounts – A good SDR knows their prospect list inside and out, researches target accounts, etc. A SDR who is looking to add value to their AE/VP continues to keep track of the account/prospect well after the initial meeting. Things can change within an account in the blink of an eye: prospects can change roles or leave the company, new leaders may join your target account who can impact the deal, mergers + acquisitions can change the entire landscape of your target account, etc. Being able to keep your AE/VP updated on impactful account + prospect-level details can be a huge value-add. It can even be as simple as noticing that your prospect is attending a conference, giving a keynote, or posted about their favorite sports team – any of these scenarios can give your AE/VP an opportunity to stand-out with that prospect or account and will not go unnoticed

g.      Help With Travel – Many sales cycles require your AE/VP to travel and meet with prospects face-to-face. Take advantage of this opportunity to provide additional value to your AE/VP – here are a few ideas:

              i.     Provide Local Recommendations – If you know your AE/VP is meeting with a prospect in Manhattan – take the time to pull together some local recommendations for things like where to get a cup of coffee in the morning, where to take the prospect to dinner, cool venues to grab a cocktail, local events that might be worth checking out or taking the prospect to, etc.

              ii.     Book More Meetings – Leverage your AE/VP’s trip to book time with other local prospects who they could possibly meet with while they are in town to make their trip even more productive, etc.

             iii.     Be Ready + Be Flexible – Travel can present many unexpected challenges – be ready to take a call for your AE/VP if they are stuck on a plane, to reach out in an attempt to move a meeting if they are unexpectedly delayed, etc.

h.     Offer to Work the Deals No One Wants to Spend Time On – After shadowing enough opportunities with your AE/VP and building your confidence on your company’s end-to-end sales cycle, you will eventually begin to feel as if you could sell a deal on your own. At some point, you will need to be able to demonstrate to your company that you have the ability to close before they will be willing to consider your skillset for an AE/VP position. Offering to take end-to-end ownership of deals that your AE/VP may not have time for, but could still provide meaningful revenue for your company. A few thoughts on this, if given the opportunity:

               i.     Don’t Go Rogue – Keep your AE/VP involved and updated every step of the way. They can help you if you get stuck and will want to ensure that you represent them + the company well in the deal even if they aren’t directly involved. Do not be afraid to ask for help – even the best ask for help across the organization more than you may realize

                ii.     Don’t Expect to Get Paid – You have been given a gift, an opportunity to showcase your skills and get real-world deal experience that will positively impact your image + career path at your company – do not make a fuss about expecting to get paid commission for your efforts – this is your proving ground to unlock higher earning potential in the future. In fact, you should be positioning this with your AE/VP as a chance for them to get commission + revenue credit against their number

3.      Master the Meeting Blueprint – Making your meetings as productive + effective as possible is of paramount importance to your career as a SDR. As a SDR, there is no worse pain imaginable than to work your face off to set a meaningful meeting with a high-value prospect only to watch all of your hard work crumble right before your eyes in the span of 20-30 minutes as a result of an unprepared AE/VP laying an egg in the meeting. How dare they?!? All of your time + effort wasted, your personal brand now associated with a terrible memory in that prospect’s mind, etc. Trust me, I’ve been there more times than I would care to remember.  However, at a certain point, you have to stop wallowing in these failures/blaming your AE/VP’s and make a personal commitment to do everything in your power to adequately prepare the AE/VP to represent you and your company well in the meetings that you set and to ensure a pleasant experience for your prospects. One of the best strategies for ensuring that this happens is to prepare a meeting blueprint document + set time on your AE/VPs calendar ahead of the meeting to review + prepare. While it may vary by company, this document usually includes some combination of:

a.      Date, Time, and Location of the meeting

b.     Attendees (your company + prospect)

              i.     Be sure to include as much detail as you’d like for your AE/VP to know about the prospect (i.e. LinkedIn profile, other social media profiles, brief summary of their role, any personal knowledge you gained about the prospect during your discovery conversation, research you’ve done on the prospect, articles they’ve been featured in, videos of them speaking in public, things you know that they care about, etc.)

c.      Prospect Account Overview

d.     Conversation/Opportunity Recap – You should be able to relay the details of your conversation(s) with the prospect to bring your AE/VP up-to-speed on the discussions-to-date as if they were there all along. There is NOTHING WORSE for a prospect than to come to a meeting with your AE/VP and have to repeat everything that they covered in a previous conversation with you to get the AE/VP on the same page – ignoring this step is inexcusable

e.     Roles + Responsibilities – Don’t assume anything or leave the details to chance. Plan for the meeting like you’re planning for a wedding.

f.       Meeting Agenda

g.      Objectives/Desired Outcomes (your company + prospect)

h.     Pre-Meeting Deliverables (identified, ownership assigned, due-dates given)

i.       Insights- Give your company every chance to shine in the upcoming meeting – if you have insight into how your prospect + their company typically dress, how they conduct meetings, if they’re working with a competitor of yours, etc. – get it all out in the open for your team to provide your AE/VP with every possible advantage

4.      Practice Your Introduction – As a SDR, when you set a follow-up meeting for your AE/VP, your speaking role will likely be very limited. That being said, you need to make the most of the few opportunities that you have to speak as this is a chance to showcase your skillset in-front your AE/VP. In all likelihood, you will likely (at-most) have the opportunity to introduce yourself, quickly recap + level-set on conversations to-date, and set the stage for the meeting that is about to take place – and then the rest will be predominantly handled by the AE/VP and your prospect. That being said, you should practice + rehearse your introduction as if the entire career was riding on it. In a way, it is, because if you stumble your way through something as simple as an introduction, why would an AE/VP consider giving you larger speaking parts and increased client-facing roles in the future? Film yourself, record yourself, practice with a friend, do whatever you need to do to ensure that you make the most out of every chance you’re given, no matter how small they are.

5.      Embrace the Admin Role – Many SDRs condescendingly view themselves as nothing more than glorified secretaries/admins for their AE/VP’s. In reality, this is something that should be embraced. Secretaries + admins have a level of access + insight to the businesses of senior executives that many of you would likely envy if you fully understood just how interwoven these roles are to the dealings of some of the most powerful business leaders in the world. As a SDR, you have an opportunity to develop this same level of business intimacy with your AE’s/VP’s and to subsequently gain exposure to their role that will help to shape your future – embrace it!

6.      Leverage Off-Hours to Create Freedom During Business Hours – As a SDR, many of the activities that could catapult your career and allow you to become further involved in the deal-cycle with your AE/VP will come in direct conflict with the day-to-day duties + expectations of your SDR role. Your SDR manager will be unlikely to support your efforts in staying engaged with your AE/VP on deals if that activity stands in the way of meeting your SDR metrics as this is ultimately what your SDR manager’s compensation is based upon. Do your best to remove this objection by leveraging the off-hours (early mornings, evenings, and weekends) to get some of your SDR work done, thereby freeing up some of the traditional business hours to be available for advanced deal-cycle work with your AE/VP. Technology has broken down the barriers respective to work hours – if you wake up early enough or work late enough, you can knock out your email outreach (leverage delayed delivery if you are worried about send time), LinkedIn outreach, etc. before anyone even gets to the office for the day. Take advantage of this to create your opportunity to do the work that will change the trajectory of your career while ensuring that you do not neglect the job that pays your bills today.

7.      Help Your Team – A common trap for a high-performing SDR is the reluctance to share their methods, best practices, email templates, etc. with their peers on the SDR team. Many SDRs believe that since they have worked long + hard to figure out these tricks of the trade on their own – their peers should have to do the same. This line of thinking is especially flawed for the SDR that wants to move into an AE/VP role in the future for two main reasons (among many others):

a.      The Company’s Dependency on Your Performance – As a high-performing SDR wanting to transition into an AE/VP role, if the SDR team’s performance is heavily dependent on your personal production to carry the load – you can actually end up trapping yourself in a SDR role. No matter how much promise you may show as an AE/VP candidate, the company will be reluctant to implode the SDR team’s performance just to give you a promotion. Take the time to elevate the performance of your teammates so that your company will be more likely to trust in the team’s ability to continue to produce as you transition into a new role

b.     You’ll Need SDR Support as a New AE/VP – If your ultimate goal is to move into an AE/VP role, you will ultimately be somewhat dependent on the performance of your current peers in the SDR pool to fill your pipeline as you transition into an AE/VP role. Take the time to duplicate yourself across the current SDR team so that you will be able to have confidence in the quality of opportunities that they will bring your way in the future. Also, do not underestimate the value of having a strong relationship with the SDR pool!

8.      Become Your AE/VP’s Political Advisor – In many modern sales organizations, the SDR team is an in-office operation while many of the AE/VP’s work from remote locations that are strategically aligned with accounts/target prospects, etc. As such, your AE/VP may not have a great deal of connectivity to HQ and can be at some level of a political disadvantage when it comes to conversations that are happening at the office that pertain to their individual business. There’s a very fine line to be walked here between protecting your image/standing with internal forces at HQ and becoming an advisor/informant of sorts for your AE/VP. However, if managed appropriately, you can become a trusted advisor to your AE/VP and build a level of trust into your relationship with them that potentially far exceeds their relationships even with the extended executive team. This trust will naturally lead to increased opportunity in your relationship with your AE/VP and allow for them to see you as more of a business partner rather than just a mere appointment-setter

9.      Set Goals Far Above Your SDR Goals – You may be a SDR for now, but you have your eyes on a future role as an AE/VP. As such, your goals should be far greater than just hitting your monthly SDR performance numbers. A few ideas here:

a.      Set Your Personal SDR Goals Significantly Higher Than Your Target – As an aspiring AE/VP, you want to make it clear that you are capable of much more than the SDR role. Step 1 in that process is consistently shattering the expectation for your role by setting goals that ensure you are seen to be well-beyond capable of delivering through your role

              i.     Ex. If the monthly meeting goal is 10 – aim for 25 every month – dominate! Once you hit 10 for the month, you’re just getting started – while everyone else would be out celebrating the fact that they made goal for the month, you’re working on #11!

b.     Consistently Outwork Everyone – If you are going to set goals that are significantly higher than everyone else’s goals, you must also be willing to work significantly harder than everyone else. You want more out of your career than they do, you are different from them - set a standard of excellence that seems so impossible for the average SDR to hit that they don’t even want to try to compete with you because the thought of working that hard makes them cringe

c.      Know Your Numbers – Pay attention to your numbers – track how many outreach attempts it takes to get a meeting – how many meetings it takes to get an opportunity – how many opportunities it takes to deliver a win for your AE/VP, etc. Once you understand these numbers, build your personal activity metrics accordingly. Depending on your domination goals – you may have to perform 6-10x the number of activities that you are required to do by your manager.

d.     Own Your AE/VP’s Number – Even if you are just compensated on the number of meetings you set, take pride in delivering opportunities that result in wins for your AE/VP. Know their number and make it your mission to be personally responsible for taking them above + beyond that number on your efforts alone. By helping them go far past their goal, you are now creating room at the top + upward mobility for yourself while continuing to build camaraderie with your AE/VP

e.     See Yourself as the AE/VP That You Want to Be – The power of visualization is very real. Begin to see yourself as the AE/VP that you plan to become. Spend time around the great ones, listen to what they say, watch how they interact with prospects + internal stakeholders, and begin to embody their traits. Talk like them, walk like them, dress like them, do business like them - and soon enough you will become one of them.

f.       Make Your Intentions Known – Every company is different when it comes to building a career path, but make sure that you take the appropriate steps within your organization to make your intentions to eventually become a AE/VP known. If a clear-cut path doesn’t exist, propose one! Do not assume that just because you’re in a SDR role everyone knows you want to eventually become an AE/VP. At the end of the day, it is your career – do not expect anyone to take it as seriously as you do.

g.      Keep Accurate Records – Do not count on the company to keep records of your performance and overall impact on the business. Be ready, at any given time, to make a case for the impact that you’ve made through your role. Another benefit to keeping detailed records is that many times as a SDR, you do not get to keep the relationships that you begin for the company with prospects + accounts – however, these people will remember you and you should remember them for the future. Look at the SDR role as a paid opportunity to build a network!

10.  Take Care of Yourself – The role of a SDR, especially one that is looking to shatter performance norms, can be quite labor-intensive. Heavy outreach, long hours spent sitting at a desk + staring at a screen, days can go by with no one responding to your communications, etc. – it’s a grind, both physical and mental! Don’t forget to make the time to take care of the most critical element to your success – you! Ensure that you are taking the time to:

a.      Exercise Regularly

b.     Eat Well

c.      Stay Hydrated

d.     Make Time for Personal Growth –(reading books + articles about your industry, listening to podcasts, studying sales experts, seeking out mentors, maintaining the right level of motivation, paying attention to your mindset, etc.)

e.     Get Enough Rest – Everyone’s sleep needs are different, but take the time to understand what levels of rest your body needs to maintain its peak state. Put in the late hours when you need to – but don’t overdo it – eventually, your work quality, energy levels, mental sharpness, health, etc. will all begin to slip and ultimately limit your progress if you don’t get the sleep that your body + mind require

f.       Love the Process + Don’t Forget Your Roots– The modern-day SDR is an impatient breed. You have to learn to love the process of becoming a great SDR, enhancing your skillset, and leveraging your role as a proving ground + training facility to prepare you for future success when the opportunity for an AE/VP position eventually presents itself. The annals of SDR history are filled with stories of top-performers who made the move to AE/VP only to realize that the skills that made them a great SDR weren’t necessarily enough to make them a great AE/VP. Embrace the process of getting better every day so that when opportunity comes, you are ready to seize it. When opportunity does come, I will encourage you not to forget your roots. I know many AE’s + VP’s who suddenly forget how to do outreach once they’ve been promoted – never get away from the grind + the habits that made you successful. 

I’ll close with the words of Eric Thomas because I believe they sum up the required mindset perfectly: “Fall in love with the process and the results will come.”