The best growth paths for Sales Development Reps

Over the 5+ years I've been at Looker, I've seen 25 Sales Development Reps (SDRs) move into different roles. One of the best things about the SDR role is that reps get exposure to many different departments and develop a comprehensive understanding of how the business works. This puts them in a great position to find and pursue the path that best aligns with their short- and long-term goals. Below, I'll outline the pathways I've seen SDRs successfully pursue over the years.

Looker's growth path philosophy

But first, some quick context around how we think about growth paths at Looker. At a very high level, we view pathways not as a ladder, but more of a rock climbing wall:

• The best path is usually not straight up – there is nothing at all wrong with lateral movement. Getting exposure into multiple departments does wonders for career development.
• Move strategically – focus more on long-term job satisfaction than climbing for the sake of climbing.
• Enjoy the climb – always be learning; always ensure you're enjoying the work you do.

With that in mind, here are some of the best growth paths for SDRs.

Inside Sales Account Executive

This is the the most logical paths for SDRs to take since they get a ton of visibility into Account Exec (AE) roles during their SDR tenure. Performing the Inbound SDR role – qualifying and processing Marketing-generated leads – SDRs learn how to speak to the product, ask discovery questions to uncover pains, handle objections on-the-fly, and get comfortable on the phone. All very useful traits for a life in Sales.

In the Outbound SDR role – sourcing & qualifying their own leads via cold outreach – they work more closely with Accounts Execs and get more exposure into territory development strategies and down-funnel Sales tactics, so they develop a very firm understanding of the day-to-day processes and challenges they'd face as an AE.

Marketing & Demand Generation

SDRs necessarily develop a knack for marketing – understanding different personas & industries, their pains & use cases, and crafting messaging that addresses these pains. Additionally, SDRs work with and rely on many of the systems the Marketing team uses for demand generation and lead management.

This lends itself to product marketing, running various demand gen channels, coordinating events and trade shows, and managing corporate communications. The more exposure an SDR gets to this world during their SDR tenure, the smoother the pathway becomes.

Operations

At Looker, the SDR role is very process-oriented, and the SDRs who have a keen eye for process are often great fits for operational roles at the company. SDRs are the bridge between Marketing and Sales, and therefore work with many different cross-functional systems. This exposure gives SDRs a great window into how to teams work together and rely on one another, as well as how various tools and systems can and should be connected to create and optimize process.

Alliances

SDRs develop familiarity with the wide world of technology and consulting partners. This is especially true for our Outbound SDRs who have more down-funnel and later sales cycle visibility and responsibility. Similar to the Operations roles outlined above, having an eye for process is helpful here to understand how various teams should work with internal and external Alliances folks. The expertise SDRs develop around messaging, follow-up processes, and project management also lends itself quite well to this world.

Management

The best individual SDRs are the ones who take time out of their days to help enable, coach, and train others. And to be able to do those things most effectively, SDRs need to be experts in various tools, processes, messaging, positioning, and analysis. Many SDRs choose to leverage this expertise by pursuing Inside Sales roles, while others realize that they are more intrinsically motivated by helping others. This latter category are the ones who become lasting and effective managers. 

Final Note

These are not, by any means, the only growth paths that exist. We've seen SDRs move into Customer Support, Customer Success, and a few other roles. The five outlined above are simply the avenues that have been most commonly explored.

Agree? Disagree? Any that I overlooked? I'd love to hear your thoughts.