It's Wrong to Comp Your SDR's For Qualified Opps

Last I checked I cannot remember the? last time an SDR Manager/ Director said,

"Hey, you know how we should comp me and my team?? Let's do it on SQL, SAL for which we have no real clear criteria that avoids someone's judgement of others to 'accept the lead'.?

So, buckle up butter cups. I am saying the quiet part out loud,?

And, YES I AM YELLING at your C-Levels if they are making this suggestion. Feel free to pretend?my response is in ALL CAPS for them.?

Every time I hear this request there are a whole bunch of "why" questions?that need to be answered.

Who is making this request specifically?

1. I want to know titles, I want to know roles
2. What is their rationale? And they need to get real specific (We are missing goal, we need more goodness in the funnel)

What is the?use case specific rationale they are?thinking about to?make this request?IIs the sales team missing a quota?

1. Does someone think SDRs are overpaid?
2. Is someone simply trying to reduce costs in general?

Why have the poor performing sales reps not been fired sooner?

1. This is what got us here in the first place in?most cases.
2. We tend to hang onto sales reps 3-6 month longer because of the PIP process.?A PIP does not require paperwork?for At-Will states, no matter what HR says. It merely needs to be a documented conversation. That document?can be an email imo.

Is the AE team's comp going to be adjusted to require them to source a % of their own leads?

1. Why not?
2. If not, then the answer to their request is a HARD M'FNG?NO!
3. If an AE is not hitting goal, and not prospecting a % of their own business, and they have not been fired, see above.

If sales team is not hitting goal

1. If less than 70% of your team is not hitting their quota it's a goal issue then it's not an SDR problem to solve on their own.
2. What training and coaching, and I mean specific down to hours of training, and hours of coaching per rep is happening?
3. And no, reviewing gong calls is not enough because nobody is listening to the entire gong call for every rep, and then spending 10-15 minutes coaching them at minimum on every call.?

Is EVERY VP and C-Level required to set 2-3 qualified meetings per quarter themselves for the team?

1. I don't care what department that C-Level is in.?
2. And? they are not, why not??They have the title they should be using it other than inflating their ego and a high base salary thanking their lucky stars they don't have to prospect.?

How much budget is going to be allocated for their sales training?

1. Because what they ask is not "prospecting training"

Will SDR Management to SDR Ratio reduce?

1. Managers now have to coach on prospecting skills (cold calling, email, linkedin) AND sales skills
2. How much time is being spent coaching now??
3. How will the current leadership team create time to coach on these new skills?
4. Or is leadership smoking hope-i-um thinking they can just create a multiverse around the space time continuum?

What is your AE to SDR ratio?

If you have more AE's than SDRs, you're doing it wrong

At minimum it should be 1:1Best is 2 SDRs to 1 AE?

(Pause for 30 second deep breathing exercise)

If you are being required to do it, then I'd say you follow all the advice given to build a good plan.

Oh, and update your resume because if more than 20% of my above statements are true, it's time to find leaders who will own accountability better.?

And feel free to include?this email as your resignation letter, you can even keep my phone number so they can call and try to pretend it's my fault, just like they are blaming their poor leadership and lack of self-accountability on the SDRs, cause yeah, I'm the problem.

(30 second pause to enjoy the laughter of "Oh, Richard, if only I could.)

XDR's can only be compensated on what they can control.

1. Right person, right company
2. Need based on minimum requirements.?XDRs do Qual Calls (QC means qualified person, not qualified opportunity)AE's do Disco Calls AE's (DC means a qualified opportunity)
3. Meetings Booked
4. Show Up Rates
5. Sitting in on ___ first and second calls per month (learning)
6. No judgements by others to determine if it's a "good lead"?
7. If you wanna bonus them 1% on closed revenue, that's a great thing to do.?

XDR's cannot be comped on:

1. Timeline (meaning a project is planned)
2. Budget (Oh please, no 20 something is gonna pull that number from a decision maker, plus it's too soon)
3. Someone else's opinion of it being "qualified"

Be sure tip your wait-staff and if you liked this. And certainly you're welcome to stick around for the 2nd show when I go off on people who think there's something called a Buyer's Journey, there is no such thing, only a Buyer's Experience through the Seller's Journey

Want to chat more? Hit me up here