Just started as an SDR? 5 Overlooked Best Practices for your first 30 days

Congrats on landing a role as an SDR!

You're about to embark on an awesome journey. One that is a great path to get into sales, especially in the software/tech world.

BUYER BEWARE! It's also filled with twists and turns.

So before you become the quota-crushing champion you're destined to be, you have to conquer the day... well, the first 30 days of onboarding, training, and ramping that is.

There is plenty of common advice out there to turbocharge your start, such as...

• Study the product
• Practice your script & value prop
• Memorize objection handling
• Know your competition
• Learn your personas and ICP
• Play around with your sales tools and get comfortable with them
• Meet your team, department, and AEs
• Find a mentor
• Join a sales/SDR community
• Help yourself, then ask for help as needed
• Practice, practice, and practice some more

Yes, these are fundamental sound, but my goal is to share a few UNCOMMON tips.

Here's what I wish I knew when I got started as an SDR. These are also things I see time and time again in the most successful SDR reps.

#1: Make an unforgettable impression during your first 30 days!

You only get one first impression, and it makes a lasting impact. It's your (first) time to shine during those early days. 

As an SDR, this is especially important to do with the AE you will support, your manager, and your department head. 

• Your AE is your partner in crime; the better you both work together, the better your collective performance will be.
• Your manager will be fighting for your success. Help her win that fight.
• Your head of department is usually the champion for your promotion down the line. Get on this person's radar, EARLY and OFTEN.

#2: Know your key performance indicators (KPIs).

Know what you're going to be measured on and why those metrics matter.

Understanding the activity funnel and how it leads to meetings is the most important thing to master early on so that you can play the “numbers game.”

Benefits may include (but are not limited to)...

• Knowing how many calls, email, conversations you need to have each day to hit your daily goal
• Better time management & prioritization of activities
• Predictable outcomes
• Beating quota

Actionable, daily goals is a north star for any sales role. Know your numbers! 

#3: Overdeliver on your activity goals early and often.

Afraid about what happens if you miss your number?

For an SDR, there is no better insurance policy than being someone who consistently over-delivers on activities KPIs.

Sales is a game of highs and lows. Preparing for those low moments, where you miss your quota, is best done with high amounts of effort. Show that a missed target it's never from a lack of effort. Crush those daily activity goals and be at the top of your KPI dashboards!

Double whammy bonus point here for speeding up your onboarding by doing instead of only learning, observing, or thinking. Effort over everything.

#4: Flatten the "typical" learning curve.

Be a student of the game by doing because experience is the mother of all education.

• Objection handling = make cold calls, role-play with teammates or your manager
• Cold calling = make cold calls
• CRM & engagement platforms = send emails, find leads to engage
• Time management = test how much you can do (calls/emails) in a set amount of time
• Product knowledge = pitch to prospect... you guessed it, on a cold call

Being in sales is already a grind, and then add all of the things you need to know. The quickest way to learn it all is by doing!

And remember that even the smartest person might take six to nine months to get it all down. Remind yourself to be like a sponge and soak up as much as you can. Act as if you're in a top-tier MBA program, take great notes, go through training, but don't forget the best way to learn is to DO!

#5: Risk-adjusted experimentation leads to massive growth!

Think of a great idea? Test it! Top performers behave this way. The trick is to think up a test that is low-risk (and low-cost). Come up with a way to measure it, and give it anywhere from one to three weeks to test. 

Don't assume your company has THE best way to do something. But DO learn why they do things the way they're done.

Too often, the answer may surprise you as, "because that's how we've always done it."

When that's the case, nothing will help you stand out more than being known as the person who came up with a better way.

SDRing is an ever-evolving field with both traditional truths and evolving realities. Get ahead of this natural progression curve and seek to discover new proven techniques on top of the traditional truths.

And no... cold calling isn't dead.

Agree? Disagree? I'd love to hear your thoughts and additions to this list!

Happy hunting!