Revolutionising SDRs: Insights and Innovations for Q2's Success

First Things First…

I hope you all had a) a peaceful and relaxing Easter break with your loved ones and b) a brilliant end to the quarter!

As we enter Q2, I’m also excited to share more features and opinions in our newsletter.

One area I want to improve upon is the recent lack of female representation in our interview segment. If you wish to participate as an interviewee, reply to this email!

Content of the week

• You lose the deal as soon as you give away free access to the trial
• What cool AI stuff is out there for SDRs?
• How do you identify a gap in your reps performance, and improve upon it?

What am I seeing this Week: We as leaders need to do a better job setting expectations for our direct reports

I think a lot about Sales Development, not only the processes but also the people. I fear we are coming to a juncture, if not already, where we will have a ‘lost generation’ of SDRs who never make it into a role other than the one they are currently in.

Big words, but keep with me as i try and explain.

COVID, that terrible period that we are still recovering from, will have a ripple effect on people's learning development. We are already seeing concerns from educators about this.

But my hypothesis, and something i’d be interested to see in the data, will be the period between 2020-22, how many of the new hires

1. Ramped on time
2. Hit quota
3. Were promoted to new roles within 18 months
4. Stayed in those roles beyond 6 months or were managed out

The final two will indicate what many of us have seen with SDR's behaviours, who have shied away from the traditional, confrontational view of cold calling versus the security of sending an email.

Why was this? Because of the need for remote work and the lack of new hires being able to learn by osmosis (I should trademark this!). It meant that our SDRs were able to do what they ‘felt’ was the best action, mostly using projection of themselves of how they’d like to be interactied with.

What will this create? It's going to create a generation of SDRs who are not comfortable making quick pivots on discovery calls to be able to handle simple objections, as they haven’t been in the arena of having lots of conversations, many confrontational, to handle this.

So, what should we be doing as leaders? We need to set clear expectations of what we expect in the role. If you want your reps in the office 4 days a week, as you see a 95% promotion rate to CAE within 12 months with this, then you need to tell the candidates this. Don't sugarcoat just to fill a seat. Its our responsibility, as people leaders, to be caringly candid.

Do you agree? Or disagree? Let me know!

Grow your connections and meetings set by 3X overnight? Orum makes it possible.

Orum is an AI-powered Live Conversation Platform designed to connect your reps with more prospects by removing the manual aspects of cold calling and driving greater conversation rates. The best way for sales reps to improve their pitching is by getting more opportunities. Orum delivers those more at-bats in less time, opening up calendars for personalized prospecting, call reviews, and improved objection handling. Interested in learning more about Orum’s industry-leading AI-powered dialer?

Check it out here!

Overwhelmed by Sales Tools Options?

Sales tools often boast an alphabet soup of features.

Deciphering complicated technical jargon can be time-consuming and frustrating, leaving you confused and unsure if it will help with connection or conversion rates.

Meanwhile, researching, comparing, and evaluating sales tools can be highly time-consuming.

Diverting your focus from core business activities like closing deals and managing your team.

This is where we’ve built Stakki , your free sales tool calculator.

We mapped 176 tools and their integrations, minimum costs, feature overlaps and freemium options.?

Visit stakki.io to make the selection of sales tools easy for you.? Or book your free consultation call and we’ll recommend the best three tools for whatever you are trying to achieve.

Five Questions of the Week: Tom Salley

This week, we are joined by Tom Salley , SDR Manager at Pexapark . Ive had the pleasure of getting to know Tom with his sterling assistance on producing our SDR Leaders of EMEA Live events. Tom will share how he got into Leadership in today’s interview!

Firstly, tell me a little bit about your journey. How did you end up as an SDR Leader in Greece?

Originally from Normandy, France, my journey began in engineering before transitioning to sales, focusing on SaaS B2B cleantech. Now based in Athens, Greece, I manage a remote team of SDRs. It's been a dynamic journey marked by a passion for renewable energy and a commitment to driving innovation in the sector.

What is it about the SDR Leader role that you love?

I thrive on managing and coaching my team, finding immense joy in empowering and motivating each member. This aspect of my role brings me the most fulfillment and satisfaction.

When did you realise that leadership was the career path you wanted to follow, and how did you make it happen?

I realized leadership was my path when I found joy in helping others grow and reach their potential. Setting the example was pivotal to making it happen

Drawing on all your experiences so far, what advice would you give young Tom on their first day as a manager?

On my first day as a manager, I would advise my younger self to fully embrace the role and immediately challenge any aspects that I believe need improvement to make a positive impact. Listening attentively to team members is essential, as their insights often hold the key to the team's success. Empowering each team member and establishing transparent communication channels with management are crucial.

With AI looking to disrupt the SDR space, what do you see as the role of SDR evolving in the next 36 months?

I foresee a significant evolution in the role of SDRs. While calling remains a top priority, email outreach will become less frequent but more personalized. Quality will prevail over quantity, emphasizing the importance of genuine, tailored interactions over vague AI personalization. This shift will grant SDRs more room for creativity in their approach, enabling them to craft compelling messages and strategies that resonate deeply with prospects.

Cut SDR Hiring + Ramp time by 70%

The average time to hire an SDR/BDR is two months. Ramp takes another 2-3 months.

That’s five months of unrealized pipeline and revenue. At €30k ACV and ten meetings quota, that’s €1.5 million in pipe not generated.

SDR Hire cuts that by 70% by giving you access to a pool of vetted and experienced remote SDRs from Southeast Europe (Serbia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Greece, Bosnia etc).?

Sales leaders at companies like NES Health, Schoolyear, and Allwhere average 4-7 qualified interviews with near-to-native English speakers in the first 24 hours. Time-to-hire averages 3-4 weeks, while reps start performing within the first few weeks (as opposed to 60-90 days).

They work on a performance model, so you only pay if you end up hiring their SDRs. Book a call with their founder Stefan and see if one of their remote SDRs would fit your culture .

Book of the week

Successful Executives Handbook by Susan H. Gebelein

An oldie but a goldie. This is a great guide for 2nd-line leaders who aspire to 3rd-line leadership roles. You can dip in and out of it to seek advice on many problems. Id buy it if i was you before it goes out of print.

Buy it here

Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I could help you

The new Community for European-based SDR leaders: SDR leaders of Europe

An ebook about SDR<> AE Alignment: Closing the Gap

3 Coaching slots are still available for the Spring/ Summer: Sign up here