Out of all the SDRs/BDRs you’ve worked with, what would you say the top traits were? What separated the best from the rest, and how has that informed your interviewing and mentoring of the latest ones you have collaborated with?
Great question!
Being an SDR sucks and the big trap for SDRs is to rush through the position as quick as possible to become an AE with dreams of being on stage during SKO and recognized as a top performer.
What they do not realize is that sales is a like a wicked roller coaster ride.
So some traits I look for in a BDR are the following:
(1) are they coachable and eager to learn
(2) do they have blue collar work ethic
(3) are they competitive
(4) are they confident
(5) Can they come up with their own ideas/strategies
(6) do they have leadership instincts
I think we all worked with some mediocre S/BDRs who really don’t do much and at the end of the month will ask to record any meetings you booked. Key phrase here is “don’t do much”. If I am working with an SDR who is putting in the work, helping me out with certain activities (ie research, contact info, etc), I have not problem “rewarding” my SDR with meetings I have had so they can hit their metrics. So there is a “balance of trade”.
One big problem i see in S/BDR orgs is the lack of training.
Several years ago when I was an RVP, I kept hearing from my team how leads suck and the information they are getting from their S/BDR is BS.
As an example, Timeline.
In this example, the S/BDRs in my org were given a list of questions they needed to have answered prior to handing off to an AE. When an S/BDR asked the prospect for their Timeline and the customer responds with 30-90 days, they mark this lead as a hot lead and get it to the AE immediately.
When my AEs reached out to the prospect and questioned the timeline, the prospect would say, “I need to propose this as a project within the next 30-90 days. If it is approved, then we will have more in-depth conversations, etc.”
After digging into this and having 1-1s with the S/BDRs who supported my reps, i discovered two things…
(1) They are not provided any real training
(2) They haven’t seen product (ie a demo)
After discovering this, I met with the Director of the team and offered to come out with my team to their office and help train and show them what we sell. Not to bore you with all list of activities but at the end of the week, everyone was fired up (AEs and S/BDRs) and the quality of leads improved dramatically.
S/BDR is a shit job. Most AEs really do not take the time to work with them, mentor them, and build a mutual plan. Spending a time with your S/BDR will pay off. But if they don’t have the attributes I mentioned above…you will have to have a very different conversation with their manager.
Probably more info than you asked for, but thought this insight could be helpful.
This responses exceeded expectations in the best possible way, @greg.nishihira. Fantastic insights here! Love how you highlighted the collaborative aspect — the time you spend with them will pay off, but they have to possess the drive (along with the patience) to put in the grind to get to the next level.
1 Like
I think the basic qualities that make a successful SDR/BDR are persistence, adaptability, and efficiency. There’s obviously a lot more that goes into the role but if they encompass these traits you can teach them the rest.
1 Like
I believe that we as AEs first must be willing to invest the time to engage them and understand their needs, wants from us as we are understanding their abilities. Just as there must be trust with customers the BDRs have to trust us and believe that we are a team. I saw too many times that AEs treated BDRs as an interaction vs a relationship. Never asked them how their weekend was or what is important to them outside of work. Never did the bare miminum to understand their goals and what they want to accomplish. I have been very fortunate in my career to work with some outstanding BDRs, the last two are superstars at Celonis and I learned a lot from them. Never underestimate them.
Traits I look for in a great BDR:
Tenacity
Understand the challenges and nuance the customer is facing
Willingness to learn
Ability to stand up for themselves
Ask for help
Be honest about what is going well and what they need help with
Give guidance and feedback to me
Ability to lead
Trust
Good human
1 Like
A good SDR must want to learn and be invested in your business because they see it as the path to the next level. I love seeing the BDRs I’ve worked progress into leadership or AE roles because they took the time to learn how to think like an AE.
1 Like
The best SDR I’ve worked with was a quick learner and really took it upon themself to understand the strategy for each account. That coupled with their persistence and ability to pivot when something wasnt working led to a quick and much deserved promotion.