What Makes a Sales Development Representative (SDR)?
By: Barbara Chikashua, Anitox SDR
Sales development representatives are responsible for outbound prospecting. We research and reach out to prospective customers, find out if they have a need we can satisfy, and introduce them to our company and its products. Those we identify as potential customers are known as leads, and we drive them through our customer relationship management system Salesforce.
I’ve been in sales since 2011, but I’ve only been with Anitox for a few months. My world as an Anitox SDR revolves around lead generation, rather than closing new deals. Like most SDRs, I’m measured by how productive I am – how many calls I make, how much engagement I can drive and how many marketing qualified leads I can get accepted by our sales team. I work with my specialist sales colleagues to get sales leads qualified and moved through the sales pipeline.
As sales development representatives we drive with the lead qualification process; we identify how likely it is for a particular individual to make a purchase. My goal is to identify companies with a high yield need my company can satisfy, find the right individual to speak to – someone with decision-making responsibility - and get them set up with an initial meeting. This allows account executives, my field sales colleagues, to focus further along the sales funnel.
I love it. I’m a social person and I find engaging with people easy. But it’s not just about being able to communicate. It’s about understanding the psychology of selling and having a great strategy to win. With Anitox, I’m set up for success; we have three really useful sales tools: Salesforce, SalesLoft to manage the very top of the funnel, making my outreach really efficient, and Showpad so I can share the right information at the right time with potential customers, and track their responses.
Ultimately, as an SDR I’m an educator; I leverage my selling skills and the resources Anitox has built to help customers solve the problems that are keeping them awake at night.
If you’re good at the job, it’s fun and it's lucrative. For me, I value flexibility, the opportunity to work from home, and the fast pace. It’s also a great kick-off point for a successful career in sales. Some people are career SDRs, some go on to become field salespeople, and others move into customer experience.
As sales development reps we spend a lot of time reaching out to people who know little about our business and asking them to take the first step – booking a meeting. If you don’t like rejection, then this probably isn’t the role for you. But I see it differently; sometimes people just don’t have a need at the moment I reach out. That’s fine; it’s my job to make sure they know I’m here when things change and to make sure they’re aware of the issues I can solve for them. It’s about helping people and making an impression that lasts!
What do you need to be an SDR? Sure, resilience, organizational and research skills help, and the ability to communicate is a must. But most of all you need a hunger for learning, an interest in the psychology of selling, determination, and a fundamental belief in following a process. It’s unquestionably true… making high numbers of successful sales comes from following a process. At Anitox, we’ve got a great process that’s well set out and supported, and it’s getting better all the time. We’re set up to win.
-Barbara
If you’re an experienced SDR hungry to work in a supported environment that’s geared for success, go to www.anitox.com/careers. We’re hunting for the best talent to join our teams in both Europe and North America.