The Sales Development Representative (SDR) is an inside sales manager who focuses on qualifying leads and moving them through the sales process. SDRs typically assist in the early stages of the sales process and thus work closely with an Account Executive who focuses on closing deals.
Responsibilities of the Sales Development Representative
SDRs are responsible for making the initial contact with a prospect. They are tasked with filling the initial steps in the sales funnel / sales funnel. Typically, SDRs generate a list of prospects and / or work through an existing list, contacting prospects and identifying if they should remain further in the sales pipeline. As a result, they either prepare qualified leads for the Account Executive or recognize that the lead has no potential for the company.
SDRs are primarily measured by how many SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads) they have generated. Other KPIs can be (depending on the internal work organization in Sales and Marketing):
- Calls
- Conversations
- Meetings Scheduled
- Sales Accepted Opportunities
- Assessment Scheduled
- Demos Scheduled
- Talk Time
- Upgrade Opps Created
- 4+ Minute Conversations
- Emails Sent
- Opportunities Created
- Activities
- Connects
- Wins
- Demo Completed
- Meetings
- Contacts Added
- Conversations
- Dials
SDRs tasks include:
- Develop list of prospects
- Establish contact with prospects (for example c-level contacts) via email or phone call
- Turn contacted prospects into qualified leads in a short phone / video call
- Set appointments for conversation or web demo with Account Executives
Desirable characteristics of the Sales Development Representative
A Sales Development Representative should be thorough and organized. He should know how to apply a sales process and be able to take clear notes in the CRM to give the Account Executive as much information as possible.
In addition, he should be friendly, for example, to find access to the prospects who are not expecting his call and to be able to check all the qualification criteria of the possible leads. It is important that the prospect does not get the feeling that the SDR is working through a checklist, but rather that the two have a brief discussion and get to know each other.
Salary of a Sales Development Representative
The salary of a Sales Development Representative is around €38,500 gross p.a., although it can go up to €60,000 p.a.