What is a Sales Development Representative?

A sales development representative (SDR) is a member of the sales team who focuses on sales prospecting. Their role is strategic, and revolves around finding new sales prospects to connect with, conducting outreach, and qualifying leads before passing them on to another member of the sales team who can help solidify and close out a sale.

SDRs keep the prospect pool full and focus specifically on identifying qualified leads and moving them through the sales funnel.

Why Are Sales Development Representatives Important?

Having dedicated SDRs on any sales team is essential. Staff who are dedicated to filling the sales pipeline with qualified leads are invaluable – they keep sales prospects flowing, which inevitably leads to more deals being closed, and more revenue being generated for the company as a whole.

Because SDRs focus specifically on prospecting, they have the time and resources to do so thoroughly. Anyone can type out a general cold email and hit send, but SDRs know specifically who to contact, what exactly to say, and the precise way to do so.

Sales Development Representative Skills

A seasoned SDR would have the following skills to offer their sales team.

Relationship Building

SDRs must be able to build and maintain relationships with sales prospects. They conduct initial outreach and develop trust and respect to bolster sales. Being personable, respectful, and outgoing are key; adapting your communication to suit different sales prospects is also important.

Video Prospecting

To be a successful SDR you can’t rely only on old-fashioned cold calling and shooting off emails, hoping to get a response. Personalizing your outreach to stand out and make an impression is vital, and video prospecting makes this easier. Cater each video to individual sales prospects, and take the time to speak to them, not at them. SDRs who include videos in their sales cadence see higher open rates and get more replies.

Resilience

It’s important for SDRs to be resilient. Their job isn’t always easier; they’re often met with sales objections and either need to find creative solutions, or recognize that the lead isn’t a good fit and need to move on. Constantly conducting research to fuel sales channels can be exhausting, so being able to work through rough patches is important.

SDRs can power through challenging conversations in a professional manner and continuously work towards their goals.

Communication

SDRs are expert communicators. They’re comfortable speaking over the phone, via email, recording messages on video, and meeting sales prospects in person. They’re outgoing and friendly, but can also cater information appropriately for their intended audiences, and ensure everything they’re explaining is easy to understand. A good SDR will be able to recognize what communication methods best work for each of their sales prospects, and utilize it to the best of their ability.

Listening

Not only are they good at talking, but SDRs are also excellent active listeners, and pay attention to their sales prospects needs and wants. By being able to accurately understand exactly what a sales prospect is looking for and expecting out of a product, they can cater their pitches and highlight important features, and work towards scoring a new customer.