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There are many companies that don't have a mature sales process and yet they wonder why they struggle to make sales. In some of those cases, the Sales Development Representative (SDR) is doing a lot of the prospecting and performing too many responsibilities, which can halt productivity. Many salespeople despise prospecting it doesn’t mesh with their skill sets.
At Company Finder, we subscribe to the Predictable Revenue model, which is a framework that creates year-over-year growth based on a formulaic process. In order to achieve this, systems and processes must be created and implemented as well as an understanding of the funnel, the time frame, and the average sales or deal size.
In its simplistic terms, the SDR #1 (Marketing) works on the top of the funnel and bases their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on landing meetings for the SDR #2 (Sales). By setting those metrics in two distinct functions you can see exactly where there is a disconnect in the sales cycle.
You should have clear metrics. There is a saying that “sales is a numbers game” and you need to be able to measure the number of sales contacts (emails, calls, LinkedIn, etc.) and the conversation to sales. This is easily scalable and trackable and will be refined as the process evolves.
Below are three reasons a SDR should not be prospecting:
It’s simply a waste of their time. Let the SDR build relationships and close deals. That’s what you hired them for right?
SDR #1 and SDR #2 must be incentivized. By having separate KPI metrics, they are able to work together more cohesively and both make a commission on the sale.
SDR #2 need to be learning and developing proficiencies in new tech stacks. As your company scales, so do the tech stacks and usually, those are in marketing. The SDR should be proficient with your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and develop personal relationships with your prospect. Another added benefit is that separating the responsibilities provides greater visibility into problems so you can pinpoint issues and address them.
Do you need assistance with your sales process? Let us know - we have seasoned advisors ready to help you!
Angus Burke
CEO of Company Finder