HIRING FORTHE MODERN SDR

AN INTRODUCTION TO

Introduction

The Modern SDR

Understand Your Needs

The Hiring Funnel

Build a Better Pipeline

Employment Branding

Building a Dream Team: Achievers

Start Building Your Dream Team

Ready, Set, Go

Craft the Job Description

Determine the Pay Scale

Building an Interview Process

Phone Interview

Voicemail & Prospecting Email

Culture Interview

Role Play Interview

3

4

5

7

8

9

10

16

17

17

19

20

21

23

25

27

CONTENTS

3 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

A shift from traditional selling to modern selling techniques is occurring rapidly across all industries.

Sales teams are feeling the pressure intensify as they try to keep up with the transition and stay ahead of new challenges.

Stacking your team with top talent establishes the strong foundation needed to meet and exceed the new standards.

SDRs are the frontline salespeople and the foundation to a strong, successful sales team.

After working with hundreds of startups scaling their sales teams, we made this eBook to shed some light on the challenges growing teams encounter and techniques for overcoming them.

Consider this eBook your guide to building out a rock solid team of SDRs that will help advance your business and crush your sales goals.

A shift from traditional selling to modern selling techniques is occurring rapidly across all industries.

INTRODUCTION

SDRs are the frontline salespeople and the foundation to a strong, successful sales team.

4 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

THE MODERN SDRAs the first touch of the company, the SDR’s main focus is to develop qualified prospects that will funnel through the sales process.

At a high-level, their day-to-day consists of:

They’re typically the most junior folk at your organization, often joining your team fresh out of college.

Entry-level candidates with strong sales DNA will have the pick of their positions and are looking to join a company with a vision or product that they can get behind.

They are motivated by the potential of making an impact in their role rather than money and in many instances, a company needs to sell itself to the candidate, rather than the other way around.

Things like culture, leadership and growth opportunities stand out to the modern SDR and should be kept in mind as a company embarks on a hiring campaign.

Sourcing Leads

Making Cold Calls

Writing Cold Emails

Qualifying Inbound & Outbound Leads

Scheduling Meetings for Account Executives

Modern SDRs are looking for the best opportunity they can find, not the first job they can secure

5 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

HungryCompetitiveEnergeticUrgentListenerPersonableConfidentOrganizedPolishedIntelligent

Sales DNA

Before you can scale your team, you need to understand your teams needs and what candidate profile will fulfill those holes. The first first thing hiring managers look for is Sales DNA. These are the fundamentals any SDR will need to be effective.

Great, you’ve found the candidate with the strongest Sales DNA.

Now, consider the types of people and personalities the SDRs will be contacting and trying to sell to. This will dictate the other qualities you will look for in the right candidate.

UNDERSTAND YOUR NEEDS

Know this about them when you’re making your hiring materials and leveraging your opportunity accordingly.

Modern SDRs are looking for the best opportunity they can find, not the first job they can secure.

6 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

Think: Are you comfortable putting this person on the phone with a CEO?

An SDR who can talk shop and overcome objections with someone in Sales and Marketing may not be able to keep up on a director or a C-level call.

CEO

C - Level

Director

Human Resources Technical End Buyers

Sales & Marketing

SMBEnterprise

Are you comfortable putting this person on the phone with a CEO?

7 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

The process of hiring great talent is identical to closing big deals.

The first step is filling your hiring funnel.

The hiring funnel is identical to the familiar sales funnel and follows the same structure for narrowing a wide search down to the golden few.

Leads Candidates

Interviews

Hires

Pipeline

Wins

A bad hire costs an organization as much as $50,000, with 69% of employers reporting that they’ve been affected by a bad hire last year.1

THE HIRING FUNNEL

Don’t be one of these blue people.

1 Hireology, a platform enabling SMEs to organize their hiring process and make better hiring decisions, 2013 Hiring Statistics.

8 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

Unless you’re excellent at employment branding (which we’ll show you how to do later) the candidates coming in through inbound channels (Job Boards, LinkedIn, website, Craigslist, etc.) are more than likely not stellar candidates. The best candidates aren’t actively looking for a new job.

If you treat the hiring process like a sales process, and prospect candidates the way you would business, you will undoubtedly build a rock solid sales team.

The outbound approach to finding talent is fairly straightforward; you search for the people that align with your wants and needs and you reach out to them, pitch your opportunity, and close for next steps.

Now that may seem obvious, but the struggle with finding talent is that it takes time.

A lot of it.

Time that you as a sales leader can, and should, be spent coaching and managing your current team for success, strategizing about revenue growth, meeting potential investors, etc.

But if you do not take the time to manage your hiring funnel, you will fail to hire and retain top talent in the long run.

BUILD A BETTER PIPELINE

Treat the hiring process like a sales process and you will undoubtedly build a rock solid sales team.

The best candidates aren’t actively looking for a new job.

9 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

Through employment branding you leverage yourself, your team, and your company in a way that showcases your opportunity as the best opportunity.

It is what will separate this SDR opening from the next SRD opening and it will drive top talent to your pipeline.

Ask yourself:

EMPLOYMENT BRANDING

Why is your company unique?

What’s exciting about your opportunity?

Why should they work for you?

Why do people want to work where you work?

What’s your brand as a hiring manager? As a sales leader?

What is your competitive edge?

2

4

1

3

5

6

Having a clear understanding of your employment branding and promoting it across your website, in your job descriptions and during your interview process will give candidates an idea of what its like to work for you and distinguish you from your competition.

Establishing yourself as a thought leader will attract top talent.

Establishing yourself as a thought leader will attract top talent.

10 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

BUILDING A DREAM TEAM: ACHIEVERS

SENIOR DIRECTOR, SALES DEVELOPMENTRALPH BARSIINTERVIEW WITH

11 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

What I wanted when I was brought on board was structure more than anything. After framing a strategy, it was all about the people first, scaling the team personnel wise, then developing some process around our inbound and outbound efforts. Crafting a sales playbook then making sure they had the tools and technologies in place to succeed.

What we’ll do moving forward, is turn the dials and fine tune.

HOW DID YOU START BUILDING YOUR TEAM?

JONATHON DAVISSales Development Representative

“He's constantly challenging us and making sure we never get complacent. There is always something we could do better and Ralph is very constructive, and you never take it personally.”

12 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

We have a very tight crew on the SDR team. I don’t have these people on my team for very long so I make sure that expectations are set early on in the recruiting process to make sure that they’re committing to a two year term.

Since the term is finite, we don’t have that much time to develop their skills, to coach them, and teach them to become fighter pilots by the time they become AEs. In fact we have a formalized career path that we hand new hires when they walk in!

We look at 4 and 6 month terms. It is basically like a Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior, Senior path to becoming an account executive, and the SDRs know that they need to be checking off the boxes in the plan and delivering results at the same time.

Since I’ve been here, the SDR team has met or exceeded their goal for 4 consecutive quarters. We know that word is getting out into the marketplace that if you join this team, you’re already on a team of winners.

WHAT’S EXCITING ABOUT YOUR OPPORTUNITY?

LUKE WALTERSSales Development Representative

“There were other offers I had before I met with Ralph, but I decided to take the interview because he explained to me how it was a stepping stone to a better opportunity, and that is what really sold me on not taking the other opportunities."

13 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

I try to be as active and as present as I can in our space. The American Association of Inside Sales Professionals (AAISP) is the organization to be a part of if you choose to be in inside sales.

I’ll also be a part of the Sales Hacker Conference, for example. That’s how I get my name and my reputation out there. I will try and talk about relevant points that people want to hear, and help them come along in their career or in their current position. That seems to attract the candidates that I’m looking for.

I’ve had a lot of struggles with interviewing candidates that just weren’t properly prepared so I ended up writing an article on my blog on how to nail an SDR interview. That made its way into the stream and the results have been fabulous. Candidates are researching Achievers and they’re researching me and they’re finding that article and when they come in they’re really prepared for what we’re looking for from them.

HOW DO YOU DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF WITH PERSONAL BRANDING?

ALLISON SCHULMANSales Development Representative

“In the end, it really was Ralph’s excitement that made me want to work for him. The other offers that I had at the time, they weren’t as excited and they just seemed like they were going through the motions, and I could tell that Ralph really wanted me here, and support me and help me grow.”

14 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

I think it is a lot different, definitely for the better today because of evolving technology. If I’m not in the loop on that I’m going to die on the vine.

70% of the buying process is done online before people engage with your company and the same is happening today with college graduates. They’re doing that research about the companies that they want to work for and how they need to differentiate themselves among other candidates way before they even call that company or apply. So when that company puts a job description out, they jump on it.

You know immediately who has done their homework and who hasn't. It’s evident when they walk in the room if they have their act together and those are the people that I want. They’re the ones who are going to be talking to our customers and have done their research, making the conversation about the prospect and not themselves.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SDR CANDIDATES THEN VS. NOW?

ZAC AKINSales Development Representative

"I wanted to get into sales, because I wanted to get into a more competitive environment and it seemed that this would be best for my sales career, where I’d learn the ins and outs of being an SDR, but also set me up for success further down the road in my career."

15 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

The consistent results that this team gets. When candidates can see the rubber meeting the road, they see their colleagues getting promoted, they see former SDRs from this team doing well in their career, that’s really appealing to them.

It is proving to them that if they join this team, we’re looking at a two-year timeframe where really incredible things could happen. They’re going to get good mentorship, good coaching, good teammates who will become life-long friends.

I think that when we start to talk about these things early in the interview process we really differentiate ourselves and they’re thinking if they get the opportunity here it’s going to be different from the other offers.

WHAT ARE THE TOP THINGS THAT ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT?

ANDREW DOOLITTLESales Development Representative

"I had never heard of Achievers or recognition programs, so therefore it was last on my list, and was actually looking to get into an AE role, When I found out what Achievers was doing, and their $30 Billion market, I passed up being an AE to be a part of what we’re doing here."

START BUILDING YOUR DREAM TEAM

17 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

Once you’ve outlined what your employment branding looks like, you’re ready to start the interview process. It begins with crafting a compelling job description.

Feel free to steal any or all of this material to aid you in your own hunt for talent.

Customize the hiring process for your own needs, and use the job description template to fill in your own needs, requirements, and salaries. The more detail and work you put into creating a process, the easier running candidates through it will be.

READY, SET, GO

The first step in any hiring process is having the role defined and a job description crafted.

If you can’t articulate what you are looking for and what you want this person to accomplish, how will you find them?

They’re fairly straightforward, and can often be boring.

Feel free to use creative flare and colorful language to spice up the description-- you are trying to get someone excited here!

CRAFT THE JOB DESCRIPTION

18 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

SAMPLE SDR JOB POST

Sales Development RepresentativeFull-Time%%Company%%San Francisco, CA

About %%Company%%

%%Company%% is a unified data platform for development and IT operations teams and offers a brand new way to manage applications and infrastructure in the cloud age. Our unique combination of data aggregation, visualization and social interaction connects teams to all the tools and service providers they need to build and run reliable systems.

%%Company%% is seeking to hire our first Sales Development Representative (SDR). We’re looking for someone who will be responsible for identifying and qualifying outbound opportunities. The successful SDR is a self-starter, has excellent telephone/communication skills, well organized, able to multi-task, and comfortable and / or experienced in contacting and conversing with senior business executives and technical buyers. Most importantly, you must have an insane desire to compete and an even stronger will to win.

As the SDR, you will often act as the first contact for many %%Company%% prospects with the objective of selling Software as a Service in high-volume, 30 - 45 day sales cycles. Successful SDR’s will possess a demonstrated ability to develop strong business relationships and sell in a fast paced environment. Must be able to collaborate in a team environment, possess strong interpersonal and communicative skills and hold yourself accountable to the highest level of standards. This position offers unlimited growth potential and uncapped commissions.

Responsibilities

Using multiple lead-generation tools, generate a minimum of 60 outbound calls per day.Achieve monthly, quarterly and yearly pipeline and forecast goals and defined objectives that our inside sales team can convert into qualified opportunities.Achieve quota for number of contacts / activity / opportunities with prospective customers.Develop, present and implement plans to your manager for acquiring new business and traction in your assigned area - including activity breakdowns, performance milestones and resource requirements.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree preferred coupled with the desire to begin a sales career (prior sales experience preferred but not required).Self-starter who can multi-task and adapt to changing situations.Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an ability to influence others.Conveys a sense of urgency and drives issues to closure.Mature and confident with strong interpersonal skills and a true team player.Self-motivated, driven and dynamic personality.

About

Job Description•

•

•

•

Values of the overall companyMission can you add into the day to day expectations

Look at your employment branding for inspiration.Add personality

Be specific

Be concise

•

•

Responsibilities

Qualifications

Location(s)

CompanyDurationJob Title

19 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

Here’s the breakdown of the salary data that we’ve collected between San Francisco and New York City.

$65,000

37.5%

$51,015

$57,437

$46,032

$84,336

68.1%

$48,947

$53,351

$45,903

DETERMINE THE PAY SCALE

San Francisco

San Francisco

San Francisco

San Francisco

San Francisco

New York

New York

New York

New York

New York

AVERAGE OTE

EQUITY

AVERAGE

HIGH

LOW

20 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

At this point, you should have all the materials you need to build out your interview process.

Look to your job description for inspiration as you determine the track you want candidates to take throughout the interview process. If your SDR will be making cold calls, have them do an assignment making a cold call. If they're going to be doing more cold emailing, have them do a cold email assignment.

The sky's the limit when it comes to building an interview process and depending on the type of company you have, and the conversations your SDRs are having will ultimately determine the interview track that best suites your business.

Most interviews for SDRs follow a four-step process beginning with a phone interview, a relevant assignment, a culture fit, and finally a role play.

Feel free to emulate the process we've outlined here to match your own needs and qualifying measurements. Again, the more detail and thought you put into your interview process can not only disqualify or qualify a candidate, it gives you a gauge of where they will be at once they join your team.

BUILDING AN INTERVIEW PROCESS

PhoneInterview

Voicemail &Prospecting Email

CultureInterview

Role PlayInterview

21 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

PhoneInterview

Voicemail &Prospecting Email

CultureInterview

Role PlayInterview

PHONE INTERVIEW

PURPOSEThe phone screen is an integral first step to the interview process.

30 seconds on the phone can tell you a lot about a candidate that you will never be able to find on a resume.

Sure, convenience plays a factor, if you can tell within the first few minutes somebody will not be a fit you shouldn’t waste your or their time by bringing them into the office.

But even more importantly an SDR will be spending their entire day on the phone.

There is no better way to gauge someone’s phone skills than with a phone call.

We’ve included some sample questions on the next page to get you started.

30 seconds on the phone can tell you a lot about a candidate that you will never be able to find on a resume.

There is no better way to gauge someone’s phone skills than with a phone call.

22 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR A PHONE INTERVIEWWhy sales?

When was the first time you sold something?

What is your cold calling experience? How do you feel about cold calling/how comfortable are you making cold calls?

Give me a 30 second pitch..

Can you explain to me how you’ve used a CRM system in the past?

How would you describe %%Company%% to friends and family around the dinner table?

Tell me when you were told “no”

We work on various roles, technologies, and candidate personalities. How do you adjust your sales pitch to different audiences?

How do you personally stay focused while working in an environment that has many distractions? How can you keep others focused?

What tools have you used in the past, and how have they contributed to your success?

2

1

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

23 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

PhoneInterview

Voicemail &Prospecting Email

CultureInterview

Role PlayInterview

VOICEMAIL & PROSPECTING EMAIL

PURPOSEHaving a candidate do a mock voicemail and draft up a prospecting email is a great second step to the interview process.

The voicemail can be a more accurate representation of someone’s phone presence than the screen call.

And you can get a gauge for their writing and email skills before their on the payroll.

All things being coachable of course. Here you’re just making sure that they’re not too far off spec, understand the fundamentals and more importantly, have done their homework.

24 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

PROSPECTING EMAILIdentify a company that you think would be a good fit for our %%SaaS%% and determine who you think would be the right person to reach out to about our service.

Draft a message (email) that you would send to this person. This is the first initial touch and will be your bait to get to the goal of pitching %%SaaS%% to your prospect.

VOICEMAIL ASSIGNMENTYou have gotten this person’s phone number from someone in your network. You are now calling this person to pitch the %%SaaS%% service and get a call back.

25 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

PhoneInterview

Voicemail &Prospecting Email

CultureInterview

Role PlayInterview

CULTURE INTERVIEW

PURPOSEOne of the most important aspects of an interview process and often the most challenging is determining whether a candidate will fit in with a company’s culture.

One of the best ways to do that is by involve your team in that process! Think: would I want to spend any time with this person outside of work?

Bring the candidates into your office and have 2-3 people sit down with them and chat.

Culture interviews are pretty open-ended and you should feel free to talk about anything, but here are some questions to get you started.

26 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR CULTURE FITWhat excites you about waking up to go to work everyday?

How do you want to feel when you leave at the end of the day?

What shows that you’re a good fit for a startup?

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

What excites you about technology?

What’s your ideal work environment: one in which you can work on several dynamic projects at one time or one in which you can work on one task at a time through completion?

How do you personally stay focused while working in an environment that has many distractions? How can you keep others focused?

What do think makes a good team player? Would you describe yourself this way? How do you deal with those who are not?

Our organization is set up in a way that involves multiple people in the placement process. How would you build consensus for everyone involved in this process?

2

1

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

27 An Introduction to Hiring for the Modern SDR

PhoneInterview

Voicemail &Prospecting Email

CultureInterview

Role PlayInterview

ROLE PLAY INTERVIEW

PURPOSETypically the final step in an SDR interview process is a role-play interview, which is an artificial simulation of a scenario where the candidate acts as if they’re doing the job they’re applying for.

Here you can find out if they truly have Sales DNA and how good they are at thinking on their feet, as well as how they respond to a situation where they don’t know the answers. They’re also a useful way of conducting a further cultural assessment of a candidate.

PROMPTYou’re making a cold call and I pick up. Your goal is to qualify me as a good fit for %SaaS%% and to schedule a follow up meeting with an account executive early next week. Ready, set, go.

THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK IN YOUR HIRING!

At Betts Recruiting we partner with the fastest growing and most innovative Tech startups in the United States and

Europe. We personally match all of our candidates and specialize in recruiting for revenue generating roles such

as: Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, and Business Development.

www.bettsrecruiting.com