Starting your career as a Sales Development Representative (SDR) is a great opportunity to learn the basics of being a sales professional. The position is exciting, fast-paced and constantly evolving. Here’s what your average day could look like:
Early Morning: Activity!
The primary purpose of the SDR position is to create opportunities for the business. Depending on the company and position details, this typically requires a lot of activity. The first part of your day is likely to consist of these activities:
- Responding to inbound inquiries: Answering calls, responding to emails, fielding website chat questions, etc.
- Facilitating demand through outbound activity: Cold calls, cold emails, product demonstrations, LinkedIn Messages or connection requests, and occasionally text messages
Mid-morning: Follow-up
Most companies have a sales process that they follow. This is a cadence of activities, or a guide, that a SDR will follow in order to produce the required objective. Your follow-up activities are typically handled mid-morning and consist of the typical activities – phone calls, emails, social media engagement, etc.
Noon: Strategize with Team Members
Sometime in the middle of the day, you’re likely to find yourself on a strategy call or meeting, during which you’ll brainstorm on key accounts. This could be with the outside sales reps you’re supporting, with sales leadership or with your peers. Target accounts may be more complex and take a little longer to penetrate. These strategy sessions are key to your job success and to your growth as a sales professional, so don’t overlook their importance.
Late Afternoon: Training
Many Sales Development Managers schedule daily training sessions with their team. This is time dedicated daily to professional development. You could find yourself talking about any number of training topics: competition, pitch, value, target personas, voicemails, etc. Take advantage of these training sessions, because they will help you achieve long-term success.
End of Day: Research / Prepare
You should be as over-prepared as possible for the business day. As the current workday ends, it’s a good best-practice to prepare for the following morning’s activities. Identify what activities and prospects you will be focusing on and where they are in the sales process. Do your research ahead of time, so the few business hours you have are the most productive they can be.
Not all Sales Development teams are structured in the same way. But your day-in-the-life will probably look something like this, especially if you’re with a strong sales team. While it’s easy to get frustrated with time spent outside of actual sales activities (calls and emails), take advantage of professional development opportunities, and always put aside a little time at the end of the day to prepare. The time you spend learning and preparing will make your sales activities more effective.
Want to learn more about being an SDR? Read Sales Development Representative: a Good Entry Level Tech Sales Job?
