The Ultimate ServiceNow Sales Development Representative Review Guide

a year ago   •   3 min read

By Bravado Staff

Learn about the ServiceNow salary, sales culture, and responsibilities.

Role Basics

What does an SDR do at ServiceNow?

ServiceNow Sales Development Representatives (SDR) cold call, cold e-mail, and LinkedIn prospect to set qualified meetings and build pipeline for the ServiceNow Account Executives. As an SDR, you will support 5-6 different field sales reps.

The majority of an SDR’s day is primarily spent outbound prospecting with the remainder spent on customer calls, internal calls, and other administrative tasks.

What type of work experience do you need for this role?

You will need 1 year of sales experience to qualify for the Sales Development Representative role. Many ServiceNow SDR’s come from the Lead Development Representative (LDR) role.

The LDR role is a new college grad role that does not require any prior sales experience. LDR’s are responsible only for distributing and qualifying inbound leads.

How is the sales org structured?

The sales org is structured by account size and vertical. The three main account sizes are commercial, enterprise, and strategic. The main vertical is financial services, however, ServiceNow has recently begun expanding into other verticals.

Which ServiceNow offices do SDR's work at?

The two main ServiceNow sales offices are San Diego, California and Waltham, Massachusetts.

Culture and Daily Life

What's the ServiceNow sales culture like?

Generally, the sales environment is high pressure and you will be surrounded by high performing people.

At ServiceNow, managers generally give you a lot of freedom. They aren’t constantly pestering you about your call, e-mail, or other prospecting activity stats.

Your experience in sales at ServiceNow will still ultimately depend on your performance. If you are hitting your number, managers will leave you alone.

How many hours per week do ServiceNow work?

SDR’s work 40 hours per week on average, with some busy weeks at 50 hours per week.

You will be expected to make roughly 35 calls and 45 emails per day.

Are there opportunities for SDR’s to be promoted into a closing role?

Yes. Many SDR’s are promoted within 12-18 months to account executive roles covering the commercial accounts. ServiceNow also recently created an Enterprise Sales Associate (ESA) role where you are responsible for supporting the enterprise account executives’ smaller, lower priority accounts in that territory.

Salary, Commission, and Quota

How much does a ServiceNow SDR make?

For detailed ServiceNow compensation data, visit our ServiceNow company page.

You will also have access to the ESPP program.

How are the quotas structured?

An SDR has a quarterly quota that is based on the number of qualified meetings (opportunities) they get for the Account Executives. Once you hit 100%, you will get accelerators that increase your bonus payout for each additional qualified meeting you set.

Tips to Succeed

How big of a role does territory play in your success?

At the SDR level, territory can play somewhat of a role in your success.

Some territories get cold and no matter what you do, nobody wants to talk. Some territories are hot and you’re consistently handed several inbound leads. Some territories will have reps that are much more generous when it comes to allowing you to pipe opportunities.

Generally, however, if you’re grinding it out, you will make your number.

Who does ServiceNow compete with?

You will mainly compete against Salesforce (CSM) and Remedy (ITSM).

What is the ServiceNow SDR training like?

You will have two weeks of onboarding where you will be given product and sales training. Once you complete onboarding, you will need to complete the Sales Readiness Program before moving in-seat. The Sales Readiness Program will test your sales aptitude and product knowledge.

What advice would you give to a new rep?

The most important thing as an SDR at ServiceNow is to build strong relationships with your account executives. If you have a meeting that is a stretch to be an opportunity but you have a good relationship with that account executive, you’re more likely to get the opportunity approved.

Other important things to consider:

  • Network with other sales managers to get promoted to the Inside Sales role
  • Plan out your week with certain days fully dedicated to prospecting
  • Block out your calendar so you aren’t overloaded
  • Prioritize revenue generating activities
  • Find an Account Executive mentor
  • Find the top SDR’s and mimic what they’re doing

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