AEs: Do you self-source your leads?

Question

I'm an AE at a MarTech platform. In our weekly meeting, my manager told us: "most AEs self-source 10-20% of their leads" in an effort to get us to do the work of the BDR team, too.

It used to be clear at my company that leads were qualified by BDRs and placed on AEs calendars for demos, nurturing and closing -- and only new-hire AEs did prospecting for a month or two while they were training until their calendars filled up. But the call volume from BDRs has slowed down in recent months.

Can anyone vouch for this 10-20%, or is it bs?

Accepted Answer

I have said it many times here and elsewhere - it’s YOUR job to fill you funnel.

Answer

You either die a top-performer, or live long enough to see yourself filling your own opportunity funnel.

Answer

yes. any AE that relies on inbound alone sounds too good to be true to me (assuming theres truly enough to fill your pipe on inbound alone).

Answer

10-20%? I would plan on 50%+. @Pachacutisaid it best, it’s your job to fill. Then hopefully you’ll be swimming in accelerator money bc your BDR team achieved what they promised.

Answer

yeah totally legit. i think the industry is moving more towards AEs doing more prospecting as a whole.

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Depends on the company, but I typically like to do some of my own prospecting.

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Yes it’s common to do your own prospecting rather than fully dependent on the BdR team

Answer

Absolutely you should be looking for your own accounts and leads. The alternative is to sit on your hands and complain about marketing. :)

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it s a group effort. You and your BDR are both responsible.

Answer

Let me be a contrarian here. In 2023, it is the job of the VP of Sales, VP of Marketing and the CRO to get good leads to AEs. Period. AEs should not be self sourcing, or dialing for dollars for leads. It is a waste of time and resources. The B2B sales cycle is so complex with so many moving parts, your sales process should look like this:

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100% on me. IF there is anything else that comes my way, it is not expected and is just called "extra"

Answer

Yes.

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I've never worked at a place and not sourced at least 75-80% of my own deals. I think a lot of SDRs/BDRs get very little training for the most part and as a result I either have gotten nothing from them, or a bunch of no-shows or poorly qualified opportunities. I've tried in the past to do some coaching to help out (which in turn would help me get better deals referred to me) but I honestly don't have the time to do that and my own job.

Answer

I've been selling tech for 8 years or so and had a mentor early in my career tell me to grind to hit my number on my own, let BDR's and marketing supplement that. Even if you fall short, you still fall ahead of most others on your team. Advice that has served me well fwiw.

Answer

Bout 50/50 self and BD.

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I have yet to work at a company that has an effective enough BDR/SDR org to rely solely on the above. You would need to be in a true "inbound business".

Answer

I would estimate that 60-70% of sales organizations tell AEs that sourcing leads will account for 20-30% of their pipeline with the rest being sourced by the BDR/Marketing/Inbound teams.

Answer

If I miss quota I’ll get fired, not the BDR team/marketing, therefore I will forever fill my own pipeline

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AEs: Do you self-source your leads?

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AEs: Do you self-source your leads?

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