Yes, some SDRs are crushing it. But do they always make the best AEs?
Are some people terrible SDRs but great AEs?
ScorpionZD
Are good SDRs good AEs?
13
I think there are a lot of characteristics of a good SDR that can make a good AE - tenacity, no hesitation on activity etc. - but that doesn't necessarily translate to being a good AE.
Being a good AE is all about asking questions, understanding your ICP and how the product can fit, being able to present well, manage time and so many other things. Many of these just aren't a part of being an SDR.
I think it was @oldcloser who put it nicely. SDRs don't really sell. They push appointments.
It's kind of like AE to Sales Manager - a great AE often won't be a great manager.
Being a good AE is all about asking questions, understanding your ICP and how the product can fit, being able to present well, manage time and so many other things. Many of these just aren't a part of being an SDR.
I think it was @oldcloser who put it nicely. SDRs don't really sell. They push appointments.
It's kind of like AE to Sales Manager - a great AE often won't be a great manager.
Yeah- building quick value and grabbing calendar time is a different skill set. It could be argued that itโs harder, but itโs not the same.
Exactly. There are vast differences in the complexity of the goal and conversations.
Iโve never been an SDR, they werenโt really a thing at that stage in my career. Itโs a grind, and I donโt think Iโd enjoy it. I like the complex discussions, the consultative aspect.
Iโve never been an SDR, they werenโt really a thing at that stage in my career. Itโs a grind, and I donโt think Iโd enjoy it. I like the complex discussions, the consultative aspect.
Wild , huh. SDRs didnโt exist when I came up either. But for that matter, neither did computers. We got a phone book, a couple of pencils and theyโd put a mirror in front of us so weโd smile while calling local retailers.
But the reward was that you got to drive to the appointment you just set and sell it. Then, after you sold it, you had to retain it.
If the office needed me for something, theyโd page me. Iโd call back from a client landline. Shit Iโm old.
But the reward was that you got to drive to the appointment you just set and sell it. Then, after you sold it, you had to retain it.
If the office needed me for something, theyโd page me. Iโd call back from a client landline. Shit Iโm old.
Definitely predate me.. I was using SFDC, just no fancy SDR/BDR shenanigans.
Not every great ball player makes a great coach.
Or vice versa.
Make of that what you will.
Or vice versa.
Make of that what you will.
That sounds like a fortune ๐ฅ
The SDR of today is simply yesterday's Telemarketer and the door-to-door vacuum salesman of yesteryear.
Grinding it out as a SDR is simply a test to see if you have the grit to make it in Sales as a career - at least that's how I look at it.
Anyone who thinks an SDR is not developing "closing skills" is fooling themselves. But an SDR who "kills it" for 1-2 quarters and thinks they are ready for the big game is also fooling themselves.
That said, being an AE isn't some magically transformation. Its not that hard to be an AE. But if you can't make it as an SDR and you don't have cold calling skills (because at the end of the day its the AE's job to fill their own funnel) - you won't make it in Sales...period.
Grinding it out as a SDR is simply a test to see if you have the grit to make it in Sales as a career - at least that's how I look at it.
Anyone who thinks an SDR is not developing "closing skills" is fooling themselves. But an SDR who "kills it" for 1-2 quarters and thinks they are ready for the big game is also fooling themselves.
That said, being an AE isn't some magically transformation. Its not that hard to be an AE. But if you can't make it as an SDR and you don't have cold calling skills (because at the end of the day its the AE's job to fill their own funnel) - you won't make it in Sales...period.
From a mindset perspective, those who are able to push themselves to be good at a tough profession like BDR have the stomach to push themselves to be decent AE.
That said, its a very different skillset... grabbing attention and creating curiosity vs. truly understanding the pain points and matching your products benefits to the problems you are solving.
That said, its a very different skillset... grabbing attention and creating curiosity vs. truly understanding the pain points and matching your products benefits to the problems you are solving.
Not always, as an AE you have to be more strategic and consultative mindset :)
Most of them can be good because they have grit and are good communicators.
Sometimes but its not a guarantee. Being an SDR teaches some high level skills that translate. How to deal with the grind sales can be. But no real skills regarding the ins and outs of closing deals and whatnot.
It depends, right?
There's a lot to learn and unlearn as you become an AE. I didn't crush it as an AE in my initial days, as I crushed it as a SDR. The reason ? I was too rigid in my own ways of working, that didn't quite work as an AE.
I have not seen terrible SDRs become great AEs, yet. But I have seen really good SDRs become terrible AEs later on, though.
There's a lot to learn and unlearn as you become an AE. I didn't crush it as an AE in my initial days, as I crushed it as a SDR. The reason ? I was too rigid in my own ways of working, that didn't quite work as an AE.
I have not seen terrible SDRs become great AEs, yet. But I have seen really good SDRs become terrible AEs later on, though.
By default, no.
One job is not the same as the other job.
One job is not the same as the other job.
Not every finger is a thumb, but every thumb is a finger - did I use it correctly?
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