Official thread

Bad Sales Advice? Respect for Seniority

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It ain't easy being an SDR, let me tell you.


Let’s take the one that @sahil 's talking about in the video, for example.


They've been putting in the sweat and tears for 5 whole years - and they're not just any ordinary SDR, no sirree.


They're a powerhouse. 55-hour workweeks? No big deal. Hitting targets like it's their job? You betcha.


And what did they get for all their hard work?

A big ol' slap in the face, that's what.


The promotion and transition to AE they deserved, the recognition for their years of service - it all goes to the shiny new SDRs.


And why so?

Because apparently, they’ve been doing their job really well!



Managers, take note.

If you want to keep your top talent, you gotta show them a little love.


Good SDRs (and salespeople) are a rare breed, and when they feel undervalued, they tend to fly the coop. Do you want that?


Treat your top performers right, and they'll stick with you through thick and thin.


Neglect them, and they'll be gone before you can say "quota"...


Bad Sales Advice?



@Gasty



PS: Do check out other videos from Bad Sales Advice series:

  1. Internal Champion not= Salesperson
  2. Demo and Discovery: together or apart?
  3. Lying About Product Roadmap
  4. First Day Prospecting
  5. 60 to 80 calls a day
👨‍🌾 SDR
🎤 Sahil
25
Sunbunny31
Arsonist
3
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
Spot on. Not a fan of holding people back because you haven't got a replacement ... at SDR. Seriously.
TennisandSales
Politicker
3
Head Of Sales
I feel like this has less to do with respecting SDRs seniority, and more to do with recognizing talent and understanding career goals.

This is another reason why the SDR function is so hard. there are not many other positions, where the main goal for the person is to LEAVE as soon as possible, but the company doesnt want that.
Maximas
Tycoon
0
Senior Sales Executive
I second this!
HVACexpert
Politicker
3
sales engineer
Have seen it too many times, if you disrespect your top performers, they will go somewhere else to where they are respected. The idea of holding someone back because they are “too good at their job” is absurd and frankly a horse $&%! Excuse from sub par management
Gasty
Notable Contributor
0
War Room Community Manager
facts
punishedlad
Tycoon
3
Regional Partnership Manager
That sucks so hard. Had a buddy who suffered from this mentality but from the engineering perspective. He wanted to move departments and work on new, exciting things. His manager kept him from moving multiple times because he was the best on the team.
detectivegibbles
Politicker
2
Sales Director
If every company took career/professional development, skills training, etc. seriously and made meaningful investments towards this, I don't think this problem would persist.

Train and reward employees well, they move up within company to AE's.
Now you have testimonials for future SDR's to fill the role."Elite training, clear path for development and growth, etc" = influx of new candidates to fill roles.

Insert classic quote:

Management - "What happens if we train our employees and empower them so well, they leave the company?"

CEO - "What happens if we don't train them well and they stay?"
GDO
Politicker
1
BDM
this is spot on: "

Treat your top performers right, and they'll stick with you through thick and thin. "
goose
Politicker
1
Sales Executive
SDRs shouldn't automatically get promoted to AE after a certain amount of time or after they hit a certain quota. There should be qualifications established for becoming an AE (whether you are an SDR, from another company or a police officer).
This idea that SDRs deserve anything is like saying I've been in accounting for a year so I should be CFO or something like that.
SDRs are marketing employees. Nothing more.
Gasty
Notable Contributor
0
War Room Community Manager
I think if they've not been performing even after 5 years of being in the same role, they wouldn't even be able to sustain in the SDR position.

The top performer SDRs who're hitting quota q-o-q and y-o-y deserve a lot more than they get at some places.
1
Regional Sales Manager
Love it
starson
Good Citizen
1
Senior Sales Manager
A good mentor hopes you will move on. A great one knows you will. 😇
TheEnglishMajor
Opinionated
0
Account Executive
Promote good SDRs to AEs that will help train and promote their SDRs to future AEs!
Tramway15
0
Distributor Principal
When you come across talented people, smart organizations will create roles that fit the person's skill set. Keeping them in a position where they accell is fine , but show them the upside for doing it and empower them to make decisions when they've proven themselves.
1

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