BDR Lead/Manager + IC

Has anyone been successful in leading a team of BDRs + carrying their own quota (target accounts)? We're currently a team of 7 (early stage) and will add another 8 by EOY. I'll have additional responsibilities as a team lead starting next month but keeping my current accounts for now and hire a replacement later as we continue to scale. I enjoy helping people be successful in their roles and at the same time I enjoy the challenge on getting net new sales as an individual contributor.

7
salesnerd
WR Officer
4
Head of Growth
Yeah, the "team lead" or "player/coach" role is one of the best and worst roles you can have. 

Best: 
You'll learn a shitload.
It's a way of breaking into management if you don't have management experience. 
You can easily transfer the skills you learn to another organization or to a management role within your company. 
You can learn if you ACTUALLY like management in a low-risk way.

Worst:
You'll be pulled in 8 different directions while also trying to close your own deals.
There will be times where you have to choose between your IC role and your manager role. 
You're likely going to be underpaid for it. 
It's a lot more work than you're probably currently doing.

Based on what you've said, I think it will be a good role for you, but try to move out of the player/coach role and into a true manager role ASAP.
Trinity
WR Officer
1
BusDev
Thanks for the insight. I'm getting clarity on how much time I spend on being an IC vs coaching the team. All the reps are new in tech sales.
salesnerd
WR Officer
1
Head of Growth
Spoiler: it's going to be a LOT more coaching than IC work.
DwightsEgo
Politicker
3
BDR Manager
Balance the act- it is a great role for the right person. You will need to be mentally tough, for real. You will be brought into discussions and then you will be left out of some. You will be given responsibility across a lot of things feeling over worked. Control your calendar and set expectations with your manager. It is important to have a constant feedback loop so that they know and feel what is happening. You are there in the role as an extension of management and should be treated as such. 

Let it be your springboard to do what you said in your last sentence. 
Trinity
WR Officer
0
BusDev
Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely watch for having control of my calendar and setting clear expectations along with a constant feedback loop with my team members.
SpiderHam
Opinionated
2
Manager, Sales Development
Yeah, I've had success- had to go through team lead before becoming a manager. @DwightsEgo makes a great point about being mentally tough. The team lead role is meant for you to prove that you can handle 2 of the hardest management skills: time management and being a role model. You're going to have to really balance your time well, and the better you can do this the better off you'll be as a manager. More importantly, you need to demonstrate that you can lead by example. SHOW your team how its done, rather than just telling them. Stay positive all the time. Give recognition where its due.

One of my favorite quotes is that to become a leader, you have to BE a leader. In a team lead role, your managers just want to see that you can be a leader before making you a leader. Read about leadership, ask about it on LinkedIn (you're already taking the first step asking here!) and constantly think about being the best leader you can be. They must have seen something in you to have given you the team lead role, so take advantage! You got this 👊
Trinity
WR Officer
0
BusDev
Thank you. The advice/insight means a lot. I definitely look forward to learning from all of you to be successful in my new role. 
Derpfrickinvalu
Arsonist
0
Account Executive
Yep! My first boss as an SDR was a player coach. He always set the expectation that his meeting output would be lower than the rest of the team due to management responsibilities. But then he'd participate in every call blitz, make 100 calls per day, and set 4+ quality meetings every week. 

Most of our team exceeded quota month over month. 
Trinity
WR Officer
1
BusDev
That’s great to hear. I guess it also helped that your leadership team supported it. 
Derpfrickinvalu
Arsonist
0
Account Executive
Yeah seriously, wouldn't have worked without that. 
11

BDR to AE or BDR Manager?

Discussion
13
BDR Manager or AE
36% BDR Manager
64% AE
94 people voted
10

Would you take a BDR manager role?

Question
11
Is taking a BDR manager role vs inside sales a career killer?
33% Yes - it adds 0 to your resume if you have no closing experience
67% No - being a manager of any sort is a positive thing
129 people voted
6

From BD Management back to AE

Question
12