SADNESSLieutenant profile picture
SADNESSLieutenant profile picture

SADNESSLieutenant

Officer of ♥️

Politicker
Arsonist
Opinionated
+9

Interview prep - how to ace the SDR/ Enterprise AE pairing interview

Sup savages.


So I am meeting my new enterprise AE tomorrow for a potential SDR position I am having, it is the 2nd before final interview. I wanted to get some pointers for that interview. Things an Enterprise AE would want to hear from their SDR


  1. he is my god
  2. I will personalize my outreach, I will personalize my outreach, I will personalize my outreach, I will personalize my outreach, I will personalize my outreach, I will personalize my outreach
  3. my general skills/accomplishments/methods
  4. I will qualify the meeting, I will qualify the meeting,I will qualify the meeting, I will qualify the meeting
  5. anything else?


the kid,

out


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16 comments

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TheNegotiator
Arsonist
3
VP of Sales
Read that list back.  Does that sound like someone you would want as your SDR? Would you want someone sucking up to you?

1) what do you need from me? 

2) How do you convert deals, and how can we pair most effectively. I know BANT and all the other qualification bullshit, but what do you find is the most compelling data set you need me to capture, in order to set US up for success?

(FFS note the US - you’re a human being. They’re a human being. Approach as equals. They might just be 2-3 years older than you, that doesn’t make them superior in any way. You will always be less, if you don’t see yourself as at least an equal)

3) These are some of the things I’ve accomplished. This is where I find I’m probably the weakest. Based on what you’re hearing, where do you need immediate improvement from me? Are you open to working with me on it? It’s fine if you’re not. (Some EAEs will invest the time in you if they feel it’ll pay off for them. Some just won’t, let them set the pace of the relationship)

4) From your experience, what makes a REAL qualified meeting? What are the indicators I should ping you on slack about that demonstrates we have a real hot prospect?

5) Do you have any other advice or instructions for me, that will set US up for success? (Again, note the fucking US)



Ezpz. Drink coffee, smoke cigarettes, do coke. Arrive early, stay late. Overflow that pipeline like you’re trying to get it pregnant.  Make President’s club, and watch other people wonder how you did it
SADNESSLieutenant
Politicker
1
Officer of ♥️
as an AE yes I would like my SDR to recognize my experience and expertise as greater than the SDR. They are better than me in sales thats why they have that position and they know more about the product and customer than me so I better learn from them
TheNegotiator
Arsonist
3
VP of Sales
I never once had an AE who was better than me.

No, it’s not arrogance, I have the stats to prove it.

When I was SDR I broke every record at the company (no exaggeration) I made AE in less than 2 months.

I fed my AE (in some cases word for word) what the customer needed to hear, to close. If anything, I was hamstrung having to involve someone else in deals I could easily have closed myself.

I was promoted (again, no word of a lie) when I closed a deal without a demo, in less than 24 hours from the cold call. 72k TCV. I had to share the commish with an AE who NEVER SPOKE TO THE CUSTOMER.  The client 50% bought the product, 50% he bought into me.

If your AEs are better than you, it’s because you think they are.

I’m not fighting you on it bruh. I wish you the best of luck regardless. If you hear what I’m telling you, in the spirit I’m telling you it with, maybe you’ll benefit. If you think I’m wrong, fair enough. We all walk our own path.
SADNESSLieutenant
Politicker
1
Officer of ♥️
That's amazing, what product were you selling?
TheNegotiator
Arsonist
2
VP of Sales
SaaS
SADNESSLieutenant
Politicker
1
Officer of ♥️
what kind? to whom?
TheNegotiator
Arsonist
2
VP of Sales
Hehe I wouldn’t normally hesitate to share. I was going to be more explicit, and I’ve talked about it before on this platform. But some of these stats are public on my LI profile.

Put 2 and 2 together and I’m doxxed. 

MidM/Enterprise SaaS to $10M-$40M organizations
SADNESSLieutenant
Politicker
2
Officer of ♥️
I'd love to hear more about that 24 hour close
newboy
Valued Contributor
1
Complete Sales team
Gotta teach us the thought process of connecting the dots!!
Sunbunny31
Politicker
2
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
As an AE, I don't need a worshipper.  I need someone who will probably get promoted out of the SDR role before I'm ready to let go, because he or she is so good.

You have all the energy and heart I'd want in an SDR.  What you want from the AE is to understand how they work, what's been successful in the past, how they view the roles you both have, and what they consider a qualified lead.   Ask about the company too, what's been successful in the past, and if your AE is (or is not) making the number - and discuss how you can drive success.
SADNESSLieutenant
Politicker
1
Officer of ♥️
Love that. absolutely. the god thing is a joke. 
Notmyrealname
Politicker
1
AE
If I'm interviewing for an SDR, and the AEs have so much pull that they're interviewing me, I'm finding something else. 
SADNESSLieutenant
Politicker
0
Officer of ♥️
Oh really? from my experience this is very common
Notmyrealname
Politicker
0
AE
I'd bounce straight away... Unless, I dunno, there's only one or two SDRs who report to AEs and not an SDR manager. Even then, you know they have too much power and will be complaining and changing things all the time because if they're not hitting numbers it's gonna be your fault. I'd probably make an exception if I found them on LI and they had a good track record of smashing quotas. 
CuriousFox
WR Officer
1
🦊
We want a partner we can TRUST and RELY on to carry out the plan of action we set together. 
SADNESSLieutenant
Politicker
0
Officer of ♥️
yess
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