AccountBoy911

VP of BD

Is storming the beaches of Normandy an analogy for being a BDR?

I was talking with friend who is an AE (lets call him Adam). Adam began his career as a BDR with Oracle and then was promoted after about 18 months. I worked at a start-up and grew with the company. I did work for a large firm but was already established in my career.

After 5 long years, Adam is about to be promoted as a enterprise sales lead. He said about 70% of his initial BDR class is gone.

Is this your experience as well? If so, is this a good analogy or have you heard of something better?

I am actively recruiting BDRs for my team but have been outbid by the big boys. I would like to make some type of comparison.

👑 Sales Strategy

🧢 Sales Management

💡 Education/Resources

28 comments

Sort by:

InQ5WeTrust

Arsonist

No marketing, mayo isn't an MQL

Being a BDR is like being handed a shit sandwich. You know it's going to taste like shit, but you have to eat it.

When it's shitty it's really shitty.

When you get that corner that's just bread it's heaven, but then you're straight back in the shit on the next bite.

CoorsKing

WR Officer

Retired King of the Coors Knights

@GeneralCorp if you ever need help with writing content - I nominate Q5

someoneinsales

Tycoon

Director of Sales

This is the most legendary comparison ever seen. War Room Hall of Fame type post.

InQ5WeTrust

Arsonist

No marketing, mayo isn't an MQL

High praise from you Mooney my man, I am but a humble shit eater

someoneinsales

Tycoon

Director of Sales

Aren't we all. No matter what "title" you have, the best sales people are the ones that get after it and do cold outreach (eating the shit sandwich).

The sales "leaders" that hide behind the CRM and excel sheets are the problem in our industry.

The best leaders lead by example and taking the first bite of the sandwich.

Hotlead

Politicker

Producer

NAILED IT

DungeonsNDemos

Big Shot

Rolling 20's all day

Wow, honestly congratulations. This is my favorite analogy for being a BDR.
Somebody make this the official description when we eventually create the "Sales Dictionary".

NoSuperhero

Politicker

BDR LEAD

So maybe it's closer to the Battle of Iwo Jima?

goose

Politicker

Sales Executive

SDR / BDR is a pyramid scheme. Only the top of the pyramid wins.

Don't compare dialing a phone to storming Normandy. That's fucked up.

privateryan

Politicker

Director of Sales

I’m with goose on this - not a fan of the analogy at all. Seems distasteful

AccountBoy911

Good Citizen

VP of BD

was not trying to offend anyone. Just trying to make an analogy of the retention rate of BDRs. I know sales and fighting in a war are completely different lol

goose

Politicker

Sales Executive

Well, you offended everyone

goose

Politicker

Sales Executive

Good one. There are lines. Don't be an asshole.

privateryan

Politicker

Director of Sales

I get where you’re coming from but like I said…distasteful. A bunch of little shits smiling and dialing is nothing like storming a beach where they’re fortified and shooting at you all while planes fly overhead blowing your mates to pieces.

even though we’re in sales, we don’t need to be ignorant to the reality that is we’re incredibly fortunate to have the jobs we have (even BDR’s) and fortunate we aren’t being handed a gun and told to jump off a boat and good luck….

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

SaaS Eater

No one can top what @InQ5WeTrust just outlined but you have to do 2 things if you are a smaller company competing with the big boys
1) Pay more, like a lot more
2) Give them a really clear path to a closing role, and ideally one that is faster than the path of the big dogs

GeneralCorp

Notable Contributor

General of The War Room

Clearly someone had my speak to their sales team... because I use this exact line... almost to the word.

Also this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ute_rQciwc

InQ5WeTrust

Arsonist

No marketing, mayo isn't an MQL

Sadly the baby series A's I've worked for couldn't afford you corp.

Not claiming to have invented the metaphor of a shit sandwich, heard it applied to other things.

GeneralCorp

Notable Contributor

General of The War Room

Oh I'm not saying YOU have lol. War Room/General Corp was built out of this metaphor. This is the confirmation bias confirmation I needed. I was talking about the storming the beaches of Normandy metaphor not the Shit sando thing.

WarRoomOriginals

Opinionated

Content King

Nah shit sandwich was on point, he means the normandy metaphor

someoneinsales

Tycoon

Director of Sales

People are motivated by money and growth. Most SDR's get bored or sick of the shit after 6 months. A lot of organization fail to show them the light at the end of the tunnel.

To get good SDR's, you either have to pay them good comp, or show them how and when they can be promoted (then stick to it). I.e you will be promoted within the first 18 months here is you hit these objectives.

But nothing will compare to @InQ5WeTrust post here.

mitts2

Politicker

Account Executive

I've been at my company for just over 3 years. Started as an SDR and moved to AE 12 months later. I am now the only person in my SDR class, the one before me, and the one after me that is still at the company. Feel like this analogy hits home for me.

LordBusiness

Politicker

Chief Revenue Officer

Being a SDR/BDR is a damn tough job, but I think it’s pretty damn off base to compare to the beaches of Normandy. I’ve spoken to a few veterans who were there, and they described it as an unimaginable hell. We make calls and send emails and in some cases can make the same as surgeons who actually save lives. I’m not trying to be a downer here, but this one just rubs me a bit wrong folks.

AccountBoy911

Good Citizen

VP of BD

I'm not saying being in sales is like being in an actual battle. Just looking for analogy that someone can picture.

MinisterOfChaos

Politicker

Commercial Account Executive

To answer your question simply, no. But this has already been laid out by others.

If you absolutely MUST use an analogy, better fits may be using the progression of amateur athletes attempting to make it at the professional level.

Football, for example. How many thousands of college football players never step foot on the field for an NFL game? (How many never step foot on the field for a college game?)

Or, if you're more of an intellectual, baseball. Thousands of players who have, to that point, spent their entire lives building to that one moment when they step in the box at Wrigley or Fenway or Yankee Stadium, will never get out of the Minors.

Point being, there are plenty of relevant analogies that don't conjure up the images associated with one of the most gruesome and horrible experiences a human can have. Not to mention that the individual you're interviewing/thinking of hiring may have actually experienced that and doesn't need to be reminded of the horror.

BmajoR

Arsonist

Account Executive

Yes

AnchorPoint

Politicker

Business Coach

ThomasRCallahanIII

Politicker

Enterprise Account Executive

I’d say it can be more like the first episode of Band of Brothers.

lukeglanton19

Good Citizen

Sales Development Representative

I recently saw someone on LinkedIN compare startups vs established industry leaders to Afghanistan and the Taliban which was by far the worst thing I have ever read. I can see how you're just trying to come up with a good analogy to show how difficult SDR work can be but just no.

Bravado is a community of trusted sales professionals endorsed by their customers.

Products

The War Room Jobs Salary Guide Tech Sales U

Company

About Us How It Works Blog Bug Bounty

Contact

Press Careers

If you are hired as a contract sales rep by a Bravado customer, we may ask you to prove access to the employee email account provided to you by that customer. This data will be shared with customers to track your sales productivity; customers can use this data to confirm you meet the minimum activity requirements to pay out your ramp stipend and commission.

AccountBoy911

Is storming the beaches of Normandy an analogy for being a BDR?

28 comments

Related posts

Have any of you ever tried to move to an office in another country to experience living abroad? If so, where and how’d it go?

Where are my NBA fans at?! Who you got for tonight? Memphis or Golden State?

Any gamers?