skyhawk

SDR

Is the SDR role a trap?

Hi everyone, just joined today so sorry if this question has been answered before.

I've been made redundant from an SDR role for the 2nd time in two years, despite being a top performer in both companies (reasons were covid and a company acquisition, respectively). All my colleagues are also in their 2nd, 3rd or even 4th SDR term.

I need to go back to the job search now. I'm now an experienced SDR (5 years in sales, 2 of them as an SDR) but I'm instantly disqualified for AE roles for not having direct experience. "Quick progression into AE" in new companies seems always to be a false promise.

I'm slowly starting to feel like the SDR role can be a MASSIVE trap. Progression even for successful SDRs is always full of hurdles (no new headcount, all roles above already filled, company not growing enough, etc...), and starting in new companies is always going back to square one.

Curious about everyone else's opinion. Are there any other experienced SDRs here feeling trapped in the role despite having 3+ years of sales experience?

Are you stuck in an SDR role despite having 3+ years of sales experience?

Attached poll

Yes No

*Voting in this poll no longer yields commission.

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🎯 Career Development

👨‍🌾 SDR

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40 comments

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BmajoR

Arsonist

15

Account Executive

I'm curious why you left each time? If you keep bouncing around, then being a SDR will forever be a trap. You need to get promoted internally first.

Step 1 - express your desire to be promoted to management.
Step 2 - ask them for a detailed list of what you need to accomplish in order to be considered.
Step 3 - fight for yourself, nobody else will fight for you, so don't give up.
Step 4 - Hold management accountable to what they tell you, if they give you timelines or promises, get it in writing, make sure they hold up their end of the deal
Step 5 - if and only if you give 110% for all the above and you're still getting shafted, then you need to communicate that *calmly, without emotion, and factually* to management and then consider a new chapter if nothing changes

Best of luck and don't give up!

skyhawk

Opinionated

3

SDR

Great pieces of advice, thank you!

I didn't choose to leave in either case. I got made redundant in both.

I actually applied all of your steps above, and got promoted to Senior SDR in my previous company but lost the job one month after. I lost the job again now due to a company acquisition (and they've erased the whole SDR team).
Guess I've been unlucky but the fight goes on!

BmajoR

Arsonist

4

Account Executive

Ah, just bad timing then! Well, it sounds like you have your head in the right space and you know what you need to do. If I were you, I'd try finding a young, growing company where that AE promise can hold true. See if you can find other AEs that work there and network with them, ask them how long it took, etc.

I was fortunate to find the right company at the right time and got promoted to AE quickly, so they do exist. On to the next and don't stop till you get that AE spot!

skyhawk

Opinionated

2

SDR

Thank you! That's exactly what I'm thinking, I'm inclined to a young, growing company. Thanks for your advice ;)

RedLightning

Politicker

0

Mid-Market AE

What do you mean about being made "redundant"?

skyhawk

Opinionated

0

SDR

Ah, sorry, probably that's a British terminology... Redundancy means that your job is terminated by the company because it is no longer needed or the company needs to reduce headcount.

In my first case I was in a hotel tech company and they had to lay off 25 people because of the impact of covid in the hotel sector. Now I'm in a different sector, but the company has been sold due to financial issues, and they have laid off 100+ employees. Shitty situation to be in twice in a row.

RedLightning

Politicker

1

Mid-Market AE

oh so covid hurt y'all badly then.

CuriousFox

WR Officer

6

🦊

Hi welcome to the War Room! We are so glad you're here. 🦊

skyhawk

Opinionated

2

SDR

Thank you! Should have joined earlier..

mitts2

Politicker

5

Account Executive

I don't think being an SDR is a trap. I was one. You are correct that going from SDR in your current company to AE to another company is highly unlikely, but not impossible and if you are being passed up on it, its because the tactical experience is not there yet.

Well how do you get closing experience as an SDR Mitts? Good question. Start asking for it. Ask your AEs to let you run calls. Do mock pitches. Building pricing for AEs. Sit in on AE, Manager 1:1s. Start building those skills.

In the end, I encourage you to voice your intention and growth path to your manager, tell them where you want to go, and ask how to get there. It will not come to you by itself.

Lastly, I look at jumping from SDR role to SDR role at different companies the same as quitting right before you approach the finish line and if you keep doing it then you'll never get to where you want to be. Grind it out and communicate your intentions, don't give them a reason to say No to you.

skyhawk

Opinionated

1

SDR

thank you! Appreciate your insight

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

5

☕️

Ways to get out of the trap: join a company as an SDR, stick around for a year, ask your management team how to get promoted, do those things, get into an AE role.

It's a shitty grind, but you have to do it. Sucks you got caught up twice, but next stint just do what I said above and you'll be onto the next big thing.

OR, try your hand at account management. SDRs often make for good account managers.

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

3

SaaS Eater

Just listen to what everyone else on here has said. Find a company where there is very clear progression from SDR to AE (generally at a larger growing firm, smaller startups and you will run into constant changes that can slow things). Grind for a year, advocate for yourself and youll get there.

skyhawk

Opinionated

2

SDR

Hahah best username so far! Great advice, thank you

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

1

SaaS Eater

Appreciate that

Diablo

Politicker

2

Sr. AE

I'm not an SDR but I know many that transitioned from SDR to SDR managers as they liked coaching and developed people management skills as well. Have you given it a thought if you would want to explore that part?

skyhawk

Opinionated

0

SDR

I've thought about that but honestly I prefer the individual contributor path (AE). Once I've accumulated tons of experience about the full sales cycle then probably I'd consider a manager role, but who knows, might not as well if I'm making enough money as an individual contributor. Being a manager requires different skills that are not guaranteed by simply being a good salesperson...

goose

Politicker

2

Sales Executive

I'm not stuck in an SDR role but I think the SDR role is a trap.

skyhawk

Opinionated

1

SDR

that's slowly what I'm starting to feel, but I might be biased because of my own experience... But the poll is actually giving me hope! I thought it was going to be a 70/30% split with the 70 saying Yes, but it was the other way round

goose

Politicker

2

Sales Executive

It's a bunch of SDR's voting...

Mintea

Personal Narrative

2

Account Executive

What I have learned in the organizations I have been in, whether it be the startups or fortune 500's is that your internal branding and how well you fit into the company culture matters way more than your performance. Obviously, there's also a component of luck as well. If you join a company that isn't growing and has no turnover, then obviously it would be harder to get promoted.

skyhawk

Opinionated

1

SDR

The poll is actually giving me hope! Curious about the people that have marked No. Have you now been promoted to AE or another senior position?

jefe

Arsonist

1

🍁

Started out as a 'Senior AE' (BS title, but full cycle though transactional)

I'm sure you'll get some inspiring stories from other Savages.

buckets1

Politicker

1

AE

Spent a year as an SDR then got promoted to AE. Public company. Got kinda lucky on the timing though...minimum time in seat to be eligible for promotion was one year. My SDR manager got promoted to AE manager, had an unexpected head count the quarter I was eligible to interview, and hired me for her AE team.

jefe

Arsonist

1

🍁

Never been an SDR but wanted to send some love and support your way.

Tough hand to be dealt. Thankfully redundancies have lost a lot of stigma due to this whole pandemic thing.

Have you checked out the Bravado job board or some of @sahil 's posts?

skyhawk

Opinionated

1

SDR

Yes, I signed up to it.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

1

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Marked "no" because I'm not an SDR, and through some wild stroke of luck and/or timing, never was. I did start as Inside Sales, though, which can also be a bit of a trap in a smaller company, as there are limited field positions to be had. However, it suited me at the time, and I naturally became an AE when I was ready.

Same is true of any role: be the best at the role you're in, but also extend into learning about the role you want to be in. There is some great advice on this thread from others regarding working with your AE - I would love it when my BDR/SDR asked to join calls and demos. The benefit to me is that it made them better BDRs and the benefit to them is they got to participate in the sales process. In those situations, it really feels like a team effort.

skyhawk

Opinionated

1

SDR

In my previous company I had to join every discovery call with the AEs, and take notes that I shared with them. It was definitely a great exercise as the product was quite complex so it was an opportunity to learn. I was also targeted in qualified opportunities (with proper intent to buy) so had to be more involved in the sales process.

In my current one is simpler, we're only targeted in meetings that show up, and don't need to join them. Every company is different but yeah, agree with you, the first scenario makes more sense in terms of organic progression into AE

RedLightning

Politicker

1

Mid-Market AE

What do you want to progress into? Generally speaking, the traditional path is SDR -> AE. But recently, companies have understood how valuable a top performing SDR team is to growth. Sales Development has it's own ladder that can get you to a team lead or manager level and then you can bounce around from there.

skyhawk

Opinionated

0

SDR

They offered me the Team Lead position this year, but disguised as a "Senior SDR" title, the first one they'd given in the company. Including coaching, revising cadences, listening to calls, supporting the other SDRs, and a 20% increase in my own targets, you know what, FOR FREE. They offered me NOTHING in return. I said naahh

BlueJays2591

Politicker

1

Federal Business Dev Director

The SDR role is a step in the right direction if you want to become an AE. There are companies that will bring on SDRs without any desire to promote them, so yes, there are certain companies where the SDR role is a trap. But for most reputable organizations, this is not the case. If you think 12 months in seat as a top performer is enough, it's not. 1 year in seat doesn't warrant a promotion. 18-24 months in seat and actually performing the entire time is a good time frame. Too many people get fed up and leave before this. If they stick around another 6-9 months, they will usually get promoted. Lifelong SDRs are the ones that job hop.

skyhawk

Opinionated

0

SDR

Yes, exactly my thoughts. In my case I've been unfortunate. My previous company was amazing, the one where I've just been made redundant not so much... but I was totally expecting the 18-24 months tenure, which according to The Bridge Group is the normal.

I'm past the 24 months now so it's back to square one, but this will definitely make me value the AE role so much more when I finally get there.

WomenWantMeFishFearMe

Politicker

1

AM

SDR is a trap if you never move past it. That's the firm not the role

skyhawk

Opinionated

0

SDR

Exactly, and once you've realised you're in the wrong company it's usually too late, and you need to start the path all over again in another company

ColdCallFartBoy

Celebrated Contributor

1

Business Development Representative

As an SDR approaching 1 full year of being an SDR at my first tech sales company, I am trying my hardest to find a way to move up in my career path. My only career goal is to get to a closing role and do what I have to do to get there. I think there's no such thing as being stuck in the SDR role though, I have colleagues and friends who have been in the role for over 3 years and still make a killing. Take what you want brother

dwightyouignorantsale

Politicker

1

Account Executive

The best thing you can do is be your own champion here. Consistency meet with your boss (and the AE manager if they are different) to understand what metrics you need to hit in order to get promoted. Try to take on more responsibilities, such as taking a demo for a lower priority account - gives you practice while letting your AE focus on the bigger stuff. Continue to show interest in progressing. Most companies will promote the person that shows how much they want a position.

dcarb

Good Citizen

1

Account Manager

There are lots of companies that don't even have SDRs. It just depends on what you are selling. For example, if you wanted to sell structured cabling or physical security or copiers or Managed Services there are tons of companies that have outside sales dudes that are their own biz dev team. I've worked in roles like this for a very long time. However, if you want to work for a giant software company then you are probably going to be stuck walking through the SDR/BDR entrance for a few reasons:
1. They are taking a risk that you are going to wash out and or leave in 6 months to make $1 more per hour somewhere else.
2. They want to immerse you in the culture, process, product, system, etc first and see if you are a fit. Will you sink or swim?
3. SDR is a shitty role and they know they are going to churn through poor bastards so they don't really care. It's like a boot camp and if you survive then you are a BAMF.
4. Then there are the companies where this is their process and it's very structured and mapped out and they are focused on your development and they are not lying to you. The only way to find out is to talk to someone who has been there a while and ask them about the process moving from SDR to AE. A fellow sales bro in the trenches will give you the real deal. I've had tons of people call me over the years wanting to know about working at my current company and there are plenty of times that I told people "trust me, you don't want to work here". 😁

cw95

Politicker

0

Sales Development Lead

Trial n error. Figure it out for a bit n then decide. We go through shit. But some, go through the times of their life. Test it, try it, tell us.

skyhawk

Opinionated

0

SDR

Thank you! I'm past the stage of trial now, and know exactly how to crack the SDR role. That's why it gets so frustrating, because I feel I'm ready to get into AE now, but don't know how long it will take me to get there...

Kirby

Politicker

0

Sales Representative

How to break out of the trap: 1. Do well as an SDR 2. Join a shitty company as a full cycle AE. If they keep having AE’s leave, that’s a good sign they’ll take anyone. 3. Transfer that AE experience elsewhere Search for AE positions on LinkedIn that have been up for a while but still have less than 8 applicants (you can filter for that in the search settings).

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