SDR doing an intro + handoff on demo

In our case, the SDR is present during the demo and welcomes the prospect, and states the agenda and passes it off to AE. However, during this initial introduction (which is all of 30-50 words and should be less than 2 minutes), the SDRs struggle - there is a bit of repetitiveness and ramble and attempts at rapport building aren't the best.


Our script is something along the lines of "Hey how's it going? Glad to see you. <insert some recap from cold-call + mild niceties if possible> We have _____ here who is the ____ of our team here at _____ who will take X minutes for the presentation and Y minutes for your questions and without further ado, I will pass it on to ____ to show our product to you!" 


Instead, it is "Uhhh, nice to see you, yeah Hi. Oh nice office you got there. Anyway, yeah nice to have you here. Thank you for coming as you sounded INTERESTED on the call. We have here _____ who is a ____, will take X minutes and then Y mins for questions. So yeah, umm, yeah I will pass you on to her!"


All resources I've reviewed talk about rapport building from an AE perspective or a cold call etc, but not in a scenario like ours. Ideally, I'd like to see video examples of how an SDR on video welcomes a prospect and introduces them to the AE and says "take it away!" lol

😎 Sales Skills
6
Devil
Fire Starter
2
Partner
Thanks everyone! Removing the intro "script" and letting them go with the flow. That is excellent feedback. 

To those wondering why the SDR is on the call:

SDR is on the call because the SDR warmed up the prospect through various emails, LIs, and calls. Also in most cases, turned their cold calls into scheduled calls for proper discovery. All this has created a ton of recognition for the SDR. Having a brand new face in front of the prospect without an SDR, IMHO, would be jarring. Having the SDR there, for face value, passes that familiarity juice into the call effectively disarming prospects. Might just be the reason why went from 10% demo-to-close to 46% demo-to-close.

To those curious if the SDR is talking during the demo:

No, they're not. They're literally doing a 3 minute intro/welcome and then sitting there smiling. In the end, they wave goodbye :D

Thanks again everyone!
rvb
Good Citizen
1
Sales Consultant
I would never recommend using a script for the SDR. Let them prepare what they will say with their mgr or the AE, but let him/her figure out what intro works best for them. Everyone has their own style, let them discover what works best. 

Also, why would the sales jump immediately to a product demo? Recapping, maybe even doing some additional discovery and really understanding what challenges your prospect faces is never a bad thing :-)
Devil
Fire Starter
0
Partner
I agree, you bring an excellent point kind person. Definitely going to figure out the best way to add a recap. 

There are reasons why we didn't do a recap so far:

- SDRs not yet comfortable (they are being groomed from scratch) to do a recap in a non-cringe way without sounding super salesy. 
- Time constraint. We position the demo for, hold your breath, 20 minutes. It's a service we offer, not a saas product - so there's less than 10 slides. We extend the demo depending on how interested the prospect seems... but for all demos, we go in with a goal of showing our stuff and time for questions.

But yes, going to find a way to add recaps...
rvb
Good Citizen
1
Sales Consultant
SDR training it is, recording & evaluating every call. Group sessions where you pick out one SDR call and let everyone listen & provide feedback. Also great for team culture! 
KendallRoy
Politicker
1
AM
In my SDR life I'd always recap the initial call, set an agenda and introduce the AE, generally emphasising their experience in the process. I'd suggest sitting down with the SDRs and role playing how you think an introduction should go, using a previous meeting as an example. If they aren't coachable, hire SDRs that are. 
SaaSguy
Tycoon
1
Account Executive
No need for a script- the SDR can just briefly recap what got the prospect interested. The prospect will probably chime in and add to that recap and its a good segue into the AE stepping in. 
Kinonez
Celebrated Contributor
0
War Room Enthusiast
I would remove the script, most of those fillers come from the SDR trying to remember the script. Instead give them some examples on how you would do it and make them practice. Then tell them that it should be a natural conversation recapping what they spoke about before. 
DrunkenArt
Politicker
0
Sales Representative
I'd say scrap the script, but why would an SDR need to be present on a demo? Seems like the AE should handle it by themselves 
Justatitle
Big Shot
-1
Account Executive
I'd let them be there if they want to learn but having the SDR introduce the AE on the call is kind of dumb instead of just letting the AE get on the call and run with it. 
ExtremeVibeChecker44
Arsonist
2
Inside Sales
I think it makes sense if the SDR booked the call with the person 
Justatitle
Big Shot
0
Account Executive
Even then, it’s like hey here’s the AE, what value does that add to the convo?
rvb
Good Citizen
0
Sales Consultant
SDR motivation, including them further in the sales cycle. Ideal training ground for promotion to Sales Associate.
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