Setting Development Reps Up For Success – How to Get Better at Sales Development

Business and Sales Development Reps (BDRs and SDRs, respectively) get a bad rap. In most cases, BDRs and SDRs are the lynchpins of the sales and marketing teams. But they are also most likely to get the short end of the stick if the company can’t meet goals.

Why are BDRs and SDRs usually the first ones on the chopping block? It’s because business leaders lack clear insight into how their development reps are driving results. This is because BDRs and SDRs spend a lot of their time on the phone, which doesn’t necessarily connect simply to a company’s CRM. And you know what they say: record activity in the CRM, or it never happened! 

So, how can we better setup our BDR and SDR teams for success? Here are three things you should consider implementing if you are not finding success in your BDR and SDR efforts: 

1. Assess Your Processes to Ensure Clear Communication

BDR and SDR processes should be clear, concise and enable them to accomplish their daily tasks efficiently. Don’t assume the communication is there when it really isn’t, leading to information gaps that prevent you from managing and measuring your team’s efforts. 

Take some time to ensure that you are: 

• Setting clear expectations; 
• Providing appropriate coaching and mentorship; and 

• Establishing clear, honest feedback. 

2. Put People in the Right Seats

Research shows that the average tenure of a sales rep is roughly 18 months. When it takes approximately three months, on average, for a new hire to ramp up and effectively do their job, turnover is a big struggle for many businesses. Managers are less inclined to prioritize training and proper communication if new hires keep quitting. 

Establishing the right hiring processes from the start can quickly alleviate this problem. Often, this means that a bit more is being spent on hiring new employees with much more experience versus hiring recent college grads still trying to find the right job for them. Look for new hires with the proper knowledge, the right mentality, and ones that align with its culture.     

3. Give Them the Right Tools of the Trade

Again, capture engagement data in your CRM, or it’ll be s like nothing happened! But BDRs and SDRs aren’t used to working out of CRM systems since most of their time is spent engaging with a prospect—whether it be via phone, email, or even web chat. 

Ensure that you are giving your development reps the tools they need to succeed! This means that you need to find the tools that work best for your team and guarantee that proper system integrations are in place to seamlessly connect that data between the reps’ workspace and your system of record. Tools like SalesLoft can help companies create work environments where data isn’t slipping through the cracks. In contrast, reps can work in an environment that is logical for them. 

Conclusion 

BDRs and SDRs don’t deserve to be the first teammates to show the door when the company isn’t driving results. Reach out and chat with the experts at BrainSell to see how you can better position your development reps — and your company — for better business growth!