RR#097 - How to absolutely guarantee your SDR will fail…

Feb 25

You want to grow your business, but you don't want to do all the prospecting and outreach yourself anymore.

So, you're looking for someone to help you with that. Perhaps an Appointment Setter, SDR, or BDR.

That's potentially a really good move.

Because done well, it'll help keep your prospecting flywheel in motion while you continue to focus on other aspects of the business.

But the truth of the matter is that most small business owners don't do this well.

They rush to hire, rush to get people on the phone, rush to relinquish oversight, and rush to fire.

Even worse, most small businesses draw the wrong conclusion after doing this a couple times, which is, "This whole strategy just won't help us grow our business."

So they give up and go back to doing what they were doing before.

If you're thinking about hiring someone to help you with prospecting, there are 5 things you've got to do to set them up for success. And if you aren't doing these 5 things, you may as well not hire because you're wasting your money and their time.

1. Hire the Right Person

First things first, you've got to hire the right person. This isn't just about finding anyone with a pulse who can speak English and read a script.

You don't need someone with 20 years of sales experience, but you do need to understand what you are looking for in the ideal candidate.

You're looking for someone with the right skill set, relevant forms of experience, and the right culture fit for your business.

Just because it's an entry-level sales role doesn't mean you rush the process.

Take the time to figure out what you're really looking for in an SDR and make sure your hiring process reflects that.

Pro Tip: Expect to be wrong. When hiring for sales roles, you go to the Hall of Fame if you bat .350. But batting .350 won't happen if you hire anyone who shows up to an interview.

2. Provide a Clear Onboarding Plan

Once you've found your perfect SDR, don't just throw them in the deep end and expect them to swim.

Provide a clear onboarding plan that includes information about your industry, products, unique selling proposition, and the scripts and systems they'll be using.

Paint a picture of what a week in their life will look like.

What kind of leads they're working
How many calls they're expected to make
How their schedule will look day-to-day and week-to-week
When they should be fully ramped and hitting all their targets

This clarity will set them up for success from day one.

3. Set Up the Right Systems

SDRs are in high demand right now.

Keep that in mind if you don't bother to invest in a CRM, automation, dialers, SaaS products, or other systems that will make their job easier.

Because the easiest way to lose great talent is to frustrate them with archaic systems and inefficient processes.

That's why it can be really helpful for you to spend some time doing the job you are asking them to do.

You'll find the kinks and quirks that make it frustrating to do the job and address them before it becomes a distraction for the person who's trying to help you make more money.

4. Provide Good Data

General rule of thumb in sales is 'garbage in, garbage out.'

You've got to have good data if you want the people who are using it to get more sales to succeed.

If the person making phone calls on your behalf is spending half their time correcting information on the list, they're going to be frustrated and aren't going to help you land more deals.

Likewise, if you are giving someone 20 leads a week and expecting them to make 100 calls a day, you're setting them up for failure (and to annoy a lot of people in the process).

Make sure the new member of your sales team has a sufficient number of targets to hit and that the data they're working with is clean and accurate.

5. Be an Active Sales Manager

Lastly, don't expect your SDR to run on autopilot.

You've got to be an active sales manager.

How?

Run daily huddles
Have weekly meetings
Review activity and productivity reports
Listen to calls
Provide coaching and feedback

If you aren't invested in them, don't expect them to be invested in you.

So, before you make that hire, ask yourself if you're ready to invest in these five areas.

(And, if you're an SDR going through interviews, ask your potential employer how they address these points. It's a good indicator of whether they're setting you up to crush it or setting you up for a tough road ahead.)

Hope this helps you avoid some of the most common mistakes I see when consulting and coaching small businesses and service providers.

If you have any questions about hiring an SDR-type role for your business, reply here, and we'll do our best to get you an answer.

I recorded a video diving into each of these 5 things into more detail. Check it out and subscribe to our YouTube channel here: