More and more businesses are delving into the world of sales development in hopes of increasing revenue and predictable growth, as well as tapping into new markets. Yet, with so much to consider, understanding how to build an SDR team from the ground up is easier said than done. 

Building an SDR team requires thorough planning, not to mention both financial and time investment. Each step of the process, from recruitment to management, must be carefully considered in order for the endeavour to be successful.

With this in mind, Operatix has created The SDR Handbook. This free eBook will answer all of your questions regarding not only how to build an SDR team, but how to onboard, manage and empower your employees to ensure productivity.

Regarded as the fastest-growing SDR company in B2B tech, Operatix has hired, onboarded and developed over 1,000 SDRs in its 11 years of trading. This thorough ebook will give you expert insight, practical tactics, and advice on every obstacle you may face while setting up your own sales team.

You’ll gain an understanding of what makes the ideal candidate, how to track the success of your team with SDR metrics, what you need to equip your team with a tech stack that truly empowers them and the core fundamentals of a great SDR. Interested? Download the free eBook now.

Below, we look at exactly what is inside the SDR handbook, as well as the benefits of building your own team and what an SDR does.

How to Build an SDR Team: Free eBook

We’ve made our SDR Handbook as detailed as possible, ensuring nothing is left unexplained. The eBook features interviews and tips from Operatix experts as well as Michael Hanson, Founder and CEO of Growth Genie. Below, we’ve listed all of the chapters from the SDR Handbook to give you an idea of what is inside.

• Chapter One: Finding talent – Understanding the Traits of a Great SDR, Building a Recruitment Plan
• Chapter Two: The Fundamentals of an SDR – Defining your ICP and Target Personas, Cold Calling and Script Writing Best Practises, Email Cadences and Sequences Best Practices, Social Selling Best Practices 
• Chapter Three: Tools and Tech Stacks
• Chapter Four: SDR Management – Goal Setting, Day-to-Day Management, SDR Scorecard, Sales Coaching
• Chapter Five: Compensation – Commission Plans, Incentives
• Chapter Six: KPIs – SDR Metrics
• Chapter Seven: Team Structure – Inbound vs Outbound, Reporting to Sales or Marketing, Outsourcing or having an In-house Team
• Chapter Eight: Conclusion – About Operatix

Chapter One: Finding Talent Summary Points

● Understanding the traits and qualities of a great SDR is an essential part of hiring
candidates that not only sell well to your ICP, but also gel with your current team and
culture.
● Build a document that your recruitment team can refer back to when hiring candidates to
ensure there is a clear and scalable process in place.
● There are multiple steps to take to test core competencies of candidates in a tactical
manner, all of which are important.
● Steps include psychometric testing and role-play, both of which will allow you to see the
qualities of the candidate as well as their potential for success.

Chapter Two: The Fundamentals of a Great SDR Summary Points

• Your ICP and target personas need to be clearly defined to understand your audiences
• Not only should your SDRs understand how to craft a good message, but also how to deliver it in a way that is enticing
• Sales representatives should not just rely on cold calling, ensuring to spend time delivering creative email sequences and social media messaging
• A multi-touch approach, where an SDR initiates contact with a prospective customer multiple times on different platforms is essential in getting the best from your leads

Chapter Three: Tools and Tech Stacks Summary Points

• In this chapter we covered the types of technology available in the market to make SDR teams more productive.
• Deciding what solutions should be part of your tech stack depends on the size of your team and your budget.
• If you are just getting started with your Sales Development team, we suggest the starter combo: CRM + Sales Navigator + Data Provider + Telephony system + Sales Engagement Tool.
• A more advanced tech stack for larger teams and bigger budgets would typically include: CRM + Sales Navigator + Data Provider + Telephony system + Sales Engagement Tool + Scheduling Tool + Conversational Intelligence + Intent Data + Gifting Platform.

Chapter Four: SDR Management Summary Points

• Goal setting is an important part of maintaining a productive, high-performing team
• Personal and career goals should be discussed.
• SDRs must be nurtured and be provided with constructive feedback regularly.
• Regular sales coaching ensures your team stay competitive, as well as helping to hone their skillset and evolve with the market.

Chapter Five: Compensation Summary Points

• The average base salary for an SDR is around £35,000 in London and $58,000 in San Francisco.
• Incentivising your sales function can increase motivation, performance and job satisfaction, helping to retain your top performers.
• A study has found that 85% of the workers were more motivated to do their best when there was an incentive scheme in place.
• There are multiple types of compensation plans, including base salary and commission, tiered and a straight commission plan.

Chapter Six: KPIs Summary Points

• Inbound SDRs can handle an average of 15 leads a day
• The conversion rate from an inbound lead to a meeting varies depending on the quality of those leads, ranging from 5 -10% for low-intent leads and 75 – 80% for high-intent leads
• Outbound SDRs, on the other hand, should be able to produce 12 meetings sat a month when the 20% drop-out rate is factored in
• The average conversion rate from a sales-accepted lead (SAL) to a sales-qualified lead (SQL) is 52.7%

Chapter Seven: Team Structure Summary Points

• There is a big difference between inbound and outbound sales, so differentiating the approach you want your SDRs to take is important
• SDRs bridge the gap between marketing and sales, which is why there is debate as to which department they report to
• The majority of SDRs report to the sales department
• While building a sales team of your own may seem like the more cost-effective option, this is unlikely to be the case due to the amount of hidden costs
• There are a number of benefits of outsourcing sales, even if you do decide to build an internal team simultaneously.

What Does an SDR team do?

The role of an SDR (sales development representative) is multifunctional, although the primary function is to increase qualified leads to generate revenue. To do so, they must first prospect and qualify leads before connecting with prospects via cold calling, social selling and email cadences. As well as this, it’s their responsibility to follow up on cold leads, nurture those in the pipeline, set appointments and, often, track the progress of the outcome.

Benefits of Building an SDR Team

There are several tempting benefits to having a dedicated sales development team – more qualified leads, a better sales pipeline, more revenue, and better positioning in the market, just to name a few. They’ll support your marketing efforts, help boost brand awareness and increase reach in new markets, accelerating efforts at the top of the funnel.

To understand not only how to build an SDR team from the ground up but manage and maintain it, download our free SDR Handbook here.