Why salespeople should never have anything personal on their computer screen.

Published: Wed, 07/20/22

July 20, 2022

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning. Last week we reported that Hollywood actor Armie Hammer was selling timeshares in the Cayman Islands. Well, since then, he’s quit his job and moved back to the States — the sales shaming has got to stop! In this week’s issue of The Quota, we’re interviewing Jimmy Comodeca, an SDR manager and publisher of the SDR Newsletter; finding out how many recruiter messages sales reps get per week; and giving some advice to a rep who keeps getting laid off. Let’s go.

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

The percentage of sales that require at least five follow-up calls.

Source: Invesp

SALES ROUNDUP

Here’s what’s happening in the sales world this week:

A new sales movie has just been released that’s been described as a movie “for people who wish The Office was bloodier.” The film, called Keeping Company, is a comedy-horror about two insurance salesmen who knock on the wrong door and find themselves trapped in a serial killer’s basement. If it’s anything like the trailer, sales reps with a tolerance for gore will love it. You can learn more here.
Sales technology unicorn Lusha, known for its aggressive YouTube marketing strategy, is laying off 10% of its workforce, eight months after raising $205 million at a $1.5 billion dollar valuation. The layoffs are happening across all departments, and are expected to affect approximately 30 employees. You can read more here.

FEATURE

An interview with Jimmy Comodeca, SDR Manager and publisher of The SDR Newsletter

This week, we wanted to devote some time to entry-level sales roles, so we reached out to Jimmy Comodeca, who was kind enough to answer some of our questions. Jimmy publishes the SDR Newsletter (well worth checking out here) and is an SDR Manager at Copilot.cx. Previously, he’s worked as an SDR, AE, and SDR Manager at various startups and early-stage tech companies, mostly within the martech industry.

SDR, or Sales Development Representative (similar to BDR – Business Development Representative) roles are considered entry-level positions which primarily involve lots of outreach and qualifying before handing the deal off to an Account Executive (or something similar) to close. With the explosion of technology companies, these roles have grown in popularity and now serve as an entry-point for a career in sales. The following interview has been edited for clarity.

Q. The SDR/BDR role is an entry level sales role. Who is taking on these roles? Is it mostly young people? Are there people from other careers making the switch into these roles? Is a college degree necessary to get hired?

A. Given the high level of demand for SDRs, we’ve seen a shift in the type of people taking these roles.

It’s no longer just college grads – instead, we’re seeing workers with a wide variety of backgrounds enter the field. From bartenders to teachers to retail workers, people of all backgrounds are making the switch.

SDR bootcamps are also helping with this transition, aiming to teach the necessary skills to make the transition and help people get their foot in the door.

Is a college degree necessary in most cases? No. The most important aspect of being a successful SDR is having the motivation and persistence to maintain a high level of quality outreach.

Q. SDR roles require a ton of outreach. What have you found to be the best ways to keep reps motivated to make so many calls/send so many emails?

A. While spiffs and contests are a great way to motivate reps in the short-term, the real motivator comes from enabling SDRs to get to the next level of their careers.

Working with SDRs and developing a plan to help them get to that next step is the best way to keep reps motivated.

Q. What does the comp plan look like for SDRs? How is it typically structured? How much money are SDRs making at the low end and at the high end?

A. Comp plans for SDRs are similar to most sales roles and typically consist of two parts: base pay and commission.

While comp plans vary by company and by city, SDRs often earn anywhere from 50k-70k base, with OTE’s being anywhere from 70k-100k. I suggest SDRs and job seekers check out RepVue to see how their compensation stacks up with others.

Q. For how long can most SDR/BDR reps expect to stay in their role before being promoted?

A. SDRs typically stay in the role for anywhere from 12-24 months, however, it depends on the company. Some companies promote quickly, some take a bit longer.

Q. What is the turnover like for these high-activity, entry-level sales roles? Are there a lot of people who crack under the pressure?

A. Turnover in these entry-level sales roles is typically higher than in other jobs.

The reality is that sales isn’t for everyone, and people often crack under the pressure. The good news is that the failure rate significantly decreases for those who develop an action plan and continuously work to improve. Those that put in the work will see their income grow significantly.

Q. What are some early indicators that an SDR is going to be successful? What are some indicators that they won't be?

A. Successful SDRs are proactive throughout the interview process. They essentially become an SDR to get an offer as an SDR. Reaching out to hiring managers directly, establishing next steps at the end of calls, following up often, and researching companies will set them up to be successful.

Additionally, the first few weeks of a new job are a pivotal time. The best SDRs seek out the top performers and aim to identify what they are doing differently from others. From there, they move fast and aren’t afraid to fail. Hit the phones hard, fail fast, and learn.

The biggest indicator that an SDR won’t be successful is when they have an aversion to making cold calls. SDRs need to be utilizing every channel available to them in order to be successful. By eliminating one channel, you put yourself at a significant disadvantage. Hit the phones hard and keep the activity levels high.

Q. What is the one thing that separates great SDRs from average ones?

A. The top SDRs are continuous learners. They are constantly seeking out new outreach tactics, different cold call strategies, and anything else to improve their outreach skills.

The same outreach strategies that worked 5 years ago will eventually be less effective, which is why it’s so important to keep up to date on innovative tactics.

Whether it’s reading new books, listening to podcasts, or reading a newsletter, great SDRs are always striving to get better.

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MEME OF THE WEEK

Source: Instagram -- Sales Humor

QUIZ

What were the salesmen in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross selling?

A. Life insurance
B. Kitchen equipment
C. Timeshares
D. Real estate

SALES FAILS

Each week, we bring you the most cringe-worthy sales moments from across the web. To submit your sales fail story for consideration, click here. (Don't worry, you'll remain completely anonymous).

“Reading this newsletter reminds me of something that happened to me last year. I was (and still am) working remotely, using a home-office setup in one of our bedrooms. I have two screens set up at my desk, one for work, one for personal stuff, so that I can go look at non-work things when I have downtime throughout the day.

I was pitching a prospect when this happened. It was our first time meeting with each other, and we were doing a video call. He was an engineering manager, and I had done a presentation for someone who worked for him already and they had liked our product (software) and made the introduction.

So the call was going fine. The prospect really wasn’t super responsive to my attempts to build rapport, but that’s not uncommon in my field – it’s usually all business. So I was about halfway through my presentation, and I had accidentally moved my cursor over to my non-work screen to get it out of the video chat, but I needed the cursor because I wanted to turn off my screen share.

Unfortunately, my other screen had a paused video of a prank on it, and when I went to grab it, I unpaused the video right in the middle of a woman letting out three super loud maniacal screams (someone was scaring her in the prank). When that happened, it made me super nervous and it took me a few seconds to shut the video off again.

Normally, a prospect would have probably found this amusing, but I don’t know if this guy was already having a bad day or what, but once I turned the video off he started to look around, then he mumbled something that I couldn’t make out and dropped off the call. I actually couldn’t believe it. I tried calling him, emailing him, and emailing the first guy I’d spoken to. Not a single one of them responded to my messages. Sales Fail!

Anonymous Location withheld

GRAPH OF THE WEEK

Source: LinkedIn Poll -- July 2022

WORTH A PEEK

How often do you demo new tech or software? With how quickly technology is evolving, things that once seemed like science-fiction are now a reality. Abstrakt is the perfect example – it’s real-time call coaching software – seriously! With automated playbooks and objection handling responses delivered in 0.2 seconds (!) reps can be coached live on the call without a manager having to be there! And if you're a sales leader, that means no more listening to call recordings or role playing the same thing over and over again. Check them out here.

ASK THE QUOTA

Want to submit a question and be featured in our advice column? Click here. (Don't worry, you'll remain completely anonymous).

Dear Quota Team,

I am wondering if you can help me. I’ve been in sales for just over three years. I started in car sales but then moved over to B2B, which I thought was a better fit for me and my personality.

In the last two years, I’ve been laid off three times. Basically, I’ve been part of “cost-cutting” measures on multiple occasions. The managers all say that I’m a nice guy and that they didn’t want to do it, but that based on my performance, they really had no choice but to include me among the layoffs.

The first time this happened, I just chalked it up to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but now I am wondering if maybe this isn’t the career for me. Basically, I can’t tell whether these companies didn’t invest enough into training, or if they were just poorly managed. But I also can’t rule out the possibility that I’m just not cut out for this. Do you have any thoughts?

Concerned in Florida

Dear Concerned,

Without more detail, it’s pretty hard to say definitively whether or not you’re cut out to stay in sales, but three layoffs in two years isn’t a great sign.

But maybe, rather than asking for advice, you should ask yourself the following question: why do I want to work in sales? Is it a question you can answer easily, or is it something that requires a lot of thought and complicated rationale?

Sales is hard enough without a good “why,” but if you don’t have a “why” and aren’t performing, then there’s really no good reason (that we can think of) to keep trying to shove a square peg into a round hole.

There are plenty of other career options out there, and if this one’s not working out, why torture yourself with endless 3-6 month stints. But if, on the other hand, you find yourself being drawn to sales and you can figure out why, then you should give it another shot. After all, a real salesperson would never give up. Good luck!

Quiz Answer: D

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Today's email was written by Ken Kupchik, Erica Furgiuele, Steve Rado, and Emily Hill.

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