In the B2B appointment setting world, learning to navigate a work-from-home landscape and deliver high-quality results is the – dare I say – new norm for sales development reps (SDRs) throughout sales and marketing organizations. As business leaders continue to forecast and plan for long-term success, conversations about reducing office space footprints are being held as many believe committing to remote models are the future. However, this workplace shift can have a tremendous impact not only on a company or agency’s culture, but also the daily routine and results of the driving workforce of sales development efforts.
What does this mean for SDRs?
Add that new office chair to your shopping cart, and be prepared to own your results from home.
While some sales professionals over recent months have thrived in their new office environments, news of this change can leave others feeling isolated, less productive, and some may find it hard to stay motivated. Added pressures to maximize production and manage a new work-life balance can be overwhelming, and easily lead to workplace burn out. According to Career Builder, 61% of workers say that they are burned out in their current role, and even the most experienced sales development rep’s performance can dip if they do not continue to demonstrate these (4) essential traits of a successful remote SDR.
Four Essential Work Traits of a Successful Remote SDR
The vast majority of my sales development career has been spent not only generating marketing and sales qualified leads, but also training and helping others polish their skills across a wide variety of industries and styles. And I’ve found that it’s the professionals that demonstrate a high-level of discipline, strong communication, resourcefulness, and integrity that generate the best results.
So, what can an SDR do to be successful in their remote workspace?
Be Disciplined
Unlike working in a traditional office, working remote can remove some of the discipline and routine out of the workday. Creating a new regimen and reporting to a professional workspace can often be the first steps in improving success. Prospecting from the couch versus a proper environment can potentially set the wrong tone and pace of a productive day.
However, it doesn’t stop there. Developing new business requires you to stay disciplined in achieving results daily. Setting goals to maximize the number of calls and emails you’re able to make will increase your chances to connect with more decision makers, which will lead to booking more meetings.
Find New Ways to Effectively Communicate
This workplace shift can also have tremendous impacts on an SDR’s ability to connect and communicate with their peers and mentors. Conversations and meetings are now more pointed and intentional, and less time is invested in building relationships with teammates.
Whether you’re feeling isolated or struggling to make messages resonate with your prospects remember that you’re not alone, and don’t hesitate to find new ways to communicate with peers and the leadership within your organization. Scheduling team meetings, one on one calls, reaching out via chat, and utilizing webcams are great ways to connect as a team. Discussing new industry trends, challenges, solutions, and sharing new material and ideas is essential in continuing to develop your skills. Leaning on those who have been or are currently in your shoes will assist in driving better results at home.
Be Resourceful
Similarly, staying connected and reaching new decision makers has become increasingly difficult as their roles have been moved home as well. These changes require a successful prospector to be more resourceful in their outreach efforts. Uncovering email addresses and cell phones can make or break an SDR’s ability to connect with contacts working remote. Today, gatekeepers are quick to inform you that they can’t transfer you and that the only way to reach contacts is via email.
How can you combat these challenges? Be resourceful. Ask the gatekeeper or other staff for more information, use new databases to uncover cell phone number and emails, and cross-reference other business sources too. Additionally, working with marketing or other sales leaders to help adjust phone and email messaging can be a game changer as well.
Work with Integrity
Bringing a sense of integrity and honesty to the workplace is crucial in developing a trusting relationship not only with prospects, but your team as well. Even though some leaders are ready to throw all their chips into a work-from-home model other leaders question the long-term viability due to a lack of trust or transparency about what their reps are doing daily. The key to remaining successful while working remote is to work with integrity wherever and in whatever you’re doing. This includes being honest with yourself and holding yourself accountable for your results.
As an SDR there will be times when you don’t hit your quota, call volume, or other KPIs. Ask me or any sales development rep in any organization you know. However, by adopting these (4) Essential Traits you will become a more successful remote sales development rep.