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Content of the week

• This is a fantastic 2024 ABM strategy guide

• The top 50 SDR Managers in the UK have been announced!

What am I seeing this week: You build a business one cold call at a time!

Humans want to communicate with humans. Building rapport over email is not the key to success in enterprise sales development.

COVID has meant more and more SDRs feel they can 'hide' behind email and not communicate over the phone.

But then these same people still expect to be promoted in double sharp time into roles that mean they have to speak to people...over the phone.

Who are still the best SDRs I come across?

The ones who are constantly making dials, handling objections in real-time and booking meetings.

As leaders, we MUST invest in coaching and developing this critical skill.

Remember this: cold calling reigns supreme, and hiding behind emails will not help you develop into an excellent salesperson.

For those new to the newsletter and like what you are seeing, please click on the subscribe button, and you’ll receive this top-quality newsletter in your inbox every Friday morning!

Five Questions of the Week: Gemma Lindsay

This week, we have the super-talented Gemma Lindsay of Anaplan today! Gemma will review some of the leaders that have had the most impact on her work and give insights into how you can follow in her footsteps!

What is your leadership methodology? 

At the heart of my leadership methodology is situational leadership by Ken Blanchard. What I like about this approach is that it equips individuals at every level of the organisation, from SDRs upwards, with the ability to engage in meaningful discussions about different situations and tasks. This empowers SDRs to enter conversations with self-reflection on their skills and level of commitment in advance. At the same time, it enables SDR leaders to ask great questions that help determine the most appropriate leadership style required for a given task. This approach helps with difficult conversations about whether a particular problem is related to a skills or a motivation gap. If you adopt this approach, every person in the organisation must be trained on this method so it becomes a common language.

You have led at some great companies: Concur, Dynatrace and now Anaplan: what were some of the key learnings you took from those roles to be the leader you are today? 

My journey through different companies, from building teams from scratch to running inside sales and now working for a private equity firm, has all brought something new. Each step along the way has provided valuable insights. Looking back on my career, there are a few fundamental principles that guide my leadership approach today:

1. Set expectations: It is essential to set clear expectations from the outset. Effective early communication of what 'good' looks like is critical.

2. Master the basics: I've learned that excellence often lies in mastering the basics. When considering new processes or projects, I assess their scalability and repeatability. The time invested here can have a more significant impact in the longer term.

3. Make sure the team is BRILLIANT AT THE BASICS: One of the more unconventional pieces of advice I once received is that at the end of the day, hitting sales quotas is number 1, and so whilst side projects can be fun, being brilliant at the basics of our roles is most important. So, as a leader, while there may be other projects you enjoy or are excited about, being great at your core role is number 1. 

4. In my current role at a private equity firm, I've been able to delve deeper into aligning our work with the broader strategic vision. Understanding how our actions influence EBITDA goals and financial well-being has been a fantastic experience. This insight is a crucial stepping stone for my future progression from director to VP within the organisation. Make sure you get to know your Finance Leaders well!

Who are some of the leaders who have made the most impact on you? 

I have been fortunate to work alongside several outstanding leaders throughout my professional journey. My current manager is the person who has had such an impact on my growth as a Director. Her dedication to leadership development is exceptional and a rarity at my level. She regularly provides monthly feedback on our business reviews and coaching to our entire Sales Development Leadership team.

I greatly admire her emphasis on developing our executive presence and refining our communication abilities at a high level. We are urged to connect our Initiatives directly to tangible objectives that align with our strategic goals. If we struggle to create a clear outcome, it causes us to reconsider whether a specific course of action is correct. When I present in QBRs, everything is connected to results and strategic objectives, and it continues to be very well received by the Senior Leadership Team. And when I say EVERYTHING is connected to an outcome I genuinely mean it; no task or action without an outcome is listed! For example, if we are running x training, it needs an outcome. We are running a career day; we need an outcome. You get the point ;)

My current manager and I are a team, so we tackle running the global group together, and it means I get a lot of insight into projects she is working on and tasked with running global projects for the entire SD org. The best position to be in!

In my current role, connecting with broader strategic and financial goals has been a valuable experience. Working with A+ Players has been essential, so I am excited to work with the Senior ELT Team here and our Managing Director, who was part of the early days of PTC, where MEDDPICC was created; this adds a significant learning opportunity. Working for a company with exciting growth goals means you need the team's best players, and it’s so important to me to be part of that.

Outside of this, I find a lot of great coaches on TikTok who provide short and snappy videos to digest for development; some of my go-to’s include Denise Conroy (Ex CEO & CMO), Askvinh, who is a Communication Skills Coach and missclairebenjamin who talks about how to lead through challenging conversations in the workplace (Her videos are great!)

What would be your advice to someone who wants to follow in your footsteps into leadership? 

Reflecting upon my career, I have consistently considered what I must learn to enhance my standing in the job market. This tendency has been a hallmark of my professional journey, with each role providing a new challenge or opportunity for development. Whether I managed individual contributors, led leadership teams, oversaw operations in the UK, France, and EMEA, or took responsibility for high-volume SMB accounts or complex enterprise deals, I intentionally chose roles that provided something new to challenge me. I recommend that you adopt a careful approach to your career journey. I have found gaining diverse perspectives and skills precious for new opportunities and roles. When seeking new talent, I place great importance on individuals with a growth mindset and perspective because they can bring fresh thinking to the table, which is precisely what I want; I want that perspective of thinking.

What would be your advice to someone wanting to move into SDR leadership?

Looking back on my journey into leadership, I've realised that it was about more than just being great at my current job. It was also about taking risks and saying "yes" to opportunities, even when uncertain. When I stepped into my first leadership role, I faced challenges I needed to prepare for, but I had to believe in myself and put in extra time and effort to succeed. People often say that women tend to wait until they meet every requirement before going for an opportunity, but I took a different approach early on. Networking was crucial for me, even in my early days as an SDR leader. I focused on building a solid network both inside and outside the company. Sometimes, we get so caught up in our daily tasks that we need to remember the importance of connecting with others and managing relationships with other Leaders outside our functions.  I remember organising networking events with people I didn't know, including peers and leaders, to elevate my profile. During those early stages, learning how to communicate and collaborate with others was vital, and having a network that included leaders and experts in various fields proved incredibly valuable. I realised it's better to be proactive and lean in too much rather than hold back, especially when striving to make a mark in the world of leadership. The start is always the hardest, so be 100% in, fail quickly and never stop learning. You either get better or worse at your job, and you can’t stay the same because everyone around you is up-levelling, so I always keep that top of mind because I always want to be the best.

No-Fluff Marketing Industry News & Insights

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Book of the week

And Finally!

This Thursday (16th November) will be the first-ever BDR Summit in Amsterdam! I’m excited to speak and hope to see many of you there!