Yesterday, I spoke at the BDR summit; it was a great experience! André, Sara and I wrapped up the event by discussing our career journeys. I felt we provided some insights into navigating a career journey, and the Q&A was good. Thank you to Antonio for organising such an incredible event!

New SDRs building sequences is a mistake

Would you give your 16-year-old the keys to the Ferrari?

This is what I mean...

New to the workforce, SDRs have a lot on their plate, and then we expect them to write their sequences.

That is a recipe for disaster!

Especially as the news has broken around bulk sending being prohibited on Google mail servers

Here is what you, as leaders, should be doing:

1. You, as a leadership team, build Sequences based on Persona/use case/vertical
2. Sequence committees are instituted where senior SDRs refine and iterate existing sequences and suggest new ones
3. New SDRs should be making calls, handling objections, booking meetings

Only after some time do SDRs graduate to be able to write their sequences.

Is it best to give SDR confidence in driving before you provide them with responsibility for suped up racing car building SDR cadences?

Let me know what you think in the comments section below!

This week, we are speaking with the incredible Alison McCabe! Alison will discuss how she longer sweats the small things and who some of the leaders she has looked up to in her leadership journey!

What is your leadership methodology?

My leadership style differs depending on my management level (front line / second line) or circumstances. In general, the style I’d best identify with is servant leadership, always looking for ways to help the team/business and solve problems. I’m a very fair and encouraging leader who always strives for top performance. 

How do you effectively lead your team at Fivetran?

Throughout my four-year journey at Fivetran, my leadership style has evolved significantly. I embraced a delegation-heavy approach in the early days, offering SDRs and first-time SDR managers substantial autonomy and flexibility. When Fivetran was a startup, this fostered creativity and innovation, allowing us to discern what strategies worked and what didn't. 

Fast forward to today, and my focus has shifted toward a more process-oriented mindset, honing in on the 'how' of our operations. A prime example is steering our operating model from inbound/outbound to an allbound strategy, emphasising the maximisation of inbound leads. Precision in lead sequence execution, multi-threading for optimal conversion rates, and strict adherence to SLAs (both speed to lead and activity SLAs) take centre stage. Flexibility on how a lead is worked is non-negotiable for me. I advise leaders building SDR teams to focus on the ‘how’ from the outset. SDRs need guidance on the operational excellence of the role that will make good habits throughout their sales careers.   

If you could go into a time machine and speak to Alison as she began her sales career, what advice would you give her?

Don’t sweat the small things. Speak to the business's senior leaders and understand the priorities. Prioritising big needle movers that drive the company forward will have a far more significant impact than focusing on every task from your desk. 

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

I can think of a few great leaders who may or may not know their impact on my life. Nate Spohn, Tony Regan, Niall Norton, Hillary Major, John O’Keeffe and Gus Compher. Special mention goes to my long-time mentor, Gus Compher, who has significantly impacted my career as a leader and has given up so much of his time to mentor me. Gus is an inspiration in how he grew from Business Development Manager to VP of Sales. His operational excellence in leading a team and managing his business inspires me daily. 

How do you see the SDR function evolving over the next three years?

Over the next three years, I see two streams emerging that will shape the sales funnel: PLG v Enterprise Playbooks, with the future seeming to point towards SDRs zeroing in on enterprise sales. Today, many SDR teams handle most, if not all, MQLs and outbound activities. As organisations look at improving their magic number, CPL and SDR efficiency will be analysed. 

Organisations are looking at their highest converting channels and experimenting by leveraging their web channels more, gaining revenue efficiencies by sending these leads away from the SDR function to a PLG or self-service motion. SDR teams will be seen as an elite, expensive resource dedicated to enterprise (new business logo acquisition and expansion via a hunter/farmer model). Kevin Egan, Global Head of Enterprise Sales at Atlassian, speaks about this shift in his recent podcast with 20VC. 

As companies move upstream into the enterprise, spray-and-pray approaches will be a thing of the past. Personalisation will be the only way to capture your ICP’s attention. The enterprise motion will mean SDR teams must level up on how they speak to the C-Suite. Therefore, enablement & their sales stack (particularly AI tools) will become essential enablers of success. In addition, enterprise sales strategies such as multi-threading and sub-hunt strategies have been exploding lately, with weekly webinars and content from thought leaders such as John Barrows and Jason Bay to facilitate this shift. 

I’m attempting a half marathon this weekend. Wish me luck!