How can an SDR be successful in his closing?

Nowadays, buyers have more information than ever before. SDRs must change their approach to engage buyers and add value. Thus, the skills needed to succeed in closing have changed.

What is an SDR?

A SDR (Sales Development Representative) is a person who focuses on prospecting and qualifying leads in the sales pipeline. He or she then passes those leads on to the people responsible for closing the sale. SDRs allow employees who close a sale to focus their time and effort on the leads with the greatest closing potential.

SDRs are facilitators who help prospects find solutions to their problems. They do this by understanding the prospect's needs and then offering solutions, ideas and information without presenting a product.

In most sales organizations, the SDR has a core role at the beginning of the sale process. The day-to-day work of a SDR can seem repetitive, and sales closing roles typically offer higher compensation than CSD roles. Besides, SDRs tend to be self-motivated, ambitious, competitive and impatient individuals.

Improve your closing

Some tips for faster closing

SDRs work behind the scenes to speed up the sales process for others. They need to focus on quality in addition to quantity. Outreach efforts should not be mindless and overly broad. SDRs must be able to identify and address specific challenges and issues.

Focus on impact rather than activity

Their ultimate task is to generate more qualified leads for a sales organization. This can be done through inbound qualification or outbound approach to prospects. If an SDR team generates more qualified leads for a sales organization, it means that closing reps will be able to better prioritize their efforts to close more revenue in less time. It's as simple as this: more and better qualified leads = more revenue and shorter sales cycles.

As an SDR, it's easy to feel disconnected from the business results of your work and thus forget the impact of your role on the business. Think about it: the primary metric for most SDR roles is the number of qualified opportunities a SDR finds. In order to find more qualified opportunities, SDRs typically track activity metrics: how many calls, emails, messages or texts do they send to qualify those opportunities? This creates a system in which each SDR's goal is to record more activity than their teammates to ultimately generate more qualified opportunities.

Signing contracts is not limited to meeting the SDR quota

A common misconception among SDRs seeking to move into closing roles is: "I've beaten my quota for X number of months, so I'm ready for a closing role." The reality is that success in a closing role is not limited to one's ability to qualify new opportunities. It is critical that an RDC seeking to make this step demonstrate an understanding and aptitude for what will be required at the next level.

To be successful in a closing role, sales reps must:

• Conduct a thorough survey of customers to understand their issues and motivations.
• Establish mutual closing plans with clients and maintain a sense of urgency throughout a transaction.
• Negotiate thoughtfully and understand the difference between a good deal and a bad deal.
• Accurately forecast their activity and fully understand the impact of transactions.

Most SDR roles do not require these four qualities to be successful, but they are essential elements of any closing role. So the question is this: How can I highlight these skills as a SDR if they are not part of my job? Every SDR should make it a priority to observe closing reps and ask thoughtful questions about closing. When an SDR is interviewing for the next role, they should be sure to stress their understanding of the sales process and the skills they should develop to be successful.

To summarize

• SDRs need to ask themselves if their approach is generating more and better qualified leads that eventually generate more revenue and shorten transaction cycles.
• The objective at the end of the day is not to reach your quota, but to become the most successful SDR on your team.
• Success in a closing role requires more than just qualifying opportunities; identifying these skills and observing closing reps distinguishes qualified CSRs from other candidates.