What Does a Typical Day in the Life of an SDR Look Like?

Being a Sales Development Representative (SDR) is one of the most challenging yet fun roles out there. SDRs are responsible for introducing a company’s products and services to new clients. Their job is to interact and engage with these leads and try to turn them into customers. 

As you can guess, the work of an SDR is not easy. You must have strong communication and oratory skills to be good at your job. Apart from that, you need to be very detail-oriented and must know everything about the product or service you’re trying to sell. 

Today we decided to give you a glimpse of what life looks like for a Sales Development Representative. Let’s find out more about a typical day in the life of an SDR. 

Calm And Productive Mornings

When it comes to the beginning of the day, an SDR is not much different from anyone working a 9 to 5 job. They wake up in the morning, usually well before 8. One thing many SDRs focus on is being calm and productive in the early hours. It is the time to gear up for a day’s work. Since the rest of the day would involve a lot of talking to people, SDRs prefer being calm and relaxed in the morning.

Are you wondering if you have to be an early-riser to be an SDR? The answer is both yes and no. You do have to wake up early, but nothing out of the ordinary is necessary. Many wake up at 8 to 8:30 AM, while some get up before 6. It all depends on what your mornings are like.

After having gone through the usual morning routine, SDRs typically set off for work. 

Stand-up meeting

After reaching the office, SDRs generally have a quick stand-up meeting with the team. The aim of this meeting is to brief the SDRs about the day’s targets and objectives. These meetings are usually short and do not take more than 30 minutes. 

Scheduling the day

After the meeting, an SDR would sit to scan their day’s schedule. It is time for them to mark important events and ensure they are not missing anything. Depending on how organised they are, scheduling can take anywhere from a minute to an hour. 

Scanning emails

Now the day’s work begins. Many sales development representatives start by tackling the biggest challenge first - emails. An SDR would typically find an overflowing inbox with different kinds of problems. Resolving each of them is a critical component of an SDR’s job. 

Setting day’s target and making a list of prospects

After dealing with emails, a typical SDR would list potential clients and prospects. It is an essential step in the job of an SDR. The more leads they can convert, the better their job performance. 

An SDR would spend some time making a list of people to contact on that day. However, this selection is not random. A lot of thought and research goes into figuring out which prospects have the highest chance of conversion. The list is compiled only after verifying various metrics. 

It’s a point in the day when an SDR has already done a lot of work. They prefer taking a short break at this juncture to be more focused and alert when talking to clients. Everyone has a different way of unwinding, but most choose to take a break after having worked with schedules, meetings, lists, and emails. 

Interacting with clients

The most exciting part of an SDR’s job is when they call prospects and have long conversations with them. A good SDR aims to understand the pain points of the prospect and what they are trying to get at. After understanding that, the SDR needs to pitch a solution that hits the mark. While the process might seem very simple, it involves hours of detailed conversations, arguments, persuasion, and counter-arguments. 

The SDRs who have a penchant for speaking have an obvious edge in this aspect of the job. If you are a good speaker, there are high chances that you’d also be a great SDR. The ability to persuade someone is a key skill for sales development representatives. 

Post-Lunch Tasks

Depending on how the first few calls go, there might or might not be a lot of work post-lunch. If there are more calls to make, they usually tackle that first. If there aren’t, they catch up with the rest of the team.

Reporting to the manager

After the day’s calls and emails are done, an SDR needs to give an update to the manager. It is usually well after lunch and more towards the end of office hours. Note that an SDR needs to be in the loop with the rest of the team. 

Social media catchup 

Many SDRs now also have to catch up with social media trends and world events. Doing so keeps them aware of what’s happening in the world and how it can affect their business. Depending on workload, this part can be skipped a few days in the week. 

Plan for the next day

At the end of the workday, SDRs would make a brief plan for the next day. It helps save time and get more work done. 

Sales development representatives have eventful workdays where they get to meet and talk to a lot of interesting people. If you are someone who likes the idea of meeting new people every day, this can be a great role for you. 

Anyone with strong soft skills can excel in this profession. If you can talk to people and convince them, you’d be a successful SDR. There is tremendous growth prospect in the field as well. To know more about how to be a sales development representative, visit Juno School.