How the Best SDR Programs Develop Top Talent

If you're feeling frustrated with your SDR BDR team's results and struggling to increase pipeline creation, then you are not alone!

Have you heard the myths about building successful SDR BDR teams?

Myth 1: SDR BDR teams can only focus on outbound or inbound, not both. Myth 2: Texting prospects is not effective for SDR BDR outreach. Myth 3: SDR BDR roles are just a stepping stone and don't require long-term commitment. Want to know the truth? Stay tuned for the secrets to building a high-performing SDR BDR team.

In this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast, Joey Vendel, the AVP of Sales Development at Seismic, joins host Mario Martinez Jr. to share his insights on building successful SDR/BDR teams. With over seven years of experience in sales development, Joey brings a wealth of knowledge and practical strategies to the table. The conversation delves into the pillars of a successful sales development team, including the architecture, activity optimization, omnichannel presence, and coaching. Joey's emphasis on nurturing SDRs for career growth and his innovative approach to pipeline development at Seismic offers valuable takeaways for sales development leaders and professionals.

From discussing the challenges of engaging multiple buying groups to insights about the velocity program and the importance of personalized outreach, this episode provides actionable strategies to enhance pipeline creation and drive career development for SDRs. If you're looking to boost your team's performance and navigate the evolving landscape of sales development, this episode is a must-listen for practical guidance and inspiration.

I think the key, Mario, is bringing value, right? That every touch point needs some form of value. And I think that's why we've seen the rise of how many touch points it takes to get ahold of a prospect is because more and more of it has become this, this, more mass message versus a personalized, relevant message for that specific person. - Joey Vendel

Joey Vendel, the AVP of Sales Development at Seismic, brings over seven years of SDR experience, from honing his skills as an individual contributor to managing a team of successful SDRs. He has a knack for generating high-quality pipelines and has helped numerous SDRs advance into roles as account executives, sales engineers, and beyond. His passion for sports not only fuels his free time but also provides valuable parallels and practices that he seamlessly translates to the sales field. With a deep understanding of building scalable SDR teams and a commitment to coaching, Joey's insights promise an engaging and insightful conversation on the strategies and pillars essential for successful sales development teams.

Skills you will learn in this Episode:

• Mastering the art of building high-performing SDR BDR teams.

• Accelerating your career through strategic sales development role progression.

• Crafting sales email frameworks that captivate and convert.

• Embracing the power of an omnichannel sales approach for amplified results.

• Elevating sales outreach with the impact of personalized strategies.

 

The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introduction to Vengreso and FlyMSG 00:01:14 - Importance of Sales Development 00:06:55 - Personalization in Sales Outreach 00:11:33 - The Role of Coaching in Sales Development 00:14:41 - Creating Quality Pipeline 00:16:00 - Multi-Threaded Selling 00:17:33 - Career Development Path 00:20:39 - Bridging the Skills Gap 00:23:09 - SDR Role Duration 00:29:41 - SDRs' Daily Activities and Time Management 00:31:41 - Leveraging LinkedIn Engagement 00:34:15 - Challenges and Solutions in Sales Development 00:36:09 - Leveraging Text Messaging in Sales Outreach 00:41:57 - Adding Value in Sales Touchpoints 00:43:17 - Leveraging LinkedIn for Prospecting 00:46:15 - Successful Reps' Cadence vs. Bottom Performing Reps' Cadence 00:51:47 - Consolidating Inbound and Outbound Sales 00:55:35 - Joey's Favorite Movie 00:57:13 - Conclusion and Farewell 00:00:00 - Introducing Joey Vendel 00:15:45 - Importance of Personalized Selling 00:30:22 - Leveraging Technology in Sales 00:45:18 - Adapting to Changing Sales Landscape

Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction to Vengreso and FlyMSG Mario Martinez Jr. introduces Vengreso and FlyMSG, an application to help sales leaders grow their sales numbers at scale. 00:01:14 - Importance of Sales Development Mario Martinez Jr. and Joey Vendel discuss the challenges and importance of sales development, focusing on outbound and inbound strategies in the current sales landscape. 00:06:55 - Personalization in Sales Outreach Joey Vendel emphasizes the importance of personalized outreach in sales, sharing his passion for Minnesota sports as a way to build rapport and connect with prospects. 00:11:33 - The Role of Coaching in Sales Development Joey Vendel explains the key elements of effective coaching for SDRs, including reviewing sales activity, account strategy, pipeline development, and career aspirations to drive success in the role and beyond. 00:14:41 - Creating Quality Pipeline Joey discusses the importance of creating a quality pipeline for outside sales to close deals effectively, especially when targeting enterprise customers with multiple stakeholders and buying groups. 00:16:00 - Multi-Threaded Selling Mario and Joey delve into the concept of multi-threaded selling, which involves bringing in different personas and stakeholders to build a business case for account executives when selling to large organizations. 00:17:33 - Career Development Path The conversation shifts to the career development path for BDRs and SDRs, highlighting the challenges of transitioning to management or AE roles. Joey shares how their velocity program helps SDRs develop closing skills and progress towards AE roles. 00:20:39 - Bridging the Skills Gap Mario and Joey discuss the importance of bridging the skills gap between SDR and AE roles, emphasizing the need for coaching and development to prepare SDRs for handling deals and conversations effectively. 00:23:09 - SDR Role Duration Joey provides insights into the average duration of SDR roles at Seismic, emphasizing the importance of learning and progression within the role before aspiring to transition into AE roles. 00:29:41 - SDRs' Daily Activities and Time Management Joey discusses the average daily activities of their SDRs, including emails, dials, and LinkedIn steps. He emphasizes the importance of time management and framing these activities as "effort metrics" within their control. 00:31:41 - Leveraging LinkedIn Engagement Mario and Joey discuss the importance of engaging on LinkedIn posts to stand out. They emphasize the need for personalized and thoughtful comments to make an impact, leading to a potential product enhancement idea for Joey's company. 00:34:15 - Challenges and Solutions in Sales Development Joey highlights the challenge of tracking engagement on LinkedIn and mentions a tool called Surfy for synchronizing LinkedIn messages. They discuss the importance of an omni-channel approach in reaching prospects. 00:36:09 - Leveraging Text Messaging in Sales Outreach Joey and Mario discuss the use of text messaging in sales outreach, emphasizing the need for an established relationship before using text as a channel. They also touch on the strategy of connecting all three channels - phone, text, and LinkedIn. 00:41:57 - Adding Value in Sales Touchpoints The importance of bringing value in every touchpoint is highlighted. Joey emphasizes the need for personalized, relevant messages for specific prospects, and Mario shares insights on the PVC sales methodology - personalization, bringing value, and a call to action. 00:43:17 - Leveraging LinkedIn for Prospecting Joey explains the importance of using the follow button on LinkedIn as part of the outbound cadence. He emphasizes the value of the follow button in engaging passive buyers and triggering a response from them. 00:46:15 - Successful Reps' Cadence vs. Bottom Performing Reps' Cadence Joey discusses the key elements of a successful sales cadence, including personalization, problem statement, value proposition, and interest-based call to action. He highlights the importance of concise and value-driven messaging in both emails and cold calls. 00:51:47 - Consolidating Inbound and Outbound Sales Joey talks about the decision to consolidate inbound and outbound sales under the same team at Seismic. He explains how this hybrid model has improved MQL to demo conversion rates and strengthened the partnership between the sales and marketing teams. 00:55:35 - Joey's Favorite Movie Joey shares his all-time favorite movie, "Crazy, Stupid, Love," and mentions his tradition of asking SDRs about their favorite movie when they start at Seismic. He invites listeners to use the movie title in their subject line when reaching out to him. 00:57:13 - Conclusion and Farewell Mario Martinez Jr. concludes the episode by thanking the listeners and encourages them to keep selling effectively until the next episode. 00:00:00 - Introducing Joey Vendel Mario Martinez Jr. introduces the guest, Joey Vendel, and sets the stage for the upcoming discussion on sales strategies. 00:15:45 - Importance of Personalized Selling Joey Vendel emphasizes the significance of personalized selling and the impact it has on building strong customer relationships and driving sales success. 00:30:22 - Leveraging Technology in Sales The conversation shifts to the role of technology in sales, with Joey Vendel sharing insights on how to effectively leverage technology to streamline sales processes and improve efficiency. 00:45:18 - Adapting to Changing Sales Landscape Mario Martinez Jr. and Joey Vendel discuss the need for sales professionals to adapt to the evolving sales landscape and embrace new strategies and tools to stay competitive in the market.

Crafting Irresistible Sales Email Frameworks for Maximum Impact Crafting sales email frameworks that are personalized, concise, and value-driven is key to maximizing impact in prospecting activities. Leveraging technology and the latest sales tools to enhance the effectiveness of sales cadences and outreach strategies is vital in the modern sales landscape. Storytelling can be a powerful tool in sales, allowing sales professionals to create compelling narratives that resonate with prospects and drive engagement.

Mastering the Art of Building High-Performing SDR BDR Teams Crafting a successful sales development team involves understanding the key pillars of team architecture, activity optimization, omnichannel presence, and coaching to drive success. Aligning different roles within the team with the organization's sales process and customer base is essential for building a scalable and efficient team. Balancing volume and personalization in sales outreach is crucial for engaging prospects effectively.

Accelerating Your Sales Development Career Progression SDRs can accelerate their career progression by gaining exposure to running inbound deals in addition to outbound responsibilities. Programs like Seismic's velocity program allow top-performing SDRs to showcase their skills in closing deals and prepare for advancement to AE roles. It's crucial to focus on skill development, refinement of discovery and demonstration skills, and preparing SDRs for future career growth opportunities within the organization.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

• Download FlyMSG for free to save 20 hours or more in a month and increase your productivity.

• Connect with Joey Vendel on LinkedIn and mention that you heard him on the modern selling podcast.

• Personalize your outreach to Joey Vendel to get a response, showing that you did research about him and his role.

• Use the subject line Crazy Stupid Love when reaching out to Joey Vendel to get his attention.

• Give the modern selling podcast a five-star rating and review on iTunes.