Do we really understand the role of today’s SDR?

Let's hit a pause towards thinking blogging, advertising, digital marketing, public relations and other methods actually drive high-ticket sales for B2B business. In an era of technological dependence and human isolation, its impossible to surive as a boiler room SDR who works on old fashioned, direct text-book methods for reaching your B2B prospects. Do you think automating mails would really help? Don't piss-off your clients with more cold calling! And, earn blocked reports with robo calls. How long would you cherish the 0% email open rates? Fall in love with the outcome and not technology. Read on…

Forrester Researcher – In amongst 4.5 million B2B sales professionals today, one million jobs will be displaced by 2020.

Let's face it – In an era of internet marketplaces, sales representatives find the culture of direct field sales pretty brutal. An average sales representative would have to work on average conversion rate approx 1-2 clients per day. And, to reach this figure it takes them a lot of travelling plus roundtrips, getting past the door-keeper and often several rejections. Would you agree a proven fact that there's a congitive limit to the number of people you wish to form a meaningful relationship? In sales, we always strive to prove Dunbar wrong. If you are into sales, you'd know the hardest language to speak in the world is honesty. And, let's talk honestly about making a meaningful relationship, and not converting your prospects to clients. Do you sell your products with a human element?

What do buyers want?

Organizations are definitely going back to the same vendors time and time again, eliminating the need for SDRs – which sometimes gives those in sales a bit of disadvantage. Sadly most haven't looked at SDRs and their role from the point of view of buyers. Sales is often focussed on the seller's POV, and there's a marked relecutance to change this approach. Business owners need to mitigate such fears and move to a new era of sales structuring – Put on buyer's shoes.

Who owns the Customer?

There is a necessary requirement to bring an empathy into sales to bring the culture transformation and build strong experiences to drive engagement. Reality check – You are not compared to your competitors, but to every sales experience delivered ever. But, how effectively organizations are implementing it?

Most companies find it hard to scale especially SaaS startups once they push their subscriptions in big hopes to land a whale. How long would you stick to tuna? It's always recommended to reach your decision makers in B2B sales on a 1:1 meeting, Leveraging an on-demand salesforce that can be accessed and talent scouted locally makes your life much easier and helps building a strong offline community of local businesses or venues that benefit from direct sales. Onboarding a full pay sans commission-based sales force is most difficult challenge for any small venture. We at Salesvita are working to solve this problem!

What's next?

FACT: The world is well connected and more informed. Your consumers are more prepared and more than 80% call your business only after reaching a consideration stage. The 20% work has to involve a human element without which driving sales is pretty tough. That begs the question – Has technology helped enable SDRs to do their job better, or is it simply leading them down a path to obsolescence?

Brace yourselves. Winter is coming!