Why SDRs and AEs Should Dial Together
Run Remote Call Blitzes That Don't Suck
Real-time and Scalable Coaching for Sales Teams That Dial
Have you got great and driven sales development representatives and experienced and hard-working account executives, but your team still isn’t performing?
Are they not meeting or exceeding their monthly and quarterly targets?
Maybe you should look into their teamwork. Into the collaboration between your SDRs and AEs. Whether they’re working together towards their goals and whether they’re helping each other succeed and hit their targets.
Because if they’re not, that just might be the reason behind your team’s low performance. When they don’t work together, important opportunities can be lost. A company can miss out on deals because their SDRs and AEs don’t know how to work together.
The success of SDRs and AEs is not mutually exclusive on paper, but in practice, they definitely depend on each other. They might have different goals, but they are working in the same boat and they are going in the same direction.
SDRs are responsible for bringing in good quality opportunities. They go out looking for possible seeds that could grow into fruitful plants, whereas the AEs take those seeds and plant them on their farm. The AE’s job is to nurture those seeds, take care of them, and take care of the farm. Their goal is to turn those opportunities into customers.
Now, you might say that in most companies, SDRs get rewarded for bringing good quality leads, and AEs get rewarded for closing a certain percentage of the company’s revenue, making their goals and targets completely different and independent of each other. But the truth is that the more quality opportunities the SDR brings to the AE, the more chances the AE has to reach quota. And, on the other hand, the more coaching and mentoring the AE gives to the SDR, the better the SDR will also perform.
It’s like a cycle. One has to help the other for maximum performance. And all sales managers should invest in the relationship between their SDRs and AEs. They should all make sure that the collaboration between them is as smooth and fruitful as possible.
A Closer Look at the SDR / AE Relationship
Many people, and you can see this all the time on LinkedIn, will tell SDRs that AEs are not their bosses. They’ll say “AEs, SDRs don’t work for you”. And this is to make SDRs feel more seen, recognized, and supported, because what you don’t want is an AE thinking that they are a dictator over the SDR. The sales rep should not be just an errand boy who does things so that the account executive can get paid.
But, and this is a bit of a hot take, I actually tell my SDRs that their AEs are their customers. I tell them that their most important relationship in the organization is with their AE, because they are their customer, but also their mentor. They are the problem, but also the solution.
SDRs need to think of their AEs as their customers in the sense that they need to make them happy. They need to bring in leads that meet the qualification criteria of the AE. But, on the other hand, AEs are the solution to an SDR’s success in the sense that AEs can mentor SDRs and help them get better at their tasks faster.
But it’s not a dictator-servant relationship. It’s a team effort to keep both sides happy. It’s like a customer-client relationship.
And lots of work and effort needs to go into this relationship. Their job is to establish things like, for example, what are the qualification criteria? When does the handoff take place? How will they communicate and make sure that they are growing? And what is their strategy when it comes to prospecting?
Their collaboration is all about open communication and good alignment.
How Can Managers Help
As a manager, it’s super important that I am as involved as possible in the relationship between my SDRs and AEs.
How do I do this?
1. By making sure that AEs understand the importance of SDRs. Some account executives have not worked with SDRs before, so they don’t necessarily see what is the point of working with them. They don’t always understand what the sales rep is supposed to do, what their role is, and what value they are bringing.
So my job is to sit down with the AEs and explain to them why this relationship is so important, how they should be collaborating and working together, and what their goals are. I explain to them what their dynamic should look like and what they should be expecting from their sales rep.
2. By ensuring that the AE’s qualification criteria align with those of the company. Some AEs can be unreasonable and strict when it comes to their qualification criteria. Many account executives are trained on the BANT criteria, which means that a lead needs to qualify in terms of budget, authority, need, and timing.
But maybe your company doesn’t need the lead to meet all these standards, maybe you just need them to qualify in two of these. But I have seen some AEs who won’t qualify for opportunities based on what the company asks, but based on their own criteria. So I make sure that the company and the AE are aligned on that front.
3. By having an “Open-Door” policy. I always want to encourage my AEs to come to me with any issues or concerns they might have regarding their collaboration with their sales rep.
Whether it’s about the SDR’s performance or about the way they are or aren’t getting along, I want them to feel like they can always come to me for help and advice. Maybe I can give them tips on how to have a smoother relationship, maybe I need to provide the SDR with more coaching, or maybe I should help them understand again what their roles and goals are.
4. By encouraging active mentorship. Usually, AE’s are more experienced than SDRs, and they know the product and the company super well, so I ask them to mentor their SDRs. To help them understand what they’re selling. To teach them how to deal with objections. To show them how to fix their tone. There are so many things SDRs can learn from AEs, and we should take advantage of that.
But AEs will probably feel like this is a waste of their time, so I tell them that this might take them one step back now, but it will take them three steps forward in the long run. Helping SDRs learn, grow, and develop will also reflect on the AE’s performance. It’s a long-term investment that will bring them oversized returns.
5. By explaining the value of the relationship to the SDR. Most SDRs have not worked with AEs before. They don’t know how that works, and what they should be doing. They don’t understand how important it is to get along with the AE, and that they should listen to what the AE is asking of them.
I make sure that my SDRs understand that they need mentoring, that they need to listen to feedback, and that they should take advice from their AEs. I try to clear up any misconceptions they might have regarding this relationship, and I try to emphasize what their role is in it. My job is to basically establish that relationship for them.
6. By recommending an effective structure for their 1:1s. A common issue with sales teams is that there is a lack of proactivity between SDRs and AEs. They might have their weekly 1:1s set up, but that does not mean that they are actually accomplishing anything during those meetings.
Oftentimes, AEs don’t want to be disrespectful toward the SDR, so they won’t go into detail about what could be done better, or what should be changed to maximize success. So they will only see these 1:1s as quick little meetings to tick off their “to-do” list.
In reality, they should go into the meetings with a clear, targeted, and tailored plan to get the most value out of these conversations. They should have a clear strategy on what they will cover at each meeting, and they should be asking questions like “How did you book your first meeting last week?”, “Which objections are you hearing the most?”, “What does our pipeline look like? How can we come up with the best strategy?”, and “Which accounts are we handling, and who’s touching what?”.
That way there is accountability, and most importantly, a clear plan in place. And, they can look back each week and talk about what worked, what didn’t, and how can they become better as a team.
7. By keeping an eye on the collaboration in general. It is natural that when you work closely with someone, there will be little disagreements and arguments. But you don’t want them to blow out of proportion or for there to be resentment between SDRs and AEs. You don’t want that relationship to go sour, because it will immediately affect your team’s performance.
So, as the manager, I have to constantly stay on top of it and make sure that it’s staying healthy. I always check in with my team to see how things are going and if there is anything that needs my attention.
Why AEs and SDRs Should Dial Together
Has going remote affected upholding a good, productive, and healthy relationship between SDRs and AEs?
The simple answer is yes.
When sales teams work from an office, they always have access to each other. Communication is way easier and faster. SDRs have organic opportunities to learn from AEs and they can get mentored more regularly.
When working remotely, people are more isolated. Communication becomes harder, it’s more challenging to keep up a team-oriented culture, and all mentoring is probably limited to a weekly 1:1 meeting.
But, no sweat, there actually is a way to keep the relationship going even in a remote setting.
The secret is having your SDRs and AEs dial together by encouraging them to set up regular online meetings for cold-calling.
Why?
1. The number one reason is mentorship. Jumping on a call blitz and cold-calling together is a great way for AEs to see what their SDRs are doing on their calls. They can give live feedback, tips, and advice on how to handle each call, and the sales rep can easily adjust their methods in real-time.
Also, the SDR can listen in on the AEs calls, see how they handle common questions and objections, and learn tons from them. This is an invaluable learning opportunity for SDRs, and it will most definitely speed up their development.
2. In this economy, AEs have to go outbound as well. The truth is, that most AEs have probably forgotten how to cold call. They will probably be a bit rusty and they might even use outdated cold-calling methods.
SDRs will have the newest and freshest tactics and tips, and AEs can actually learn by listening to them dial.
3. To be aligned. They are on the same team, working towards the same goals. Instead of just having a vague 1:1 meeting every week or so to look at all the things that went wrong, they could unravel their strategy in real-time.
They can try out new strategies and tactics while cold-calling, and change things around immediately if they are not working the way they expected them to.
4. To build camaraderie. Cold-calling together will humanize both parties, and it’ll be much easier for them to bond. It will help them feel more united, and it will help them build trust.
5. For increased understanding. AEs might feel like their SDRs are not performing, or that they are not bringing in enough opportunities. Cold-calling together is a great way for them to go in and actually see what is happening on the playing field. They can understand if the issue is with something the SDR is doing, or if there is something else going on.
In the same way, if an SDR feels like the AE is being too strict with their qualification criteria, they can invite them to cold-call with them, to let the SDR know what they could be doing differently.
Ready to make your reps fall in love with the phone?
Build a real cold-calling culture on the CallBlitz virtual salesfloor
