SDR Success Techniques

I’ve been cold calling for 9 years. Here’s everything I know about it: (this is a longer post so bear with me) 𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟬 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: People don’t hang up because it’s a cold call. They hang up because you sound unsure, scripted, or boring. - Be calm. - Be confident. - Be clear. 𝟮. 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸: Don’t ask “𝘏𝘰𝘸’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨?” Don’t ask “𝘐𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦?” Just try: “𝘏𝘦𝘺 (𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦), 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧.” That opener alone will double your talk time. 𝟯. 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁: No one cares that you’re the “𝘯𝘰.1 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘟.” Tell them what pain you solve, fast. 𝟰. 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: “I’m not interested” just means they don’t understand you yet. Use the FFF method: Feel - Felt - Found. “𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦… 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 (𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵).” 𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: If they’re talking, you’re winning. If they’re curious, you’re in. If you book the meeting, that’s the win. 𝟲. 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁: You could have the best pitch in the world… But if you don’t make the dials, you won’t get the meetings. Consistency > perfection. 𝟳. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲: Don’t waste time trying to convince people who don’t have the problem you solve. Laser focus on your ICP, the ones who feel the pain. 𝟴. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆: Your tone > your script. People say yes to people who sound like they believe in what they’re saying. 𝟵. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁: Most meetings I book happen after the call. Send a short LinkedIn DM or a value-driven email right after. 𝟭𝟬. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁: They have a framework. They prep. They reflect after each call. And they improve daily. Cold calling still works if you do it right. Now let's book some meetings!!!! P.S. I've created a free cold calling cheat sheet where I share all of my do's & don'ts. You can access it for free here: https://lnkd.in/g9BrrDA6

I spoke with 25 EMEA SDR leaders last week in Amsterdam. These 3 tactics are the difference between missing quota and hitting it. (Share this in your Slack channel) 1. The 100-to-1000 Rule SDRs need to do 100 of ANYTHING (cold call connections, LinkedIn video DMs, etc) before saying "it doesn't work." If someone tells me: "My rep sent 5 videos and got nothing." My response is: "Cool. Michael Jordan missed 5 shots once too. Then he took 20,000 more. The 5 videos you made are just the warmup. Come back at 100. Here's the math: • 1 SDR = 100 attempts minimum • 10 SDRs x 100 = 1,000 data points • Now you know what actually works The reason for the 1,000 data points is to collect overall data for the team to adopt this across the board. It also builds belief on the team that these tactics that you want your team to do ACTUALLY can work. Stop accepting "it doesn't work" from reps who tried it twice. 2. Test Your Messaging With Actual Buyers Most LinkedIn advice comes from sellers selling to sellers. Again, guilty as charged. So let's get messaging straight from your actual buyers. The play that's booking meetings: • Message your internal champion that is your potential buyer (CTO, CMO, etc.) • Ask: "What's the best outreach you've received?" • Use AI to decode why it worked • Test that approach with similar buyers • Scale what gets responses We did this with our CMO when I worked at Terminus and we booked a ton of meetings from it. 3. Find Your Team's Unique Strength Every SDR has a superpower waiting to be unleashed. Map it out: • Sarah is nailing it on cold calls? Document her opener • Mike gets 30% email reply rates? Emulate his templates • Lisa owns LinkedIn? Make her teach everyone I tried to be the email guy when I realized I am more of a cold call / social guy. Know your lane and maximize it. Then you can build multi-channel plays using each person's strength. I did this with my SDR team and we hit above our quota for 6 straight months. The real talk here is start demanding mastery from your teams instead of going through the motions. This is the way. P.S. Which takeaway are you testing with your team this week?

Here are 10 lessons I learned about outbound in 2025 (some the hard way): 1. AI is MUCH better utilized for building out target account lists, figuring out realistic TAM/SAMs and account research than for copywriting/writing emails. 2. The AI SDR that replaces humans is dead. The hype lasted for ~6 months. Not a single operator I know that has tried it, has had success. Automating list building and creating messaging based on commoditized 3rd party data on the web and blasting out “personalized” emails is not going to break through the noise. 3. Context switching is a killer in SDR land. One of the main things ops/leadership needs to do is to reduce the number of decisions that an SDR makes every day. This is one of the best use cases for AI today. A rep should be able to cold call somebody and the moment they connect, have all the necessary information pushed to them to have a relevant convo (easier said than done). 4. Your list is your message. Most people think about outbound wrong. They build a list, and then think about the messaging after. This should be reversed. Your list should be built with the message in mind. 5. The phone and cold calling is king. Especially selling into GTM leadership, the data for us was crystal clear. Even meetings booked from email usually had some form of phone conversation at some point. 6. The 80/20 rule applies to outbound as well. -80% of your results will come from 20% of your accounts -80% of your meetings will come from 20% of your plays 7. As a rep, you set the level of urgency your prospect has. And the best reps operate with extreme urgency. -Suggest booking that meeting for today or tomorrow … instead of next week  -Prospect asked for you to follow up via email on a call? ... Do it right after your call block. Not in the evening, not tomorrow. 8. It’s key for sales development leaders to forecast pipeline (not enough do it properly or early enough). AE leaders run forecasting weekly. SDR leaders should do the same. It’s vital to know what is being projected from your team so that you can correct course and adjust. Forecasting should be cohort-based and projected out weekly based on the following: -Meetings booked -Show Rate -Qualification rate  -Time to qualification (days) This will give you a good understanding of where you will land each week. And allows you to be proactive. 9. The pace of change in outbound is INSANE. What worked last quarter literally doesn't work the next. It's CONSTANT iteration. Be obsessed with experiments. 10. Managing people is hard. And managing SDRs is not for the faint of heart. It’s an absolute grind… day in and day out. Every individual is great & flawed in their own way - we just do the best that we can. You have to be a little sick in the head to do this for as long as I have 🤣. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I had the opportunity to build with an incredible SDR team all 2025. SO grateful for you all ❤️  ❤️ Happy New Year!!!

Cold call tip. Your intent shapes how you act. How you speak. How you sound. How you persist. If you’re attached to the outcome, you act in ways that feel pushy. You lean forward. You convince. You beg for time. If you’re detached from the outcome, you act in ways that feel inviting. You lean back. You approach people with humble curiosity. You poke the bear. You ask about a potential problem without steering them toward a desired answer. Like this: “Not sure if you’ve run into this, but I keep hearing that finding parking in Miami for an event feels like playing Mario Kart. You’re circling the block, dodging scooters, and hoping for a spot to open up. You either show up way too early or leave before the show’s over just to beat the chaos. How are you handling parking when you go to events in Miami?” Then you shut the front door and listen. You’re not assuming there’s a problem, so there’s no need to convince anyone. If there is a problem, you can assume the prospect has some awareness of the solution. Chances are, they’ve heard of it. “You’re probably familiar with SpotHero.” Then mute yourself. It’s not your job to fill people’s heads with information. It’s your job to draw it out. The shift? Leaning forward → Leaning back.

I’ve built and led sales teams from scratch. And there’s ONE channel I see revenue leak over and over again... (and it’s not that £50k event you spent scanning badges at a stand…) It's here.. Yep.. surprise surprise it's LinkedIn. Every team I look at, it’s the same pattern. Strong outbound. Decent process. But then you open the team on LinkedIn… and there’s no surface area. The problem is your outbound is a single touchpoint. Your LinkedIn presence is the environment that touchpoint lands in. And most teams optimise the first and ignore the second. If you want this to actually move pipeline, it needs to be treated like part of sales execution: 1. Stop thinking “posting”. Start thinking “account exposure” Your reps shouldn’t just post into the void, they should be visible around the accounts they’re targeting. That means: • commenting on ICP posts consistently • engaging before outreach (not after) • showing up in the same feed as their prospects You’re building recognition before you ever send a message. 2. Tie content directly to live deals Most content is generic because it’s disconnected from reality. Your best content is already in your pipeline: • objections that keep coming up • questions prospects ask on calls • where deals get stuck f it’s happening 5+ times in conversations, it should exist on LinkedIn. 3. Build “minimum viable profiles” across the team You don’t need creators, you need profiles that answer, fast: • what do you understand? • who do you help? • how do you think? Recent activity matters more than old experience. If someone lands on the profile and sees nothing recent, you’re back to zero. 4. Align posting with outbound waves Most teams treat these separately. Better approach: • rep warms up a segment (engagement + content) • then outreach starts • then content reinforces during follow-ups You’re not relying on a single moment anymore. 5. Don’t isolate this to SDRs Here is the BIG mistake. Your AE gets checked before the call, your manager gets checked mid-deal, if visibility drops at any stage, trust drops with it. This needs to be across the WHOLE sales chain. 6. Measure leading indicators differently You won’t see this purely in “likes”. Look at: • connection acceptance rates • reply rates by rep • speed to first response • profile views from target accounts • conversion rate • and of course inbounds (yes DO add UTM links on each sales rep profile) 7. Prioritise comments over posts early on Everyone focuses on posting. But comments: • get you in front of the right people faster • attach you to existing conversations • build recognition without needing distribution Most teams are still trying to win inside the sequence. The edge right now sits outside of it. If your team has no presence on LinkedIn, every outbound starts from zero. If they’re visible in the right places, outbound becomes a conversion layer, not just an entry point. That’s where the difference is 👌🏼

I'll say it once...and I'll say it forever...if you're leading an SDR team / department and you're NOT paying attention to what happens with your team's work after they hand it off to AEs... You're relegating your team / department to a support function rather than a strategic one... SDRs can't keep being appointment setters while prospective buyers are more discerning and more risk averse than ever And just tossing meetings and opps over the fence that meet "qualification criteria" isn't going to cut it unless your company is signing contracts like there's no tomorrow ➡️ Take into consideration what sales deems as "quality pipeline" (*cough* it's likely more than just persona + need *cough*) ➡️ Identify how your team can support sales in getting 1 step closer to "quality pipeline" (within reason) ➡️ Set benchmarks for conversion rates towards "quality pipeline" standard ➡️ Partner with sales and sales enablement to come up with a playbook for SDRs and AEs on best practices to hit "quality pipeline" standard ➡️ Make sure everyone -- AEs, SDRs, AE managers, SDR managers, etc -- knows what quality is and isn't, and coaches/reinforces to that standards; consider discovery scorecards, next step sequences, plays for objections during discovery, etc ➡️ Leverage data to identify what needs the most work and what must be true to improve, i.e. further coaching, enablement, disposition training, tactic, campaigns, etc

After making over half a million cold calls (yeah I counted) across SMB, Mid Market and Enterprise in almost two decades I've learned a few things about this wild world of dialing I’m talking about the good, the bad and the “did they just put me on hold while they went to lunch?” moments Here are 5 lessons I’ve picked up along the way that are non negotiable if you’re out there in the trenches 1. 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 (𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘆) Look research is key. I’m not saying deep dive into their high school yearbook but know enough to be relevant. “Hey I saw you recently… exist” isnt going to cut it. Find a hook that resonates     2. 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 For every hundred “not interested” responses there’s a gem hidden somewhere. The trick is to see rejection as feedback. Tweak the message, adjust your approach and get back in the game. It’s all just part of the process     3. 𝗕𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁, 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 Nobody and I mean nobody wants to talk to a sales robot. Treat your prospects like people (because spoiler: they are). Crack a joke, share a story ask how they’re really doing. People remember conversations that feel real     4. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁” 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁 There’s no magic phrase that’ll open every door. But you know what helps? Being confident and adaptable. Some days your go to line lands like a charm. Other days you pivot and that’s okay. Just don’t sound like you’re reading off a script     5. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 You can have the most fire pitch but if your timing is off it’s a no-go. Space out your follow ups, keep the value front and center and don’t be that rep calling 5 times in one day (yes we’ve all been there). Play it smart and patient Theres a reason they call cold calling an art and a science. It takes resilience, a sense of humor and a whole lot of patience So if you’re out there dialing today remember: it’s a numbers game but it’s also a people game Lets keep grinding 🤘 P.S. If you’ve ever been hung up on mid sentence… I feel you Drop your funniest cold call story in the comments let’s laugh about it together

I worked with a client recently who was convinced they had an Account Executive problem with closing deals. They had plenty of meetings on their calendars. The SDR team was hitting their activity numbers for setting appointments. Yet deals weren’t closing at the rate leadership expected. So the assumption was obvious, AE execution needs work. But when we slowed down and looked closer, the issue wasn’t happening in the close. It was happening before the meeting ever took place. Here’s what we discovered. The SDR team was doing what many teams are trained to do: - Lead with big, generic pain points - Keep the conversation high-level - Sell the idea of a meeting, not the substance of it The outreach sounded something like, “We help companies streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. Would it make sense to set up time with one of our experts?” That message works to get meetings booked. But it creates a hidden problem. When prospects showed up to the AE call, their expectations were fuzzy. They didn’t know: - What specific problem would be discussed - What kind of conversation they were walking into - Whether this was exploratory, diagnostic, or a soft pitch So they did what any rational buyer does when expectations don’t match reality. They disengaged. From the AE’s perspective, I got comments like: “These prospects aren’t serious.” “They’re not qualified.” “They’re just curious, not buyers.” From the prospect’s perspective, I received comments like: “This isn’t what I thought the meeting was about.” “This feels more salesy than I expected.” “I’m not sure this is relevant to me.” No one was lying. No one was incompetent. But the problem–solution framing was too broad. The SDRs were optimizing for calendar fills, not context clarity. Once we tightened the SDR conversations, everything changed. Instead of selling a meeting, SDRs began setting informed appointments: - Naming the specific problem likely to be discussed - Explaining what the AE would and would not cover - Confirming why this conversation, at this time, made sense The result: - Fewer, more meaningful meetings. - Better conversations. - Higher close rates. Here’s the lesson every sales leader and SDR team needs to internalize: - SDRs don’t exist to sell meetings. - They exist to sell clarity. An appointment without context isn’t a win, it’s a delayed disappointment. The best SDRs don’t ask, “Can I get 30 minutes on your calendar?” They help prospects understand, “Here’s exactly why this conversation is worth having, and what you’ll walk away with.” That’s the difference between activity and impact. I'm curious what my sales professionals think about this. #sales

During my time as CRO, my team would generate as many meetings in 4 hours as the rest of the month combined with a "speed-dating" workshop leveraging executives, investors, and partners. 1. We got our CEO, COO, CRO, CTO (yes, Sha Ma built pipeline!), VP of Marketing, SVP of CS, and an investor or two to agree to a 4 hr prospecting jam session. 2. We asked each SDR and AE to identify a list of accounts they really wanted to break into before the event. 3. We reserved a 4 hour slot in the middle of the day on SDR/AE calendars. 4. My sales leaders would arrange and coordinate the rest, acting almost like traffic cops for the 4 hr session. 5. We set up each exec at a "station" either at a physical table if in-person or with an always-on Zoom link. 6. We then created a schedule on a spreadsheet that showed a rotation of reps moving from station to station every 15 minutes...rapid fire table to Zoom to table. 5. AE 1 would start at station 1 with our CEO. CEO laptop open to LinkedIn. AE laptop open to a prioritized account list. AE 2 would start at station 2 with our COO. AE 3 would start at station 3...you get the point. Like a shotgun start. Each AE/SDR starts at their assigned station at 10am. 6. The AE/SDR would tell the exec at their station the first company on the list. The exec would immediately search LI for connections and a way "in." 7. The AE/SDR and the exec would execute a sales activity right then and there with anyone in their network that could help us. We made it really fun: - Execs would make cold calls on the spot. - Execs would send texts. - Exec would do a connection request or DM - Exec would write a quick email - Exec + rep would select a gift to send and screenshot what they were doing and send it to the prospect. - MY FAVORITE? Exec + rep would make a Loom video and send over saying something like: Exec: "Hey Suzy! Long time, no talk. Sanjay has been trying to get ahold of you. Sanjay, how many times have you reached out?" SDR/AE: " I've sent you 5 emails and made 7 cold calls in the last 3 weeks trying to get ahold of you. We think we have a hypothesis on why we should meet." Exec: "I walked Sanjay off the ledge by agreeing to do a video to see if you'd be willing to chat with us about {{interesting and creative hypothesis}}. I'm happy to join to share what I'm seeing." That video almost always got a response and a meeting. 8. After getting through as many accounts as possible in 15 mins, the rep rotates to the next station and repeats with the next account on their list. Notes: - Come to work. Pace is important. 15 mins and move. - Do the work right then and there. No to-do's. Only activity. - It's OK to have multiple execs reach out to the same person/account. Just make it fun and playful, mentioning how much you want to get in touch. - Be YOU! I did silly videos. Our CEO was more direct and serious. Both worked. - We did this at an onsite and the energy was INSANE!

Everyone says, “Network your way into a job.” But no one tells you how to make your message actually stand out. I used to send generic cold messages that got zero replies. Then I started attaching specific questions or insights about the company or role. That’s when conversations started. Here’s how to network well: - Don’t ask for a referral in your first message. Start a conversation. - Mention a specific project or product the person worked on that excites you. - Ask one thoughtful question, not “Can I pick your brain?” - Keep it under 3 sentences. Respect their time. Here’s are a few templates you can use: - Hello! I applied to a SWE internship at Meta and had a few questions about the work culture. Would you be open to connecting? I appreciate your time! - Your work in [field/area of expertise] is truly remarkable. As an aspiring [role], I'd greatly appreciate the chance to connect and gain invaluable guidance from your journey. - I'm captivated by your unique approach to [specific aspect of their work]. Could we connect? I'd love to learn more and potentially explore opportunities for collaboration. - Hello! I read the research paper you published on XYZ topic. As a master’s student, I’m interested in pursuing research in similar fields, I’d be thrilled if you could connect! - I'm fascinated by your work on [specific project/initiative]. As an aspiring [role] in [field], I'd love to connect and learn from your expertise. Would you be open to a brief chat? - Your recent [article/interview/presentation] on [topic] resonated deeply with me. I'm keen to explore [related area of interest] and would appreciate the opportunity to connect. Your message should be short, specific, and easy to reply to. Most people just say, “Hi, can you refer me?” Be better than most people. #networking #techcareers #jobsearch #30DaysOfCareerGrowth Day 6 of #30DaysOfCareerGrowth