Most B2B technology companies employ sales development reps (SDRs). The general premise is that even when marketing teams execute flawlessly (pause for laugh track), there is still a need for an army of go-getters to hammer the phones, email, LinkedIn, and every other available communications channel to prospect for leads – and turn the garbage leads that marketing generates (pause for rim shot) into something that a more senior salesperson can run with.

Many aspects of this model are inherently flawed, but assume for the sake of today that this function is necessary at your startup too.

Should you build a team, or should you outsource?

Making full-time hires is less expensive in the short term, but here’s how it usually goes:

• One or two lonely SDRs come onboard.

• Very little infrastructure, content, or tools exist to help them work efficiently.

• Marketing has too much on its plate and views SDR enablement as a “sales problem.”

• The small number of more senior sales colleagues, who are still trying to find their own flow and hit overly ambitious targets, only have time to do occasional check-ins.

• The SDRs struggle to gain traction and begin to feel unmotivated.

From there, it goes in one of two directions:

• They leave (either voluntarily or involuntarily).

• Key executives realize that SDRs need more support and begin overcompensating by making SDR coaching 30 percent of their jobs (which is not great for the company either).

Outsource it.

But there are some specific things you should think about when outsourcing this function. More on that tomorrow.

-Doug

Most B2B technology companies employ sales development reps (SDRs). The general premise is that even when marketing teams execute flawlessly (pause for laugh track), there is still a need for an army of go-getters to hammer the phones, email, LinkedIn, and every other available communications channel to prospect for leads – and turn the garbage leads that marketing generates (pause for rim shot) into something that a more senior salesperson can run with.

Many aspects of this model are inherently flawed, but assume for the sake of today that this function is necessary at your startup too.

Should you build a team, or should you outsource?

Making full-time hires is less expensive in the short term, but here’s how it usually goes:

• One or two lonely SDRs come onboard.

• Very little infrastructure, content, or tools exist to help them work efficiently.

• Marketing has too much on its plate and views SDR enablement as a “sales problem.”

• The small number of more senior sales colleagues, who are still trying to find their own flow and hit overly ambitious targets, only have time to do occasional check-ins.

• The SDRs struggle to gain traction and begin to feel unmotivated.

From there, it goes in one of two directions:

• They leave (either voluntarily or involuntarily).

• Key executives realize that SDRs need more support and begin overcompensating by making SDR coaching 30 percent of their jobs (which is not great for the company either).

Outsource it.

But there are some specific things you should think about when outsourcing this function. More on that tomorrow.

-Doug