Resilience, perseverance and self-awareness
SDRs have to be able to take rejection. They’ll be encountering quite
a bit of it in their day-to-day work, but, at the same time, they need
to have the resilience to bounce back along with the conviction to
engage the same prospect again if they feel they can secure a different
outcome (for instance, if the product offering changes, and the SDR
feels it now meets the needs of the customer).
Another thing interviewers should look out for is self-awareness.
Candidates that show that they are able to analyse their own behaviours
in specific scenarios and modify those behaviours to drive sales can
deliver real benefits for the business. SDRs who practice mindfulness,
for example, are more aware of their own traits and triggers, and react
accordingly, to bring about better outcomes.
Look out for listeners, as well as talkers
Knowing the customer and understanding their needs is vital when it
comes to successful sales. And that means listening and reading between
the lines for insights. Every sales person needs to be able to know
which questions to ask in order to understand what the customer wants,
before developing a sales strategy that meets those needs. If a customer
sees that you’re listening, instead of simply delivering a robotic
sales pitch, they’re more likely to listen. As a result, it’s much
easier to build a mutually respectful and beneficial relationship.
Emotional intelligence
Leading on from the need for strong communication skills, empathy and
emotional intelligence are two other traits to look out for.
Salespeople with strong emotional intelligence are more able to tune
into what’s going in a prospect’s head by picking up on subtle cues,
related to body language, tone of voice and even in digital
communications such as email.
IT-savvy with a willingness to learn.
Today, there are a lot of sales and CRM software packages and other IT tools out there companies use in their sales and marketing functions and, with the advent of AI and other new technologies, those tools are developing all the time.
While potential candidates should have experience in some of these from previous roles, it’s important that they show a willingness to learn and develop those skills further in order to bring most value to the sales function. That trait will apply equally when it comes to new developing new products.
A sense of team-play
While the SDR typically sits at the bottom of the sales department
hierarchy, they normally work as part of a bigger team and liaise
extensively with the marketing department and the product development
team. As a result, they must be able be able to collaborate and work
together towards shared goals. The last thing you want is a lone wolf,
focussed on their own targets - one that may be willing to sacrifice
team goals in order to hit personal objectives.
The difference between a good SDR and a great one is getting the
right blend of hard and soft skills for your company and your product.
Doing that means really delving deep into a candidate’s psyche, as well
as their CV. And you can’t do that without investing in a solid talent
management strategy.
Talk to Eximium to a talent management review to put the right strategy in place for all of your organisational needs.
