The Ultimate Guide to Building an SDR Process That Works in 2025

Lead generation

The SDR process starts with making sure the team understands their role and responsibilities in general. This is especially important for teams with entry-level sales reps (i.e. recent graduates or people who have switched to sales from a different field). In this case, you should start by introducing some basic concepts that all SDRs will face in their role: lead generation, CRM, leads, opportunities, sales funnels, the sales process, sales organization structure, the role of SDR, daily sales routines, etc.

If your SDRs have at least some experience in the field, you can focus primarily on how outbound lead generation works. Coach them on the basics, including best practices and methods for identifying the right companies to target, finding the emails and phone numbers of the contact person, cleaning up their lists and enriching the data, etc.

If you hire only experienced SDRs, you can skip this step altogether.

ICP development

Now, you can dig a little deeper and introduce the concept of the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) to your SDRs, so that they not just find leads, but also qualify them before handing them off to the account executives.

To start, have them analyze your current ICPs (i.e. who your existing customers are, where they live, what industries they are in, what titles they have, etc.). Along with the demographic data, your SDRs should also get to know the psychographic data. What is your ideal customer trying to achieve? What problems and challenges are they facing? What keeps them awake at night? Having a solid idea of who exactly they’re talking to will give your SDRs a distinct advantage.

Of course, this means you need to already have accurate and reliable ICPs in place. If your ICPs are based on guesswork and imagination, they won’t be of any use to your SDRs. Rather, they should be based on research and analysis of your existing customers. Also bear in mind that your ICPs will change over time. This might be due to internal changes at your company (such as releasing new product features or identifying a new market) or external changes with your customer. For example, any ICPs created in January 2025 were almost certainly out of date just a few months later, with the global pandemic changing the market practically overnight. As priorities rapidly changed, previously ideal customers were dealing with radically different challenges, meaning ICPs had to be updated to stay relevant.

Next, you can teach your SDRs how to expand your ICPs by introducing additional data points. For example, think about technologies used by the prospects, or even creating new buyer personas for your product by using social listening and SDR signal processing to make sense of various buying signals and intents online.

Prospecting

This one is not only the most important but also the most challenging aspect of the SDR job, so pay extra attention when introducing it to your team. Here are some of the essential activities you should address with your SDRs when introducing your prospecting process:

Email outreach

There’s a great deal of science in writing sales emails — from picking the appropriate variables, defining the perfect email length, or creating an optimal sending schedule. In the long run, it all boils down to how successful your SDRs will eventually be. 

That is why you need to spend more time on this step; teach your SDRs how to write effective subject lines, create and customize email templates, follow up with prospects, A/B test and optimize their sequences accordingly. SDRs should also understand the importance of personalization and segmentation to effective email outreach. Rather than trying to use email blasts with zero targeting, help your SDRs use what they’ve learned about your ideal customers to send relevant messages that are personalized to them and their needs. 

Encourage your SDRs to experiment with different ways of standing out in a prospect’s inbox. For example, with tools like Vidyard, it’s now easy to create and send videos with your email, adding a personal touch to an automated campaign. 

Phone calls

They say that cold calling is dead but that’s not true. Nearly half of B2B buyers still prefer to be contacted via phone, which makes “smiling and dialing” one of the most powerful outbound prospecting methods.

Teach your SDRs how to pick up a phone and start dialing. Calling a stranger isn’t easy, especially when it’s a sales call, so give your SDR the support they need. No one should ever have to pick up the phone without knowing what to say, so make sure your new SDRs have a script they can use to get started. 

That doesn’t mean reading the sales script word for word from a sticky note though. As helpful as they are, sticking rigidly to scripts can lead to wooden and awkward conversations that go nowhere. Coach your SDRs on how to make their conversation meaningful and personalized, handle common objections on the spot, or act in a non-standard situation. 

One method you could try is role play. Sit down with your SDRs and run through a series of mock calls. Go through the most common objections and throw them some unexpected questions until they’re comfortable and confident in their ability. Then, when they’re on the phone for real, this attitude will come through in their delivery. 

Of course, many times the call won’t even connect. As a result, make sure your SDRs know how to leave a compelling voice message. In the event they are connected to a gatekeeper, coach them on what to say and how to increase their chances of getting through to the intended person.

Social selling

It’s also impossible to disregard the impact social media might have on your sales. In fact, 78% of the teams who use social selling tend to outperform their peers who don’t. That is why more and more organizations integrate social selling into their outbound and inbound processes. 

This means you need to coach your reps on how LinkedIn or Twitter can help them do their job — from engaging the prospect and booking demos to building their personal brand for consultative selling as a part of your SDR process.

Sales engagement

Lastly, you need to make sure the SDRs know how to effectively use all of the listed channels in combination, such as building multichannel outreach sequences that use a mix of different touchpoints. And that is exactly what sales engagement is about. 

As a relatively new word in B2B sales, it’s quickly becoming a new standard. As a result, SEPs (sales engagement platforms) like Reply that help sales reps bridge the gaps between different sales channels (emails, phone calls, SMS, personalized videos, manual tasks, and social outreach) can make SDR teams more effective and will be front and center in any sales stack.

To be clear, sales engagement means more than just using different channels. For the best results, you have to combine those channels in the most effective way. Your SDRs will need to work out the best cadence for their outreach. Having a clearly defined sequence that incorporates different channels with scheduled follow-ups on different days increases the chances of a successful outcome.

Scheduling a call

It might sound easy, but it often takes time to schedule a demo.

There are few things as frustrating as having an excellent call with a prospect and then never hearing from them again. Even with convenient meeting scheduling services, you might still need to put some effort into making sure that all parties accept the invite and actually attend a demo.

To increase the chances of successfully booking an appointment, SDRs have to prepare the ground in the initial contact. Rather than just adding it at the end, every word in that first email or call should be used to create the right environment for accepting a meeting. That means SDRs need to build trust with their prospects, while also showing them how they stand to benefit. After all, would you book an appointment in your busy calendar to sit in a demo with someone you didn’t trust for a product you see no value in? Done correctly, prospects won’t just say yes to a meeting; they’ll be looking forward to it.

Even then, your SDRs must follow up. It’s likely that the prospect is busy and faces a lot of different demands on their time. Even the most enthusiastic prospect might miss a meeting if they’re not reminded. Rather than relying on the prospect’s calendar, SDRs do well to follow up the day before the scheduled appointment to confirm it.

Having this process standardized among your SDRs will help you prevent any misunderstandings and make the process more effective.

SDR/AE cooperation

Seamless collaboration between your sales reps and account executives is the cornerstone of a productive sales organization. To make it work, both teams should have a clear understanding of their respective responsibilities. 

The SDR should know exactly where their role begins and when they should hand off leads to the AE. This means having an agreed definition of what a sales-qualified lead (SQL) looks like, as well as having an easy way of sharing key information on those leads between the teams. For most companies, this is where CRM software is invaluable as their single source of truth — as long as the SDRs keep it up to date.

Also, make sure to build mutual accountability between the two teams and encourage them to support each other (even if it’s beyond their basic responsibilities). To do that, I recommend holding regular sync-ups where they can share feedback and progress, discuss their current prospects, and align their efforts across the pipeline.

Sales tools and resources

Next, coach your team on how to make the best use of the available sales tools and resources, from CRM and SEP to phone calling and knowledge sharing and sales communication tools.

As for the latter, I would definitely recommend using playbooks to organize and share sales-related knowledge within your team. 

This is a very convenient format for creating manuals on every single process in your sales organization, whether it’s email research, demo scheduling, SDR to AE lead hand-off, objections handling, or sales tools tips. Anytime your SDRs have a question, they can simply open the corresponding playbook and find all the answers.

Don’t reinvent the wheel

Once you walk your SDRs through the process from A to Z and make sure they understand it, encourage them to build upon what works to further improve the process. After all, there is always room for innovation and growth.

Rather than forcing them to blindly follow the standard process (or to start from scratch), give your SDRs some time to experiment and find new and better ways to do their job. Invest in education and training and motivate them to suggest new ideas. 

A great resource is Almanac.io. The platform is a free library of open-source documents and templates contributed by sales professionals with years in the game. Your SDRs can find hundreds of templates from cold emails to objection handling scripts that they can copy, customize, and implement in your SDR process.

If they prove to be effective, update your playbook and introduce the new process to your SDRs again to show how it works now, what you want to change or improve, and why. 

Monitor and optimize SDR performance

So, you’ve built your shiny new SDR process and introduced it to the team. But how do you know if it’s actually working? I mean, aside from crossing your fingers and hoping for the best (spoiler alert: that’s not a strategy).

Here’s the deal: you need to track some key metrics. It’s not enough to just feel like things are working—let’s get some solid data that tells you how things are going.

Look at the numbers (they don’t lie)

Let’s start with the basics: metrics. You can’t improve what you’re not measuring. Here are a few key numbers to keep an eye on:

• Outbound response rates: Are your SDRs’ emails and calls getting responses? If not, you might need to rethink your messaging or the timing of your outreach.
• Lead conversion rates: Once you get those responses, are you converting them into opportunities? This is a big one! If you’re getting replies but not turning them into meetings, you might need to refine the pitch or handoff process.
• Activity levels: Is your team hitting their outreach goals (calls, emails, etc.)? Sometimes it’s not about fancy strategies—it’s just about making sure the volume is there.
• Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs): Ultimately, you’ll want to know if your SDRs are bringing in qualified leads that are moving down the pipeline. If the quality isn’t there, you might need to work on refining the qualification process.

If these metrics are moving in the right direction, you’re on the right track. But don’t stop there—there are other ways to gauge success.

Listen to your team (they’re your frontline)

Data’s great, but don’t forget about qualitative feedback. Your SDRs are the ones on the front lines, so they probably know more about what’s working (and what’s not) than anyone else. 

Regular check-ins, one-on-ones, or team huddles can provide you with valuable insights. Maybe they’re having trouble with certain scripts, or they’ve discovered a workaround that’s getting amazing results. Get their perspective to refine the process even further.

Check the morale

A healthy process should feel like it’s flowing. If your SDRs are frustrated, confused, or just feel like they’re stuck in a hamster wheel, something might be off. A successful process should empower your team, not overwhelm them. 

Keep an eye on morale—if your team is motivated and hitting targets, the process is likely working.

Don’t be afraid to pivot

Things aren’t always going to go according to plan. If you’re seeing some red flags in your metrics or team feedback, don’t be afraid to make changes. 

A good SDR process isn’t static—it evolves with the needs of your business, your team, and your customers. Be open to experimenting, testing new approaches, and pivoting if something’s not working.

Celebrate small wins

If your process is working, you’ll start to see small wins—whether that’s an SDR hitting their meeting goal, a higher response rate, or even just a positive comment about a tool or script. Celebrate these wins! It’s a great way to keep your team motivated and also a sign that your process is heading in the right direction.

In short: track your numbers, get feedback from your team, stay flexible, and keep an eye on the vibe of your team.

Can you borrow or tweak an existing process?

Great news – you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to building your SDR process! In fact, borrowing or tweaking an existing process can save you a ton of time and energy, and help you hit the ground running.

Here’s the thing: building an SDR sales process from scratch can feel like assembling Ikea furniture without instructions (not fun, right?). So why not take a shortcut? Here’s how to make it work for you:

Look at what’s already working

Before diving into your own blueprint, see what other successful companies are doing. A lot of businesses, especially those in your industry, have already figured out what works. 

Check out SDRs from other teams—what’s their approach? What tools are they using? What’s their outreach strategy? You’d be surprised how many insights you can pull from the SDR best practices.

Think of it like borrowing a friend’s notes—just make sure to add your own flair to it.

Tweak it to fit your unique needs

Borrowing doesn’t mean copying and pasting. You want to take a good idea and make it yours. Maybe that process works well for another team, but how does it fit with your team culture, your product, or your target customers? 

Adjust the process based on what makes the most sense for your particular situation. You don’t need to use every single part of it; cherry-pick the best bits, then adapt the rest.

Ask your team for feedback

Here’s a fun pro-tip: involve your SDR team in the process of shaping things up. Get them to give input on what’s worked (or not worked) in the past. They might already have insights or hacks that could help streamline your process even further. 

If they feel like they’ve had a hand in the process, it’s more likely to get buy-in. Plus, who knows? They might just give you an idea you hadn’t even thought of!

Implement and уxperiment

Once you’ve borrowed and tweaked, it’s time to roll out your new process. But don’t treat it like a one-time thing. SDR processes aren’t set in stone; they should be fluid, flexible, and open to experimentation. Test different outreach methods, scripts, and cadences.

Track what works best, and make tweaks along the way. Building a great SDR process is more like sculpting than building—it evolves!

Remember: It’s not about perfection. It’s about progress. Take something that’s already been proven, make it your own, and keep refining as you go.

How can you make it scalable and repeatable?

So, you’ve built your SDR process (go you!), but now the big question is: How do you make sure it doesn’t break when your team grows, or when you need to ramp things up quickly?

The key here is scalability and repeatability. You want a process that works now, and will still work if you double your team size, or if you need to handle a sudden influx of leads. Here’s how to make that happen:

Automate what you can (without losing the personal touch)

Okay, this one’s a no-brainer: automation is your best friend when it comes to scalability. You can’t have your SDRs manually sending out 200 emails a day or manually logging every single call, right? But here’s the catch: automation shouldn’t feel like a robot wrote it. 

You still want your outreach to feel personal and authentic.

Tools like email automation software (think Reply.io here) or CRM systems can help your team send the right messages at the right time, track conversations, and follow up without having to remember every little detail. 

But don’t go too far – personalize your outreach where it counts (like in the first email or the initial call) to keep things human.

Document everything (seriously, everything)

Nothing says repeatable like having clear, easy-to-follow documentation. Make sure your SDR process is documented in detail – from the tools to the templates, to the sales scripts for SDR lead generation, to the cadence. 

When your process is laid out step-by-step, it’s easier for new team members to get up to speed quickly, and for your team to execute consistently. If you’re scaling, you’ll need this documentation to train people efficiently. And trust me, your future self will thank you when you don’t have to answer the same question a hundred times.

Standardize, but leave room for creativity

While it’s important to have a structured process, you don’t want your SDRs to feel like they’re robots just reading from a script. Make sure there’s room for them to put their own spin on things. For example, provide a core script, but allow flexibility in how your SDRs approach different prospects or handle objections. 

This ensures consistency, but also allows for creativity and personalization. A little flexibility can go a long way in building rapport with prospects, especially if they feel the SDR is adapting to their needs.

Leverage data to improve and scale

Once your process is in motion, use data to figure out what’s working and what’s not. This could mean analyzing email open rates, call conversion rates, or even looking at what time of day is most effective for outreach. Tracking data gives you actionable insights, so you can optimize the process as you go. 

The beauty of this? Once you find what works, you can replicate it. And as your team grows, you can roll out those winning strategies to everyone.

Train, train, train (and train some more)

Scalable means ensuring that every SDR, whether it’s your first hire or your 50th, is on the same page. Consistent training is key here. If your team is constantly evolving, you need to keep everyone in the loop with regular updates, new tactics, or tools.

Invest in onboarding programs, ongoing workshops, or weekly check-ins to ensure your team has the knowledge they need to keep hitting goals.

Build a feedback loop

It’s important to have a feedback loop in place. As your team scales, they’ll come across challenges that you didn’t anticipate. 

By regularly checking in with your SDRs (both the rookies and the seasoned pros), you can identify areas of the process that need improvement or adjustments. This ensures the process doesn’t get stale and remains adaptable as your team expands.

By following these strategies, you can build SDR team and processes that don’t just work for one SDR or one quarter—it will work as your team grows, adjusts, and refines.