Just don’t overdo it. Pitch-slapping a prospect once they accept your connection request on LinkedIn won’t help you build a genuine relationship with them.
All you need is just a little patience
Putting together and launching a new sequence is a rewarding experience. However, the wait for responses can be overwhelming at times, especially if you’ve put your heart and soul into those emails and no one seems to care.
Yet, all you can do is embrace it and be patient. If you’re sure you’ve done your best, someone will respond, even if it takes a few follow-ups.
In the meantime, keep an eye on your metrics – bounce and open rates specifically – so you can spot any deliverability issues and address them asap.
Every step they take, we’ll be watching it
As an SDR, you gotta love automations. So little time, so much to do! It definitely helps to have some support with things like follow-ups. One of the must-have automation scenarios is the action that triggers when the prospect opens your emails more than a set number of times.
So, for example, if a person views your email more than 3 times, you can assume there’s some interest and move the contact to a dedicated follow-up sequence tailored to this specific situation. As a result, you can segment your audience based on intent and make your outreach more personalized and relevant.
At the same time, following up with your current prospects (and doing so more than once!) is a crucial element of any successful sales engagement strategy. Those shiny new leads you add to your pipeline might seem tempting, but don’t let the existing opportunities fall through the cracks because of an oversight.
As a rule of thumb, it takes on average 8 touchpoints to connect with a prospect. So one of the worst mistakes you can make is to give up after one follow-up.
Don’t go breaking my heart
If you’re working in sales, be ready to get hurt every day. Rejection is a part of the game and it’s never easy to handle. All you can do is remember that it’s never about you (unless you’re being rude or mistargeting your messages) and move on.
Yet, by far the most challenging part of the SDR job is cold calling. Getting a rude email response is one thing, but being rejected in person (even if it’s over the phone) just hits different.
There are many ways to minimize negative replies over the phone, from perfecting your scripts to using laser-focused lists for targeted prospecting. It would also help to analyze your cold call recordings and correct any mistakes. Whether it’s a successful one or a total disaster, there’s a lot you and your colleagues can learn from it.
And remember – not all “not interested” replies are the final verdict. There are many ways to handle sales objections and turn every “no” into a “maybe” at least. You just need to know the reason behind the rejection.
If there’s one thing that’s worse than being rejected, it’s when the prospect you’ve been going after for months chooses a competitor over you. This feeling of betrayal is hard to put into words. We’ve all been there.
Yet, there’s usually little you can do to to change their minds. And you definitely don’t need to rush to a prospect with a discount to keep them at any cost. It’s best to ask for feedback as a reason for “closed-lost” and move on.
Another “fun” SDR experience is getting ghosted by a prospect you thought was qualified.
Whether that happens because of oversight on the prospect’s side or on purpose, the emotional damage will be significant. In some cases, you’ll be able to reschedule the call, but you can’t get back the time you lose in the first place.
If no-shows happen once in a while, there are many other things that can hinder your sales productivity. This includes manual, administrative tasks, e.g., CRM updates, as well as internal communication or any distractions that you may experience on a daily basis.
One way to fix this is to automate as many of your processes – both sales- and non-sales related – as possible. Luckily, we live in the age of AI that can handle anything from keeping your data up to date and in sync across the toolstack to handling email responses and booking appointments on your behalf!