I started out as an SDR for a well-known, award-winning SaaS platform. My boss was the creator of this blog, Brian Vital – a great mentor and leader. He gave me all of the tools I needed and he believed in my abilities. At best, I was a middle-of-the-road rep.
I knew how to talk to people, follow up, and be enthusiastic about the things I was talking about, but I had some issues:
- I couldn’t properly leverage my tech stack.
- I got lost in the world of “Hey, I’m just looking for a little bit of your time” – instead of strategically using value props that would resonate with the pain points of personas I was contacting.
- I got sick of hearing “no” and it made me miserable.
After almost a year of low commission checks and frustration, I applied for an internal position as Customer Success Manager, and got it! – It was a vote of confidence from my leadership; they believed in me, and believed I had something to offer – which I am extremely grateful for.
It was also a fresh start; which I desperately needed. Since that day, I have learned how to use my people skills to develop strong, trusting professional relationships.
I decided to write this post because even with my deficiencies as an SDR, that role allowed me to gain priceless insight into the SDR life – especially the myriad of challenges you face on a daily basis.
I now support SDRs to be their best. The fact that I spent nearly a year “in their shoes” prepared me for every challenge – and it makes me extra excited for every success!
There is no way I could possibly be a successful CSM without that SDR experience.
In closing, a word of advice for struggling SDRs out there: you have the talent itself to drive revenue and make a bunch of money yourself. That’s how you got where you are, because you have the necessary skills. Just be mindful of the opportunities that pop up everyday that might fit your skillset better, and make your work life more fulfilling.
-Chris Moscato-
Chris is a Customer Success Manager for Inside Sales Team; an outsourced SDR firm. He works closely with customers and the SDRs of those teams on their projects to positively influence the relationships and nurture success. When Chris is away from IST, he dedicates his time to his other career as a professional musician.
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