The SDR role is tough. Then add in the fact that your office is closed for the foreseeable future and now you're tasked with hitting that quota on your own, from home.
We've seen work from home tips all over LinkedIn, but how about some that are SDR specific? I'll start with some tips that helped me.
1. Take to LinkedIn. Connect with professionals who are in the SDR role or in a Sales Management Role. Follow their content, create a relationship with them, and leverage their knowledge.
2. Try and do your cold calling standing up (for as long as you can). It will get the blood moving and give you a nice boost of confidence.
3. Have scheduled times for deep, uninterrupted work and scheduled times for breaks.
What are some other tips that could help SDR's working from home?
One thing I like to do @sarahdrake is spending some time on the weekends working, it helps me not to worry about people interrupting. This isn’t for everyone though, so I have found the Pomodoro method to be useful, Slack calls just to catch up, and walks in nature for destressing.
Love these tips, @sarahdrake! Especially #2, because I definitely forget to stand up and move around periodically. I’d never heard of the Pomodoro method @marygreencny, but I’d be interested to try it now and set a timer.
I think maintaining “business as usual” can be helpful for anyone. For me, I have to start at the same time every day, dress for work, and have a structured day in a designated, clean space. 🙂
These are awesome tips! Thanks for sharing @sarahdrake
One thing I like to do is doing pushups to get pumped before making those calls.
@sarahdrake I agree 100% with comment #1 I would add to connect with the personas you are cold calling and follow companies in your sectors to stay current and relevant #2 Having several touch points through out the day as a Team helps with morale and accountability #3 Having the SDR’s present their results for the previous week contributes as well
@sarahdrake use the time you normally spent commuting to review recorded calls. Listen to the top performers on your team, the bottom performers, and your own calls. Take notes on what was done well and what could be improved. Implement your key learnings on your next calls.
Routine is key! Just like any other day in the life. Make sure there’s a comfortable work environment if possible. I like your note about scheduled times for deep work. Whatever it takes to stay focused.
Hi @sarahdrake Sarah!
Great tips! I would add everything on the calendar- everything, including breaks. Also, take large projects and break them down into manageable sizes. Have daily meetings and create a Slack IM Communication to keep in touch with everyone at all times.
Start each day with a motivational quote.
The last thing every day, take 10 minutes and plan for the next day.
Great tips, thanks for posting!
Macky
These are great tips @sarahdrake. A good routine is key. Taking time for yourself is important to avoid burnout. A few tips to help with that:
Create a separate workspace from your living space… The garage is now my Sales Cave!
Working in the same room you sleep in? Put the laptop away in a drawer when the day is done.
Had a 30 commute? Recreate that break between work and home with a 30 minute walk or bike ride when you log off.
Over communicate with your teammates. Use Slack/Zoom/Google to keep it loose with shout-outs, memes, and sharing success.
I think that given the recent uptick in the COVID19 pandemic, those expecting to return to work in the office in August and September- don’t be surprised if you find yourself working virtually- probably for the foreseeable future.
So I would say, make sure you prioritize and professionalize your home office as much as possible. Yep, you are working from home, but nobody needs to see your clutter or disorganization.
Plan your day just like you are in the office. Mark on your calendar/Teams/ Slack when you are on a break. Be very intentional of/with your day.
Also, plan some time daily to further your career- watch a webinar, read some business book(s), plan your career.
Virtual office hours- have one set up for the team- where they can pop in if they have a question or just say hi. Don’t use a slack channel like Verkada!
1×1’s with your team mates- sure, everybody has weekly 1×1’s with their managers, but don’t forget the rest of the team= you need it and they need that time.
Set up a Teams/Slack chat for visiting, sharing movies, recipes and music, remember to keep it very professional of course.
Start a business book club-let everybody know ahead of time so they can get the book, unless your company is one that is generous and provides a copy for the employee. Set a meeting one-hour every month or every other month to discuss, share!
You have to take the daily breaks- put it on the calendar, set a reminder on the phone. It is easy to get in that mindset of “I will take a break later.” You won’t, I don’t and we all know better.
Have FUN!
If you are not on the phones continually with clients, play some of your favorite music- the stuff that nobody talks about, the music that gets your feet moving and you smiling. Dance at your desk for a few minutes, it is great exercise.
Prioritize! I get out a notebook and start each new quarter with BigMac’s Top 5 goals to focus on-
3 are non-negotiable-those that I have to complete 100% (or higher) every single day that I show up.
If the goal is X calls a day, do x+1 more. Same with emails.
2 are for growth/self-promotion. Maybe I do want to be an Enterprise Sales Manager some day- or VP of Sales- or maybe I just want to be the very best at what I am doing- work a little to those goals each day.
Journal- what is working, what is not?
What are you good at, what are you terrible at?
How do you improve? Self-help? Reach out to who?
Accountability Partner- This usually works best with someone from your team, but I have had it work with people outside of my company as well. You can learn a lot from having people critique you.
Gratitude. Be grateful, practice gratitude. So many people do not understand. If you practice gratitude and are grateful, more opportunities will come your way.
I hope these suggestions will help and would love to hear from others, your thoughts and or suggestions.
Don’t be a stranger.
Working from home can be awesome if you try!
Be safe!
Macky
When you’re connecting with those other SDRs, book times to take a virtual coffee break and talk 1:1 or with a small group. You can cheer each other on, pick up new strategies, and encourage each other.