An Unconventional Strategy to Go From SDR to Full-Cycle Salesperson

Uncover effective strategies for SDRs aiming to progress into comprehensive sales roles beyond just cold calling.

Transforming SDRs into Full-Cycle Sales Professionals

I feel bad for SDRs. I worry about them not being developed for greater roles where they can do more than making cold calls and qualify prospective clients for another salesperson. Some get stuck in that role, changing companies without moving into a role that will eventually find them selling.

The first time an SDR called me to ask how he could acquire a full-cycle sales role, I asked him if he had a specific company in mind. He knew where he wanted to work and had a couple of backup companies for his dream sales job, one that would have him in a full-cycle role.

This SDR had applied online, but no one had reached out to him. He had tried to get the job he wanted, but no one was interested in engaging with him as he lacked the experience. It's a mystery how one is supposed to gain experience without a role that provides it.

As I explained to him how to go about getting the sales job he wanted, he got excited about using this approach. To ensure he would have a chance, I gave him the exact talk track he could use to secure a job as a full-cycle salesperson.

Most of my work focuses on practical, effective strategies and tactics that are easy to understand and execute. This request was no different. What follows here is the entire strategy I recommended, with the script.

1. Don't apply online as you won't be pursuing the right contact.
2. Find the Vice President of Sales on LinkedIn.
3. Find the VP's phone number.
4. Call the VP and use this script:

"My name is [YOUR NAME], and just like I am calling you to ask you for an interview, when you hire me, I will call every contact in the CRM in my territory to book meetings. When can we schedule an interview?"

Two weeks later, he emailed me to tell me he got the job. Now, I was concerned as I didn't know this young salesperson.

Some months later, he sent me an email admitting that he hadn't done what he promised the VP he would do when hired. Because the other reps around him weren't doing anything, he didn't do anything either until he realized he hadn't kept his word. He started picking up the phone and booking meetings. He ended up performing well in his new role, which led to an even better role.

Strategies That Yield Results

When everyone who wants a job goes to one of the job platforms like Indeed.com or Zip Recruiter or the company's website, you end up interviewing with the wrong person. Furthermore, you will look like just one of the crowds, with nothing to differentiate yourself. However, the real power in this approach to acquiring a new sales job works for two reasons:

1. You are the only person who picked up the phone and asked the VP for an interview.
2. You have already proven that you will do what you are being hired to do, making calls and scheduling meetings.

You make it difficult for the vice president of sales to say no to the only salesperson who has ever called to ask directly for an interview. This makes you the single person with the courage to make this call and ask for what is essentially a meeting.

A Proven Track Record of Success

I have offered this advice to more than a dozen salespeople, all of whom followed the script and ended up getting interviewed and eventually hired. They sent me emails to tell me that it worked, even though I only offered them a strategy. Each one of them succeeded because they made the call.

When my friend Carl was rejected by HubSpot, he called the VP who sent him to his admin to schedule the meeting. He made President’s Club in his first year by making the calls. Which leads us to a sales first principle: The only time something good happens for a salesperson is when they are talking to a stranger.

So far, everyone that has taken this advice has acquired the role they wanted. If you decide to try this strategy, please make sure you get the job you want, as we have a 100% success rate up until now.