The SDR Sales Competency Framework
Resource used by practitioners that come from companies such as:
What does a sales development representative (SDR) do?
A sales development representative (SDR) serves as a crucial connector between a company’s products or services and its prospective clients.
Their main objective is to identify and qualify potential customers through relevant outreach, setting the stage for deeper engagement by account executives (AEs).
By effectively initiating these relationships, SDRs play an essential role in generating sales pipeline to fuel the sales process and contribute to the company’s revenue numbers.
Key responsibilities
As sales professionals, SDRs have some responsibilities, yet when compared to an AE role, their range is more limited. These mostly include:
Prospecting and lead engagement: Identify and engage potential buyers through research and personalised outreach campaigns across various channels (e.g., phone, email, Linkedin).
Early qualification: Apply the chosen qualification framework to qualify leads effectively and ensure time is spent on the opportunities that are more likely to close.
Discovery support: In some cases, experienced SDRs may also conduct discovery calls or support AEs further in the sales process, especially in more complex sales cycles.
Some more experienced SDRs may also conduct discovery calls and support their corresponding AE further in their sales process, especially in a more complex sales cycle.
What's included in the SDR sales competency framework?
The SDR sales competency framework is a structured, practical tool designed to help sales organisations clearly define, assess, and develop the core competencies required for SDR success.
Unlike a simple list of best practices, this framework offers a detailed view of the knowledge, skills, and behaviours that SDRs must master, categorised for clarity:
Skills, divided into hard (technical, e.g., LinkedIn Sales Navigator) and soft (interpersonal, e.g., active listening) categories, are learned abilities that enable individuals to execute tasks effectively.
Knowledge represents the theoretical or practical understanding of subjects (e.g., product knowledge), acquired through various means including sales training, coaching, mentoring, or direct experience.
Behaviour pertains to the actions or reactions of an individual in response to external or internal stimuli. In a professional setting, behavior often refers to the conduct or demeanor exhibited by an employee in various situations
This sales competency framework includes a comprehensive list of sales competencies (skills, knowledge, and behaviours) that are classified under the following main categories:
Prospecting and lead engagement
Early qualification
Customer-centric business acumen
Industry & competitive expertise
Product expertise
Time management & goal-setting
Adaptability & resilience
What's the value of using this SDR sales competency framework?
The value of this SDR sales competency framework lies in the fact that it provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of the knowledge, skills, and behaviours that a sales professional in an SDR sales role should possess to succeed within an organisation.
In general, a framework like this helps with standardisation and clarity of expectations across the SDR population, conveying the key traits expected and aiming at creating a high performing sales team. This helps align individual efforts with organisational goals.
Then, if we get more specific, the framework could be leveraged in a wide range of areas:
Recruitment and hiring: It aids in the recruitment process by providing clear criteria for what qualifications and characteristics a candidate should possess, ensuring a good fit for the role and the organisation’s sales culture.
Training and development: The framework guides the design of more tailored training programmes by helping the talent team, sales enablement, and sales management identify areas where sales staff might need to build or enhance their skills or knowledge.
Performance management: It offers a basis for evaluating sales performance, identifying strengths and areas for improvement, and setting personalised development plans.
Career progression: If you were to break down the sales competencies outlined in this framework at various levels of an SDR career progression, it would help SDRs understand what is required to advance their careers within the organisation.
Who's the SDR sales competency framework for?
Based on the above explanation of the value and purpose of using this sales competency framework, we can clearly outline who would benefit from using this tool:
Sales development representatives: They can directly benefit by gaining a clear understanding of the expectations for their sales roles, the knowledge, skills and behaviors they need to develop, and what it takes to succeed and progress within the company.
Sales managers and leadership: They can use the framework to set clear performance standards, identify possible skill gaps, guide their sales teams effectively, and make informed decisions about talent development and sales team optimisation.
Human resources and talent acquisition teams: They would rely on the framework during the recruitment process to identify candidates with the desired core competencies, ensuring a good fit with the organisation’s sales culture and the specific demands of the sales development rep role.
Sales enablement and training professionals: This group would leverage the framework to design targeted training programmes and development initiatives that address specific skill gaps, aiming to enhance the overall capabilities of the sales team.
How do I use the SDR sales competency framework?
The SDR sales competency framework is designed to be a versatile starting point, offering guidance and saving time by providing a generalised structure.
As you delve into the document, it’s natural to find that certain sales competencies may not directly align with your specific needs. This discrepancy arises because each organisation operates uniquely.
Given these variances, my advice is to selectively use the framework: disregard elements that don’t fit your scenario, adopt the competencies that are perfectly aligned without modification, and adjust those that require minor alterations to suit your context better.
The primary advantage of this framework lies in its comprehensive overview of the potential skill sets that SDR sales reps might possess. It allows you to systematically evaluate these competencies, filtering and tailoring them to meet the specific requirements dictated by your organisation’s structure.
By doing so, you can ensure that the framework serves not just as a theoretical model, but as a practical tool, facilitating the targeted development of your sales reps.
Some final thoughts on how to make the most of it:
Initial setup: Review the competencies and adjust any that don’t fully match your team’s needs.
Ongoing evaluation: Use the scoring columns (Self-Rating, Manager Rating, Joint Rating) to evaluate SDRs during performance reviews.
Development planning: Identify skill gaps and use the framework to create targeted development plans for each SDR.
Coaching conversations: Use the framework as a guide for coaching sessions, focusing on the areas where each SDR needs support.
Training design: Align your training programmes with the competencies in the framework, ensuring SDRs build the right skills.
On the topic of skills development, two useful articles you might want to consider are “9 Proven Sales Training Best Practices to Elevate Your Sales Force” and “Advanced Sales Coaching Techniques for Skills Development”.