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When looking for an outstanding SDR, also known as a Sales Development Representative, there are a few qualities you should keep in mind to find only the best SDRs who are capable of delivering high performance at work and on the field, so preparing the right SDR interview questions and answers is critical.
Traits of an Excellent SDR
Many people think that the key aspect when looking for high-performing SDRs is viewing their recommendations. However, that is not the case, and there are some traits that only high-performing SDRs possess:
- Confident. One such trait which is apparent in a high-performing SDR is that they are not afraid of failure. An efficient and successful sales development representative knows that they need to embrace all of their failures and learn from them because it allows improving on them by working on these failures they face.
- Empathetic/good listener. When an SDR is on a call with a potential lead, the majority of the call itself involves listening to the queries and conditions of the client. This is why all high-performing SDRs tend to be good active listeners who can empathize with the customer.
- Goal oriented. Another trait that defines a high-performing SDR is that they are normally very goal-oriented. Great SDRs always set practical goals which are able to be accomplished in the timeframe they set for themselves.
- Communicative. The primary role of a sales development representative is to act as a bridge between the sales and the marketing department. Due to this, it is essential for high-performing SDRs to be able to uphold positive relationships with both of these departments in order to make sure that healthy communication is maintained at all times.
- Insightful/flexible with solutions. Being an SDR, they are required to talk to prospective clients all day, and these clients can present the SDR with situations where they must think out of the box. Another trait high performing SDRs is that they have the proper insight and experience to come up with a creative solution on the fly.
Interview Questions to Ask to Identify Excellent SDRs
1. "Consider that I am a prospect. How would you describe our product to me?"
As far as SDR interview questions and answers go, this one is considered to be a classic and used by many interviewers when conducting a session with these high-performing SDRs.
This question is such a widely favored one because one very important trait for SDRs to have is that they must be able to inspire people in order to bring in new leads.
The main purpose of asking this question is to test the representative’s ability to achieve a thorough understanding of a product in order to inspire new leads.
When asking this question, what the interviewers want to hear is a strong answer highlighting thorough product knowledge along with its detailed description, creatively executed in an enthused manner.
2. “How do you get past gatekeepers when engaging new prospects and deal with cold calls?"
The reason why this is considered such a good question to note for the next SDR interview questions and answers session is because it highlights if an SDR is motivated or not, which is considered to be a very important trait that high-performing SDRs possess.
Most of the time spent by SDRs on the job consists of them contacting potential clients in order to secure a potential lead and pass it through the early stages of the sales funnel.
While most SDRs prefer email, phone calls are considered an important communication channel, as it allows them to communicate with the clients then and there.
Phone calls are the first interaction you have with the client, and there is a famous saying: the first impression is the last impression.
When asked this, what interviewers should be looking for is a candidate who closely listens to the call and responds in an engaging manner because this means that they would talk to the client in the same manner.
3. “What would you do if you missed the quota for qualified leads?”
The purpose of asking this question is to understand how resourceful and motivated an SDR is because it is considered to be an important trait to be found in all high-performing SDRs.
High-performing SDRs are always organized and proficient and have a system in place so that they are always aware of where they stand. Due to this, they would know where they are lacking so that they could proactively work on fixing them.
This can involve improving how they approach prospective clients and further researching their product, and working on their product knowledge.
A satisfactory answer to such a question should involve the candidate mentioning the value of regularly monitoring their own performance and showing a willingness to work on them where they lack.
4. “How did you deal with a difficult client you faced while working?”
The reason why interviewers typically ask this question is that SDRs are considered to be closers as well when it comes to a sales process.
A closer is a person who finalizes the deal with the prospective clients, which makes every sales call a make-or-break situation. This question will determine the candidate’s capabilities when it comes to effectiveness when handling tricky, negative situations.
The answer that interviewers should seek from this question should pertain to the candidate demonstrating traits such as adaptability and humility in the face of negativity as well.
5. “What data analysis tools have you worked with?”
There are many data analysis tools that have been launched into the market, and a high-performing sales development representative would understand that data is considered to be an invaluable resource, and these tools make analyzing this data possible.
An SDR is required to adapt to many different sorts of technological tools which would allow them to access different sources of generating leads and follow analytical statistics for different trends as well.
When asking this question, the answer an interviewer should look for would involve the candidate highlighting the importance of data acquisition.
Final Thoughts
These were just a couple of questions that are considered to be very important when conducting SDR interview questions and answers sessions and interviewing these candidates.
It is important to note that these should be one of many questions in your interviewing repertoire, but they are very effective when trying to identify high-performing SDRs.
However, in addition to these questions, the body language and overall presentation of an SDR should be taken into account as well. At Balkan Hire, we can help you find the right talent. We take the time to source, train, and repeatedly test the credibility of the talent we hire – you only get access to the top 1% of remote workers from the Balkans.
