5 Questions with Tad Bustin

SDRs are experiencing an odd moment in their history.

It’s never been easier to do the job. With a mountain of resources, communities, and technology designed to make the job more effective and efficient, reps have it easy compared to their counterparts from a decade ago.

But it’s also never been harder to succeed. Expectations are always on the rise, buyer behavior has dictated a new way of prospecting, and the noise around SDR outreach is reaching an all-time high.

So what’s an SDR to do? How can they prepare themselves to succeed in a world where their resourced are abundant, but their role is increasingly more demanding?

The answer? Mindset.

Ok, maybe it’s not the answer. But without adopting the right mindset, success with be sporadic at best.

We talk about the SDR role being tough – and it is. Modern buyers have changed the way we sell. SDRs need to be more consultative and guide prospects down the funnel with skills like storytelling, subject matter expertise, and social nurturing.

But not every SDR is doing that.

It’s easy enough to come into work every day and do the bare minimum. Follow the playbook, run the sequences, put in the activity, go home. That’s the life of a C or B level rep.

‘A players’ are constantly going above and beyond their daily responsibilities. I’m talking about content creation, joining online communities, learning from sales leaders…top reps put in the work to hone their craft and get better at the job.

We think a big part of what separates the ‘A players’ from their B and C player counterparts is mindset. They have that self-starter mentality to grow within the role, not just do the role.

We sat down with Tad Bustin, Sr. Director of Client Success at demandDrive, to talk about the mindset needed for SDR success and how to impart that on your team.