Sales Strategies Learned from BDRs

In 2019, as a BDR, I was earning 2X of what my AEs were making in a good month. Today's equivalent would be INR 5 lac a month. Here's how I did it 𝟭. 𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽-𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻: Our VP Sales had hidden a 3X accelerator on WINS. As expected, no BDR cared about it. The AE team was responsible for closing. While everyone tried to maximize pipeline, I was coordinating with my AEs to maximize wins. End result? I hit my accelerator in 6 months. 𝟮. 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲-𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀: We had a monthly quota of 2 qualified opps & $200k in pipeline. Everyone was chasing 200% pipe. I calculated the exact number of wins my AEs would need, & reverse engineered goals from there. Bigger-ticket size with higher chances of closures was my new goal. 𝟯. 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆: Your manager is lying if they say territory doesn't matter. Here's a little secret they won't tell you - best reps get the best patches. That's how everyone wins - the SDR, the Manager, the AE, the VP, the company. From day 1, I made sure to deliver results. That way, whenever a prime territory opened up, I was the obvious choice to take it. 𝟰. 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟱𝟬 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀/𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹: Back in 2019, most sales teams chased input metrics. 50 calls, 100 emails/day was standard. Incompetent managers could easily hide behind the activity metrics in a dry month (it’s 2025, and nothing has changed). I kept my sole focus on delivering output. The more I did, less f*cks my leadership gave on my input metrics. 𝟱. 𝗜 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆: BDRs weren't responsible for taking demos. SE team owned it. I broke the rules since I knew the product in-and-out. I used to tag-team with my AEs and delivered most demos ourselves. Prospects loved that we could answer their questions on the call - no “I’ll get back to you.” 𝟲. 𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗗𝗥𝘀: I made a habit of coaching new reps, taking mock calls, and sharing email templates that were working for me. Highest earning BDRs are almost always the most generous ones. The more you share, the more comes back around. And sometimes, that gets reflected in your paycheck!

A VP I know rebuilt his BDR from the ground up. Same person, completely different role. No more cold calling. No more dial quotas. Sooo what did they do? The BDR became a strategy analyst who just happened to generate pipeline. Here's what changed: - Instead of Apollo sequences, the BDR started analyzing 10-Ks and leveraging ChatGPT to understand business trends within target accounts. - Instead of cold outreach, every touchpoint became referral-based through investor networks and executive connections. - Instead of generic messaging, the BDR created tailored presentations and buyer mapping documents for each prospect. Here's the basic JD: - Research buyer personas and map decision-making committees. - Build custom slide decks based on company-specific challenges. - Ghost write LinkedIn messages from the VP's account. - Analyze earnings calls and financial filings for conversation starters. The results spoke for themselves. Higher quality meetings, better pipeline conversion, and zero time wasted on prospects who were never going to buy. The reality is that most BDRs fail because they're trying to create demand instead of capturing intent. With this approach, the BDR became an intelligence gatherer who identified warm pathways into target accounts. Instead of 100 cold calls yielding 2 conversations, this strategy generated 10 warm introductions that led to 6 meaningful discussions. PS - You can use tools like Vieu to find + execute these warm intros at scale. They map your entire network (investors, advisors, customers, and partners) and help you build a true “Go-to-Network” motion - Check them out here: https://lnkd.in/gngv3Ws3 Remember that the best BDRs aren't necessarily the ones who make the most calls. They're the ones who make the SMARTEST calls. If you wanna get to that point, it's worth making sure your BDR doesn't sound like every other BDR. Instead, focus on making sure they sound like they've done their homework.

Dear AEs/BDRs: Prospects aren't ignoring your emails because they're rude or uninterested. They're ignoring you because responding feels like work. Here's what most reps don't understand about being a prospect: Their reality: - Fighting fires they didn't even know existed yesterday - Team asking for approvals on 5 different things - 200+ emails sitting in their inbox right now - Back-to-back meetings until 4pm - Quarterly planning due this week And you want them to reply to your cold email? Here's the brutal truth: They probably ARE interested in what you're selling. They CAN see how it might help. They KNOW they need to explore new solutions. But the thought of: - Responding to your email - Scheduling a meeting - Sitting through a demo - Explaining it to their team - Getting budget approved - Managing an implementation. All of that is what makes them want to delete and move on. So they don't respond. Not because your product is bad. But because engaging feels like climbing a mountain when they're already exhausted. The main 1 reason prospects ghost? It's not that they don't care. It's that responding requires energy they don't have right now. What reps don't understand: - Prospects aren't evaluating your email in a vacuum - They're evaluating whether THIS is worth their time RIGHT NOW - Every response feels like committing to a 6-month project - Inaction is always easier than action Want to actually get replies? Stop asking and start giving: 1. Make it EASY Don't ask for a meeting in your first email. Offer a 2-minute Loom video walking through how you'd solve their problem. Send them a free resource they can consume on their own time. The less friction, the more replies. 2. Make it SAFE Share a case study link they can review without talking to you. Offer a no-pressure "just sending this over" email with zero ask. Let them engage on their terms first. Remove the fear of commitment before they even reply. 3. Make it LIGHT Don't make them explain their pain to you. Show them you already researched it. Don't ask vauge questions, come showing you are a trusted expert. 4. Make it WORTH IT Show them the quick win in the first 30 days, not a 6-month ROI. Share a real example from a customer in their exact situation. Give them something they can use TODAY even if they never buy. Prove you're valuable before asking for anything. The best emails I've replied to? They didn't ask me for a meeting right away. They gave me something useful first. They made it easier to engage than to ignore They understood that my silence wasn't rejection. It was activation energy. Reps: Your prospects aren't against you. They're just tired and overwhelmed. Meet them where they are. Eat the complexity for them. Make responding the easiest thing they do all day. Found this useful? ♻️ Repost this for your network to check out & follow me for more

In January, our reps sent their first-ever cold emails. Today outbound is 22% of our sales-led pipeline. Here’s how Clay built our outbound motion: 1. Hire an expert Sales Dev leader like Rob Cook Rob has done this before, knows modern outbound systems, loves getting deep into the weeds, and can recruit top talent. He also outworks everyone. We went from 0-10+ BDRs (aka ClayDRS) fast, and the motion started working almost immediately. Simple, not easy. 2. Roll out territories / rules of engagement and align on where to focus Luckily, we have great tooling to ensure no rep spends time on non-ICP accounts. We then make it as easy as possible to get the right rep exposed to the right “reason to reach out.” Started very simple, and got more advanced week over week. 3. Introduced Clay Day (aka PG Tuesday) We started with a 4 hour block where all ClayDRs and GTMEs actively prospect into top accounts. Every week, there is an owner, campaign, and pre-defined plays that the team can execute on. This is a process and takes time, but momentum is building… 4. Weekly enablement on creating a POV and how to position our solution to a diverse set of companies Converting inbound leads is a very different skillset than creating interest at companies who have never used or heard of your product. We’ve spent dozens of hours training on creating a point of view, problems each persona we serve faces, and how to remain consistent. 5. Rally the troops. Marketing, operations, partnerships, growth, community, and events all participate Our head of sales Becca Lindquist brought in the phrase “EOP” which means “Everyone Owns Pipeline.” I’ve never seen so many people rally around pipeline goals across the entire organization. We also don’t fight over, or waste anytime, fighting for credit. TAKEAWAY Outbound is alive and well when you have a product customers love. However, you can’t just dip your toes in the water or “experiment.” Invest more than you think into ops, enablement, and the operating rhythm. Then rally the entire GTM org around the motion.

The best outbound teams I've studied all do one thing: They book 70%+ of their meetings on cold calls. Not email. Not LinkedIn. Not automated sequences. And they don't just pick up the phone or smile and dial. They build a cold calling system: Account list → mobile numbers → dials → connects → opener → problem → conversation → close → meeting booked. Nine steps. Nine conversion rates. And behind every one of them, a system. Here's where the best teams invest in: → Data layer: they prioritize direct dials and verified mobiles, not stale office lines. Coverage and accuracy come first. Coverage and accuracy come first. I've been using FullEnrich with my clients. Waterfall enrichment across 20+ providers, with 80%+ find rate. → Data hygiene: they disposition every call in real time. Bad numbers get flagged so reps never dial dead numbers twice. → List building and scoring: ops owns this, not reps. Reps dial. Ops builds the list and scores the accounts. → Scripts and frameworks: not a static PDF. A tested call structure — opener, problem, conversation, close. Practiced, coached, iterated. → Personalization at scale: pre-call research is automated so reps show up prepared without spending 15 minutes per account. → AI practice: BDRs complete 100+ runs through a simulator before they ever get on the phones. Practice builds confidence. Practice in chunks. → Branded caller ID: every ring is free advertising. Prospects recognize the name before the conversation starts. → Voicemail strategy: voicemail isn't a dead end. It's support for the next touch , the email or LinkedIn message that follows within minutes. → Coaching cadence: weekly call reviews, scorecards, live coaching. The ramp doesn't stop after onboarding. Phone-first means building the system behind every step of that funnel. Not "just pick up the phone". What would you add to this list? #FullEnrichPartner

This is one of the biggest silent productivity killers in outbound: Tools show profiles. They don’t guarantee buyers. Sales Navigator can show you 500 “perfect prospects.” But the real experience looks like this: You open the list. Titles match. Company size matches. Industry matches. Everything looks like a dream list. Then reality hits. You send 50 connection requests. 20 get accepted. You message them. Silence. Because many of those “perfect prospects” are not actually buyers. Your list usually includes: • Interns who accepted the request out of curiosity • Ex-employees who no longer work there • Founders who haven’t checked LinkedIn in months • Managers who are not decision makers • People who get 100+ pitches every week Sales Navigator is a filter tool, not a buying signal tool. And that difference decides whether your pipeline grows or dies. Here’s what strong BDRs do differently after pulling a prospect list: 1. Verify the role, not just the title Titles lie. “Head of Growth” might be: → A solo operator → A consultant → Someone who left last month Before outreach: • Check activity in the last 30–60 days • Scan their recent posts • Look at company announcements If the profile is silent and outdated, move on. 2. Look for buying signals Instead of blasting all 500 prospects, filter for signs of movement: Examples: → Hiring for roles related to your product → Recently raised funding → Announcing new initiatives → Posting about problems your product solves These signals increase reply probability dramatically. 3. Find the real decision layer Interns and junior employees often appear in searches first. Before sending a message, quickly map the hierarchy: Look for: → Director → VP → Head of → Founder in smaller companies Then send your outreach where the decision actually happens. 4. Use the “two profile rule” Before messaging someone, open two additional profiles from the same company. Why? You often discover: → A better decision-maker → A more active profile Someone already discussing the problem you solve Three minutes of research can save weeks of ignored messages. 5. Accept that list quality beats list size

Top-performing BD professionals don't rely on charm. They win by doing what 95% of others won't. After training 50,000+ client-facing professionals, here are the 8 traits that separate the best from everyone else: 1. They Lead with Curiosity, Not Pitches Instead of: "Let me tell you about our services" Try: "Walk me through your biggest win this year" → People reveal budgets to those who celebrate their success first. 2. They Remember the Small Stuff Client mentions daughter's soccer tournament? Set a calendar reminder. Text them Monday: "How'd Sarah's tournament go?" → This one message does more than 10 capabilities decks. 3. They Give Before They Get Send the article. Make the introduction. Share the framework. No invoice. No strings. No "quick favor" requests. → Generosity compounds faster than any sales metric. 4. They Think in Decades, Not Quarters That "unqualified" lead today? Could be the CEO in 5 years. The junior analyst? Tomorrow's decision maker. → Play the long game when everyone else is chasing Q4. 5. They Make Others Look Good Email their boss about their smart insight. Publicly credit their ideas in meetings. → The #1 way to become unforgettable? Make them the hero. 6. They Follow Through Like Clockwork Promise Tuesday? Deliver Monday night. Every. Single. Time. → Reliability is so rare it's become a competitive advantage. 7. They Stay Connected Without an Agenda No pitch. No ask. Just: "Saw this and thought of you." Four times a year. That's it. → When they need help, guess who they'll call? 8. They Celebrate Client Wins Like Their Own LinkedIn post about their promotion. Team email about their success story. → Become their biggest cheerleader. They'll never forget it. Here's the truth: Your competitors are sending the same proposals. Offering the same services. Making the same promises. But they're not doing these 8 things consistently. That's your opportunity. ♻️ Valuable? Repost to help someone in your network. 📌 Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies that don’t feel like selling. Want the full cheat sheet? Sign up here:  https://lnkd.in/e3qRVJRf 

I averaged 476% quota attainment when I started my sales career as a BDR at Salesforce But I was by no means special or talented In fact, I was the exact opposite What I learned how to do differently was leverage data to develop tactical frameworks that could make me that successful My 5x8 Prospecting approach was the peak And you can start using it today Data I used to help create it 👇 1. It takes ~8 cold calls to get a pickup 2. Email reply rates fall off at attempt #9 3. Calling on multiple contacts in an account increases response rate by 160% How to execute 👇 1. Pick 5 key contacts in an account 2. Narrow down 2-3 outreach channels 3. Attempt to reach each contact 8 times over 8 weeks This is a simplification of a traditional "cadence", which are often overcomplicated and easy to give up on I developed this framework as a BDR at Salesforce, but also used it as an AE and have trained hundreds of sales reps how to use it to light a fire under their prospecting If you stick to this, it works It's simple and repeatable Don't overthink it Want a full deep dive? https://lnkd.in/eN_KghCD

Want to know why some BDRs make $120K while others stay at $70K? It's not what you think. The difference isn't: • Cold calling scripts • Email templates • LinkedIn messaging • Sales technology It's how they spend their first 2 hours every day. Here's what $120K BDRs do differently: 1. They hunt warm leads first • Check LinkedIn engagement • Monitor website visits • Track email opens • Review webinar attendees 2. They follow intent signals • Job changes • Company funding • New leadership • Tech stack updates 3. Only then do they go cold • But with research done • With context ready • With personalization prepared • With trigger events aligned $70K BDRs? They start their day cold calling random lists. Think about it: • Warm leads = 30-40% conversion • Intent leads = 15-20% conversion • Cold leads = 2-5% conversion Yet most BDRs spend 80% of their time on 5% conversion activities. The math doesn't lie. Want to break $100K? Start with the hottest leads first. Success in sales isn't about working harder. It's about working smarter with what's already warm. What's your primary strategy for finding warm leads? 👇 #Sales #BDR #LeadGeneration

BDRs are a CHANNEL within the GTM ecosystem. We stopped using the transactional lead gen playbook with them + adopted a long-term "demand gen" approach with them, and magic has happened 🪄 Let me share a few examples of when BDRs do + don’t work well to help get the point across: Cold outreach Don’t: give them a list of 100 new accounts every month to dial/email/DM away at, hoping that they can get 5% of them to finally cave in to taking a demo Do: give them a list of 100 accounts and tell them that over the course of the next quarter, they are to develop a relationship with each of them Remember: BDR stands for business *development* representative. Those relationships + being able to become a trusted advisor are why prospects will choose to go with you, not the fact that you have now slapped “AI” on your product. PLG and sales-assisted growth Don’t: give them a list of every prospect that signs up for your free product and assume that they are ready to buy Do: loop them into other efforts targeting this group. Marketing is likely sending a “welcome” or “training” sequence to each new signup to help teach them how to use the product and get them to adopt it. Product likely has datapoints around which signups are using the product, and which features specifically. Tip: Allow the BDRs to see this information so they can be more strategic and consultative with their outreach. This way they reach out to the signups actually using the product AND can be consultative in what they speak to based on what the signups are, and aren’t, using within the product currently. Lastly, lose the attribution obsession Like marketing, we have to lose the obsession on attributing every BDR activity back to BDRs. Embrace the “dark social” type mentality with this group so that they can align better to how today’s market actually researches and buys products. This means that you’ll probably see BDR activities lead to improved “Organic Search” and “Direct” attribution results because when the prospect is ready to start the sales process, they may just come straight to the website and submit the demo request form. That is ok! This past week, we had two examples of this occurring where a demo request came in and in the self-reported attribution, the prospect explicitly named the BDR who'd been in contact with them Our BDR approach is being helpful + consultative, not forcing prospects into the funnel early. They meet prospects where they are, provide helpful resources along the way, and say things like “hey, when you’re ready, just head to our website + fill out the form.” They recognize that not everyone is in the market today They recognize that prospects are in annual or multi-year contracts They recognize that even if they aren’t, they need to wait approvals But once the prospect is finally ready, they come back to us ready to move forward