11 Ways SDRs and AEs Build Pipeline

Almost half of my career was spent as an AE. So far, much of the second half has centered on building and leading SDR teams.

Here are 11 effective ways SDRs and AEs build a big revenue pipeline:

1. SDRs directly support no more than 3 AEs at once. The pairings stay put as long as they can.

2. There’s a defined set of prospective logos they own. Why cast a net when you can throw a spear?

3. Each knows how the other prefers to communicate. And then they actually communicate.

4. They aren’t ON a team, they ARE a team. Big difference.

5. None of them HOPE it works out, they EXPECT it to work out. They’re committed and focused.

6. They conduct pre-mortems and post-mortems for every key meeting. Prospects benefit most.

7. They use CRMs as the single source of truth. The keys hang from the sign that says “KEYS.”

8. Everyone agrees on criteria for qualified accounts, people, and meetings. They discuss as a team.

9. AEs reject SDR-sourced meetings that aren’t yet qualified. Kind, tactful, teaching moments.

10. Egos are healthy and often left at the door. There is mutual respect, for each other and for the mission.

11. They invite the SE (Sales Engineer) into the process at the right time. They help the SE help them.

The late great Chet Holmes wrote, “Most companies leave far too much of the sales process to individual salespeople. Work as a team, utilizing everyone’s brain power to drill down, perfect, and ‘procedurize’ each aspect of the sales process.”

As a result…

• Leads and opportunities don’t slip through the cracks.
• Prospects have delightful, first class engagements, and become customers.
• SDRs sharpen their sales skills and move up to become effective AEs.

And the revenue pipeline delivers quarter-over-quarter.

Don’t go fast alone, go far together.