The professional and the personal: how to build closer relationships with your SDRs with Cognetik’s James Bawden

The signs of a happy (and not so happy) SDR

When things are good — it’s pretty obvious for all to see. The team is showing up on time, early even, they support one another, and they’re crushing their numbers.

When it isn’t going well, it’s also pretty obvious to see — the sales floor is quiet, the team members stick to themselves, and, you guessed it, the numbers suffer.

Regardless of your position in your sales org, that type of demoralizing environment should be avoided. But it becomes even more important for SDRs — they are like a feeder to the rest of the organization. Sales development is on the frontline of growth, but it is also a great place to learn, hone your craft, and then move on to other roles, should they want.

But if SDRs are faced with that kind of stressful or difficult environment, it can be a significant blocker to professional growth and satisfaction.

“Over the course of my career, the teams that I have been a part of that were successful happy and engaged, the first element was the leader that was genuinely interested as seeing the team as humans. That has to be the first layer,” says Bawden.

“They weren’t bodies in a chair, or people on a sales floor. But, it requires emotional intelligence to get there.”

Understanding what drives a team member — professionally and personally

Too often, we think of work relationships as completely different from those in our personal lives. And while it is true that not every person you work with is going to become a close, personal friend, it really helps you find out what makes people tick — why they do this work, why they respond to certain things well, and others not. As a leader, these are the things you have to get to know about your team.

You know, just as you would with someone outside of work.

“I have worked for people that acted as they cared, but that falls apart. The cracks start to show,” says Bawden.

“If it isn’t naturally who you are, some people are naturally in tune with people, it can take time to build this skill. But you can build this skill. Just remember, none of this is easy.”

According to Bawden, what a leader needs to do to connect with their team in this way is to find out what each of their “top 3” personal and professional motivations are. For example, what drives them at work? Is it money, career growth, or impact?

On the other hand, what brings them joy in their personal lives? Is it their hobbies, family time, or solitary reflection? Whatever it is, is worthy of support.

“This is what will help take your team to the next level. The emotional aspect of things has to be part of the equation. Emotional support can be overlooked because sometimes it isn’t upfront,” says Bawden.

“If all you do is focus on results — you will get results. But, in the background, personal stuff could be slipping away slowly. And, it happens to everyone, at one time or another. That’s why it is such an important thing to keep up with.”

(Editor’s note: we chatted with Pendo’s Bill Binch a while back about how to effectively develop SDRs. You can read about our chat here, or listen to it here)

Originally published at predictablerevenue.com on March 14, 2019.