In a recent report commissioned by Pavilion and conducted by Benchmark Research Partners with the support of Operatix, new insights reveal the structure, strategy, performance, and plans of sales development teams today. Surveying 230 leaders representing a cross-section of companies across the globe, the study is a thorough and comprehensive review of the current state of sales development.
This new series highlights four key findings from the report.
In this first installment, we’re taking a closer look at how sales development has become more effective over the past year by loosening barriers to entry for effective talent and using new technologies and tactics under a digital umbrella to discover unique solutions in a rapidly changing market.
Key Insight #1: Sales development has become more effective
Nearly three years into a hybrid work world, the sales development landscape has completely transformed. In that time, organizations have created new, highly effective systems to make the most of their resources and deliver seamless, efficient revenue.
- Increased expectation for sales development reps (SDRs) to qualify opportunities: Respondents in this year’s survey are relying on SDRs to qualify prospects before passing them on to an Account Executive. Pavilion’s report found that less than a quarter of today’s leads are coming from marketing. Instead, SDRs are now self-sourcing prospects and opportunities. As a result, it falls to SDRs to serve as a consultant for the prospect to assess their needs and qualify their leads to ensure their organization brings on the right type of customers.
- Increased use of texting and mail: More and more SDRs are turning to SMS and traditional mail to conduct one-to-one conversations and create engagement with prospects. This year’s survey reported 33% of SDRs using SMS for outreach and 23% using traditional mail strategies. Today’s customers are inundated with emails asking for demo follow-ups, surveys, and appointment requests. SDRs are providing value by identifying alternative communication channels their target audience prefers.
- More likely to have a fully distributed team: It should be no surprise that more teams are made up of SDRs working remotely. Distributed teams allow organization leaders to employ SDRs from around the globe, reduce running costs, and provide more flexible work hours while still having seamless processes and tools in place for employees. This year’s survey found that most teams (49%) were distributed, with 46% working a hybrid model and only 3% working full-time in an office.
- Less likely to require SDRs to have a college degree: Relaxed barriers are widening the talent pool in 2022. More and more organizations are eliminating requirements for college degrees, instead focusing on upskilling and reskilling new employees. Respondents requiring a college degree for SDR roles have decreased by 47% since 2020. Business leaders are developing new programs to discover talent by focusing on the skills and experience necessary to excel in a role vs. evaluating candidates based on a four-year degree.
75% of organizations say sales development was more effective this year, with Seed, Series C, and Public companies reporting the highest levels of effectiveness — strong results for an industry that has undergone seismic shifts in the last three years. However, while sales development effectiveness is up, SDR teams are struggling to hit quota. We’ll dig into why in our next post in this series.
Click here for all findings from this year’s State of Sales Development Survey and stay tuned for our next deep dive into the insights.