The Promotable SDR Podcast

Summary In this episode of the Promotable SDR podcast, Elliot Kircher shares his journey from being an SDR to an Account Executive at Deel. He discusses the importance of building relationships with AEs, best practices for SDR and AE partnerships, and strategies for landing successfully in an AE role. Elliot also addresses the emotional ups and downs of a sales career and emphasizes the need for resilience and organization in achieving success. Chapters (00:00) Elliot Kircher's Journey from SDR to AE (04:02) Best Practices for SDR and AE Partnerships (08:06) Landing Successfully as an Account Executive (12:01) Navigating the Emotional Roller Coaster of Sales  

Summary In this episode of the Promotable SDR podcast, Nick Bontrager interviews Greg Winter, who transitioned from a career in healthcare as a registered nurse to a closing role in sales. Greg shares his journey, the challenges he faced, and the strategies he employed to succeed in his new role. The conversation covers the importance of understanding one's motivations for making a career change, the art of closing deals, and the significance of having a clear sales process. Greg emphasizes the value of networking, continuous learning, and the personal growth he has experienced since entering the sales field. Chapters (00:00) Introduction to Sales Transition (04:34) The Journey from Healthcare to Sales (09:02) Learning the Art of Closing (15:29) Understanding the Sales Process (19:01) Personal Growth Through Sales

Episode 18 In this episode of the Promotable SDR podcast, host Nick Bontrager interviews Charlie Ezgur, who achieved the fastest promotion from SDR to AE at Gong in under nine months. Charlie shares his journey, including his decision to join Gong, the preparation he undertook for his promotion, and the skills he developed along the way. He emphasizes the importance of understanding promotion criteria, mastering discovery calls, and leveraging resources for success. Charlie also discusses the challenges he faced transitioning to an AE role and the excitement of building relationships in sales. Chapters (00:00) Introduction to Charlie Ezgur's Journey (03:03) The Decision to Join Gong (06:04) Preparing for Promotion: Earning Your Ticket to Play (09:11) Mastering Discovery Calls (12:02) Navigating the Interview Process (15:05) Content and Resources for Success (17:56) Transitioning to AE: Surprises and Challenges (20:51) Conclusion and Key Takeaways

In this episode of the Promotable SDR podcast, Alex Murphy shares his unconventional career journey from an internship at the White House to becoming an Account Executive. He emphasizes the importance of humility, learning from mistakes, and preparing thoroughly for promotions. Alex discusses the challenges of transitioning from a BDR to an AE role and offers valuable advice for SDRs looking to advance their careers. He highlights the significance of patience and focusing on the present to achieve long-term success. Chapters (00:00) Introduction to Alex Murphy's Journey (02:25) From Politics to Education: A Unique Path (04:43) Key Advice for SDRs: The Importance of Humility (06:41) Learning from Mistakes: What Didn't Work (08:52) Transitioning from BDR to AE: The Application Process (10:45) Preparing for the AE Role: Going Above and Beyond (16:48) The Challenges of Being an AE: A Reality Check (20:51) Final Thoughts: Patience and Focus on the Present

Chris' SDR & New AE training offerings: https://chrisritson.xyz/ Chris' Sales Leaders team building offerings: https://www.thesdrleader.com/   Chris Ritson shares his journey from SDR to business owner and provides valuable insights on getting promoted as an SDR. He emphasizes the importance of not rushing promotions and instead focusing on developing the necessary skills to succeed. Chris also discusses the challenges he faced as an AE and the importance of finding a mentor. He highlights the changing landscape for SDRs and the need to prove one's value through behaviors and results. Chris also shares his hiring philosophy and the traits he looks for in SDRs.     Chapters 00:00 - Introduction and Chris Ritson's Background 01:43 - The Importance of Developing Skills Before Getting Promoted 06:14 -The Value of Having a Mentor in Your Sales Career 14:38 - Proving Your Value as an SDR through Behaviors and Results 18:59 - Communicating Your Vision to Hiring Managers 25:31 - Considering Entrepreneurship as an Alternative Career Path 29:39 - Choosing the Right Company, Manager, and Product Market Fit for Career Growth

Summary Brian Lamanna shares his journey from SDR to AE and provides insights on how to navigate promotions. He emphasizes the importance of reverse engineering goals, building relationships with top performers, and treating LinkedIn as a public journal. Brian also discusses the benefits of building a personal brand on LinkedIn and shares his experience with launching Closed Won, his sales education business. Check out Closed Won here! Takeaways - Reverse engineer your goals and create a roadmap to success - Learn from top performers in your organization and emulate their successful strategies - Build a personal brand on LinkedIn to expand your network and create future career opportunities - Treat LinkedIn as a public journal and share your thoughts, experiences, and insights Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:15 Getting Started in B2B SaaS as an SDR 04:09 Navigating Promotions from SDR to AE 08:08 Carrying Skills from SDR to AE 10:09 Ideal Time for Prospecting as an AE 14:25 Preparing for the AE Role 25:08 Launching Closed Won

Summary In this episode, Thomas Blair, Director of Sales, shares his journey from being in the US Army to becoming an SDR and eventually leading a team. Thomas discusses the power of personalization in outreach, using keywords and phrases that resonate with prospects, and finding points of relevance. He advises SDRs who want to transition into leadership roles to learn sales operations and focus on building up the team rather than just individual success.   Takeaways Mentorship and being coachable are crucial for success in sales Personalization in outreach, using relevant keywords and phrases, can make a significant impact Learning sales operations and data analysis is important for SDRs aspiring to become leaders Focusing on building up the team and fostering a collaborative environment leads to overall success Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and Thomas Blair's Background 02:06 Transitioning from the US Army to SDR 07:26 Joining a Startup as an SDR and Building a Team 08:50 Promoting BDRs and the Importance of Coachability 10:18 Moving from SDR to Sales Leadership 12:01 The Power of Personalization in Outreach 23:07 Using Keywords and Phrases to Connect with Prospects 27:29 Preparing for SDR Leadership Roles 30:43 Building a Strong Team and Fostering Collaboration

Summary   Kyler Lada shares his journey from SDR to AE and provides insights and tips for success in the sales industry. He emphasizes the importance of attitude, being relaxed and conversational in cold calls, and treating sales as a consultative process. Kyler also discusses how he handled rejection and the mindset shift he made to focus on the number of nos it takes to get to a yes. He shares his preparation process for promotion, including listening to calls of AEs and asking questions to understand the sales process better.    Chapters   00:00 - Introduction and Background 01:47 - Top Tips for Cold Calling 04:09 - Motivation and Mindset 06:27 - Gamifying the Sales Process 08:27- Falling in Love with the Journey 11:07- Preparing for Promotion 15:28- Speeding Up the Promotion Process   Takeaways Maintain a relaxed and conversational attitude in cold calls to increase the likelihood of engagement. Shift your mindset from fearing rejection to understanding that it is a normal part of sales and that a certain number of rejections will lead to a yes. Prepare for promotion by listening to calls of AEs and asking questions to deepen your understanding of the sales process. Sell yourself to clients, peers, and leadership by taking initiative, having open communication, and demonstrating your willingness to go above and beyond. Focus on the journey and push yourself to see how far you can go, rather than setting limits on your potential.

Summary In this episode, Nick Bontrager interviews Grant Griffin, who recently transitioned from an SDR role to an AE role at Drata. Grant shares his journey into tech sales and provides insights into his rapid promotion. He emphasizes the importance of aligning with a company's values and having a growth mindset. Grant also discusses his interview process and the preparation he did to transition into the AE role. He shares tips for success as an SDR, including being versatile in different sales skills, personalizing outreach, and focusing on timing over customization. Grant encourages SDRs to be vocal about their career goals and to develop a deep understanding of their product. Overall, this episode provides valuable advice for SDRs looking to advance in their careers. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Grant's Background 02:07 Grant's Career Goals and Alignment with Company Values 06:25 Taking Charge of Conversations and Building Trust 09:34 Tips for Success as an SDR: Versatility and Personalization 11:27 Timing Over Customization in Outreach Takeaways Align with a company that has values you align with and offers growth opportunities. Be versatile in different sales skills and be willing to do whatever the business needs. Focus on timing over customization in outreach. Be vocal about your career goals and seek leadership opportunities. Develop a deep understanding of your product to improve sales effectiveness.  

Ever think about what comes next after you're done being an SDR? Maybe you want to move to Account Executive. Maybe to Account Manager. In this episode Elmer Lopez (who's done both roles post SDR) breaks down the pros and cons of each plus a whole bunch of other tactical promotion advice for SDRs looking to get promoted in 2024.