{"id":7498,"date":"2020-03-05T12:00:51","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T11:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodpecker.co\/blog\/?p=7498"},"modified":"2025-01-21T10:24:58","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T09:24:58","slug":"hire-sdr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodpecker.co\/blog\/hire-sdr\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Hire an SDR to Handle Cold Emailing at Your Company?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you\u2019re about to hire an outbound specialist but know zip about cold mailing yourself, you might find yourself stabbing in the dark. Should you hire one specialist or split the job into two positions? Where do you look for candidates? What questions should you ask them to assess if they\u2019ll do a good job prospecting and reaching out to prospective clients?<\/span><\/p>\n

I believe this blog post will help you maneuver through the hiring process and find a good Sales Development Representative to handle cold mailing at your company.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start the hiring process, shall we?<\/span><\/p>\n

Step #1 Decide how many people you want on board<\/h2>\n

If we were to strip the process of cold email<\/span> <\/a>outreach to its bare minimum, we might say that it consists of three main elements:<\/span> an interesting email<\/span> copy<\/b> that is relevant to the prospect,<\/span> the sending strategy<\/b> and <\/span>a quality list of prospects<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

With this in mind, take a look at the possible scenarios of an SDR hire:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. You hire a full-stack outbound specialist to handle prospecting, come up with a sending strategy, create the email<\/span> copies and run campaigns.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. You divide the job into two positions: an SDR Strategist and SDR Researcher.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. You hire an SDR Strategist to take care of creating the email<\/span> copy, strategizing and sending, and freelancers to assemble a list of prospects.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I wouldn\u2019t choose the last option, though. You can never be sure if the list you got hasn\u2019t made its way to many other companies besides yours as well. It would be even worse if you decide to buy a list. Email<\/span> addresses on those lists are often outdated (which harms your deliverability) and they\u2019ve already been sold to many other people as well. Not to mention that basically you\u2019d just be sending emails<\/span> to random people who may not fall within your ICP at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

    If you have the resources to do so, I\u2019d recommend you go with the second option. Why? Both jobs require a different skillset and a different disposition.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Step #2 Create \u2018candidate personas\u2019<\/h2>\n

    Coming up with the ideal candidate may mean more work upfront, but will ultimately pay off, streamlining the whole hiring process. If you know exactly who you\u2019re seeking, finding them will be much easier.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s what to look for in an SDR Strategist and an SDR Researcher.<\/span><\/p>\n

    SDR Strategist<\/b><\/h3>\n

    Hard skills<\/span><\/h4>\n

    A cold outreach strategist has to not only strategize (choose what they\u2019re going to write in the emails<\/span>, when, how many and how often will they send them). They also have to be a skillful copywriter (to come up with a captivating<\/span> subject line to catch your prospects’ attention and compose a valuable and relevant email<\/span> copy to engage them in a conversation).<\/span><\/p>\n

    How to test if they really know what\u2019s what in cold emailing<\/span> when you yourself know little or nothing about it? I\u2019ll give you some example questions in step #3. But for now, let\u2019s move on to the next thing at hand \u2013 the candidate\u2019s disposition.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Soft skills<\/span><\/h4>\n

    This type of work requires creativity and a certain amount of empathy (to create a persuasive message you need to be able to get in your prospects\u2019 shoes). Such a specialist should keep their finger on the pulse of the company: is the CEO attending a conference next month? Maybe it would be a good idea to send some networking emails beforehand?<\/span><\/p>\n

    SDR Researcher<\/b><\/h3>\n

    Hard skills<\/span><\/h4>\n

    When it comes to hard skills, a researcher has to know their way around certain tools, such as Excel. I\u2019ll come back to this in step #3, where you\u2019ll also find out what questions to ask them.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Soft skills\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

    First and foremost, they need to have an analytical mind. They\u2019re going to be handling data on a daily basis, so they need to be diligent, patient and curious.<\/span> I\u2019d say people who possess the ability to stay calm and are in general more on the quiet side would be a good fit for the position.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Both of these positions need to share one quality, though: a genuine interest in their work.<\/span><\/p>\n

    How to determine if they are interested? Ask them not only about their experience, education, courses, and certifications, but also about the blogs, podcasts, or companies they follow. You\u2019ll be able to assess if they\u2019re taking any activities to improve in the field of outreach marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n

    But they need to be passionate about more than just marketing \u2013 your company\u2019s mission matters as well. You need to make sure they\u2019re in line with your company\u2019s core values, so they\u2019ll stay with you for the long run and bring value to the table.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Now, since you know exactly who you\u2019re looking for, it\u2019s time to start the search.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Step #3 Search for the best candidates<\/h2>\n

    You might choose to go old school and just post a job opening online. Even though it\u2019s the easiest and often the most convenient solution and you might find a promising talent this way, it\u2019s worth to single out other options I encourage you to try out.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    1. Word of mouth referral – what better way to find a good specialist than by getting a recommendation from someone you know? Ask around in your network to see if your colleagues and acquaintances have heard of a good-fit candidate for the opening.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Active sourcing – look for your next talent in online places that draw the kind of professionals you want to hire, e.g. Quora or marketing groups on Facebook and LinkedIn. Seek passive candidates and try to get in contact with them. The best specialists are often being found instead of looking for an open position.<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Social media ads – this might be a not-so-popular route to take, but it might prove effective.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Great – now that we\u2019ve got the issue of how to find the candidates handled, let\u2019s move on to the next step: the interview.<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n