Amazing data-driven SDR managers know that the road to success for a new SDR starts on Day 1. Below are 3 steps that sales managers can take to ensure that newly hired SDRs hit the ground running once they hit full meeting and opportunity creation capacity. This post will walk through the metrics that should be used when ramping new SDRs, how to set ramping goals, and ways to utilize the data to compare each SDR’s performance against both their goals and their peers.
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Start with tracking core SDR metrics
As a data-driven sales manager, you can track a newly hired SDR’s ramp by measuring both leading and lagging indicators of success. To start, you will want to track these basic metrics:
- For inbound SDRs:
Below is an example of a view for tracking core metrics for SDRs.
- For outbound SDRs:
Below is an example of a dashboard metric showing Opportunities Created this week by a group of SDRs, filtered to show the source of the opportunity.
Monitoring the quality of your SDRs' ramping activities
Once these have been established, you can start to track more advanced metrics around the effectiveness of your SDRs’ activities:
- For inbound SDRs:
Below is an example of a dashboard metric showing email engagement rate for a group of SDRs, specifically showing how they are doing against the target %.
- For outbound SDRs:
Below is an example of a dashboard metric showing Activity Per Opps Created in the trailing 90 days for a group of SDRs.
See ramping metrics for your own SDRs here.
Establish goals to monitor ramping progress
Once the above metrics have been established, you can set goals around these indicators.
Think about what levels of activity are needed to achieve opp creation goals, and set targets around those activities. My SDR Activity-to-Opp-Creation Calculator helps managers to make achievable weekly and daily goals based on opportunity creation expectations. Additionally, you can look at the activities of your highest performing SDRs, such as emails sent, number of accounts touched, or calls, and use those as a guide when setting goals for ramping SDRs in order to replicate those behaviors across the team.
For more on how to set SDR goals, check out our masterclass, “Setting and Managing Goals for AE & SDR Teams”.
After you have worked with your SDRs to set data-driven goals, you can decide how frequently you want to monitor and report on them. Our team typically reviews these Monday morning before our weekly SDR team meeting, but find a cadence that works for you to address them both as a team and in your individual 1:1s.
When tracking goals, you’ll want to look at not only how your SDR is performing against their own specific goals, but how ramping reps are doing relative to their peers. Are they in band? If not, you are able to address concerns before they become larger issues. Additionally, you can see how your ramping reps are doing with their activity goals and troubleshoot problems before the SDR even reaches full capacity.
A key part of ensuring successful ramp is monitoring leading indicator metrics so you can quickly catch problems before they turn into results shortfalls.
The best SDR managers set and monitor goals on key activities on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis in order to make sure their new SDRs are ramping effectively.
Keep a look out for a new post coming soon around diagnosing SDR ramping challenges. In the meantime, check out related resources here:
- Atrium Playbook Index
- Atrium’s SDR Management Academy
- Atrium’s Guide to Making Performance Conversations Easy
Sign up for Atrium for free today to get started.
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