Why You Should Have a Remote Sales Development Representative

If the pandemic showed us anything, it is that there are no limits to where you can work, so long as you have a somewhat stable internet connection.

While this does not apply to all industries - essential services, for instance - the majority of us discovered that we could do a lot of what we were doing in the office from home.

We moved past the daily commute, packed lunch, and dressing business casual. Instead, we learned to go from our beds to our desks, eat at home, and stay the entire day in our PJs if we so wished. Always with the meme'd Zoom shirt ready to go in case we had a meeting.

Sales was no different and proved it could really shine in the digital world if done remotely. Especially given that about half of B2B product researchers are digital natives themselves.

We grew up doing our homework on computers, why would we not carry it on into our work life? And if we can do it from anywhere with a laptop? Even better.

The best talent is worth aiming for, no matter where in the world they are based.

In the past on our blog, we've covered what a sales development representative is in the past, what a business development representative is, and what outsourcing these types of positions means.

A remote sales development representative, or remote SDR, is in these same positions but executes their tasks remotely. They prospect, cold call, cold email, or social sell your product or service according to an established ideal customer profile. They just do it from anywhere and everywhere. Remote simply means that the individual representing your company may never step into any company building, only show up at retreats, or go in a few times a week or month. With sales, anything is possible.

It is worth noting that most sales roles usually involve some level of travel to meet with clients. This is still happening today, of course, but it's become even more selective than before, and a remote SDR can cover more ground online in a day than any salesperson driving around knocking on doors.

Remote SDRs might work the company hours, the equivalent in their time zone, or asynchronously depending on what works best for the industry and needs of the company they represent. By being remote they can have some leeway.

Because it is remote, communication, both written and verbal, is key.

A remote work best practice we follow here at SalesPipe is the weekly call. Whoever the SDR's manager is should have weekly calls with the SDR to go over current strategy and campaigns, what is working or not working, try to understand why it is working or not working, keep tabs on the customer profile to see if it needs to be altered, or anything else that would require a quick chat.

In addition to this, setting up easily traceable KPIs, or key performance indicators, that can be quickly assessed during the call should be established. For SDRs, this can be anything from demos booked to new LinkedIn contacts, depending on the approach they are taking.

Another recommended step with a remote SDR is to then keep written track of all communications via call. Whether this is an open doc with notes for each meeting or emails sent after each meeting with the key points, it holds both the SDR and supervisor accountable. Especially since they do not see each other every day.

But now that we know what a remote SDR is and what the work entails, it's time to understand why you should consider hiring for this role at your company.

A lot has been said about the benefits of remote work in general. These conversations are typically centered around the benefits to the employee in the relationship, and not the employer as often.

So let's switch it up. How would you as a company benefit from hiring someone as a remote SDR?

Time Zones

The first thing I realized worked in my favor when I began working as a remote SDR was time zones. What I mean by this is that by virtue of where I was located, I could plan certain sales enablement strategies ahead of time, and then see the results in real-time. I am always one step ahead of my prospects, which provides me valuable insight into new directions to aim for with targeting and new cadences to try.

On the other hand, if I were to be in a time zone behind my prospects, I could also use this to my advantage. I'd have more time at the end of my workday to take my time with the results at the end of the day, and consider strategies that might be used the next day.

Additionally, it would be worth taking into account the type of schedule you want your remote SDR to follow. Working asynchronously is the best option for me due in part to the time zone issue, and I have not felt my productivity decrease whatsoever. Recently, a study has proved that indeed, remote work has no negative impact on productivity.

In fact, I rather think my productivity has increased. I have time to run errands in the mornings or at certain times throughout the day, provided I check back in to work and make sure to stay on top of things. But I do not have someone constantly watching over my shoulder. In an office setting, in the same time zone as everyone else, this would be unthinkable. There are also lulls, as there are in any workday, that I also use to run errands or work on other additional SDR tasks in a more relaxed fashion.

So time zones, as silly as it seems, are a huge win with remote SDRs. And they can match your prospects, catch them early, or catch them later - there's a lot more flexibility here.

Larger Talent Pool

Remote work means your talent pool has increased significantly. You are not limited to hiring within your city, state, or country anymore. No more checking on the budget for hiring someone across the country and helping them relocate.

You can find the best talent from around the world.

And with remote work, you can also hire from a variety of disciplines, especially in sales. So your talent pool? Has triplicated, at the very least.

Sergio the school teacher from Chile can work just as well for you as Sharon the former realtor from Minnesota. Both have obtained skills that would work well in the world of sales. And you can employ them both if you find them to be a good fit. This brings us to our next point.

Diversity

Yes, hiring from around the world results in a more diversified workforce. And it is always good to learn about each other.

But the true gain here is diversity in thought.

While certain sales strategies and plays remain the same, different cultures interacting can provide new ways of doing business. And sometimes, the reason your remote SDR excels at cold calling in particular, for example, is related to their cultural experience. They can then teach others what they know innately and strengthen your workforce.

Additionally, the other gain of hiring remote SDRs and employees is the internationalization of your business. You can reach new markets that you had not thought of previously, in new countries, and you'd have some local insight into how to approach operations there as well.

All in all, hiring a remote SDR is a great idea.

So now it's time to figure out how to actually go about hiring such a person.

There are a few ways to hire a truly remote SDR. You want to pick the way that makes the most sense to you as a company depending on your current needs and goals.

Hire Them Yourself

As with any other job posting you would add to LinkedIn, Indeed, or any other job search site or app, you can definitely create a position within your company for a remote SDR. There are some things to consider, however.

Firstly, as usual when hiring for any role, you will have to put in the resources to begin and enable the hiring process, then the training process, and then subsequent HR processes yourself as a company. Sometimes you might need to provide your remote talent with specific tools, such as a laptop and separate monitor, and the cost of sending that to their house would come directly from you. If you're just starting out, these might not be expenditures you're willing to make just yet.

What's more, you will most likely be limited by geography depending on the law. If you want them to truly join your company as an employee, you might only be able to hire from within the US or hire those who are only allowed to work in the US. This prevents you from truly accessing that larger talent pool we mentioned earlier. In some cases, this might actually work with your goals, but it is something to keep in mind.

Another thing you could do here if you want to hire them yourself is to do so via a contractor marketplace like Fiverr or Upwork. If you give them a specific contract for a specific campaign, for example, you could work with them in this way. Of course, you do run the possibility of the contractor pulling out, not fulfilling it, or not doing the work as you would like. Especially since you will be careful with what exactly you would share with them.

Hire Them Through a Global HR Company

A branch of business that grew by leaps and bounds these last few years with the move to remote work, global HR companies take care of global workforces in private or public companies.

These companies serve as both a marketplace and a support system for companies to hire internationally and fulfill all the HR requirements that their employees need. Anything from healthcare to benefits to the formalization of payroll in their local currency is managed by these companies. It takes away the headache of figuring it out on your own and still provides access to the larger talent pool you may be after. Especially if you're considering internationalization or expansion. Examples include Remote, Oyster, and WorkMotion.

The one issue here is you are relying on this external company to run your HR department on foreign shores. And this is an expensive thing for these companies to do, as they are managing the laws of several countries at once. And the laws can also change, which can lead to a change in pricing.

Hire an Outsourcing Company

Finally, you can hire an outsourced sales company, which then hires the perfect remote SDR for you. The outsourcing company takes care of the SDR's payroll and supplies them with additional materials and support so that they can meet the goals you are after to succeed.

With this, you become a client of the outsourcing company. You do not have to worry about organizing hiring, training, or payroll for a remote role, as the company does it all internally. Typically, you will also find more international talent here as well, without needing to go through the ups and downs of an HR Without Borders company either. And, the outsourcing company matches you with the talent you need, instead of you having to sift through a lot of applications. You are not spending time and resources on going through the hiring process yourself - this is but one of several benefits of hiring an outsourced SDR.

You do want to make sure the outsourcing company is the right fit for you and your needs, however, so make sure you talk to and compare several options.

Remote SDRs are a great asset to any company, especially in the digital age.

We've seen what the role entails and how it works in comparison to the in-office role, what the benefits are, and how you might go about hiring your own should you be interested.

Just like outsourcing your sales, bringing in a specialist, or someone with the talent to become a specialist, is a great idea, and even better if they can provide the value a remote SDR will.

If you're interested in a remote SDR and want to know more about hiring them through an outsourcing company, do get in touch with us!