THE REFLEX
when outbound stalls, everyone blames the rep.
hire more. replace the ones who miss quota. run it back.
but the rep is rarely the problem.
it's a team running on its own. no ramp. no coaching. no shared definition of a good conversation. no air cover from marketing. just activity, and a number nobody's hitting.
most sdr problems are management problems. you can't hire your way out of one.
WHERE THE WORK STARTS
we map the team before we touch the motion
"the team is underperforming" is a diagnosis nobody can coach against. underperforming at what? which reps? compared to whom?
so the first two weeks produce a map, not a plan.
every rep gets assessed on a 9-box: performance on one axis, potential on the other. not as a ranking exercise, as a coaching one. a rep grinding in the wrong quadrant needs something completely different from a rep coasting in the right one, and a manager treating them the same is failing both.
underneath the grid, every rep gets read on the specific skills the motion actually runs on: copywriting, list building, cadence writing, social selling, objection handling, call structure. an honest picture of where each rep is strong and where each needs work.
BUT the map isn't for filing.
it feeds three things. individual development plans, so 1:1s coach against something real instead of last week's numbers. team leverage, so the rep who writes the sharpest copy becomes the team's copy resource and the strongest objection handler runs the practice reps. the team starts training itself on its own bench. and coaching priority, so manager time goes where it moves the number, not where the loudest problem is.
scorecards in Gong and Orum keep the map current. call quality, daily activity, weekly metrics. the assessment isn't a one-time workshop, it's the operating picture the coaching runs on.
this is where the opensesame work started. read how it ran →
WHERE YOU'RE AT
someone has to lead the team. three ways that happens.
THE SEAT'S EMPTY
interm sdr leader
your leader left. i step in and run the team now, while we build the system and line up the person who takes it over.
THE LEADER'S STRUGGLING
coach the one in seat
you have a leader in over their head. i work alongside them, in the reviews and the calls, until they can run it without me.
SOMEONE'S READY
grow your next leader
there's a rep ready to step up. i train them into the role, with the playbook and the reps to back them.
WHAT GETS BUILT
whichever way in, you're left with a system. and someone to run it.
not a binder on a shelf. a working motion and a leader who owns it.
THE PLAYBOOK
the motion documented. icp, scripts, qualification, objection handling, the definition of a good conversation. so it stops living in one person's head.
REPORTING
the dashboards and the few metrics that actually matter. so you can see the team instead of guessing at it.
A TRAINED TEAM
reps ramped and coached. problem training, so they recognize the buyer's pain instead of reciting your features.
THE OPERATING CADENCE
call reviews, pipeline reviews, the weekly rhythm that keeps a team sharp instead of just busy.
A LEADER IN SEAT
interim handed off, the current one leveled up, or the next one grown into it. every engagement ends with someone who owns the number.
WHY THIS IS RARE
most sdr help stops at the playbook.
the framework, the templates, the org chart. then they're gone, and you're the one making it real with a team that's never done it before.
we stay in the seat.
i've built and led sdr teams through real revenue stages. hands-on. in the seat, not next to it.
that's the difference between a plan and a team that hits its number.
PROOF
what changes with real leadership
a series-d hr tech SaaS SDR team between sales development leadership
12 → 16
74%→ 98%
MEETINGS BOOKED PER REP
TEAM QUOTA ATTAINMENT
