Playbooks

SDR Hiring & Onboarding

Hire, ramp, and coach SDRs with clear milestones and success metrics.

Phase 1: Hiring the Right SDRs

1.1 Define the Ideal Candidate Profile

Must-have traits:

  • Coachability: Takes feedback and applies it quickly
  • Resilience: Handles rejection without losing motivation
  • Curiosity: Asks questions and wants to understand
  • Communication: Clear, concise written and verbal skills
  • Work ethic: Self-motivated and consistent

Note: Experience is less important than traits. Coachable people with the right mindset outperform experienced reps with bad habits.

1.2 Interview Process

4-stage interview process:

Stage 1: Phone Screen (20 min)

Basic fit, communication skills, motivation for sales

Stage 2: Video Interview (45 min)

Deep dive on experience, behavioural questions, culture fit

Stage 3: Role Play (30 min)

Live cold call simulation to assess coachability and communication

Stage 4: Final Interview (30 min)

With hiring manager or VP Sales. Values alignment, expectations

1.3 Key Interview Questions

  • Coachability: "Tell me about a time you received tough feedback. What did you do with it?"
  • Resilience: "Describe a time you faced repeated rejection. How did you handle it?"
  • Curiosity: "What have you learned about our company and product?"
  • Work ethic: "Walk me through how you structure your day for productivity."
  • Motivation: "Why sales? Why this company? Where do you want to be in 2 years?"

Phase 2: Onboarding (Week 1-2)

2.1 Week 1: Foundation

Day 1-2: Company & Product

  • Company history, mission, and values
  • Product deep dive and demo
  • Competitive landscape overview
  • Meet the team

Day 3-4: ICP & Messaging

  • Ideal customer profile review
  • Buyer personas and pain points
  • Value proposition training
  • Messaging framework walkthrough

Day 5: Tools & Process

  • CRM setup and data entry standards
  • Sequencing tool training
  • Email and phone best practices
  • Daily workflow and cadence

2.2 Week 2: Practice

  • Day 6-7: Role play cold calls with manager (10+ practice calls)
  • Day 8: Write and review first email sequences
  • Day 9: Shadow experienced SDRs on live calls
  • Day 10: First live calls with manager support

Certification: SDR must pass a mock cold call before going fully live

Phase 3: Ramp (Week 3-12)

3.1 Ramp Milestones

Month 1: Learning

Target: 25-50% of full quota

Focus: Activity volume, process adherence, call quality

Month 2: Building

Target: 50-75% of full quota

Focus: Conversation quality, objection handling, pipeline generation

Month 3: Performing

Target: 100% of full quota

Focus: Consistency, efficiency, quality meetings

3.2 Activity Expectations

Daily minimums (adjust based on your model):

  • 50-80 emails sent
  • 30-50 cold calls attempted
  • 10-20 LinkedIn touches
  • 3-5 hours of focused prospecting time

Phase 4: Ongoing Coaching

4.1 Weekly 1:1 Structure

  • 5 min: Wins and celebrations
  • 10 min: Pipeline and metrics review
  • 15 min: Call/email review with specific feedback
  • 10 min: Blockers and coaching needs
  • 5 min: Action items and next week's focus

4.2 Call Coaching Framework

When reviewing calls, evaluate:

  • Opening: Did they earn the right to continue?
  • Discovery: Did they ask good questions?
  • Value: Did they connect features to pain?
  • Objection handling: Did they stay curious, not defensive?
  • Close: Did they get a clear next step?

Feedback format: One thing they did well, one thing to improve, one action item

Success Metrics

  • Time to first meeting: Should book first meeting within 2 weeks
  • Ramp to quota: Full productivity by month 3
  • Activity compliance: Hitting daily minimums 90%+ of the time
  • Meeting quality: 70%+ of meetings should be qualified
  • Retention: Target 80%+ SDR retention at 12 months
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