I’m a junior SDR and just joined the market, so I’m still struggling with the lack of experience, especially with cold calls and objections.

What do you actually do to get better at these?

Do you mostly learn from real calls, roleplay with your team, watch content, or use tools like ChatGPT/AI voice agents to practice?

Especially curious about AI. has anyone actually used it for sales practice? Was it useful or did it feel gimmicky? I see some SaaS companies buy they all seem B2B focused.

Trying to understand what people are actually doing today.

Hi everyone,

After around 5–6 applications for AE roles at Salesforce over the past year, I finally got invited to an initial recruiter screening for an Account Executive New Logo, CBU/Mid-Market role in Europe. I know it’s only the first step, but I’m pretty excited about it.

I’m based in Europe , with 5+ years of B2B sales experience, but zero direct SaaS sales experience. I started in full-cycle new business sales and progressed into Corporate Key Account Management. My quota attainment over the last four years has been roughly 200% each year.

My background is in facility, which is a highly commoditised and cost-driven market. There often isn’t an obvious product differentiator, so I’ve had to learn to sell through discovery and build value cases around operational efficiency, total cost, service and sustainability. I’m hoping that experience translates well into technology sales.

I’ve also been using Salesforce CRM for 5+ years and recently started the Account Executive (AE) Trailmix on Trailhead. If you have any recommendations for Trailmixes I should do before the screening (a week from now), let me know!

I’d love to hear from people familiar with Salesforce:

\\- How selective is the initial recruiter screening? Does getting this call mean the CV/application already passed a meaningful filter?
\\- What should I expect during the first call, and how should I prepare?
\\- How would you position my lack of SaaS experience?
\\- What does the interview process typically look like after this?
\\- Anything specific I should know about CBU/New Logo/Mid-Market?

Salesforce is genuinely a company I’d love to build a career at. Longer term, I also have the ambition to spend some time working in NYC. I know an US move from Europe would require a very strong performance, but becoming a top performer and potentially earning an opportunity like that is exactly the kind of long-term goal that motivates me.

Thanks for reading!

i might be promoted to an AE due to an open vacancy and im currently a 90k ote sdr with under 2 years of experience. was told i would be doing sdr duties till my spot is filled (likely a quarter) so how should i nego for an AE + SDR pay and a full AE salary? (non-US) give ideas on how to price myself please

I’ve worked for 6 startups.  3 ran out of money.  2 are doing OK.  1 sold for $100 Million.

At these, I’ve been a BDR/SDR, partnership manager, sales manager and full cycle AE.  The companies that failed had very little pipeline due to little investment in continual prospecting.  The ones doing OK have more AEs than BDRs.  The one that sold had a BDR team 4x the size of the AE team. 

An established company (Google, Amazon, Reddit, etc) doesn’t really have to sell itself.  People know what they do, and arguably wouldn’t need as many BDR/SDRs.  But a new company with a new solution absolutely needs to get in front of as many potential customers as possible.  In short, they need meetings.

A really good BDR/SDR will get meetings, allowing AEs to focus on closing deals.  But for some reason, companies often treat BDRs as entry level folks, promising “rapid promotion to AE”  Why?  If someone is good at filling the pipeline with qualified leads, why turn off the hose?

At the company that sold, I started as a BDR, broke records, and was then promoted to AE.  The sales pipeline started to drop so management asked me to go back to hunting, focusing on whales.  I wasn’t doing 100 touches a day.  I was doing research, targeting the right people and conducting strategic outreach.  I got a base, commission, plus a percentage of the 1st month’s revenue of a new account - which encouraged me to go after the largest prospects (and get paid as well as most AEs).  I ended up bringing in 5 of the company’s largest accounts.

So why did I make that initial claim?   When I booked a whale, I assigned the meeting to a rotating cast of AEs.  One was spectacular and the rest simply OK.  Just about everyone closed a big deal, but it wasn’t based on their skill.  It was based on the client’s needs.  We had a really good solution.  With a couple of big prospects, the AE left (or was let go), but the deal still closed because the prospect wanted the product.  And that’s the whole game… finding the people who need the solution.  Maybe a great AE can sell someone a product they don’t need, but most companies will fly or die based on the number of conversations they can generate. 

All six companies had really good solutions.  But founders are often blinded by their intense belief that everyone will love the product and it will sell itself.  You can’t sit back and wait.

As the worl'd oldest SDR/BDR (maybe!), I’m finishing up a role with a company that just decided they don’t need BDRs/SDRs anymore.   I filled 60% of their pipeline in my first 3 months.  I think they are going to regret that decision because I booked 5x as many meetings as all the AEs combined.  In any case, if you have  good BDRs, pay them well and let them do what they do best… hunt.  Then everyone else can eat.

Hi everyone,

I've been working in BDE for around 1.5 years, mainly in IT services. I know lead generation, ICP research, outreach, CRM/pipeline management and qualification, but I want to improve my overall BDE skills.

Can anyone recommend good YouTube playlists, courses, books, or a structured learning path for B2B/IT business development?

I'd especially like to improve in sales calls, qualification, negotiation, and closing.

Any recommendations would be really helpful. Thanks!

Anyone here a bdr at adaptive security? I have an offer here but there are some serious red flags.

#1 I was told that reps are expected to make 250 calls a day. I know this role is outbound heavy but that seems high
#2 reps don’t align to accounts, they are first come first serve to contacts so it’s a free for all. Seems non productive to me

Hey guys. I’m a relatively new SDR working at a tech company. The other new hire already has 4 AE handoffs as of last week and I have 0.

Firstly, I’m looking for general advice and tips.

So far I’m just grinding out the prospecting-Gong workflow. My emails aren’t super personalized but they are specified to people with the same job title for each account.

My cold calling is meh, I don’t know the best way to ask discovery questions and push back on objections. But I’m not the worst either.

I feel like I’m just doing tedium without getting any results.

Also I’m worried about my job now, since the pressure is now on me to get up to speed with the other new hire.
With 0 AE handoffs, when should I start being worried about getting fired?

I made it to the final round for a Sales Development Manager role at a large tech company, and I’m trying to figure out how to read what happened.
For context: I have ~5 years of strong SDR/BDR experience across large SaaS companies, have helped coach/onboard reps, built motions, worked closely with AEs/partners, and have strong performance numbers — but I have never officially held a people-manager title.
I passed several rounds:
Recruiter
Senior SDR leader / hiring manager
Peer manager
Operations/forecasting interview
Final panel + Sales leadership
Throughout the process, the feedback was mostly positive.
One interviewer told me there was nothing preventing him from moving me forward.
Another repeatedly told me my answers on forecasting, coaching, and performance management were “exactly what I was looking to hear.”
During the final panel, the LATAM sales leader told me:
“It’s clear that you can do the job.”
But at the very end I asked the hiring manager directly if there was anything about my candidacy that concerned her.
She said, essentially:
“To be fully transparent, the management experience.”
She explained that the person coming in already has to learn the company/product, scale the team and eventually build another team in North America, so she worries about adding the learning curve of becoming a first-time manager on top of everything else.
What confused me is that earlier in the process she had told me my lack of formal management experience was not a blocker and that she had promoted ICs into management before.
After the final presentation she didn’t really compliment the deck or ask me questions. She mostly listened. The sales leader asked a couple of questions and seemed positive.
So for hiring managers/recruiters here:
How would you interpret this?
Is this usually the kind of thing a hiring manager says before rejecting a strong finalist in favor of someone with formal management experience?
Or can a hiring manager openly tell a finalist, “this is my concern,” and still ultimately decide the candidate’s other strengths outweigh that risk and make the offer?
I’d especially love to hear from anyone who has been hired into their first formal manager role after receiving this exact objection in the interview process.

Hi all, I am thinking about joining a large US Cloud Software provider as an SDR, but I currently have some doubts which maybe you can help me clarify.

Currently I am working at a large financial services provider in a digitalization role where I assess business processes, manage software vendors, and contribute to our digitization strategy. I have been doing this for 1.5 years since graduating.

As I am not too happy with our current work culture, many of my administrative tasks, and the lack of a proper team (I am more of a one man team), I am looking to make a change.

I always found sales intriguing and often thought about switching to tech sales to keep a connection to my digitization background (I have a bachelors degree in Digital Business).

Now, because I don't have sales experience, I think SDR is the only real opportunity for me to get into sales, especially at a major company.
What I am worried about is that over time, sales could be not analytical enough, or cognitively challenging enough for me, especially in the beginning as an SDR.

Long term I definitely could see myself as an AE covering the more complex parts of the Sales Cycle, or a solution engineer to be a bit more analytical.
At the same time I would like to keep the door open on more product related roles.

Do you think this would be a smart move for me, or could the change to SDR be a downgrade that I shouldn't gamble on?
Would you advise me to try to go for another role directly instead?
I have also thought about going for a full time Masters degree and trying out some of these roles as an intern first.

As the title suggests, working as a BDR at a legal AI company. We are getting absolutely massacred as a sales function right now by senior leadership who think we're not performing. My average week (selling into enterprise) looks like: 500 calls, 5 connects, maybe 1 qualified op. This is way below target and how the whole team are performing. This is my first sales job let alone selling into US law firms, so I was just wondering if people think this is a reasonable experience?

Solo B2B startup founder, relatively new to sales

I tried doing 5 cold calls a day, 5 days a week, but by the 3rd–4th call my pitch would start getting worse and I'd get disorganized with my leads. For those with more sales experience, what would you prioritize: higher call volume, or fewer calls with better execution and follow-up?

Not because they don't know sales.

Sometimes, because they know it too well.

A great salesperson can rely heavily on instinct.

They know when to push.

When to wait.

What to say.

Which objection isn't really an objection.

Then they become a manager and tell their team:

“Just do what I did.”

That's where things usually go wrong.

Your job changes from closing deals to helping other people close deals.

You can't take over every difficult conversation.

You can't be the best salesperson on the team anymore.

You have to coach the thinking, not just fix the problem.

I've seen managers spend hours reviewing deals when they should have spent 20 minutes understanding why the salesperson made the decision they did.

Selling and coaching sales are two very different skills.

What's the biggest adjustment you had to make when you moved from selling to managing?

Hey everyone! I am 24 years old and currently based in the DC area, and I'm looking for my next opportunity in sales. I currently have B2B SaaS experience selling into the GovCon space, where I am doing heavy outbound, as well as prospecting and booking meetings. Doing around 160 calls a day, so very comfortable on the phone.

I am looking to branch out into other industries and/or join a team with strong sales training, coaching, and a culture where I can grow and develop my skills.

I am open to SDR/BDR roles in SaaS, tech, or other B2B industries, and I am open to DC, NYC, or remote.

If you know of a team looking for SDRs, or would be willing to make an introduction, I'd really appreciate it. Happy to send over my Linkedin and/or resume and connect directly!

Thanks.

Is there a general slowdown in new projects, leads, and prospecting opportunities across India right now, or is it just varying by industry? I'm curious to understand what others are experiencing in 2026 and looking forward to hearing different perspectives.

I’m currently an SDR and recently got reached out to by a recruiter at Datadog about an AE role. I don’t have any prior AE experience, so I’m curious how that transition typically works.
If anyone has experience as an commercial AE at Datadog, I’d love to hear what the role is like, how realistic quota attainment is, and anything I should know or prep for going into the interview process. Would really appreciate any insight!

The first role is B2C warm inbound, where I call leads who missed or didn't buy during the webinar to enroll them in a $497 program. I also call existing members to qualify them for an upsell into a $6,000 Inner Circle program. The pay structure includes a 10% commission on the $497 program and 5% on the $6,000 upsell, along with performance bonuses (OTE is $5,000+).

The second role is B2B outbound calling for roofers who responded to SMS blasts showing interest in getting more jobs. This is a $2,000 ticket offer paying a 30% commission. Close rates are high (50–70%), though show-up rates are low. Their top setter previously made $12,000 a month back when the commission rate was only 15%.

Even though it involves cold calling, the offer is very compelling. Roofers pay an upfront fee then just $150 per booked appointment which makes it a good offer since closing just one job nets the roofer over $5,000 in profit.

(for reference through I only have done a little bit of door knocking before and about 2 dozen hours of mock calls)

I currently work at a DOE facility making in the high 80s. The money is good, but I work a rotating shift schedule and I’m honestly just tired of it. I don’t really see myself doing this forever.
I’ve been wanting to get into sales for a while now, specifically outside sales. I’m a pretty social person and I literally never meet a stranger. I like talking to people, meeting new people, building relationships, all of that. I’m also a member at a private golf course and golf a lot, so I’m around business owners and different types of people pretty regularly. I feel like outside sales fits my personality a lot better than what I’m doing now.
I recently went through the interview process with a local truck dealership that sells medium duty/commercial trucks, parts, etc.
They ended up offering me $52k for the first year while I trained under one of their current salesmen.
The offer was basically:
$52k salary
No company vehicle or vehicle allowance
10 days PTO
I’d be riding with/shadowing another salesman for the first year
If I brought in my own lead during that time, I’d split the commission with him
I actually really liked the company and the job sounds like something I’d enjoy, but going from the high 80s down to $52k is obviously a pretty big hit. Especially when I’d eventually be driving my own truck for work without any kind of allowance.
I understand I have no real sales experience and I’m probably going to have to take somewhat of a step back to get into the industry. I’m fine with that. I just don’t want to take too big of a step back when there might be better opportunities out there.
For the guys that have been in outside sales for a while, what would you do?
Would you take something like this just to get the experience and get your foot in the door, or would you keep looking?
Also, what industries would you recommend looking into for someone with no formal sales experience? I’ve been looking at commercial trucks, construction equipment, building materials, industrial sales, stuff like that.
I’m not scared of commission or having to go out and earn my money. That’s honestly part of what interests me about sales. I just want to make sure I’m making a smart move and not jumping at the first opportunity I get.

For context, I’m a recent graduate interviewing for an entry-level B2B sales role focused on prospecting, building client relationships, identifying opportunities and growing accounts.

I’ve made it to the final interview stage. The feedback so far has been positive! apparently I come across as enthusiastic, proactive, personable and easy to build rapport with. But the main development point I’ve been given is that I can ramble and need to be more concise/pragmatic with my answers.

I’ve seen advice online saying interview answers should sometimes be 4–5 minutes long, but that sounds excessive to me, especially as I don’t have direct sales experience yet beyond some B2B marketing exposure.

For a graduate sales interview, how long would you realistically spend answering most questions? And how do you stay concise without sounding robotic or losing personality?

Any other advice for a final-stage sales interview, or good questions to ask the interviewer, would also be really appreciated!! :))

I’m 20 years old and trying to figure out whether I already have enough experience to be competitive for an entry-level SDR position.

My background:

-Several years of inbound phone sales and customer service

-Sold consumer products while being measured on sales per call, upsell rate, and average order value

-Worked in insurance sales at Liberty Mutual and became licensed to sell home and auto insurance

-Got around 15 binds during my first month taking live calls

-Currently working hospital security, but I’ve accepted a Customer Specialist position at CarMax and start Monday

-At CarMax, I’ll be helping customers buy and sell vehicles, handling appraisals, paperwork, service coordination, and sales conversations

My plan is to spend the next six months improving my discovery, objection handling, follow-up, CRM, and overall sales process while working at CarMax.

After that, I want to move into an SDR role with a base salary around $45k–$55k and eventually work toward becoming an enterprise AE.

I don’t have a college degree right now, so I know I’ll need to sell employers on my experience and ability to perform.

Would this background be enough to land a solid entry-level SDR role, or am I still missing something important?

Should I start applying now or wait until I have several months at CarMax?
Brutally honest feedback is welcome.

Doing full cycle since 2 years, saw a decent role and cold called the HM. She's worked at Salesforce for 6 years, currently head of GTM at fairly nice company and was listed as the hiring manager for the role. She was Business dev manager at salesforce for 4 years before this gig

I did what I keep reading about here and on LinkedIn - show them you can do the job so I cold called her and boy she didn't like it. She was nice about it but said she doesn't like cold calls on her personal number and thanks. I'm like how are you expecting your sales teams to do the job if you can't stand a cold call - didn't even get a shot to pitch myself - all I could get out was I'm not selling you a software, same you're hiring a sales rep to set appointments, I was stopped then and there, where did you get my number from and that was it.

So, folks, tell me if cold calling HM is okay?