The ultimate SDR success guide with Arely Brattin and John Karsant
Release Date: 02/25/2025
From SDR to Sales Leader
Bold Calling
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The ultimate SDR success guide with Arely Brattin and John Karsant
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info_outlineIn this episode of Bold Calling, host Adam Sockel is joined by Arely Brattin, SDR Manager at Orum, and John Karsant, Founder & CEO of Level Up Leads, to dive deep into the art and science of SDR management. They discuss the most effective strategies for onboarding, training, measuring success, and retaining top SDR talent—plus the evolving role of AI and the shift toward revenue-focused performance metrics.
Whether you're an SDR leader, a sales rep, or a sales enablement professional, this conversation is packed with actionable insights to help you level up your sales development game.
Key Topics & Takeaways
🚀 Onboarding & Training SDRs
- John's Approach: SDRs at Level Up Leads start on internal calls before reaching out to clients, ensuring they ramp up in a controlled environment.
- Arely’s Method: Identifying learning styles is key—whether reps prefer shadowing, classroom-style learning, or hands-on coaching. Pairing new SDRs with top performers helps them build confidence quickly.
- Hot Take: "Ripping off the band-aid" is crucial—getting reps on the phone fast leads to faster improvement.
📊 Measuring SDR Performance
- Activity vs. Revenue Metrics:
- Historically, SDR success was measured by volume (calls, meetings booked), but the industry is shifting toward revenue-driven results.
- Quality over quantity—fewer dials, but better targeted outreach.
- No-show rates and objection-handling improvements are now key performance indicators.
- Arely’s Perspective: "You can book all the meetings you want, but if they don’t show up or convert, you’re not doing your job."
🎯 Retaining SDR Talent
- John’s Strategy: Reduce friction for reps—handle list building and client conversations so SDRs can focus on dialing and selling.
- Arely’s Strategy:
- Recognition and validation go a long way—"The SDR role can be thankless, so just saying ‘I appreciate you’ matters."
- Compensation matters—competitive pay and incentives keep reps motivated.
- Create a collaborative yet competitive culture where reps push each other to improve.
🤖 The Role of AI in Sales Development
- How AI is Used:
- AI tools assist with call analysis, coaching, and script refinement.
- AI-powered chat tools (like ChatGPT) can help reps generate email templates and objection-handling ideas.
- Human Touch Still Wins:
- AI helps with efficiency, but real conversations convert at a much higher rate than email or automation.
- "If I know it's AI emailing me, I can ignore it. If a person calls me, I feel bad not answering."
📈 Moving Upmarket: Selling to Enterprise
- Groundswell Approach:
- Instead of cold calling a VP of Sales right away, SDRs should start lower in the org (fellow SDRs, team leads) and work their way up.
- Coordinating with AEs to multi-thread an account increases success rates.
- John’s Reality Check: "If you’re trying to cold call the C-suite at Bank of America, you’re wasting your time."
🔮 The Evolution of the SDR Role
- John: The decline of email as an effective channel has led to a resurgence in cold calling as a primary outreach method.
- Arely: Social selling (via LinkedIn and other platforms) is on the rise, but phones remain the best channel for high-converting conversations.
- Biggest Shift: Buyers expect a more personalized experience, so SDRs need to do their homework and build genuine relationships.