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A day in the life of a sales development representative at Guesty

New leads are constantly flowing into the Guesty SDR department. But what happens with those leads once they land in a sales representative’s inbox? 

Inbound Sales Representative, Arielle Macias is here to tell us about the ins and outs of conducting successful demos and forming meaningful relationships with leads to efficiently reach team target goals. 

How did your career in SDR begin?

I started working at a very small start-up as a content writer and I realized that this wasn’t my thing. I had a lot of friends working in the sales industry that would tell me what their jobs entailed and since I studied psychology, I enjoy interpersonal relationships and I understood how to build them so I thought it would be a good career move for me. I saw there was an opening at Guesty for an inbound sales representative, which is an easy way to start. I was lucky enough that Guesty hired me and I’ve been working here for 10 months. 

What’s a typical day for you in the SDR department at Guesty? 

As part of the inbound team, our main target is to book as many demos as we can and we are fortunate to have many prospects reaching out to us for more information. We act as a barrier between the lead and the account executive. We make sure that the lead is qualified for the demonstration and that their business is within the scope of what we do. We also reach out to people that haven’t followed through with booking their demo yet and give them the information they need to set one up. 

What personal traits do you possess that you find beneficial to your role in SDR?

I’ve found that it’s very important to be patient and persistent in my role. I never give up if a lead doesn’t answer the first time. I am also very organized because many prospects come to us and we have an abundance of leads to call. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, but if you have a clear breakdown of what your day looks like, it becomes more manageable. 

How many potential clients are you in contact with each day?

I usually make between 60 to 80 calls per day. Many people don’t answer their phones, so on a good day, I have about 20 actual conversations. I also speak a lot over email with leads to answer their questions and gauge their interest. Not all of the calls lead to demonstrations, which is also ok. 

What are your relationships like with clients?

It depends from client to client. Typically, I speak to people that are very nice and polite and build a strong rapport with them, ask questions about them, they ask questions about me, and it’s an extremely enjoyable conversation. When the client is polite and interested, we start off great which tends to continue on later in their exploration of Guesty.

What’s the team dynamic like in the SDR department?

The team has changed a lot since I started. At first, we were a very small team of just three people. Now there is a greater team separation between outbound and inbound leads. We are a very new group and each team has its team lead which is good because it allows each team to make their targets and reach goals individually. 

Can you explain the distinction between the outbound team and the inbound team?

On the inbound team, leads come to us and most of the time they are interested in a demo. The outbound team doesn’t have leads just come to them. They have to do research and decide who they’re going to reach out to. They typically reach out to companies that have 1000+ listings. Presenting Guesty to these bigger leads is different because they are typically really busy and often using another software, which is why we have to understand what they need for their business and how Guesty can solve their challenges better than the current software they’re using. 

How do you measure success in your job?

Each month we have targets of a certain amount of demos that need to happen. If I reach my target, I feel successful. I also measure success in the number of listings I bring in. Booking fewer demos with leads that have more listings is more valuable than booking a lot of demos with fewer listings. 

What’s the best thing about the job?

The satisfaction of knowing I reached my target at the end of the month gives me strength to do even better the next month. Also, as a salesperson, I love the competition of course! 

What is the most challenging part of your job?

During high season, leads don’t have time for demos which makes it harder for me to reach my target. I have to do a lot of follow-up communication and go back to old leads and try to bring them in. 

What motivates you the most as a Sales Development Representative?

I feel motivated when I book a good demo with a lot of listings and then get positive feedback. I am also very motivated in my job because I have a good relationship with my boss and my team.

What long-term goals do you have for yourself as a sales development representative?

I am touting between two paths. I would maybe like to be an account executive someday, which is the next step for me in SDR. At the same time maybe I would advance inside the SDR team and be a team lead. I’m not entirely sure what I will do yet or when I will reach my goals, but it’s an idea for the future.

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