Kyle Coleman

Today is my last day at Clari.

I started almost 5 years ago leading a team of five SDRs and one enablement fella (myself). I end as the CMO, having seen revenue, valuation, and headcount all explode 7-10x.

To say that these years have been transformative is an unbelievable understatement. The trajectory of my career was fundamentally changed, all for the better.

I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Kevin Fisher, Kevin Knieriem, and Andy Byrne. These gents took bet after bet on me, giving me the confidence and support I needed to take on dozens of new challenges.

I’d run out of space if I thanked everyone who’s helped me, pushed me, and made me better over the years. But special thanks to Natasha Dolginsky and Julien Sauvage – y’all made many remarkable things happen and it’s been a pleasure working with you and learning from you.

I love Clari. I love the product, the technology, the category. But above all, I love the people. They’re a special group who have created a genuine, empathetic, results-driven culture.

As incredible as my time here has been, I know that the future is even brighter. I’ll be a Clari advocate for the rest of my days.

———

So what’s next? Some much needed time off over the holidays. And then jumping back into action early next month.

More on that soon.

An SDR just sent me an email with {{INSERT RESEARCH HERE}} in the first line.

🤲 I let him know his sequence was active, gave some feedback on the rest of the email, and emphasized the magic in connecting research to value prop.

✊ I also let him know I made the same exact mistake in my SDR days. These things happen.

I promise, this approach feels way better than publicly shaming. For both parties.

#sdr #sales

Before they sold software, some of the best AEs and SDRs I’ve worked with sold:

📱 Cell phones
👠 Shoes
📚 Books
📈 Financial advice
🎿 Ski boots
🍸 Drinks

Just a friendly reminder that “experience” extends beyond the tech bubble.

#sales #sdr

The second biggest fight I ever had with my VP was about promoting an SDR, from level 2 to level 3.

✅ I was a firm yes — the SDR was 126% to quota.

❌ He was a firm no — the SDR “didn’t make enough calls.”

———

In my opinion, this person was a great example for the rest of the team:

🥇 Middle of the pack in call volume, but top of the quota leaderboard.

🕵️‍♂️ Emphasizing quality over quantity, doing a bit more research about the people and accounts they were prospecting into.

📈 Better conversion rates across their emails, Linkedin messages, and calls.

———

My VP’s opinion was that they were setting the wrong example for the team because they didn’t hit certain call volumes.

I assured him that the success was repeatable and transferable across the rest of the team with the right training and enablement.

But my argument fell on deaf ears. It was all about call volume.

👴🏼 An old school way of thinking about SDR, an old school way of thinking about management.

———

Making calls is important, don’t get me wrong. But it’s not all that matters.

And it’s certainly not what should determine promotions and leveling.

I see the “quality > quantity” mindset taking over our industry, and I’m a huge fan of the trend.

✊ And don’t worry, things worked out just fine for the beleaguered SDR in the long run. They’re killing it in an AE role now.

#sales #sdr

I’ve seen this story play out countless times — career doors open if people like working with you.

🚪 And doors shut if they don’t.

I’ve seen some super smart, talented, hard working people struggle to advance. All because they failed to work well with others.

🤗 Be approachable, positive, humble, and kind. Get results, but make sure you do it the right way.

Your career will thank you.

#sales #sdr #career

Being an SDR in 2021 is really hard. Harder than it's ever been.

😉 And I absolutely love that fact. Here's why...

🙈 A few years back, you could “spray & pray” your way to success. People’s inboxes were less flooded, and basic outbound tactics were fruitful.

This was great for SDR quota attainment, but not so great for SDR skill development. It led to many people thinking that the role is “basic,” or “junior,” or “formulaic.” More output meant more results, and the role was managed this way.

Quantity > quality was a path to success.

———

Fast forward to today, and success is much harder to come by. Those who are still spraying & praying are not finding success.

💪 This is truly great for SDR skill development. To be successful, SDRs have to develop very strong business and sales acumen. Quality output equals results, and the role should be managed this way.

Quality > quantity is the path to success.

———

Because the role is hard, the role is being elevated.

More and more people realize that it’s not basic work, it’s not a junior role, and the work should be highly respected.

✊ Keep evolving, SDRs. Your value is increasing, as is your skill set. Take pride in these facts.

#sales #sdr

I cut 106 words out of this email I received, and I challenge all prospectors to do the same with theirs.

🎯 50 words is a great target (the rewrite below is 53).

Thoughts on the before / after below?

#sales #sdr

Most sellers would say something simple like:

🥱 “Hey Matt - We spoke a few weeks ago. Is now a better time to connect?”

😔 And they'd probably get ignored or deleted.

Not Craig Lamb. He took this follow up to the next level and got an immediate response.

Great stuff, Craig. Keep ‘em coming.

#sales #sdr

Three leadership sentiments that are killing SDR teams. And therefore, are killing your pipeline generation.

😑 They don’t need to think. They need to hit activity numbers.

🤯 They don’t need to write. We’ll do it for them.

🙁 They don’t need to know the product. Just pass leads to the AE.

The times have changed. Buyers expect more from SDRs, and it’s time to deliver.

#revenue #sdr #sales

Go ahead and remove that “college degree” requirement from your SDR job descriptions.

You’re hurting your team & company by limiting your candidate pool.

And you’re hurting innumerable smart, driven, & talented budding salespeople who deserve a chance.

———

Don’t get me wrong, there is value in a college degree.

It’s a great way to sharpen critical thinking & communication skills, to learn individual & team success, and to grow from challenges & setbacks.

But these skills you learn & mindset you develop can be achieved many other ways.

———

💪 Hire for aptitude, not for pedigree.

🧠 Ensure your onboarding, training, & continued education programs are inclusive and conducive to different learning styles.

🙌 Find ways to elevate the unique skills of all members of your team.

And reap the rewards.

#sales #sdr

I went from SDR to SVP in 9 years.

🎓 And I’ve learned a thing or two along the way. Internal influence, personal branding, people management, scaling processes, individual excellence.

All key ingredients to performance, growth, and earning promotions.

If you’re curious to hear about my journey, I’m doing a fireside chat with Pavilion this Friday morning.

👇 Register below.

#sales #marketing #sdr

Hiring SDRs is not just about finding great SDRs.

💪 It’s about creating a bench of talent for the rest of the company.

And not just for sales roles, either. In my 2 years at Clari, 11 SDRs have earned promotions:

💸 4 AEs
🤲 2 CSMs
🤖 2 Sales Ops
👩‍💼 2 Management
📣 1 Marketing

Our SDR team has grown from 5 to 25, and I’m very confident that this team’s graduates will continue to fuel the rest of the company.

The future is bright.

#sdr #sales

As I was pursuing a career in SDR leadership, an AE manager I worked with asked me:

🙄 “When are you going to get out of junior varsity and join sales?”

His implication was that SDR work is less valuable than the work his team was doing. And that my career had a lower ceiling than his. Obviously, I disagreed.

❤️ “I love this team. I legitimately believe that the company can’t achieve its ambitious goals without us, and that’s something we take tremendous pride in. Leading this team is career-making, not career limiting.”

✊ 6 years later, zero regrets.

Everyone’s path is different. Find the experiences that are challenging and fulfilling, and maximize your impact. If you’re doing that, you’re in great shape.

#sales #sdr

I'm putting together the list of 2022's top cold emails.

💪 Obviously, the Clari team has some very strong candidates. But I want to crowdsource other nominees.

Want to enter? Screenshot your best email (blank out any person info, please), and post it in the comments.

🤩 Bonus points for readability: good font size, clear images, etc.

Excited to see what comes in!

#sdr #sales #revenue