Sales development gained popularity this past year. It’s being discussed by top influencers, blogged about rampantly, and invested in from a high level.
Sales Hacker even makes the bold prediction that 2015 will be “The Year Of The SDR.”
With that in mind, let’s take a look back at the progress sales development made in 2014.
Here are the top 10 stories from the past year:
1. Sales Development Team: Most Important Sales Process Innovation In 10 Years
Founder of Pardot, David Cummings is highly involved in the startup scene in Atlanta.
In his April post, David explains exactly why sales development and the focus on specialization has been so important to the last decade of selling.
2. What Is Sales Development (And Why It’s Important)
This popular post on Salesforce.com details exactly what 21st century sales development entails.
Learn why specialization is a game changer and how quickly sales development is being adopted in the full article.
3. The Sales Development Rep Vs. The Account Executive
Do you know the differences between Sales Development Reps and Account Executives?
This infographic breaks down exactly what each role demands and shows how specializing your sales team can be yield more effective results.
4. Separating Inbound And Outbound SDR Roles (Lessons Learned)
The Bridge Group consistently delivers valuable sales development content.
This time around, they focused entirely on inbound vs. outbound SDR roles, using case studies from Hootsuite, Good Data, and Ping Identity to define the two different roles.
5. 10 Darn Good Sales Development Essentials
As the spotlight shines on sales development, it’s important to identify the main components of a successful team.
This post outlines hiring, building a playbook, and fostering a strong culture.
6. The Anatomy Of A Perfect Sales Email
“How do I connect with more prospects via email?”
It’s a question that has crossed the mind of every SDR at some point in their outreach. Kyle Porter demonstrates exactly how to craft and execute the perfect sales email.
7. Confessions Of The Top Performing SDR
What better way than to learn from the people who are truly successful in their field?
That’s where this post can help. You’ll learn about best practices for calling, trusting your team, and building a process from three successful SDRs.
8. 10 Essential Ingredients That Make Up A Prospecting Outreach Process
Getting prospects to respond to emails and phone calls can be tricky. Fortunately, best practices can up your number of responses and lead to more demos.
Here are 10 tips from Sean Kester that will help you get off on the wrong foot.
9. 5 Essential Components Of A Sales Development Process
Hubspot added to 2014’s sales development library with a post describing five high-level components of a successful sales development process, including lead qualification and sales analytics.
10. How To Write Cold Emails
Based on Jason Lemkin and Aaron Ross’ Predictable Revenue Guide To Tripling Your Sales, you will find the top five reasons prospects aren’t responding to your cold emails here.
We recommend the full Predictable Revenue ebook for a detailed picture of building and scaling a sales organization.
Thirsty for more sales development knowledge?
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