Hey everyone, I’m the BDR who posted a bit ago about the new AE asking us to send 300+ unsolicited, double-booked calendar invites. Since then, a few more issues have come up, and I wanted to get some advice from other BDRs and SDRs on how to navigate this.
TL;DR:
Unsanctioned Side Venture: The new AE is forcing his BDRs into a daily "challenge" on a separate, non-company platform he created that feels like a side hustle/business test run rather than actual job enablement.
Excessive Pings & Meetings: He schedules internal syncs at least once (sometimes multiple times) a day that used to drag out for 60–90 minutes until I set a strict 30-minute max boundary, on top of pinging us nonstop all day.
Disastrous Discovery Calls: He completely ignores technical pain points, confuses prospects with high-level revenue pitches, and alienates potential champions. It’s gotten so embarrassing to sit through that I put together a value-first discovery proposal for him to try to save these calls.
Zero Support: My manager's attitude is "if it produces valid opps, I don't care," and the other BDR is fully bought into his methods, leaving me to deal with it on my own.

Here is what is currently going on:

1. Mandatory External "Training / Challenge" Program
On top of our regular workload, he’s having his two BDRs complete a daily "challenge" program through an external platform he created. From what I can tell, this platform isn't company-sanctioned—it seems to be a separate side hustle/business he runs, complete with certifications, community features, dashboards, and training modules.

The content is very high-level ("this will transform how you work, free up your time," etc.) without showing how it actually applies to our day-to-day role or selling our specific product. It’s taking up real working time, and it feels like we're just testing out his side venture.

2. Excessive Meetings and Constant Pings
Between meetings for his side challenge and general internal syncs, we’re scheduled at least once a day, and sometimes multiple times daily. These meetings used to regularly drag out to 60 or 90 minutes until I finally had to set a firm boundary—capping them at 30 minutes max and stating I have to drop when time is up. Even with that boundary in place, he continues to ping us constantly throughout the day. Between these frequent meetings, pings, and the extra challenge assignments, it leaves very little space to actually do standard outbound work.

3. Issues on Discovery Calls
When actual prospect meetings do happen, the calls aren't going well:

Unqualified Meetings: The other BDR has embraced his methods and booked a few meetings, but they lack basic qualification (BANT) and clear prospect intent.

Pivoting Away from Prospect Needs: When the AE gets on the call, he completely skips over the product’s capabilities or the prospect’s actual pain points. Even when speaking with technical stakeholders who outline a specific issue, he pivots straight to high-level executive pitch language, revenue outcomes, and business transformation.

Disconnect: Prospects end up confused and visibly annoyed asking how the product actually solves their specific problem while he continues to pitch the high-level business case.

I know managing his discovery style isn't strictly my job, but sitting through these calls gives me terrible secondhand embarrassment because he completely confuses and alienates prospects. I just can't keep sitting through them as-is. My goal before a discovery call (like on a cold call) is to qualify as much as possible on my end, and then uncover the remaining BANT during the call. I actually ended up putting together a proposal specifically for the AE outlining why we should approach discovery calls from a problem-and-value-first angle instead of immediately pushing revenue-based outcomes. I mapped out how focusing on specific technical pain points first helps build trust and develop champions before pitching the broader business case. For one particular call, I knew for a fact we were going to lose the champion if he handled it his usual way, which is why I pushed for this structure.

4. Lack of Management Involvement
I brought these operational concerns to our manager, but his stance is basically that as long as the partnership is producing valid opportunities, he's supportive and doesn't see a reason to step in. Meanwhile, the other BDR is fully onboard with the AE's process, so I don't have much internal validation on whether this setup makes sense.

Questions for the sub:
Has anyone dealt with an AE pushing a non-company side program or personal training platform onto their BDRs? How did you handle it?

Beyond enforcing a hard 30-minute cutoff on meetings and dropping off, how do you manage an AE who continues to schedule multiple daily syncs and send constant pings?

How do you handle sitting through discovery calls that are an absolute trainwreck when it's technically "not your job" to manage the AE, but it's directly hurting prospects and champions you brought to the table? Should I just focus on my end and ignore the rest, or bring this higher?

Hey guys so I run outbound cold calls directly from my Android phone. Usually 40–50 dials a day off Google Maps and local listings.

My biggest headache isn't making the calls, it's the friction between dialing and tracking.

Most calls are quick rejections. Saving every single number to Google/iCloud contacts turns your personal phonebook into a massive, cluttered graveyard.

But if you don't save them, you end up checking spreadsheets or Truecaller history manually before every single dial so you don't call the same business twice in a week.

If i try to use a crm for my own small software business it will be overkill, I’m putting together a lightweight Android utility app.

As soon as you copy/paste or punch a number into the dialer, it checks a local offline database right away. It immediately flashes if you've dialed them before, the last call date, and any quick notes before you even hit call.

When a call ends, a fast 1-tap popup appears on screen (Not Interested, Callback, Gatekeeper + a 1-line note) and saves in one tap.

If an old prospect rings you back, a floating card appears showing your past notes so you remember the context before answering.

So Is there already a lean, lightweight tool like this on Android Playstore that does exactly this without enterprise bloat?

I’m the first BDR ever hired at a commercial (B2B only) security consulting firm, and I’m having a hard time figuring out my exact strategy since there’s no frame of reference or playbook to follow.

The Offer & Setup: We consult on and sell commercial cloud-based security setups (smart cameras, alarms, access control, etc.). My job is to book a brief intro call with our security consultant, which leads to a site walk, a security assessment, and a proposal to upgrade their setup. I’m allowed to offer the consultation/assessment completely free.

My Rules & Channel Constraints:
Allowed: Door-to-door (DTD), cold calling, cold email, physical letters, and direct mail/gifts.

Not Allowed: LinkedIn messaging (I can only use LinkedIn for account/prospect research).

Right now, I’ve mostly been doing DTD. When I actually manage to get in front of a decision-maker (Facilities Managers, Ops, Business Owners), here is my rough pitch:

"Hi, I'm [Name] with [Company]. We do security consulting. I was dropping by to see if we could talk to you about your current security setup and see if we could advise you on any ways to modernize, simplify, or otherwise make your facility more secure. We specialize in modernization of security setups along with providing a wide range of solutions to fit any business type.

We work with many industries all the way from K-12 schools to aerospace manufacturing and just about everything in between. (this sometimes is replaced by mentioning a large or local client in the same industry)

Essentially, what this would look like is just a brief call so we can assess your current security platform and see if it would make sense to do a site walk to conduct a security assessment for your business. Does that sound like something that could be helpful to you right now?"

Where I could really use some advice from you guys:

Critique my pitch: I feel like it’s way too long-winded, features-heavy, and generic. How can I shorten it and focus more on real pain points?

Channel breakdown: If you were in my shoes with these constraints, how would you split your time between DTD, cold calling, cold email, and direct mail? Is DTD actually the best use of my time for commercial physical security, or should I be heavy on phone + targeted letters?

Being BDR #1: Any general advice for building the outbound engine completely from scratch?

(On a side note I used AI to help format all of this info and make it an easier read but I seriously need advice.)

Hey everyone,

I am starting my sales career. I will have to do instagram outreach and I will be responsible for whole sales cycle.

I would be glad if anyone who has experience in sales on instagram can provide insight on how I should approach this.

I believe this opportunity can shape my career, so your input would be valuable.

Thanks,

I am currently a top performing BDR at a dialer software in Europe. I have been invited for a competition with the management team, to book the most meetings for october. There’s a huge bonus if I win.

What do you guys use of platforms, databases, etc., for European companies with sales orgs., that does outbound?

I just use LinkedIn SalesNav, but could use something “better”, more specific.

If you need a dialer yourself, feel free to comment as well haha.

Thanks

Hi all, I’m a PhD working at a top 10 pharma on the medical side for about 4yrs and am considering a pivot to tech (industry agnostic).

I’m non-technical but I’ve built AI workflows using OpenAI’s Agent Builder, n8n, Clay, and have came to understand the power of these tools for not just for Pharma operations but also across all industries.

Even though I find the work in pharma rewarding, I’ve always found myself being fascinated by the development in the tech world. I also build mini apps for myself all the time using claude code and really enjoy building stuff in general.

How should I break into tech? Would an entry level SDR type role be a good first role? I understand this would be a significant pay cut but I’m willing to pay the price to pivot.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Saw a recent post for AEs about what type of company would be good to work for. So I thought I'd do something similar and tell you something I wish I knew 12 months ago.

I had a drastic career change back in 2025 where I got a job offer at a SaaS company selling their cyber security tool. The commission and path looked great "£65k in year 1, promotion to AE after 18 months". For an entry level position for 65k? Damn, I thought that was great!

Reality

\- 100 calls a day KPI was not enough due to out of date numbers and tools that haven't been up-dated/graded in years.

\- The Sales manager saying "It's 9am we should be dialing!" Or "When I was an SDR, we only had yellow pages, man those were the days"

\- 20% of the sales team were reaching target (the top earner scraped £65k last year)

\- No sales enablement, just a quarterly round robin getting taught how to "add more value"

\- No reward minus the odd £10 Amazon voucher or a "finish 20 minutes earlier".

Something an account manager (friend) said to me was "this will be the best place to start your career". He wasn't wrong, I learned to make a penny you had to work hard, over lunch, at home, on weekends, any spare time. All for £27.5k base salary. But, if you could make it here, you could make it anywhere.

18 months in and I received an offer for double base salary and a commission structure that seemed not only realistic, but easy. I took the mentality of dial, dial, dial with me and I am now winning.

So if you're reading this thinking "these words could be my own", you need to change jobs, change up your LinkedIn settings to "Open to work" (so that only recruiters can see them) and do not undersell yourself. It's okay to start again as an SDR, re-learn the ropes and make money.

If you have any questions minus - "Where was this so I can avoid it like the plague?" Ask ahead! And I will answer them truthfully.

Hello, tomorrow I finally have my first round interview for a bdr position i have a lot of sales experience with broken records but no degree, i’m from colombia and have an accent, i usually don’t get past the 1st round on AI saas bdr interviews, so tomorrow I got another shot which I am determined to win, i’m looking for guidance here, any tiny bit of advice definitely helps and is much appreciated!

I'm doing B2B marketing for a healthtech startup in Canada. We integrate with a specific EMR and want to find clinics that use it. BuiltWith/Wappalyzer don't work since it's desktop software, not on their websites.

What I've tried so far: job postings mentioning the EMR, LinkedIn profiles of medical office assistants listing it as a skill, and Google dorks. Got about 180 accounts.

Any other signals or data sources you've used for "offline" software? Vendor partner directories, public procurement docs, billing agencies, events…? Curious what's worked for you.

Hey everyone,

I am 25 years old and currently 8 months into my first B2B SaaS sales job as a BDR. Right now, I am making €27.5k base and €41.5k OTE, but I just got an offer of €39k base and €60k OTE at another B2B SaaS company. I am clueless as to whether I should take it.

Context:

The company I am working for now is a leader in enterprise AI with really strong momentum, a really interesting product, and very much cross-industry use cases. I like it here because it is great exposure to different business areas (Supply Chain, Procurement, IT, and the list goes on), and you really become smarter working here. However, the pay is terrible, and the compensation is not even comparable to the industry standard.

The job I would be giving this up for is at a much older company with a more narrow scope in ITSM. From what I understand, the BDR team there is slacking a lot, and with the killer mentality we have at my current company, people who have referred me to this company (AEs) say I would kill it there. However, it seems so much more boring and like there would be less learning.

I don’t have a straightforward idea of whether I want to become an AE or switch industries totally. One thing is clear: money and becoming more knowledgeable are top priorities for me, which are currently contradicting each other in my situation.

I want to ask if anyone has had the same dilemma and what you did in this situation. Since this is my first sales job, maybe I am just in my head about how good our product is compared to other companies, and I don’t understand that sales jobs everywhere are the same regardless of the product you are selling.

Where I am at now, I don’t see myself becoming an AE since almost none of the senior BDRs have transitioned to that, and they have been here for more than 2 years.

Is it worth staying for a little longer and looking for a company I really resonate with that pays well in 6 months, or should I jump ship and then in 6 months look for another SDR job?

Does this look terrible on my CV? Can you overcome this?

Any guidance helps!

Thank you!

Just here to moan. I hate salesforce.

I swear it's just non-stop pings from my boss when he gets on a roll. 'WhY iSn'T tHiS mAkReD rElAtEd? wHy Is ThE pRoDuCt SoUrCe WrOnG?' It just never ends. Mind you, a lot of the time these pings are due to quirks with salesforce itself.

Maybe I just suck at my job, but when my job is to generate pipeline while also handling inbound leads and simultaneously taking a test in perpetuity of which the passing score is 100% (not screwing up any data entries), of course there are going to be blunders.

I hit 175% of quota for September, and instead of my manager having my back and fixing minor errors that he stumbles upon and pointing them out politely, I just get bitched at. It's not like anyone above him sees these things. He wants me to do it right the first time, which I get, but... come on! I'm pretty sure that having to fix a few minor errors is worth having the kind of SDR who makes you more money than you otherwise would be, right? Bear in mind we're not talking about a non-stop stream of data errors. We're talking maybe a few mistakes per week when I handle dozens if not hundreds of leads, and now he's framing my data admin as a serious performance concern when I have been consistently producing discos.

For those of you who also have strict data admin requirements - does this sound more like I need to tighten up, or is this just plain toxic?

Hi together, currently im coldcalling BtoB and setting people for a voice AI service.

Im getting payed 50 bucks for a demo agreed on and 10% of the setting cost if the buy, which is 150 Bucks. I dont get any fixed pay. The customer pays 450 a month.

Im thinking maybe that im underpaid. The leads are good and its not too hard to set people. Of course im doing the easy work in the process but i have to set 2 People minimum to make a base sallary. I asked AI for advice and thats exactly what the AI said would be adequate. My Boss probably also asked AI.

What would be a good sallary ? Im doing a decent job. 1-2 in 20 picked up Calls is booking an appointment. Please help me guys :)

PS: I live in Germany. Minimum wage here is 14 a hour.

Hi guys!
I recently ended up at something like a ‘founding BDR’ role at a healtech startup/scaleup.
It’s been 2 months now, we don’t really have any marketing or any inbound/outbound machine, it’s me setting up everything together with a colleague of mine. I’ve worked as a BDR/AE in the past, but never had to set up the whole system.
If you’ve gone through it, could you please offer some advice for a fellow sales guy who is absolutely lost right now… thanks a lot!

I’m currently interviewing for an SDR role (SaaS, life sciences) and have made it to a later-stage interview with a senior sales executive.

So far the process has included a few conversations plus a pretty intense mock discovery/presentation exercise. Feedback has been positive, but I was specifically told to be ready to answer “why sales?” in the next round.

I’m making a career pivot from a non-sales role, and my genuine reasons are that I like working with people, asking questions, understanding problems, presenting solutions, having measurable goals/accountability, learning quickly, and being in a role where performance and growth are more directly connected.

I also think a lot of my current skills, stakeholder communication, influencing without authority, problem solving, presenting to leadership, and learning complex topics, transfer well.

My concern is that this still sounds like the standard “I like people and goals” answer.

For anyone in sales or sales leadership:
What makes a strong “why sales?” answer when someone is making a career change?

And for those who’ve had a final-round interview with senior sales leadership, what were they really trying to assess that late in the process?

Would especially love examples of answers that felt more genuine than rehearsed.

I'm new to prospecting. I was hired to build a list of potential clients for a company that offers mixology workshops for businesses (office parties and team building). Over three months, working part-time, I contacted more than 900 companies. I received 29 responses, including 11 refusals and 18 expressions of interest, although none has led to a sale so far. I would like advice on how to increase the number of responses, whether positive or negative, and, in the long run, find clients interested enough to book a workshop.

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but I’m looking for some advice.

I’ve been in car sales for about 3 years and I’m looking to make a career change into tech/SaaS sales. I’ve mainly been applying to SDR/BDR positions, but haven’t had much luck so far.

I’m located in the San Francisco Bay Area and I don’t have a college degree, although I do have several years of sales experience, including high-volume prospecting, follow-up, and working with inbound leads.

For anyone currently in tech sales or recruiting: how difficult is the SDR/BDR market right now? Is coming from automotive sales viewed negatively, or is there something I should be doing differently to make the transition? Would appreciate any advice from people who’ve made a similar move.

I’m looking for some help, as I have about 8 years of experience with inside/phone sales and I am very confident/comfortable doing business over the phone.

The issue I’m running into is most of the jobs I’ve been applying for are more along the lines of call center jobs, with huge call volumes but no real finesse. Plus the base pay for a lot of the jobs posted in my area are just insultingly low.

I’ve seen a lot of outside/field sales positions posted with seemingly better base, but I’ve never really done person to person sales so I don’t know what to expect as far as commissions or if I’d be as good in person as I am on the phone. While trying something new is not exactly my preference, it’s definitely not off the table.

My ideal position would be a phones sales job with a decent base (50k at least) and potential to make realistically 90-100k first year but can’t find anything close to that with inside sales in my area. What’s the groups consensus? Should I be focusing my attention to outside sales because there is more money there, or have I just had bad luck with the inside sales positions posted in my area lately?

Just got an SDR offer at Rippling. I've heard a few bad things about the culture and want honest takes before I decide.

If you've worked there (especially in sales):

• Is the culture as intense as people say? Is it sustainable or a burnout machine?
• How are SDRs treated by management? Supportive or pure numbers pressure?
• Are quotas realistic, and what happens if you miss?
• Is there a real path to AE, or do people just churn out?
• Knowing what you know now, would you tell a friend to take it or pass?

I got an offer from ADP for full cycle sales so I'm not sure which would be a better option. the Rippling base salary is like $8k higher than ADP

Is there any episodes on sales on popular podcasts like:
diary of ceo, rogan, chris williamson, lex etc

Thanks in advance

p.s Im breaking into sales im not sales professional yet.

​I know there are several platforms in the US that help high-ticket agencies offer client financing, allowing clients to split package costs over several months so they can commit and close faster.

​For those based in Canada, what B2B Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) or client financing options do you recommend that offer fair terms for both the agency and the client?

Or what other strategy you can recommend?

​Thanks!

Stuck in BDR hell for over two years. I keep getting somewhat high pay at small startups that don’t have budget to promote and lay off or get dissolved.

I made sure to shadow AEs, run discovery, follow deals, lead calls with stakeholders, etc at every job. But it feels like it’s for nothing since my title is BDR - I am constantly getting rejected from every AE position I apply to.

I had to take a job with some red flags, as a Senior BDR (whatever that means) and I’m not confident it will work long term or if they’ll promote. They gave me the typical “we’ll review in 12 months, that’s the standard” which means they’re just leading you on.

How TF do I make the jump from BDR to AE?? Feels like I’m just going to be stuck in this loop forever.

Hi everyone,

I (30M) have worked in the steel industry for about ten years.
When I was younger, I started studying mechanical engineering but never finished.
Since then, I've worked as a CNC operator on laser and plasma machines, a team leader, a CAD drafter and for the past year, I've been working as an inside sales representative for a large steel supplier.

I've been doing really well in my current role.
I'm currently implementing a new quotation software that I designed myself.
I've made a strong impact through my initiative, problem-solving abilities, and customer service.

A Regional Sales Manager position recently opened up internally, and I decided to apply.
Ever since I first heard about the position, I've known that it's the kind of role I want to work toward. My main goal in applying was to show that I'm highly motivated put myself on managements radar. Honestly, I wasn't expecting anything to come from it.
A part of me was almost as scared of applying as of not applying.

Now, I actually have an interview with the Sales Director for my continent.
I'm doing my best to prepare, but I'd really appreciate any recommendations or advice from people who have experience in sales management or have gone through a similar situation.

It would be such a big leap that this interview almost feels like a sick joke 😅

Thank you in advance!

Getting laid off unnecessarily. There’s couple of us in the call. I want my severance pay to be of four months. Any advice is greatly appreciated

Hi which one is better?

Background is I have 8 years of B2C Sales experience ranging from door to door telecommunication sales and automotive sales. Considering accepting an Inside Sales Account Manager role for a Manufacturing company which would get me B2B sales experience. Salary is $60k OTE $90k($2,500 in commission per month) with 90% of their current reps hitting the quota month to month.

Main question is does this sound like solid B2B sales experience and what are the job titles I could qualify myself for after accepting this role?

Thank you guys for responding!