A Day in the Life of a Senior SDR
Tune into this 3-part series covering different sales roles for easy tidbits of inspiration and best practices to take with you into 2022.
Carlos Diaz | Senior SDR @ Gravy | Atlanta-based
We’re lucky enough to feature Carlos Diaz, a Senior SDR at Gravy. Developing an entrepreneurial mindset early on, he understands the parallel of a sales career and how it can support the lifestyle he wants to live.
Carlos started in sales at the age of 19, helping secure an off-market property that sold last year for a significant take in profits. Now he’s helping companies remove the pain of failed payments.
Here’s how he breaks down his day-to-day:
I don’t believe you need some crazy morning routine, prime the brain and body and get going.
8 am: I’m up. The first thing is a double espresso, water, and eggs. I'm a type 1 diabetic, so nutrition and hydration are essential (by the way, November was Diabetes awareness month!).
I read the Economist over breakfast. I studied economics in college and believe it's important to understand the underlying dynamic in the global economy and how it impacts us directly.
8:30 am: Checking Slack and emails, assessing the upcoming day.
9:00 am: Start outreach. Typically, I’m knocking out the first triple-touch step for net new prospects: email, LinkedIn follow or connect, and call.
10:30 am: Team meeting. We’re big on tactical training, which likely involves roleplaying. The idea is to come out of this feeling motivated and sharp with our talk tracks.
It doesn’t matter how good you are at execution if you pick accounts/contacts that don’t fit your ICP.
11:15 am: Time to prospect. This is the strategic side of being an SDR. Gravy Solutions targets B2C/D2C brands that operate on a subscription.
Understanding how to leverage insights in Salesforce, Sales Navigator, and Zoominfo while having a solid grasp of using these tools allows you to focus more time on execution.
I’ve seen success with targeting CBD brands lately, so I might choose to add only CBD accounts for that day. It’s all about pattern recognition.
Take a break and do something for yourself.
1:00 pm: A quick lunch, and I’m hopping on my mountain bike for a quick loop around the lake by my house or going for a 30-minute workout. We know that exercise enhances the part of your brain associated with executive functioning and decision-making toward long-term goals.
I see 90% of my success from calls.
2:00 pm: Accelerating activity toward the end of the day. I’m heavily focused on calls at this point, as it’s the fastest way to get immediate feedback from a prospect.
Prospecting is an imperfect science that requires consistent refinement.
4:00 pm: I’ll take time to assess my cadence, accounts, and prospects. Maybe an account didn’t fall into our ICP, or I have incorrect contact data. I’ll remove them, so I don’t waste time later.
Catch executives at the end of their day.
5:00 pm: If there’s anyone I’m keen on getting in touch with, now is the time. We all have those "Tier 1" prospects that we are determined to reach. Executives are in meetings all day, so they might be winding down and have time to take a call or read an email. The goal is to finish strong and end the day on a high note.
Every day could be different.
5:30 pm: Wrapping up. If I didn’t go to the gym, I’m going now! Great way to blow off some steam and get the brain relaxed.
While this might be an average day, it could look completely different the next. I try to be flexible and focus on outcomes. I don’t care when or how I get the work done as long as I drive results.
