A week in the life of a Senior SDR

TheyDo's Senior SDR, Milana Trgić, gives us an insight into joining TheyDo as the first member of our SDR team. 

In this next interview in our ‘A week in the life’ series, we talked with Senior SDR, Milana Trgić. Join us as she walks us through her journey and shares what a week in her life is like as TheyDo’s first ever Sales Development Representative (SDR) hire. 

Why did you join TheyDo?

As I came from a team that already had 25 fellow SDRs and very well established processes, the prospect of being the founding SDR at TheyDo and helping shape ways of working for the SDR team was very appealing to me. I was a senior SDR at my previous company, so this seemed like a perfect next step and also a challenge for me. I was also drawn to the industry. Journey Management itself is a new category with great potential and proven market fit. Joining the movement relatively early on was also a strategic decision on my end. 

What was it like being TheyDo’s first ever SDR hire? 

The first four months were full of learning and creative work. I kickstarted my journey at a company retreat in Amsterdam, where the entire Sales team came together to shape our sales motion. We all got to understand our role and impact in the grand scheme. That context really helped me. I was also able to learn a lot about sales in general from our VP of Sales and our Head of Sales. It really felt like a privilege to see our entire sales motion develop, but also to learn from those leaders who have been in the industry for so long. 

What do you enjoy most about being an SDR? 

Back when I was a junior, and just learning the whole practice, I really enjoyed the creative aspects of crafting messaging and sequences (I also have a background in English language and writing). 

Now, as a senior, the part that I enjoy the most is hopping on discovery calls and connecting with prospective customers. It feels incredibly rewarding to be able to connect with people from all around the world and to understand what challenges they are facing when it comes to journey mapping and how TheyDo can be part of the solution. 

What do you enjoy most about working at TheyDo? 

I really enjoy working with the entire Sales team, especially our Account Executives who are very happy to share their knowledge. We have collective brainstorming sessions where we explore different perspectives and generate a wide range of ideas. As an SDR at any level, this is an incredible learning experience, and I think TheyDo provides more access to Account Executives and members of the Leadership team in comparison to other companies. 

With the SDR function being the latest addition to the Sales team, it continues to grow, with more representatives joining the team. It’s exciting to play a part in building the strategy and playbooks from the beginning.

What do you do in a typical week as an SDR? 

The role of an SDR is really dynamic, which is the main reason why I love it. I think this holds true not only within TheyDo, but also for all SDRs—no day or week is the same. There are those core tasks I must complete but the structure of the week varies based on how many discovery calls I have in my calendar. These core tasks are things like updating our CRM, hopping on team calls to discuss strategies, or identifying and reaching out to potential customers who may be interested in TheyDo. My days can be structured differently based on how many discovery calls I have or if there are any new initiatives to get started on.

What does a discovery call at TheyDo entail? 

In a discovery call, we take the opportunity to discover how we can provide value to a potential customer. The main goal is to learn about the person’s problems and issues. Why did they reach out to us? What is it that caught their interest in the first place? Before diving into the details about our product, we want to first understand their challenges to establish if we can be of value to them. 

Depending on the challenges they are facing, I create a tailored overview of TheyDo. As we have an incredible number of features and different use cases, I want to show them the value we can provide as it relates to their role or the job they need to do. 

Sometimes we pair up for a discovery call with an Account Executive. I really like this approach because it allows us to share best practices and provide feedback to each other about the way we approach the calls. A discovery call should never be an interrogation, but rather a conversation where we meet the potential customer, learn about their business, and show them the value of TheyDo. In my previous company we were encouraged to ask a lot of questions, but here at TheyDo the goal is to help the person understand TheyDo and to see if we solve their pain points. I do like to think of ourselves as consultants because we are really here to guide them. 

How do you maintain motivation and energy throughout the day?

Maybe my advice is going to be a bit generic, but I think it's crucial to take little breaks throughout the day. I'm a very social person, so I use those little breaks to catch up with team members— to lift our collective spirits, share ideas, or even just have a short chat. 

A 15-minute walk is also always a good idea to get some fresh air and clear my mind. Plus, I don't drink coffee, so I rely on sweets to boost my energy.

With TheyDo being 100% remote, how do you collaborate with other SDR colleagues and the rest of the Sales team? 

I really like our collaboration processes and I haven't seen that a lot in my previous jobs.  We typically start collaborating within the SDR team before bringing new ideas and strategies to the bigger Sales function. 

Within Sales, we focus on bringing the team together through collective brainstorming sessions so we can understand what is happening across the sales pipeline and how we can help support one another in sharing best practices and new ideas. What I like about TheyDo is not only the collaboration within the Sales team, which is tight, but also the constant cross-team collaboration with the Marketing team and the Customer Success team. As an SDR, what often happens is that a potential customer may want to understand how similar companies or teams are using the product. This is where the Customer Success team’s expertise is invaluable because they can share in-depth knowledge or very similar use cases. 

I also really appreciate that we are constantly looking to share knowledge. For example, after a discovery call with an Account Executive, we immediately jump on an internal call to share feedback: “Hey, how did you think it went? Would you have done something differently? Do you have any tips or advice?” This feedback is shared both ways so we can learn from each other.

What advice would you give to someone considering or interviewing for an SDR role at TheyDo? 

Research TheyDo and really understand why you want to join. Check if your aspirations align with our mission and what you want to achieve in your career. The other piece of advice for anyone interviewing at TheyDo is to be your authentic self. Knowing yourself and showing who you are is crucial to ensuring that your personality and approach matches and balances the team. You can never go wrong with that.