Laurence Langstone’s Post

Here is my SDR Manager Playbook that I use to make sure every SDR hits quota: If your an SDR Manager, save this post. 1. Call Reviews -Track competitor mentions, pricing, and feature discussions. Analyze what turns calls into wins or losses. -Spot trends in objections and competitor mentions. Identify features prospects care about most. Refine messaging based on what resonates. -Talk ratios, focus on a 40/60 talk-to-listen ratio. Reduce long monologues and prioritize active listening. Build rapport with thoughtful pauses. 2. Pipeline Review: - Review deals at team, individual, and pipeline levels. Spot risks with AI-generated deal health insights. -Adjust follow-up strategies to keep deals moving forward. 3. Coaching: -Tailored plans for individual reps based on performance data. Campaign-level insights to improve objection handling. -Continuous improvement through actionable feedback. 4. Objections Handling: -Analyze what works in handling objections. Standardize responses that turn resistance into progress. Share best practices across the team. For my tech stack, reviewing call insights, deal trends and coaching insights, I'm using MeetRecord. Before using them I was spending most of my day breaking down these insights and was still missing key pieces since I couldn't listen to every call or review every deal in the pipeline in depth.. For outreach, I use Apollo and LinkedIn. This playbook helps my team book more meetings, stay consistent, and have a process that we know is based on data, not just what we think might be working.

I’ve built SDR playbooks before, and here’s what I’ve learned. These are the must-haves I always include: - Ideal customer profiles (ICPs) and personas. I make it crystal clear who SDRs should target. The goal? No wasted time on unqualified leads. - Talk tracks and email templates. I don’t leave reps to “wing it.” They get proven scripts and messaging for calls, emails, and follow-ups. - Qualification frameworks. I outline exactly how to spot a good lead. Whether it’s BANT, or custom criteria, reps never guess. - Resource roadmap. I compile everything—case studies, pitch decks, FAQs. Reps can find what they need in seconds, not hours. Here’s the truth: If reps follow the playbook and still struggle, the problem isn’t them. It’s the playbook. What’s missing from your SDR playbook? Start there. #SDR #enablement

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🚨 5 More Mistakes New SDRs Make (Part 2) ❌ Y’all seemed to enjoy my last post about the mistakes I made when I first started SDRing. So, here’s 5 more lessons I learned the hard way so you don’t have to: 1. Being Too Quick to Speak 🎤 You know that silence after your prospect speaks? Yeah, learn to love it. Your prospect just shared something - give them space to add more! I used to fill every pause like I was getting paid by the word. Trust me, letting them finish their thought is worth way more than your rapid-fire solution pitch. Do not cut them off. 2. Not Aligning on Meeting Goals 🎯 Rookie mistake: scheduling a meeting without clearly establishing what's in it for THEM. Pro tip: Include a prospect-centered agenda in your calendar invite. Bad example: "30-min product demo of our amazing solution!" Good example: "Hey [name], The goal of this meeting is to discuss [their company's specific challenge] and explore potential solutions." (See the difference?) 3. Being Too Formal 🤖 "Per my previous correspondence, I wanted to inquire about..." Stop. Just stop. Write and speak like a normal human being. I used to sound like a corporate robot writing a college thesis until I realized prospects just want to talk to actual humans (Still working on this one myself lol) 4. BSing When You Don't Know Something 🚫 We've all been there - the prospect asks a question, and you start sweating. Here's the thing: saying "I'm not sure, but I'll find out for our next meeting" actually builds credibility. Plus, it's a great way to sell the follow-up. Prospects can smell BS from a mile away - don't be that person. 5. Analysis Paralysis from Over-Research 📚 Yes, research is important. But if you're spending 30 minutes researching every prospect before making a call, you're doing it wrong. Know your product, understand your personas, and be curious enough to learn the rest during conversations. Sometimes you just need to stop overthinking and start dialing. Bonus Tip: The best conversations happen when you're genuinely curious about solving problems, not when you're trying to sound like the perfect SDR. And the best convos certainly don’t come from you wanting to hit your quota. What other mistakes have you learned from? Drop your best 'learning experience' below 👇🏽 (We promise not to judge 😉) #SalesDevelopment #SDRLife #SalesLessons #ProfessionalGrowth #B2BSales #Sales #AE

Focus on what really matters—quality leads that convert! With Pipedrive, you can easily prioritize high-quality leads and streamline your qualification process. It’s all about working smarter, not harder.  Let’s chat about how Pipedrive can help you close more deals, faster! 💼🙌 isalessolutions.com  #PipedrivePartner #CRMSolutions #SalesAutomation #SalesEfficiency #LeadManagement #SalesStrategy #CRMImplementation #BusinessScaling

In real estate, leads are like seedlings. Without nurturing, they wither away. Automated lead nurturing keeps clients engaged, informed, and primed to act when the moment is right. Investing in this process is investing in your future sales. How are you currently nurturing your leads?

I was sh*t at closing business but incredible at creating pipeline. Here's why it's okay to stay in your lane: Having chatted with tons of reps and sales leaders. The same things keep coming up: "Just hit my target, but now I'm screwed on pipeline." "Pipeline's stacked, but deals keep slipping." Pipeline creation and closing are different skills. Some of us nail one but struggle with the other. And that's fine. Here are a couple of options for you. Option 1: Stick to your strengths This was my path. Started as SDR, moved to AE, crushed pipeline but struggled with closing techniques. So I went back to SDR management and grew a career off it. If you're going this route(Which is fine btw): 1) Figure out your strength 2) Double down on it 3) Find roles that let you focus on that strength 4) Team up with folks are better at your strength than you are. 5) Become the go-to expert in it. Option 2: Develop both skills Want to be a create pipeline and close? You will be learning a new skill which is always nice, and It's possible, but it isn't easy. If you're taking this on: 1) Block out time for both skills every day 2) Get help with your weak spots 3) Practice the new stuff constantly 4) Keep tabs on how you're improving 5) Don't expect miracles overnight Just bare in mind time divided over multiple things usually always leads to divided results! So you need to put emphasis on putting time into both! Its so easy to start neglecting the one you don't enjoy as much. Both ways can work. Just pick one and give it time. Reality is you can pivot later anyway. -------------------------------------------------- Spent last week in Berlin with the Twain team last week, some exciting things on the horizon for Twain users 👀 Also, Berlin is incredible Have a good week 👍

SDRs – don’t mistake being busy for being productive. Any SDR can fill an 8 hour day... ☑️ Chat with AEs ☑️ Blast some emails ☑️ Do a few call blocks ☑️ Build a couple campaigns ☑️ Jump from one task to the next ☑️ Add load of accounts to sequence ☑️ Attend a bunch of internal meetings Reality check: None of this is inherently productive. It’s only productive if it’s 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹. Intentional SDRs: ✅ Work to a well-defined plan ✅ Follow a strict calendar schedule ✅ Execute campaigns well vs willy nilly ✅ Make targeted calls w/ a clear purpose ✅ Spend ~100% of time on ICP accounts ✅ Minimize context switching to max focus ✅ Only attend meetings that add real value Everything they do has purpose & calculated ROI. And that's why they're the most successful. Want to be a top SDR? Don’t just be busy. Be intentional. Focus on actions that drive real impact. And make every single thing you do count. That's how you go from checking boxes to crushing quota.

Stop blaming SDRs for your lack of pipeline. I believe the worst thing an SDR <> AE pairing can do is point fingers. (^context- I was an SDR for 2.5yrs and have self-sourced ~33% of my CW pipe as an AE) Common complaints... “Book is bad” (this is sometimes true) “SDR can’t email or cold call” “AE is lazy” Stop blaming. Get better. Here’s 5 ways to build pipe w/ your SDR no matter what… 1. Be a HUMAN > what are your SDRs career & life goals? What do they like to do for fun? What motivates them? 2. Set the standard > What is your goal as a team? What does quality outreach look like? How will you handle conflict? 3. Define the ICP > less is more. We cut my book into the top 20% of accounts with the top 10% being Tier A. (per image below) 4. Dumb Workflows > create stupidly easy to follow workflows that are driven by clearly defined triggers. 5. Set SLA’s > how quickly will we respond to high-intent signals? How will we track them? (Florin Tatulea talks abou this A LOT) What did I miss?! 🤔 PS- Even if your SDR has zero experience… give them 2-3 messaging frameworks/templates to use as a foundation. 

This happened to me 3x last week and it's been interesting to sit on the other side of the table. An SDR reaches out to connect. Their message reads something along the lines of: "Hey Blaise - love what you guys are doing. Have a few minutes so I can learn more?" I go into the meeting thinking it'll be a pretty informal chat about what we're building at Glue. But it turns into the SDR bringing in an AE and pitching their product. Classic case of the ol switheroo. I could be bitter and annoyed with this approach, but it's been an awesome learning experience. 1. I'm seeing how the AE navigates rapport, discovery, follow ups etc 2. I'm asking the team what's in their stack (I'm currently shopping) 3. I'm learning what a buyer goes through when evaluating tools 2/3 pitches were actually very relevant and timely. Here's the thing — the AEs never followed up!! I mentioned we have an urgent timeline we need to hit and are open to their services. It's been 5 days and no word from any of them — not even asking if it makes sense to put a calendar placeholder at the end of the call. If you're an AE and your SDR booked a meeting this way -- how would you start off the call? ps: if you're an SDR or an AE who's feeling down in the dumps, but you're organized, diligent, have a high EQ, following up, doing discovery in a non icky way, cold calling and booking meetings through value, hitting quota or very very close to quota — just know you're a top performer.