Sales relationships between a mentor and mentee are often overlooked in the professional community. Sure, we look at the sales relationships between manager and rep, SDR and prospect, and even Account Executive and customer, but the rapport between a mentor and their mentee is an important one to discuss when it comes to truly developing your reps.
Onboarding and training are key aspects to getting your newest Sales Development Reps ramped up when they first hit the desk. But in all of that time discussing technical skills needed in the role, your new rep’s mind is constantly racing with a million questions a minute. They need sales relationships that are different than that of their manager, one that feels more like a friendship, to truly feel vulnerable enough to share their feelings on a regular basis. Without these kinds of sales relationships, your reps may be feeling a little lost in the crowd — especially on a bigger team.
We’re excited to welcome Peter Haas, Salesloft SDR Team Lead and mentor to fellow SDR, Rachel Cha to this weeks episode of SDR TV. Peter and Rachel’s relationship is the perfect example of a successful mentor to mentee relationship, and proof that building a rapport isn’t just for prospects. Watch the video below to learn more about how Peter treats his mentorship as a chance to build better SDR careers, sales relationships, and real-life friendships:
Transcript
Hey SDR TV, this is Peter, Team Lead here at Salesloft. Today I want to talk to you guys about that SDR mentor/mentee relationship, how it differs from a manager and SDR relationship, and some of the stuff you guys can do that we do here to help grow that relationship and onboard your SDRs faster.
One of the most important things you can do with your mentee is make them feel comfortable with you, to build that rapport from day one. So if you can, sit on an interview with them when they’re looking to come join your team. And on that very first day, sit down for an hour, understand them both professionally and personally; see what their objectives are. And then continue to go out to grab coffee or to get lunch. There inevitably are always going to be times when they’re going to feel more comfortable coming to you with an issue than maybe their manager or somebody else within the company.
One thing that we love to do here with our mentees at Salesloft is for that first month or so, put five or 10 minutes on your calendar out of every single day to check in. See what went well that day — any road blocks they may be facing, and what you guys can do for your plan for the next day. It’s important to have that constant communication if they’re still learning your process and your product.
Another thing that we love to do here is call coaching. So while your manager has ultimate responsibility over this person, it’s great to sit down with them and go over calls as well, since you’re in the job every single day grinding it out. Listen to calls that are both good and bad and get their feedback. And see maybe where you can give your own suggestions or advise on what they can do better next time.
And remember that there really is no timeline on the mentor/mentee relationship. While at first, it may feel very coach-y and player or hands on, let it evolve into what it might. Whether that’s going to be just a professional relationship or maybe you can make a good friend out of it.
I have a current mentee who’s absolutely become a close friend of mine. Not only do we collaborate within the office professionally we love to hang out and talk about things that are just on our mind — whether it’s work or life in general. It’s a fulfilling part of the job to have that mentor/mentee relationship, where there are no stupid questions, and everything’s open and out on the table — whether it stays professionally or turns into a friendship down the road.
While many of us SDRs are pretty new in our career, it’s important to go out and find that person you want to learn from, whether professionally or personally. Help their experiences shape your own path and journey. Here at Salesloft we take great pride in our ability to go out there and find who we wanna learn from as well as coach those whom are new, or we wanna bring under our wings as part of our Salesloft family.
Please check out our eBooks and some of our great case studies. And as always, happy lofting!
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