After a year at myskillcamp, I was offered the opportunity to lead the SDR team that had just been created. This was surprising for many people as SDRs were hired and onboarded by the Sales team while I was in Marketing.
The beginning was tough. I was not a sales manager and the young team had no reason to trust this reorganization. Plus, this was my first time managing a team and being responsible for their well-being at work and their performance. I was not sure I would be up to the task.
But thanks to my manager Mieke Ridderhoff's coaching, I eventually earned that trust. We would end up being an overachieving SDR team.
Earning trust through support
I quickly realized that the best way to win the team over was not through authority, but through service. If I could make their jobs easier and help them hit their targets, they would come around.
So I focused on removing obstacles. I took over all the operational work that was eating into their selling time: list building, data enrichment, sequence creation, CRM maintenance, and reporting. I built the infrastructure so they could focus on what actually mattered: researching accounts, making calls, and qualifying prospects.
It worked. Once the team saw that I was there to support them, not micromanage them, the resistance faded. We started working as a unit.
Building the outbound machine
With trust established, we could focus on improving results. I defined a clear Ideal Customer Profile based on closed-won analysis: companies with 500-5000 employees, specific industries, and signals of L&D maturity.
I built target account lists by market using Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, and intent data from LeadSift. Each list was segmented by tier: Tier 1 accounts got high-touch, personalized outreach. Tier 2 got semi-personalized sequences. Tier 3 was fully automated.
For each persona (CHRO, Head of L&D, HR Director), we created tailored messaging addressing their specific pain points and showing relevant value.
Multi-channel sequences
I designed 14-21 day sequences combining email, LinkedIn, and phone touchpoints. The sequences were templated by persona, industry, and trigger event (new hire announcements, funding rounds, expansion news).
We A/B tested everything: subject lines, email length, CTA variations, send times. What worked in France did not always work in the UK. We adapted.
Trigger-based sequences added another layer: when a prospect visited our website, downloaded content, or viewed the pricing page, they entered a specific sequence designed for that behavior.
Tooling and automation
I implemented HubSpot Sequences for automated email cadences with manual task triggers for calls and LinkedIn touches. Evaboot handled Sales Navigator data extraction. Enrichment ran through a waterfall of ZoomInfo, DropContact, and BetterContacts.
The reporting infrastructure gave both SDRs and leadership visibility into what was working: activity metrics, conversion rates by sequence, quota attainment, and quality scores.
Coaching and performance
Weekly 1:1s with each SDR covered pipeline review, call coaching, skill development, and overall sentiment. I wanted to catch problems early, whether they were tactical or motivational.
Daily stand-ups kept the team aligned: activity review, blockers, and best practices sharing. When one SDR found something that worked, everyone benefited.
By the end, the team was consistently reaching and exceeding quarterly targets. Reply rates tripled. Open rates doubled. Two SDRs were promoted to AE roles. And I had learned that leadership is not about control. It is about removing obstacles and providing the support people need to do their best work.