Hire an SDR who books qualified meetings consistently

Define what a qualified meeting means

Agree criteria before outreach starts, such as company size, role of the person attending, a recognised problem and a realistic timeframe. Without a shared definition, SDRs book meetings that waste closers' time and trust erodes quickly.

Equip the SDR with proof

Case studies, testimonials, common objections and your best answers make outreach credible. Record a few sales calls so the SDR hears how customers describe their problems in their own words.

Set activity and outcome targets

Combine leading indicators, such as daily touches and conversations, with outcomes, such as meetings held. Early on, emphasise activity and learning. As messaging improves, shift focus to meetings and pipeline.

Create a tight feedback loop

Ask closers to rate each meeting the SDR books and share notes. Weekly calibration between the SDR and the sales lead quickly improves targeting and messaging.

Protect your domain and reputation

Use proper email authentication, sensible sending volumes and compliant opt-outs. A damaged sender reputation can undermine every email your business sends, not only prospecting.

A sample job summary for an SDR

A clear summary might read: we are hiring a sales development representative to generate qualified meetings with operations leaders at professional services firms across Australia. You will research accounts, run email, phone and LinkedIn outreach, qualify prospects against our criteria and book meetings for our account executives. You will log every activity in HubSpot and share weekly insights on messaging. This role suits someone resilient, curious about customers and comfortable with structured targets.

Red flags when hiring an SDR

Be cautious of candidates who quote impressive meeting numbers without explaining the market, offer or definition of a qualified meeting. Ask how many of their booked meetings turned into opportunities. Another warning sign is a script-only mindset: strong SDRs listen and adapt rather than reciting a pitch. In mock calls, watch how candidates handle a polite no. Pushy persistence damages your brand, while respectful curiosity often turns a no into a future conversation.

What a good first week looks like

In week one, your SDR learns your offer, listens to recorded sales calls, studies case studies and practises the pitch with your sales lead. They build the first target list with AI research notes and draft outreach sequences for review. Outreach often starts towards the end of the week with a small, carefully reviewed batch. Early feedback from replies is more valuable than volume at this stage, because it shapes messaging for the weeks ahead.

Outsourced SDR or in-house hire?

An in-house SDR suits companies with a mature sales function, strong internal coaching and a long-term plan for the role. Hiring an SDR through Apex suits companies that want to start quickly, test a market or avoid the risk and time of local recruitment. Either way, success depends on the same fundamentals: a clear target market, credible proof, fast follow-up by closers and weekly feedback. Without those, neither model will produce consistent results.

Measuring your SDR's performance

Track the full funnel: accounts researched, touches made, reply rate, conversations held, meetings booked, meetings that actually occur and opportunities created from those meetings. The ratio between meetings booked and opportunities created is especially telling, because it shows whether qualification is working. Review activity weekly but judge outcomes over a month or more, since individual weeks fluctuate. Pair the data with call reviews to coach messaging and objection handling.

Interview questions to ask a sales development representative

1. Make a 60-second cold call pitch for our product.
2. How do you research a prospect before reaching out?
3. A prospect says they already have a provider. What do you say?
4. How do you decide whether a lead is qualified?
5. Tell me about your best month as an SDR and why it worked.
6. How do you organise follow-ups across many prospects?
7. How do you use AI tools to personalise outreach?
8. What feedback would you want from our account executives?

A 30, 60 and 90 day plan for your new sales development representative