Take a challenging entry-level position in the sales industry with high expectations and an unrelenting daily schedule. Then add a hyper-competitive environment and an opaque path to promotion.
Sounds like a terrible mix. But for too long, that's been the de facto experience for a sales development representative.
Instead of an industry-standard learning curve that's part gatekeeping and part gladiator contest, ZoomInfo sales leaders got together to revamp the way SDRs are trained, from onboarding all the way to opportunities for promotion.
This new learning experience, dubbed the SDR Academy, launched in January 2022. Within a month, the results were overwhelmingly positive: sales reps were doubling or tripling the number of weekly calls and queuing up nearly twice as many completed meetings compared to the previous quarter.
What Is SDR Training?
SDR training is the structured development of sales development representatives to generate qualified pipeline through outbound prospecting, combining onboarding, skill-building, and continuous coaching to drive measurable results.
Effective SDR training programs focus on pipeline generation, not just learning. Trained reps identify target accounts, engage decision-makers, and hand off qualified opportunities to account executives.
Core components include:
Product and market knowledge: Understanding what you sell and who buys it
Prospecting techniques: Account research, data-driven targeting, and outreach execution
Communication skills: Cold calling, email writing, and objection handling
Sales tech stack mastery: CRM, engagement platforms, and data enrichment tools
Clear progression benchmarks: Measurable criteria for advancement and promotion
Why SDR Training Drives Pipeline Performance
The business case for structured SDR training is straightforward: untrained reps churn faster, ramp slower, and produce less pipeline. When expectations are unclear and skill development is left to chance, SDRs get discouraged and leave.
ZoomInfo experienced this firsthand. The sales leadership team identified the problem as a lack of clear expectations. When SDRs don't know which benchmarks they need to meet in order to move up, they get discouraged and leave.
The second challenge was a drop in account executive productivity. ZoomInfo sales managers found that homegrown AEs outperformed external hires brought directly into the AE role.
The root cause: SDRs who don't see a path to promotion leave before they're sufficiently seasoned. External hires who fill the gap face a natural learning curve.
Internal hires understand the culture and sales motions. They already have a great foundation for prospecting with the right messaging.
Structured training addresses three core business outcomes:
Faster ramp time: Clear learning paths and defined benchmarks reduce the time it takes for new reps to hit quota and demonstrate proficiency.
Lower attrition: When SDRs understand the path to promotion and have the tools to get there, they stay longer. Ambiguity drives turnover, clarity drives retention.
Stronger internal promotion pipeline: Trained SDRs become better account executives because they understand the sales motion, know the product, and have proven they can generate pipeline.
Core SDR Skills for Modern Outbound
Modern SDR development focuses on skills that reduce wasted activity and improve targeting precision. The best training programs emphasize data-informed prospecting over guesswork.
Essential skills SDRs need to master:
Account identification: Finding companies that match your ideal customer profile
Data-driven qualification: Using firmographics, technographics, and intent signals to prioritize outreach
Objection handling: Preparing responses to common pushback patterns
Personalization at scale: Crafting relevant messages based on prospect context
Prospecting and Account Research
Prospecting starts with knowing which accounts to target. SDRs need to identify companies that match the ideal customer profile and prioritize them based on buying signals.
The concept of "coiling the spring" applies here. Reps front-load research work: building target lists, gathering account context, and preparing outreach before they start dialing. This reduces daily friction and increases the quality of every touchpoint.
Before reaching out, SDRs should gather the following research inputs:
Company size, industry, and tech stack
Recent funding, hiring, or expansion signals
Verified contact information for decision-makers
Lead Qualification Using ICP and Buying Signals
Not every prospect is worth pursuing. SDRs need to qualify leads against ideal customer profile criteria and identify buying signals before investing time in outreach.
ICP is shorthand for the characteristics of accounts most likely to buy: company size, industry, revenue, tech stack, and other firmographic or technographic attributes. Qualification isn't just about fit, it's about timing.
Behavioral signals like intent data, trigger events, and hiring patterns indicate when an account is ready to buy. Training SDRs to recognize these signals improves conversion rates and reduces wasted effort.
Effective qualification criteria include:
Firmographic fit: Does the account match target company size, industry, revenue?
Technographic fit: Does their tech stack indicate a need?
Behavioral signals: Are they showing intent or trigger events?
Objection Handling and Call Execution
Objections are part of the job. The difference between effective and ineffective SDRs is preparation. Trained reps recognize objection patterns, have scripted responses ready, and know how to pivot the conversation without losing momentum.
Call execution also involves coachable metrics like talk-to-listen ratio. SDRs who dominate the conversation miss opportunities to uncover pain points. Those who listen too much fail to control the call.
Balance is learned through practice and feedback.
Common objection categories SDRs should prepare for:
Timing and priority objections
Budget and authority objections
Status quo and competitor objections
Communication and Personalization
Generic outreach gets ignored. SDRs need to craft messages that connect to the prospect's context: their role, their company's challenges, and the specific reasons they might care about your solution.
Personalization quality depends on data quality. Better inputs, verified contacts, and company context, enable better messaging. Reps who start with accurate information can focus on relevance instead of chasing down basic details.
How to Structure an SDR Onboarding Program
Onboarding sets the foundation for everything that follows. A structured program gives new reps clarity about what they need to learn, how they'll be measured, and what success looks like.
After defining what a fully scaled SDR should be capable of doing, sales leadership curated courses designed to develop new reps. In addition to outlining ZoomInfo's offerings, the lessons cover platforms and tools sales reps need, including selling skills, roleplays, and leadership skills.
SDRs follow structured learning paths that combine:
Online classes: Self-paced learning modules
Practical demonstrations: Hands-on mastery validation
Business KPIs: Clear performance targets to hit and maintain
Achievement badges: LinkedIn-shareable credentials demonstrating proficiency
The entire program is set up so that incoming reps have everything from the time they start with us at ZoomInfo. It's a mapped-out, predefined path. There's no winging it.
Week-by-Week Training Cadence
A sample four-week onboarding cadence provides a replicable framework for ramping new SDRs. The structure balances knowledge transfer with hands-on practice, ensuring reps build confidence before going live with prospects.
Here's how to structure the first month:
Week 1: Company, product, and persona knowledge. Reps learn what the product does, who it's for, and why customers buy.
Week 2: Technology stack and prospecting tools. Reps get hands-on training with CRM, sales engagement platforms, and data enrichment tools.
Week 3: Messaging, scripts, and role-playing. Reps practice cold calls, objection handling, and email outreach in a safe environment.
Week 4: Live outreach, monitoring, and initial feedback. Reps start contacting prospects with close supervision and real-time coaching.
Manager Involvement and Accountability
Managers set expectations, provide feedback, and track progress throughout onboarding. Their role isn't to gatekeep promotions or play favorites. It's to give reps the clarity and support they need to succeed.
From the managers' perspective, they now have an easily identifiable pool of candidates who are qualified and ready for promotions.
Manager responsibilities during onboarding include:
Setting clear activity and output targets for each week
Conducting call reviews and providing specific feedback
Tracking rep progress against defined benchmarks
Removing roadblocks and answering questions in real time
Building a Training Resource Library
A centralized resource library gives reps on-demand access to scripts, call recordings, playbooks, and reference materials. This supports self-directed learning and reduces the need for reps to reinvent the wheel.
Essential components of a training resource library:
Objection-handling scripts
Top-performer call recordings
ICP and persona documentation
Product one-pagers and competitive battle cards
SDR Training Exercises That Build Pipeline Skills
Training isn't just theory. Reps need hands-on exercises that simulate real prospecting scenarios. The best exercises are data-driven: building ICP-fit account lists, prioritizing prospects using intent signals, and practicing outreach with real context.
SDR coaching depends on deliberate practice. Role-plays, call reviews, and shadowing sessions give reps repetitions in a low-stakes environment.
The goal is pattern recognition. Reps who see the same objections, questions, and buying signals repeatedly learn to respond instinctively.
Role-Playing Cold Calls and Objections
Role-play sessions let reps practice cold calls and objection handling before going live with prospects. The key is realism.
Best practices for role-playing:
Use real prospect scenarios from current pipeline
Focus on one objection type per session
Record and review for self-coaching
Live Call Reviews and Shadowing
Call recording review and live shadowing are essential coaching methods. Managers should provide specific, actionable feedback tied to behaviors, not general praise.
Effective feedback answers three questions: What did the rep do well? What should they change? What will they practice next?
Shadowing works both ways. New reps shadow experienced sellers to see what good looks like. Experienced reps shadow new hires to provide real-time coaching and course correction.
Data-Driven Account Prioritization Exercises
SDRs should practice building ICP-fit account lists, prioritizing accounts using intent signals, and preparing outreach with verified contact context. This trains reps to work smarter with better data inputs, not just harder.
Example exercise structure:
Given a target account list, identify the top 10 accounts based on ICP fit and buying signals
For each account, identify the right contacts and their context
Draft personalized outreach based on the research
Training SDRs on the Modern Sales Tech Stack
SDRs need to know how to use the tools in their stack: CRM, sales engagement platforms, data enrichment tools, and AI-assisted workflows. Technology training isn't about memorizing features, it's about building efficient workflows.
Core workflow competencies SDRs need to master:
Activity logging: Tracking every touchpoint in the CRM
Data enrichment: Filling gaps in contact and account records
Cadence execution: Running multi-touch sequences consistently
AI leverage: Using automation to reduce manual research work
CRM Hygiene and Data Enrichment
Clean data is the foundation for effective outreach. SDRs need to log every touchpoint, update contact and account information when changes are identified, and use enrichment tools to fill gaps in records.
CRM hygiene habits every SDR should follow:
Log every touchpoint (calls, emails, meetings)
Update contact and account information when changes are identified
Use enrichment tools to fill gaps in records
Sales Engagement Platforms
Sales engagement platforms like Outreach and Salesloft (now part of Clari) automate cadence execution, track replies, and measure outreach performance.
Training should cover:
Sequence management: Building and launching multi-touch cadences
Reply tracking: Monitoring prospect engagement and response patterns
Cadence optimization: Adjusting outreach based on prospect behavior
Reps need to understand when to follow the sequence and when to break from it. Automation increases efficiency, but personalization drives results.
AI-Assisted Prospecting Workflows
AI tools assist SDRs with meeting prep, email drafting, account prioritization, and surfacing relevant talking points. These workflows reduce manual research time and help reps focus on high-value activities.
ZoomInfo's Copilot shows how AI-assisted workflows accelerate SDR performance across the prospecting motion.
Common AI-assisted workflow applications:
Automated meeting prep with account context
AI-drafted email personalization based on prospect data
Prioritized account lists based on intent signals
Building a Continuous SDR Coaching System
Onboarding gets reps started. Continuous coaching keeps them improving. Sales learning and development doesn't stop after the first month.
The best SDR programs include ongoing 1:1 coaching, peer mentorship, and skill development focused on long-term career preparation.
This proved to be a welcome change for Steven Bloxsom, a strategy manager who was part of the inaugural SDR Academy cohort. He landed at ZoomInfo after having already experienced the grind of cold-calling in a traditional sales environment.
"How do I get promoted? What's the promotion process? At other companies it's mostly, here's all the stuff, good luck," Bloxsom says. "Here, it feels fair, and it's nice to know that you can get help, know where you're going, and that you have options to move up."
1:1 Coaching Sessions and Performance Reviews
Structured 1:1 cadence between managers and SDRs is essential for continuous improvement. These aren't general check-ins. They're focused sessions with actionable feedback tied to specific metrics and behaviors.
Effective 1:1 agenda items include:
Review of activity metrics vs. targets
Call or email review with specific feedback
Skill development focus area for the week
Peer Learning and Mentorship
Pairing newer SDRs with experienced reps accelerates learning and builds team cohesion. Mentorship isn't just about sales skills. It's about career development and leadership preparation.
"I learned a lot about leadership," Bloxsom says. "It's less about ZoomInfo and more about you as a person, honing your skills. It didn't just prepare me for this job, but also for a future job."
Measuring SDR Training Impact on Pipeline
Training is an investment. Like any investment, it needs to be measured.
The goal isn't just activity, it's pipeline contribution and quota attainment. Effective measurement connects training inputs to pipeline outputs.
Key Performance Metrics to Track
SDR metrics fall into three categories: activities, outputs, and efficiency. Activities measure effort. Outputs measure results. Efficiency measures how well effort converts to results.
Core metrics to track include:
Activity metrics: Calls, emails, touches per day/week
Output metrics: Meetings booked, qualified opportunities created
Efficiency metrics: Connect rate, reply rate, meeting-to-opportunity conversion
Connecting Training to Pipeline Outcomes
Attributing pipeline results to training investments requires tracking cohort performance over time. Compare reps who went through structured training against those who didn't.
Key metrics to measure:
Ramp time: Days to first meeting and first qualified opportunity
Quota attainment: Percentage of reps hitting pipeline targets
Retention rates: How long trained reps stay in role
Conversion efficiency: Meeting-to-opportunity and opportunity-to-close rates
If training doesn't move these numbers, it's not working.
Start Building Your SDR Training Program
The secret to powerful SDRs is empowerment. Clear expectations, structured learning paths, and ongoing coaching give reps control over their success. When reps know what to do, how to do it, and how they'll be measured, they perform.
SDRs working their way through structured training programs produce more qualified, confirmed business opportunities at a faster rate. The data proves it.
The question is whether your organization will invest in the training that drives those results.
Talk to our team to learn how ZoomInfo's data and AI tools can accelerate your SDR training and pipeline results.