Most BDRs Are Positive About AI but Still Need Support With Tools
Business development representatives (BDRs) are crucial in determining an organization’s future revenue abundance or shortfall. So, what is the current state of BDRs? Check out the insights from 6sense’s recent study.
- Business development representatives (BDRs) are crucial in determining an organization’s future revenue abundance or shortfall.
- So, what is the current state of BDRs? Here are a few insights from 6sense’s recent study.
The activity of business development representatives (BDR) is often considered a frontrunner for future organization performance. While the marketing function may sometimes achieve its lead generation goals while customer budgets may be tight, BDRs may struggle to convert leads into sales-qualified leads (SQLs). More than the marketing’s ability to generate interest, this indicates future revenue shortfalls.
So, among all the news of layoffs and organizations rapidly incorporating artificial intelligence (AI), what is the state of BDRs? How are they performing, and what do they feel about AI? 6sense recently conducted a study to get answers to these questions. The following are a few insights from the study.
Most BDR Teams Grew in 2023
The B2B landscape has been volatile over the last couple of years. However, the study found that BDR teams are twice as likely to have grown in the past year than to have shrunk. About 52% of the teams have grown, while 22.4% of teams remained the same in size, indicating a healthy market for BDRs. Further, the study also found that similar to last year’s study, the job tenure remained at an average of 18 months in the current role.
BDR Teams Largely Report to Sales
A common question companies ask when strategizing their BDR teams is who they report to. About 76% of the respondents reported to sales, while 24% reported to marketing. Last year, the breakup was 60% and 40%, respectively. This means BDRs are largely reporting to sales.
The study also found that BDRs primarily focus on outbound efforts even when reporting to marketing. In fact, 85% of respondents are either entirely or primarily focused on outbound activities. They are less likely to be focused primarily on outbound activities if they report to marketing. That said, even BDR teams reporting to marketing primarily engage in outreach that is not triggered by an inbound lead.
See more: 4 New Strategies to Approach Lead Generation Differently
Quotas Are Mostly Changed But More Likely To Be Increased
When markets experience a slump, companies may lower BDR quotas or keep them the same. This makes achieving goals easier for BDRs, improving their motivation. The study found that quotas largely remained unchanged last year. However, a significant percentage of companies increased their quotas this year than the last one. This means companies have increased their expectations compared to last year.
While most BDRs reported higher quotas, that did not negatively impact their quota attainment, and BDRs generally met the quotas. It was found that increased quotas led to a tendency toward higher quota attainment. That means an increased quota leads to better performance. However, this may not hold outside the sample studied, as it may not rise to statistical reliability.
Contact Attempts Are Distributed Across Three Channels
The study’s respondents said they make approximately 17 attempts per contact. These attempts are relatively evenly spread among calls, emails, and social touches. That said, email attempts are slightly higher than social media attempts. Further, BDRs reach out to about six contacts when they work on an account. This means an account gets at least 100 contact attempts to identify an opportunity, which is a massive investment.
BDRs Use Several Tactics When Contacting Prospects
When contacting prospects, BDRs use several tactics other than asking for a meeting, as buyers are unlikely to accept meeting requests until they choose a vendor. Instead of insisting on a demo or discovery call before the buying group is ready, BDRs should empower them through education, experiences, and insights that help them move forward in their journey.
So, how often do BDRs incorporate such activities?
The study found that BDRs still ask for meetings in about 70% of their contact attempts. However, relationship-building activities aren’t far behind, occurring in about 57% of their calls.
In What Percentage of Their Contact Attempts Do BDRs Do the Above Activities?
Source: 2024 BDR Appreciation Week Report and Benchmark – 6sense
BDRs Experience a Drop in Support
How supported do BDRs feel in their roles? According to the study, many BDRs have been experiencing a drop in support. In 2022, 76% of BDRs Agreed or Strongly Agreed with the survey’s ‘Support Index’ items. This fell to 64% in 2023 and 58% this year. This not only indicates how BDRs feel in their roles but also correlates highly with their performance; BDRs who feel supported perform better than those who are not supported.
Tool support significantly impacts support scores and quota attainment. Regarding leadership support, training, tools, and equipment to meet expectations, BDRs only somewhat agree on getting enough support. BDRs reporting lower leadership support perform similarly to their peers who felt better about leadership support. However, BDRs who aren’t confident of tool support perform significantly worse than their peers who feel well-supported. BDRs who feel they have the right tools, equipment, and training attain 6-7% percentage points more than their unsupported peers.
So, what tools do BDRs need to feel supported? According to the respondents, they largely need better contact and intent data, followed by account data. Besides them, sales enablement platforms indirectly help achieve higher quotas.
AI-Based Tools Are Being Rapidly Adopted
The study found that BDR teams are rapidly adopting AI-based tools, with 39% of BDRs reporting their usage. Almost 25% of BDRs surveyed use AI-based call transcription in their jobs. About 20% use AI email writers, implying these two capabilities have caught on quickly among BDRs. Other capabilities, such as conversational email and call coaching tools, are also used.
AI-Based Tools in Use
Source: 2024 BDR Appreciation Week Report and Benchmark – 6sense
BDRs using at least one AI tool say they mostly have received moderate (38.5%) or minimal (33%) training on these tools. That seems sufficient and doesn’t significantly impact their attitudes toward AI usage. In fact, 65.4% of respondents have a positive attitude towards AI tools and think it improves their productivity. Of the 34.5% who believe AI tools don’t make their job more productive, 25.7% don’t believe they are a meaningful factor yet. Only 8.9% believe these tools threaten the future of the role.
See more: How Value-based Selling Drives Customer Loyalty and Retention
Wrapping Up
BDRs are mostly thriving, as teams are more likely to be growing than shrinking. Quotas are up, and BDRs are hitting them. BDRs are also not just focusing on getting meetings; they are inviting potential buyers to networking and learning experiences and offering value-adding content. Furthermore, most BDRs seem positive about AI and are even adopting it.
That said, they also need support, especially concerning tools. BDRs who feel supported outperform those who don’t feel supported. Hence, while BDRs may still achieve quotas, lacking support or the right tools leads to trouble. As such, the leadership is responsible for providing the right support to make BDRs more productive.
What steps have you taken to make your BDRs feel more supported? Let us know on Facebook, X, or LinkedIn. We’d love to hear from you!
Image source: Shutterstock
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