Complete SDR Playbook (D.E.M.A.N.D. Methodology)

SDR Playbook

A Repeatable Multi-Channel SDR System Built on Lead Readiness

A cold-calling + email + LinkedIn operating system built around consistent cadence execution, lead ratings, and CRM-driven reporting. Designed to help SDR teams create qualified meetings while protecting closer time and keeping the pipeline clean.

D.E.M.A.N.D. Methodology Cadence Blocks Lead Ratings CRM Rules Weekly Reporting

Schedule a Strategy Call Align your ICP, cadence, and handoff process in one working session.

1. Mission & Core Objective

This playbook operationalizes the D.E.M.A.N.D. methodology—Discover, Engage, Maintain, Action, Nurture, Deliver— to build a repeatable outbound engine that generates qualified meetings through systematic outreach, qualification, and CRM-driven engagement cycles.

Purpose

Execute consistent outreach that creates real conversations and measurable outcomes.

Goal

Generate high-quality buyer/seller meetings (or product demos) aligned to your ICP and pipeline needs.

Principle

SDRs create opportunities; closers advise, negotiate, and close. The system protects both roles.

How to use this playbook

Operators (SDRs): follow the cadence rules, logging standards, and lead rating definitions exactly.
Managers: review weekly reports, QA calls, tune scripts, and enforce data hygiene.
Closers/Advisors: use handoff notes + summaries to run tighter consults and improve conversion.

Optional example (industry-specific): If you are a business brokerage, M&A advisory, or professional services firm, you can substitute “buyer/seller consults” for “discovery calls” while keeping the same operating system.

2. Sales Development Framework

The SDR program combines dedicated execution (calls + email + LinkedIn), standardized routing, and weekly reporting so your closers stay focused on high-leverage work (consults, negotiations, proposals, closing).

D.E.M.A.N.D. Methodology Overview

Stage	Focus	Example (adapt to your org)
Discover	Identify targets that fit your ICP (accounts + contacts).	Pull lists from industry databases, owned lists, intent tools, registries, and partner sources.
Engage	Reach out via phone, email, and LinkedIn with clear positioning.	Introduce your firm with one outcome-driven reason to talk.
Maintain	Keep interest alive through follow-ups and value-based touches.	Share a relevant guide, checklist, or industry insight tied to their role or timing.
Action	Secure next steps: meetings, document requests, or referrals.	Book a consultation / discovery call and confirm agenda + attendees.
Nurture	Re-engage long-term leads through reactivation cadences.	Automated touches every 60–90 days until timing is right.
Deliver	Provide fully qualified and contextualized opportunities.	SDRs book calls directly on closer calendars with complete notes and context.

Consistency

Cadence execution beats “random acts of outreach.”

Readiness

Lead ratings protect calendars and focus effort on winnable conversations.

Reporting

Every touch is logged the same day to enable QA, insights, and optimization.

3. Onboarding & Setup

Every SDR engagement starts with operational readiness. Outreach should not launch until tooling, data, messaging, and tracking are configured and QA’d.

People

Assigned SDR + Success Manager (or SDR Manager) with clear responsibilities and escalation path.

CRM

Pipeline stages, required fields, lead ratings, and activity logging rules configured.

Data

Import existing leads; enrich missing fields; verify emails; de-duplicate; segment by ICP.

Messaging

Standard templates + personalization rules + caller ID setup (brand-safe and compliant).

Access

Tool access completed: email inboxes, dialing, LinkedIn seats, calendars, CRM roles/permissions.

Launch Ready

Cadences configured and QA’d before first touch. Test tracking + booking workflow end-to-end.

Minimum Required Fields (recommended)

Account: Company name, industry, employee range, location, website, notes, source.
Contact: Full name, title, LinkedIn URL, verified email, phone, timezone, persona.
Routing: Assigned closer/advisor, territory/segment, campaign/cadence name, owner.
Readiness: Lead rating, last touch date, next touch date, cadence step.

4. Call + Email + LinkedIn Cadences

This system runs in two cadence blocks (5 touches each) over ~60 days. Block 1 runs first. Unreached contacts roll into Block 2. LinkedIn and email support calling by increasing recognition and response likelihood.

Cadence Blocks (5 touches per block)

Step	Type	Definition	Execution Rule
1	VME — Voicemail & Email	Call + leave voicemail (if applicable) + send an email same day.	Log call + email; set next touch date.
2	PING — Quick touch	Call attempt; if no answer, hang up (no voicemail).	Fast attempt to catch them live; log outcome.
3	PING + SE — Send email	Call attempt; if no answer, send a new-value email.	Email must add value (insight, checklist, case pattern).
4	PING — Reconnect attempt	Call attempt; if no answer, hang up (no voicemail).	Short + consistent; log outcome; schedule final touch.
5	VME — Final touch in block	Call + voicemail + final email in the block.	If no response, push to Block 2 or nurture.

Contacts not reached are pushed to Cadence Block 2 and repeated with adjusted messaging (fresh angle / new value).

LinkedIn Outreach Roadmap (supports the cadence)

Timing	Action	Goal	Notes
Day 0–2	Profile view + connection request	Familiarity + acceptance	No pitch. 1 personalization point.
Day 3–7	Thank-you message	Open a conversation	Value statement + a question; no link.
Day 8–20	Insight follow-up	Engagement	Share a relevant observation; invite reply.
Day 21–45	Soft CTA	Book the meeting	Offer 2 options: short call or send info.
Day 46–90	Nurture touch	Reactivation	Rotate angles: timing, risk, opportunity, benchmark.

Key CRM Fields Used in Cadence Execution (recommended)

Cadence Name (e.g., “Block 1 – Owners”, “Block 2 – Buyers”, “Reactivation 90-day”)
Cadence Step (1–5) + Block (1 or 2)
Last Touch Date + Next Touch Date
Touch Type (VME, PING, SE, FU, CB, OOO)
Lead Rating (readiness scale)
Assigned Closer + territory/segment

5. Lead Ratings & Qualification

Ratings keep the pipeline clean, prioritize the right follow-ups, and protect closer calendars. Use ratings consistently and update them immediately after each meaningful interaction.

Lead Rating Scale (generalized)

Rating	Description	Example Signal
0	Meeting Set	Confirmed consultation / discovery call booked with closer.
1	Very Interested	Committed to meet; requests next steps, documents, or invites decision-maker.
2	Interested	Positive engagement; timing or scheduling pending.
3–4	Warm / Point of Contact	Early discovery; partial fit; may refer; needs more context.
5–6	Short-/Long-Term Follow-Up	Not now; revisit in 2–12+ months; clear timing cue.
7	Cold Call	Initial outreach stage; no meaningful contact yet.
9	Referral Contact	Gives referral to correct decision-maker or owner.
8–10 / 86 / 99	Unsubscribe / Unqualified / Bad Info	Out of scope, invalid email/phone, wrong persona, compliance removal.

Qualification (lightweight)

Confirm fit + timing + next step. Don’t “sell” on the call.

Calendar protection

Only 0–2 should hit closer calendars. 3–7 stays in SDR motion.

Reactivation

5–6 move into nurture with timed check-ins and value touches.

6. Scripts & Messaging

Scripts keep outreach consistent while leaving room for real conversation. Calls are short, outcome-based, and designed to secure a next step—not to close the deal on the phone.

Call Script Framework (60 seconds max intro)

Intro: “Hi [Name], this is [Your Name] with [Company]. Do I have the right person to discuss this briefly?”
Reason: “The reason I’m calling is we work with [ICP] on [outcome].”
Qualify: “Quick question—are you currently [state that indicates fit/timing]?”
Transition: “If it’s relevant, the next step is a quick 15-minute call with [Closer/Advisor] to see if it’s worth pursuing.”
Close: “How does your schedule look later this week for a quick chat?”

Email Messaging Framework

Personalized first line referencing business, role, or trigger.
Short paragraph introducing your value proposition in one sentence.
Clear CTA: “Open to a quick 15 minutes?” or “Should I send a short overview?”
Signature includes SDR name + company + scheduling link (where applicable).
Plain-text style preferred; limit links; one CTA per email.

LinkedIn Messaging Framework

Connection note: 1 personalization point + no pitch.
Thank you message: value statement + one question.
Follow-up: insight or benchmark + invite conversation.
CTA: offer two options (quick call or send resource).

7. Assignment & Routing

Routing ensures closers receive fully contextualized opportunities—not raw replies. The SDR owns booking + context; the closer owns the consult and conversion.

Process Steps

SDR uses the closer scheduling link to book meetings (or sends options to confirm time).
SDR completes a Lead Summary in CRM notes (required format below).
SDR sends a summary email (or CRM task) to closer and manager.
SDR optionally joins the first 2–5 minutes for introduction and context.

Lead Summary Template (copy/paste)

Field	What to include
Contact & Company	Name, title, company, LinkedIn, location, best number/email.
Context	Why they’re interested (trigger, pain point, timeline).
Qualification	Fit notes, decision-maker status, stakeholders, constraints.
Next Step	Meeting date/time, agenda expectation, attendees.
Source	Lead source + campaign/cadence name + rating before/after contact.

8. CRM Rules of Play

Data hygiene is non-negotiable. Clean logging enables QA, reporting, and consistent follow-up. If it isn’t logged, it didn’t happen.

Standards

All calls, emails, and touches logged the same day.
Required fields updated for every touch (cadence step, next touch date, lead rating).
Comments are date-stamped and consistent with cadence progress.
Approved shorthand: VME, PING, SE, FU, CB, OOO.
Never overwrite history—append notes; keep a clean timeline.

Disposition Rules (recommended)

Bad data → mark as invalid, enrich/verify, and remove from active cadence until fixed.
Wrong persona → attempt referral; otherwise re-route to correct contact at the account.
Unsubscribe / do-not-contact → apply compliance label and stop immediately.
No show → update rating, send reschedule email, and re-enter short follow-up cadence.

9. Reporting & Analytics

Weekly reporting connects activity to outcomes: dials, connects, meetings set, conversion rates, and where the cadence is winning (or stalling).

Weekly Call Report

Touch-level log for QA: dials, connects, durations, outcomes, ratings, and notes quality.

Cadence Report

Movement through steps/blocks and conversion from cold → warm → meeting set.

Insights & Actions

Top objections, best performing steps, suggested script edits, and list quality flags.

Minimum Weekly Metrics (recommended)

Category	Track	Why it matters
Activity	Dials, emails sent, LinkedIn touches	Ensures cadence consistency and capacity planning.
Connectivity	Connect rate, answer rate, email open rate	Reveals list quality and channel viability.
Conversation	Reply rate, positive reply rate, meaningful conversations	Measures message-market fit and interest.
Conversion	Meetings set, show rate, next-step rate	Measures pipeline impact and handoff quality.
Hygiene	CRM compliance, missing fields, bad data rate	Keeps reporting reliable and prevents follow-up gaps.

10. Resource Allocation

Choose a coverage model based on territory, dial volume, meeting targets, and how many segments you run at once. (Pricing intentionally omitted in this playbook.)

Starter Coverage

One SDR with manager support. Best for testing ICP + messaging and establishing consistent activity.

Standard Coverage

Full SDR + weekly management. Best for consistent deal flow and multiple active campaigns.

Team Coverage

Two or more SDRs with centralized management. Best for multi-territory scaling and higher meeting targets.

Capacity Planning (rule of thumb)

More segments = more enrichment time required (don’t over-rotate too many campaigns at once).
Low connect rate usually means list quality and/or dialing windows need adjustment.
Meeting targets must match reachable audience size and channel constraints.

11. Scheduling & Handoff

The SDR sets the meeting, provides context, and hands off cleanly so the closer can lead the consult.

Meeting Handoff Process

SDR joins 5 minutes early, greets, and introduces the closer.
Summarizes previous discussion points and confirms goals for the call.
Exits after successful handoff (unless asked to stay).
Logs meeting details and sends a follow-up summary.
If “No Show,” SDR updates CRM rating and sends reschedule email.

12. Email & Calendar Management

Inbox and calendar hygiene prevent missed follow-ups, broken handoffs, and inconsistent reporting.

Daily Email Routine

Clear inbox at 8 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, and 5 PM. Don’t archive emails that still need CRM updates.

Calendar Rules

Use consistent meeting titles and descriptions. Ensure reschedule links and timezones are correct.

Color Coding (optional)

Blue: Internal • Orange: Reminders • Green: Client/Closer meetings

13. Metrics for Success

Targets must be adapted to your ICP size, dialing windows, and channel quality. Use these as baseline operating targets.

Category	Target	Notes
Daily Dials	80–100	Assumes time blocked for enrichment, follow-ups, and admin.
Email Touches	50+	Plain-text, personalized first line; one CTA per email.
Meetings Booked	2–3 / week	Varies by ICP and list quality; track show rate and next-step rate.
Lead-to-Meeting Conversion	≥ 10%	Measured from meaningful conversations or “warm” ratings to meetings set.
CRM Data Accuracy	100% compliance	Required fields updated same day; no missing rating/next step.

14. Continuous Improvement

Improvement is a cadence just like outreach. Review performance, adjust one variable at a time, and measure the outcome.

Weekly

Manager review for quality + pipeline health (QA calls, objections, list issues, meeting quality.

Monthly

Cadence effectiveness analysis + conversion tuning (steps, timing, CTA, and segment performance).

Quarterly

Script refresh aligned to market trends, offerings, and the best-performing angles.

Always: optimize based on signals

Connect rate low → adjust list quality, dialing windows, and phone enrichment.
Reply rate low → adjust subject lines, first lines, and relevance angle.
Show rate low → tighten confirmation, reminders, and agenda setting.
Close conversion low → improve qualification and handoff notes, align ICP.

15. Next Steps

This playbook is an operational blueprint for integrating SDR execution with your sales/advisory team—so every outbound action drives measurable outcomes. When value exceeds cost, conversations turn into meetings, and meetings turn into deals.

Ready to operationalize this SDR playbook?

We’ll map your ICP, cadence blocks, lead ratings, and handoff workflow.
Then we build a launch plan: data enrichment, message angles, and reporting cadence.
Finally, we start execution with QA + optimization loops from week one.