Skip to content

THE SEISMIC SPRING 2022 RELEASE IS HERE. Learn More

CHOOSE YOUR LANGUAGE

  • English
    • Enablement Cloud

      Meet the unified solution that’s igniting revenue growth for customer-facing teams.

      Learn More
    • PRODUCTS

      • Sales Content Management
      • Learning & Coaching
      • Buyer Engagement
      • Content Automation
      • Strategy & Planning
      • Enablement Intelligence
    • PLATFORM

      • Platform Overview
      • Integrations
    • What is Sales Enablement?

      New to sales enablement? No problem. Learn what it is and why it matters here.

      Learn More
    • USE CASES

      • Sales Enablement Teams
      • Sales Teams
      • Marketing Teams
    • INDUSTRIES

      • All Industries
      • Asset Management
      • Banking
      • Healthcare & Life Sciences
      • Technology
    • Read Their Stories

      Read how global customers from all different industries thrive with Seismic.

      Read Their Stories
    • CUSTOMER STORIES

      • Genesys
      • Deluxe
    • FOR OUR CUSTOMERS

      • Seismic University
      • Seismic Community
    • About Us

      Discover who we are, what we value, and how we work at Seismic.

      Learn More
    • ABOUT SEISMIC

      • Careers
      • Leadership
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Partners
      • Aftershock Store
      • Contact Us
    • NEWS

      • Newsroom
      • Analyst & 3rd Party Reports
      • Shift 2022
    • Sales Acceleration

      Explore best practices for onboarding, ramping, and upskilling your sellers.

      Learn More
    • WHAT'S NEW

      • Blog
      • Events & Webinars
    • COLLECTION HUBS

      • Resources Center
      • Enablement Explainers
      • AI-Guided Selling
      • Social Selling
      • Financial Services
      • Buyer Engagement
  • Get a Demo
Return to the Blog
Company & Culture

Four lessons from my first 30 days as an SDR

Why experienced learners have a unique perspective.

Rob Reyes
Rob Reyes
Sales Development Representative, Seismic
February 18, 2021
A worker presenting information on a white board in front of a group of other workers.

During our college years, most of us can remember attending classes with adult learners. I distinctly remember thinking about how different their experiences seemed to be. They were always a bit more engaged, more invested, and in somewhat of a rush.

As an experienced professional among the new Sales Development Representatives (SDR) at Seismic, I’ve thought a lot about adult students during my first 30 days. I mention adult students, because they always seemed to be keen to learn as much as they could and, at the time, I didn’t fully understand why. As I reflect on my first 30 days at Seismic, I hope to, in some ways, be like the adult learners I remember, while also reliving some of the shared experiences that made being an undergraduate so much fun.

It’s important to be engaged in onboarding lessons

The adult students I met in college came from diverse backgrounds. They were former military, entrepreneurs finishing or furthering their education, and parents entering or reentering the workforce. As adult learners and experienced professionals, being highly-engaged in the classroom stems from real-world experience that creates a deeper appreciation of knowledge, especially when balancing the challenges that come with daily living. 

Seismic’s onboarding has made it easy to stay engaged. Training solutions like Lessonly make it easy to work at your own pace, within the flow of a workday or when you have spare time at home. The webinars and virtual meetings have been insightful, and sales leadership have been accessible and encourage questions while delivering thoughtful, valuable responses. And, with most of our learning materials accessible within our internal instance of the Seismic platform, it’s easy to access the content and information we need, when we need it. 

I’ve felt engaged in my first 30 days, because, just like the adult students in college, I recognize how important these learning experiences are to my ultimate success. So, it was a big deal that our Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) set aside an hour during the final weeks of the fiscal year to share his experience and advice for a successful career in sales. I wouldn’t let that time go to waste.

Onboarding skills are an investment in your future

In college, when I got to know some of the adult students on campus, they were more invested. They either paid for school themselves or had given up a job to attend classes. In effect, they could attribute a dollar amount to time spent learning.

Having spent some time working and raising a family before starting my role as an SDR, I know that every skill I learn during the onboarding process will directly contribute to my salary and I’ve considered the potential impact on myself and my loved ones.

Lessons I’ve learned throughout my career help me to better appreciate lessons in onboarding. Everything we learn from our leadership team during onboarding, is an investment in the company. They’re choosing to invest in us, and I feel an obligation to show a return on investment by taking advantage of the knowledge they’ve shared.

There’s no need to rush

In college, the adult students I knew were eager to get to the point of a lesson. I believe they understood  as adults, that time is money, and  the faster you learn new skills, the quicker you can apply them.

During my first 30 days, I’ve often reminded myself to slow down. Indeed, at a certain point, there are quotas and real expectations for my performance, but, for now, it’s more important to build a foundation for long-term success.

Leadership has been outstanding in helping us build that foundation—through quick encouragement, as well as opportunities to improve when necessary.

Always find a way to connect with colleagues

The one thing I didn’t mention was how difficult it was for some of the adult college students to connect. Maybe it was the age gap or the concern that they didn’t have much in common with younger students. In my time at Seismic, I’ve tried hard to make connections, and my younger colleagues have made it easy to build relationships among teammates, even virtually.

It is so important to connect with your colleagues. While it may seem difficult to connect in a remote environment, I’ve found it somewhat easier. I’ve had meetings with Seismic teammates in Germany (shout out Jens!), San Diego, Los Angeles, and Boston. That’s only possible because we are all just a Zoom call away. While I’ve learned so much from my coaches during onboarding, the knowledge I’ve learned from my Seismic colleagues who are connecting with prospects every day will help me to grow. My experience has only been possible because—and I’m biased—Seismic has an incredible culture and some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met!

So, even though I’ve felt like I was treading water for much of these first 30 days, I’ve always felt supported by leadership and colleagues. I know that many challenges await after onboarding, but I know I won’t be facing them alone!

If you’d like to join the Seismic team, check out our Careers page. We’re hiring!

  • training
Rob Reyes
Rob Reyes
Sales Development Representative, Seismic
Rob Reyes is a Sales Development Representative in the Financial Services vertical. He's a former teacher and athlete who is passionate about educating and helping people solve their problems in a highly competitive landscape.

Related articles

Building a culture of One Seismic

Seismic’s mission, vision, and values
Read More: Building a culture of One Seismic

How we’re shaking up our brand in 2022

Same Seismic, New Look
Read More: How we’re shaking up our brand in 2022
Illustration of a woman holding a calendar.

Women’s History Month at Seismic

Highlights from Seismic Sisters
Read More: Women’s History Month at Seismic

If you made it this far, we must be striking a chord.

Get a Demo
Seismic
  • Product
  • Seismic Enablement Cloud™
  • Sales Content Management
  • Learning & Coaching
  • Buyer Engagement
  • Content Automation
  • Strategy & Planning
  • Enablement Intelligence
  • Solutions
  • Sales Enablement Teams
  • Sales Teams
  • Marketing Teams
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Resources Center
  • Trending Topics
  • What is Sales Enablement?
  • What is AI-Guided Selling?
  • What is Social Selling?
  • Integrations
  • All Integrations
  • Google
  • Microsoft
  • Salesforce
  • COMPANY
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
ISO 27001 Certified by Schellman
  • © 2022 Seismic
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Follow us on Linkedin
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on YouTube
  • Follow us on Facebook