Hank Taylor (Fractional CMO & Former VP Marketing, Vercel) - How to Automate the SDR Function & Hiring Product Advocates

This episode is a perfect fit for anyone who wants to get tactical insights on how to automate aspects of the SDR role without sacrificing quality and first principles thinking on managing inbound leads.

Hank Taylor is a Fractional CMO & advisor to many different startups. He previously was VP Marketing & RevOps at Vercel and held leadership & IC roles at companies like Gitlab, Neo4j, and Tray.io. In this episode, we get tactical from the start. Hank walks through specific email collateral and messaging workflows to mature developer leads after initial auth in. He walks through how SDR automation works and how to structure SDR teams around this tooling to make them more effective. He also covers why Product Advocates (technical SDRs) can be more impactful for companies selling technical products vs traditional SDRs. He explains the concept of Product Advocates, how to hire and train for that role, how compensation should look like, and future career paths for this role. Finally, we cover some of his most common startup advice on the marketing and inbound side.

Where to Find Hank:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/theHankTaylor

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devmarketer/

• Website: https://www.growthsprint.dev/build-a-technical-sdr-team (discount code for workshops: “boldstart”)

Where to Find Shomik:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/shomikghosh21

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shomik-ghosh-a5a71319/

• Newsletter: https://www.shomik.substack.com

• Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube.

In this episode, we cover:

(02:10) - How Hank Automates the SDR Function

(09:15) - Building the Automation Utilizing Eng Help & Low Code Tooling

(12:28) - Detailed Walk Through of Email Sequences, Content, & Thought Process Behind SDR Workflow Automation

(22:48) - Why Innovate on the SDR Function with Product Advocates

(29:48) - What Are Product Advocates / Technical SDRs

(32:57) - Where to Find & How to Train Product Advocates

(38:02) - How to Compensate Product Advocates

(39:26) - Goals for Product Advocates

(43:00) - Common Advice for Startups

(45:57) - How Founders Can Manage Building This Automation & Function

(48:59) - 80/20 Rule for Pipeline Generation

(50:52) - Learnings from Founders of Vercel, Gitlab, & Others

Show Notes:

• Hank’s Workshop on How to Hire Product Advocates for Pipeline Generation - Use Following Promo Code for Discount: “boldstart”

• Blog Post Walking Through the Technical SDR Concept

• The Only Two Rules for Writing Any Email

"How to Subscribe:

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube.