Selling Outside the Box

Those who can sell — win. Those who can’t — can learn.

Whether you’re starting a business, trying to land a job, or working in almost any field, the core skills that top-performing sales professionals master are required to stay ahead of your competition.

Deng Phua graduated from the University of Delaware with a BA in Biological Sciences. With personal interests, including music, art, and reading, many would consider him an atypical candidate for a highly lucrative sales career. A career in sales is not about where you come from, it’s about where you want to go, and the opportunities are limitless.

For Deng, landing a Sales Development Representative (SDR)  job at memoryBlue proved the perfect platform to flex his creativity and satisfy his curious mind. The high-tech sales industry was not even on his radar upon graduating, but little did he know his unique interests and skills would set him apart.

Now, with a 3-year tenure at memoryBlue, Deng’s annual earnings are upwards of $200K. And — contrary to the traditional SDR persona — his out-of-the-box style not only makes his job more interesting, but makes him stand out to prospects.

Cold-Calling is King

Cold-calling is king, and Deng is the King of Cold-Calling. Ironically enough, the majority of outbound sales in the high-tech industry happen through human-to-human conversations. At memoryBlue, SDRs get detailed and coveted training for this critical skill — a whopping 77% of SDR’s meetings with prospects have been booked by phone so far in 2022. The future of sales depends on human connection. Deng argues:

 “Think about it; as more and more interactions become automated, cold-calling will be the most difficult outreach method to replicate. It’s impossible to build genuine rapport and trust with a bot, and sales are dependent on both.”

A 2021-2022 report from Finance Online shows that 86% of buyers book meetings with salespeople who began the interaction with a cold call.

On average, Deng logs 150-200 calls a day, strategically planning them to best suit the optimum time for prospect availability. For Deng, outreach tools like email and LinkedIn are strictly secondary because cold-calling is NOT dead. His commitment to prospect connection and his record-breaking success in the SDR role made Deng the obvious choice to help kick off the memoryBlue high-growth PPM team in July 2020. 

Don’t All SDRs Want to Become AEs?

No. For some, being an SDR is a jumping-off point. For others, like Deng, it’s a place to become the expert on the art of the cold call. For those like Deng, who revel in the thrill of cold outreach and blowing past quotas regularly, staying an SDR on memoryBlue’s high-growth Pay Per Meeting (PPM) team could be the most profitable route.

On the high-growth team, Deng set the standard for how to effectively sell multiple solutions from varying tech companies instead of focusing on only one. It’s certainly not for everyone, but Deng describes it from an exciting perspective:

“Cold-calling is one of the more thrilling aspects of sales. You’re fighting tooth and nail with these prospects, and there’s a thrill in that. It’s the modern-day hunting: an adrenaline rush. Dopamine releases in the brain every time you book a meeting. It’s an addiction that’s actually good for you.” 

And apparently good for your wallet, too. Deng grossed $212K last year alone, choosing the lowest base salary option available and banking on his success to bring him the big money — only three years out of college.

A memoryBlue PPM Sales Development Representative (SDR) sees a direct correlation between their hustle and their earnings, and impressive performance offers more access to different accounts. Self-motivated, money-driven, and highly confident people prosper, proving that the SDR role can be a long-term career move.

Deng sets the bar for what it means to be a top performer, making and breaking records since the beginning:

	After only 10-months at memoryBlue with a 150% quota attainment, Deng became a founding member of the memoryBlue high-growth PPM team in July 2020.
	In September 2021, Deng booked 47 meetings in a single month, earning him a $21K bonus in one month.
	In March 2021, Deng cut down the net in memoryBlue Madness, a 7-week company-wide bracket competition.
	At the end of 2021, Deng broke the company record for most occurred meetings of any SDR — 387 in a single year.
	Cold Calling isn’t Dead: Deng books 100% of his meetings with cold calls.
	Sets a record with 30 consecutive months of exceeding quota — In 2022 alone, he’s passed quota by over 500%.

Make it Your Own

Cold calls are only as effective as the skill level of the SDR; mastering the basics is a must. A jazz musician doesn’t start attempting to solo if they don’t know the scales forward and backward. Similarly, SDRs should apply the basic prospecting skills taught in memoryBlue Academy before getting creative to supercharge their results; build the foundation, then the house. Deng encourages SDRs who are hitting their stride to make things their own:

“Get out of the mold. Catching people off guard and taking a different approach than they expect can be all you need to keep them on the phone, take a follow-up call, or even book a meeting.”

Breaking the rules before you know them seldom works for anyone and will only prolong your time in the beginning stages. Getting comfortable calling strangers is a hurdle all on its own, let alone having meaningful conversations. Deng suggests:

“Consider switching up the order of your call or changing up your opening statement. And definitely think outside traditional timeframes. Now, more than ever, schedules are more varied and flexible, so pay attention to the trends in the area of the country you’re targeting.”

Be Interested and Interesting

Deng recommends you embrace your unique personality traits or interests in your sales strategy because they will set you apart in this highly competitive market.

“You’re calling people. Be a person yourself, outside of this job. Don’t let go of all your other interests: they will offer valuable perspective and depth that will help you immensely in the long run. The shock value alone of talking to a prospect about a shared interest can seriously reduce the number of touchpoints you have to make to book the meeting.”

Ask questions and be genuine about your interest to learn something from the prospect, take a recommendation, or gather crucial intel. Aside from being an effective strategy, it’s far more engaging and likely to keep you motivated.

And most importantly, find ways to mitigate stress; this career path involves a continual series of trial and error — and frankly, more of the latter — so don’t beat yourself up or be afraid to try something new. Deng advises:

“DIAL MORE. Try new things, read more, improve your vocabulary, and constantly be adding to your library of knowledge. It is crucial if you want to get good at this.”

Determination, self-motivation, willingness to learn, and commitment to growth are the only things required to start a promising career in high-tech sales. Add endless opportunities, unparalleled training, and a cross-country network of top-sales professionals, and you’re well on your way to earning a spot among the memoryBlue High Rollers, just like Deng.

Jumpstart Your Career 

Interested in following in Deng’s footsteps? memoryBlue is hiring multiple motivated Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) across each of our six offices in DC Metro, Austin (TX), Boston (MA), Denver (CO), Silicon Valley (CA), and Seattle (WA).

Check Out Some Other High Rollers: Jack Klaas | Shannon Pierce | Kyle Gross