Sales
A first round for an SDR should answer three things: can this person start a conversation with a stranger, can they handle the first no, and will they keep going through a slow week. A short role-play and a few stories about past outreach tell you most of it in twenty minutes.
SDRs sell with their voice, and AI-led follow-ups push past a rehearsed answer the way a real prospect would.
What to screen for
The questions
Ask them in order. Listen for specifics: what happened, what they did, how it ended.
Strong answer
Says who they are, gives a reason for the call tied to my role, names one likely problem and asks for a short meeting instead of pitching the whole product.
Weak answer
Reads out a feature list, never asks a question, or forgets to ask for the meeting.
Strong answer
Agrees, then asks one question to make the email worth reading, like what’s on my plate this quarter, and tries to fix a time to follow up.
Weak answer
Says “sure” and hangs up, or carries on pitching as if they didn’t hear it.
Strong answer
Names specific sources, such as the company’s site, recent news, job posts and the person’s role, and shows how one detail becomes the first line of a message.
Weak answer
Uses the same template for everyone, or says research takes too long.
Strong answer
Describes the steps, channels and message, what the replies told them, and a concrete change they made because of it.
Weak answer
Can’t say what they changed, or puts the results down to luck.
Strong answer
Defines fit in terms of need, authority and timing, and gives an example of turning down a keen prospect who wasn’t a fit.
Weak answer
Books anyone who says yes, because meetings are the target.
Strong answer
Owns the numbers, looks at what changed in the list, message or timing, and describes what they adjusted the following week.
Weak answer
Blames the leads, the territory or the product, and changed nothing.
Strong answer
Passes on notes the AE can use: who’s attending, the problem in the prospect’s own words, what was promised and any objections raised.
Weak answer
Sends a calendar invite and considers the job done.
Strong answer
Enjoys the conversations and the daily scoreboard, and has a realistic view of the path toward closing deals.
Weak answer
Sees it only as something to get through, or can’t describe what the job involves day to day.
Before the interview
Quick facts to read alongside the interview. They aren’t scored.
Listen for
Avoid
Use this in LessRounds
Paste the questions into a scripted interview, add the scorecard skills, and share one link. Every sales development representative (sdr) candidate gets the same questions, and you get a score for each skill with the quote behind it.
An SDR creates pipeline: they find prospects, start conversations and book qualified meetings. An account executive takes those meetings and runs the deal through to a signed contract. Screen SDRs for outreach and resilience, and AEs for discovery and closing.
No. Many good SDRs come from jobs where they talked to strangers all day. A short role-play shows how someone handles an objection far better than the titles on their résumé.
Start with 10 free interviews a month. No card, no sales call.