The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Sales Development Representative (SDR) / Business Development Representative (BDR)
1-3 yearsSkills to master
- Prospecting, lead qualification, initial outreach (calls, emails, social), objection handling, CRM basics, time management, resilience.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently hitting or exceeding monthly targets for booked meetings and qualified leads.
- Strong understanding of our product and target market.
- Excellent communication and rapport-building skills on initial calls.
- Proactive in seeking feedback and implementing coaching.
- 2
Customer Success Representative / Account Manager (Junior)
2-4 yearsSkills to master
- Customer relationship management, understanding client needs, identifying upsell/cross-sell opportunities, product knowledge, problem-solving, retention strategies.
You're ready to move on when
- Proven ability to build strong client relationships and ensure customer satisfaction.
- Experience identifying and closing small expansion opportunities within existing accounts.
- Deep product knowledge and ability to articulate value to clients.
- Strong internal collaboration skills with product and support teams.
- 3
Sales Support Specialist / Sales Operations Analyst
2-3 yearsSkills to master
- CRM administration, sales process understanding, data analysis, reporting, sales tool proficiency, internal stakeholder management.
You're ready to move on when
- Deep understanding of the sales process and CRM functionality.
- Ability to identify inefficiencies and suggest process improvements.
- Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
- Good communication skills for interacting with sales reps and managers.