Where to begin: if it looks like trash, smells like trash, and feels like trash.. it's trash. The most frustrating thing about ST is that the employees genuinely want to succeed and try hard. Unfortunately, the environment they've created prohibits anyone from doing so.
Regarding the SDR team, the org was foundational set up incorrectly, resulting in each dept within the sales org to be incredibly siloed. There is absolutely no cross collaboration within the GTM function. The first company I've worked at that has 0 alignment between the SDR & AE Org. There are so many rules and sub rules (SLA's) and opportunities to DQ that each team ends up focusing solely what's on their own self-interest. Because of this, it feel like its always feels like its the SDR team VERSUS the AE team.
SDRs are forced to use a script and playbook that is archaic which results in an overwhelming lack of success, yet they keep forcing the agenda. Every rep and manager is only coached on how well they're adhering to the script and playbook - over time it's just a broken record. Furthermore, they have no career growth opportunities: SDRs RARELY get promoted to AEs. Not only does the company not enable them to become AEs, the AE team has no interest in hiring internally from the SDR org because "they don't have closing experience." So now there's an org where less than 10% of reps are hitting quota, and even if they do, their hard work doesn't get them promoted. The attrition is so high due to performance management or lack of career mobility, there is a new onboarding class every month! This creates low morale among the team and stress for the managers for constant interviewing and new team members added.
Managers have great insight and suggestions as to how to progress the org but our input doesn't matter. It falls on deaf ears to leadership who honestly have no idea how the SDR org operates: they focus only on the success of the AEs and pretend to hear us out.
Regarding leadership, they have the wrong people in seat, and because these people are so protected, the org has never progressed. Based on performance management alone, everyone should have been replaced by now but they're still there and of course nothing has changed.
As a manager, your experience at ST can vary greatly depending on who your Sr. Manager is. You can either have full autonomy to manager your team how you'd like or you can suffocate through micromanagement. However, regardless of who your Sr. Manager is, the chance of you hitting over 80% is slim anyway due to poor processes.
Morale is low on the team and there's a non-existent sales culture. Most people just feel battered to the ground and if you speak up then you'll have a target on your back. Constantly seeing your peers quit/leave + not making quota/commissions + not getting promoted just leads to high attrition. Most SDRs figure this out quickly and start looking for new jobs shortly into their tenure.
Overall, ST makes things incredibly more difficult and frustrating than they need to be. I'm surprised that they've lasted this long operating the way they do. I would suggest only joining if you're unemployed and desperate for some income, and then silently applying elsewhere while employed.
