Sales Development Representative

About Us

The FT has an uncompromising mission: delivering independent, quality information, news and services to individuals and companies around the globe. It’s the cornerstone of our reputation and the heart of our ambitions for the future. But for our people, the FT offers so much more than what we do. FT people come from all kinds of backgrounds and work across a huge range of disciplines and locations, and find an empowering, warm and welcoming culture that values curiosity and rewards smart, ambitious thinking. Those who are willing to unite around our mission and live our values will find plenty to challenge, inspire and interest them. Like the audiences we serve, no two FT people are the same; but together we help our audience be better informed and understand the world around them. It’s a job that’s never mattered more, and a career that can take you anywhere you want to go.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace

At the FT, we aim for employees across all regions to have a voice so that diverse perspectives are heard and valued. We believe that a supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves at work and have the flexibility they need to meet their personal needs. We'll continue to remove barriers for all, and in particular barriers facing employees from underrepresented groups.

Job Purpose

The Floating Sales Development Representative will be responsible for identifying and creating new qualified sales opportunities for the sales team. This unique role will support all regions, including UKI, Global, APAC, Americas, and CEMEA, covering for any absences, shortfalls in SDR coverage, and helping manage capacity issues where needed. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work alongside Business Development Managers (BDMs), SDRs, and Marketing teams across all four regions. This is a rare and exciting role with extensive exposure to different markets and teams.

The FT Professional division of the Financial Times licences FT content to organisations around the world, with clients across corporate, finance, government, professional services, education, and media sectors. The Sales Development Representative will be responsible for pre-qualifying leads and prospects for the field sales team to close into new business revenue. The role will support the field sales team through a number of activities, including pre-qualification of leads/opportunities; identifying potential budget holders and stakeholders on trials; proactive prospecting for new contacts; gathering testimonials/evidence for proposals, and responding to inbound web chat inquiries.

The role reports into the UKI regional sales team. This role requires the applicant to actively prospect for new contacts; as such, they must be comfortable making 40+ calls per day to develop a good understanding of the FT product offerings.

Key Responsibilities:

• Prospect and build a sales pipeline for the field sales team via outbound calling and email communication.

• Source new sales opportunities through inbound lead follow-up.

• Research and contact potential budget holders/decision-makers.

• Pre-qualify leads and book appointments/call backs for the field sales team.

• Assign qualified leads/opportunities to the field sales team for further development and closure.

• Follow up with each field sales manager to gather feedback and agree on next steps.

• Contact readers to gather testimonials and evidence to support sales proposals.

• Act as a bridge between marketing and sales. Liaise with the marketing teams on campaign activity to generate leads and improve the quality of leads.

• Record conversations with prospects on the CRM system for reporting purposes.

• Weekly reporting, including successful calls made and challenges faced.

Required Skills / Experience:

• • Articulate and tactful communication skills, particularly on the phone.

  • Proactivity and readiness to learn and develop an understanding of FT product offerings and value proposition.

  • Effective internet research skills.

  • Self-motivated and driven with a strong desire to succeed.

  • Organised and able to prioritise a busy workload in a fast-paced environment.

  • Ability to work accurately, with strong attention to detail.

  • Display initiative in undertaking all aspects of the role.

  • Experience in lead nurturing, lead generation, and appointment setting.

  • Good team player with a willingness to collaborate.

  • Be a willing contributor to the department, offering ideas and suggestions.

What’s in it for you? Our Benefits

Our benefits vary depending on location, but we are committed to providing best in class perks across all our offices as well as an inclusive environment to develop your career. Examples of our benefits include; generous annual leave allowances, flexible working (including working from home), medical cover, enhanced parental packages, subsidised gym memberships and Giving Back opportunities. Full details of our benefits can be found here.

Further Information

The FT is committed to providing an inclusive working environment for all. We are an equal opportunities employer who seeks to recruit and appoint the best talent regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We also promote flexible working and will consider specific requests around flexibility for all roles where it can be accommodated. Please let us know if you require any adjustments as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements, or have any questions, [email protected] and a member of our team will be happy to help.

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