Sales Development Representative

📋 Description

• • Join CommonLit, a leading nonprofit education technology organization dedicated to empowering students, particularly those in underserved communities, with the essential reading, writing, communication, and problem-solving skills needed for success in college and beyond. We are driven by a vision of a world where every student receives a world-class education, delivered through our widely adopted online reading program used in over 90,000 schools nationwide.
• • As a Sales Development Representative (SDR) for School Partnerships, you will play a pivotal role in expanding CommonLit's impact across US schools by directly supporting our Sales Team and contributing significantly to our overall business objectives. This is a unique opportunity to be an impact multiplier within a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
• • Your primary focus will be on early pipeline development, ensuring that we can deliver our core curriculum package, School Essentials PRO Plus, to teachers and students more efficiently. We are seeking an individual who is not only capable of immediately contributing to urgent tasks but also possesses the foresight to future-proof our early pipeline processes, laying the groundwork for sustained success in the years to come.
• • You will be instrumental in achieving our yearly bookings goals by meticulously managing and developing the sales pipeline. This involves a multi-faceted approach to identifying, engaging, and qualifying potential leads, ensuring a robust and high-quality pipeline for the Sales Team.
• • Key responsibilities include proactive prospecting, where you will research and identify new opportunities and potential leads for outreach. This requires a keen eye for detail and an understanding of the educational landscape.
• • You will engage directly with potential leads through targeted email campaigns and phone calls, initiating conversations and building initial relationships. Your ability to craft compelling messages and communicate effectively will be crucial in this aspect.
• • A critical part of your role will be lead qualification, where you will assess the viability of potential leads, ensuring that the Sales Team focuses their efforts on the most promising opportunities. This involves understanding the needs and challenges of educational institutions.
• • You will conduct in-depth research into school districts and state contexts, gathering intelligence on educational initiatives, policies, and decision-making structures. This research will inform outreach strategies and tailor our approach to specific markets.
• • Supporting Sales Leadership, you will analyze early pipeline trends, identify patterns, and propose actionable strategies to respond to these trends, contributing to data-driven decision-making.
• • Meticulous CRM management is essential. You will accurately log all activities in Salesforce, including processing new leads, recording qualification details, and documenting outreach efforts, ensuring data integrity and a clear view of the sales funnel.
• • You are encouraged to propose potential improvements to existing processes, aiming to increase efficiency in pipeline maintenance and development. Your innovative ideas will help streamline our operations and enhance productivity.
• • You will regularly conduct market research on state contexts, initiatives, and local policies, collaborating with teammates to synthesize findings and uplift insights. This information will be vital for refining state-based strategies across both sales and marketing efforts.
• • Additionally, you will contribute to various team projects as needed, demonstrating flexibility and a willingness to support the broader goals of the organization.
• • This role demands a goal-oriented and team-first mindset, coupled with strong self-motivation and resilience. You will need excellent interpersonal, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills, alongside exceptional time-management and attention-to-detail capabilities.
• • The ideal candidate will be comfortable working remotely, maintaining productivity and engagement within a distributed team environment. You will be a key player in helping CommonLit achieve its mission of transforming education for all students.
• • This position requires a commitment to our mission and a passion for making a tangible difference in the lives of students and educators across the United States. Your work will directly contribute to providing equitable access to high-quality educational resources.