Position Overview
The Sales Development Representative (SDR) will play a pivotal role in supporting Cleo's US-based Channel Sales team by generating qualified pipeline of new partners and expanding use of partner-sponsored solutions. Based in India and working in alignment with US business hours, the SDR will become a product knowledge expert on Cleo's SaaS integration platform while identifying key partners in Cleo's Ecosystem and assisting the Channel team in driving new business.
A strong understanding of core business processes, particularly Order-to-Cash (O2C) and Procure-to-Pay (P2P) is essential to credibly engage with prospects and articulate Cleo's value proposition. You will also leverage AI-powered sales tools to prospect smarter, personalize outreach at scale, and maintain best-in-class pipeline hygiene in Salesforce.
What You Own
Pipeline Development
- Proactively prospect outbound opportunities to generate new business pipeline for the US Channel Sales team.
- Manage and qualify inbound leads generated through channel partner activities, marketing campaigns, and digital channels.
- Research target accounts using AI-enriched tools (Clay, Apollo AI, ZoomInfo) to identify leadership personas, target verticals, and alignment with Cleo's solutions.
- Partner with Channel Account Executives to identify, source, and develop net-new pipeline across assigned verticals.
- Identify prospective customers with cash flow vulnerability for Cleo InvoicePay, specifically suppliers to large retailers with extended payment terms.
Partner Ecosystem Engagement
- Engage ERP and platform partners (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Microsoft) to identify joint go-to-market opportunities.
- Support Channel AEs in managing partner-sourced leads from identification through SQL handoff.
- Maintain accurate records of partner activity, pipeline status, and next steps within Salesforce.
- Build relationships with partner teams and stay current on the Cleo partner ecosystem and solution integrations.
Outreach & Messaging
- Craft and execute personalized, multi-channel outreach sequences (email, LinkedIn, phone) to target personas.
- Use AI writing tools (Claude, Lavender, or equivalent) to personalize messaging at scale without sacrificing quality.
- A/B test subject lines, call scripts, and LinkedIn messages; share learnings with the broader SDR team.
- Continuously iterate on outreach based on reply to rates, conversion data, and AE feedback.
Salesforce & Pipeline Hygiene
- Log all outbound activities, call notes, and lead statuses in Salesforce within 24 hours.
- Maintain clean contact and account records with no duplicate entries, no stale stages.
- Support accurate pipeline forecasting by ensuring all qualified leads are properly staged and timestamped.
Success Metrics (First 12 Months)
Performance will be evaluated against the following KPIs. Targets reflect expectations for a fully ramped SDR (Month 4+).
| Metric | Definition | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Outbound Activities / Week | Calls + emails + LinkedIn touches | 75+ |
| SQLs Generated / Month | Sales Qualified Leads passed to Channel AE | 10+ |
| Pipeline Sourced (Qtly) | New pipeline attributed to SDR outreach | $150K+ |
| Salesforce Data Quality | % of activities logged within 24 hrs | 98%+ |
| Email Reply Rate | Positive replies to personalized sequences | ≥ 8% |
| Time-to-First-Touch | Speed from lead assignment to first contact | < 4 hours |
What You Bring
Required Qualifications
- 1–3 years of B2B SaaS sales, business development, or inside sales experience.
- A strong understanding of core supply chain business processes Order-to-Cash (O2C) and Procure-to-Pay (P2P) and the ability to translate these into prospect conversations.
- Demonstrated experience with AI sales tools (Clay, Apollo AI, Lavender, Claude, or equivalent) for prospecting and outreach.
- Hands-on experience with Salesforce CRM and sales engagement platforms (Outreach, Salesloft, or equivalent).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to engage US-based stakeholders.
- Self-motivated and goal-oriented with a track record of meeting or exceeding weekly and monthly KPIs.
Preferred Qualifications
- Familiarity with ERP or integration platforms (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics).
- Prior exposure to channel sales, partner ecosystems, or indirect sales models.
- Experience working across time zones in a distributed, global team environment.
- Strong research skills with the ability to build account maps and identify multi-threaded buying groups.
AI Fluency Standards
Cleo is building an AI-first sales organization. This role is expected to actively leverage AI across prospecting, outreach, and pipeline management.
| AI Competency | Application to SDR - Channel Role | Proficiency Expectation | Level | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI-Powered Prospecting & Account Research | Use Clay, Apollo AI, or ZoomInfo to build and enrich prospect lists, identify buying personas, and surface intent signals for Channel AE prioritization | Independently builds targeted prospect lists without AE direction; enrichment accuracy >= 90%; reduces research time by 40%+ | Practitioner | Critical |
| Personalized Outreach at Scale | Leverage AI writing tools (Claude, Lavender, or equivalent) to craft high-quality, persona-specific email and LinkedIn sequences without sacrificing authenticity | Sequences are personalized per account and persona; reply rates >= 8%; does not rely on generic templates | Practitioner | Critical |
| Prompt Engineering for Sales Workflows | Write effective prompts to generate objection-handling talking points, call prep briefs, partner ecosystem summaries, and competitive positioning content | Uses AI as a daily productivity layer; outputs are polished and business-ready with minimal manual editing | Practitioner | High |
| Salesforce & CRM Intelligence | Leverage Salesforce AI features (Einstein, activity scoring) to prioritize daily outreach queues, identify stale pipeline, and surface re-engagement signals | Logs 100% of activity within 24 hrs; uses AI-assisted prioritization to focus top-of-funnel energy on highest-probability accounts | Practitioner | High |
| Critical Evaluation of AI Outputs | Review and validate all AI-generated content — prospect data, outreach copy, research summaries — before acting or sending; flag inaccuracies to the team | Never sends unreviewed AI output externally; identifies and corrects hallucinations in prospect data or company summaries | Practitioner | Non-Negotiable |
Examples of AI Fluency in this role include: using Clay or Apollo AI to auto-enrich prospect lists, using Claude or Lavender to personalize email sequences, and using Salesforce AI features to prioritize daily outreach queues.
Key Behavioral Competencies
| Competency | Behavioral Indicator | SDR Minimum Bar |
|---|---|---|
| AI Fluency | Uses AI-powered tools to research, personalize outreach, and iterate on messaging | Adoptive — actively uses AI tools in day-to-day workflow |
| Pipeline Ownership | Proactively hunts opportunities; does not wait for inbound flow | Capable — consistent outbound activity against weekly KPIs |
| Business Acumen | Understands O2C, P2P, and supply chain pain points in prospect conversations | Capable — can articulate Cleo's value in business terms |
| Cross-Cultural Communication | Engages US-based partners and prospects with clarity and cultural fluency | Adoptive — adjusts style across geographies and personas |
| CRM Discipline | Maintains clean, accurate, up-to-date records in Salesforce | Capable — zero data hygiene exceptions |
| Growth Mindset | Seeks feedback, iterates on messaging, shares learnings with the team | Capable — demonstrates learning agility from coaching sessions |
Cleo is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.