Commercial Engagement Executive

Overview

You're the outbound engine for the Regional Business Manager. You research healthcare organizations (NHS trusts, labs, providers), run outreach sequences, make calls, qualify inbound leads, and book qualified discovery meetings. You're measured on activity (calls, emails, touches) and outcomes (meetings booked, opportunities created). Expect structure, daily metrics, and a lot of "not interested" responses.

Role Snapshot

Company Context

Stage: Established (93 employees, working with NHS)

Size: 93 employees

Growth: First dedicated SDR hire - building repeatable prospecting motion

Market Position: Niche medtech player selling into conservative healthcare buyers

GTM Reality

Pipeline Sources You're Working:

• 80% Outbound - Cold outreach to target accounts (NHS trusts, healthcare providers, labs, insurers)
• 15% Inbound follow-up - Website inquiries, demo requests (low volume currently)
• 5% Referrals - Warm intros from existing customers or partners

Team Structure:

• You report to CSO (Tina Marshall)
• You're booking meetings for the Regional Business Manager (North)
• Growth Executive will build your sequences and target lists
• You're the first SDR - no peer team, you're figuring it out

What You'll Actually Do

Time Breakdown

Calling (40%) | Email/LinkedIn Outreach (30%) | Research/List Building (15%) | Admin/CRM (15%)

Key Activities

• Daily Prospecting: Make 50-70 calls per day to clinical directors, lab managers, procurement leads at NHS trusts and healthcare providers. Most calls go to voicemail or get blocked by admin staff. You're trying to get 5-10 conversations per day. Use script/talk track initially but need to personalize based on their organization's diagnostic programs. Send 40-50 personalized emails per day through HubSpot sequences.

• Research & Account Planning: Before calling, research the NHS trust or provider - what diagnostic programs do they run? Do they mention screening initiatives on their website? Find the right people on LinkedIn (Clinical Director of Pathology, Laboratory Manager, Head of Procurement). Build context so your outreach isn't generic. This takes time but improves response rates from 1% to 3-4%.

• Qualification & Meeting Setting: When someone responds or takes a call, you're qualifying: Do they have diagnostic/screening programs? What's their current setup? Who else needs to be involved? What's their timeline? You're booking a 30-minute discovery call with the Regional Business Manager, not just any meeting - needs to be qualified. Expect pushback: "send me information first," "we're happy with our current provider," "call me back in 6 months."

• Follow-Up Cadences: Most prospects don't respond to first touch. You're running 8-12 touch sequences over 3-4 weeks (emails, calls, LinkedIn). Persistence matters but you need to add value each touch, not just "checking in." Reference something specific about their trust or recent news. 70% of meetings come after touch 4+.

• CRM Hygiene: Log every call, email, outcome in HubSpot. CSO emphasized data quality - if it's not in HubSpot, it didn't happen. Update lead status, next touch dates, notes on conversations. This is 30-45 minutes of admin per day but non-negotiable.

The Honest Reality

What's Hard

• Healthcare/NHS buyers don't respond to cold outreach like SaaS buyers. Response rates are low (2-3%). You'll make 50 calls and get 2 conversations, book 0-1 meetings. That's normal but still demoralizing.
• Getting past gatekeepers/admin staff at NHS trusts is difficult. You'll get "they're in clinic all day" or "send an email" repeatedly.
• You're selling something people don't wake up thinking about. They have a lab partner already. You're creating demand, not responding to inbound RFPs.
• Rejection is constant. Most people won't reply. Some will be rude ("take me off your list"). You need thick skin and short memory.
• It's repetitive. Same calls, same objections, same sequences. The work is grind, not variety.
• First SDR at the company means there's no established playbook. You're testing messaging, learning what works, adjusting. Some weeks you'll hit 20 meetings, others you'll struggle to hit 10.

What Success Looks Like

• Booking 15-20 qualified discovery meetings per month for the Regional Business Manager
• Maintaining 50+ calls and 40+ emails per day (activity leading indicator)
• 3-5% positive response rate on outreach (conversation, not meeting)
• 25-30% meeting show rate (prospects actually attend the discovery call)
• Converting 40-50% of meetings to qualified opportunities that AE progresses
• Clean CRM data so pipeline reporting is accurate

Who You're Calling

Primary Targets:

• Clinical Directors / Pathology Directors (strategic decision-makers)
• Laboratory Managers (operational buyers)
• Procurement Managers (commercial gatekeepers)
• Quality/Compliance Leads (technical validators)
• Screening Program Coordinators (end users)

What They Care About (Your Qualification Criteria):

• Are they running diagnostic/screening programs? (If not, not a fit)
• Do they have sample collection and lab coordination challenges? (Pain point)
• Are they under pressure to improve turnaround times or patient compliance? (Urgency)
• Is there budget and timeline for evaluating new solutions? (Qualification)
• Who else needs to be involved in decision? (Multi-threading)

Requirements

• 1-3 years SDR/BDR experience, ideally in healthcare, medtech, or complex B2B sales
• Comfortable with high call volume (50+ dials per day) and low response rates
• Resilient - can handle rejection and stay motivated
• Organized enough to manage sequences, follow-ups, and CRM admin
• Strong written and verbal communication (talking to clinical professionals, not IT buyers)
• Self-motivated - you'll have daily metrics but need to drive your own activity
• Coachable - willing to test new messaging, adjust approach based on feedback
• Comfortable with ambiguity (first SDR hire, playbook is being built)