Overview
You're the first sales hire at Zendra, working with borrowers who are already reaching out. You'll handle inbound leads, qualify them, and try to figure out what questions to ask and how to move deals forward. There's no playbook - you're building it.
Role Snapshot
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Role Type | Founding SDR / Early AE hybrid |
| Sales Motion | Inbound-heavy (leads already coming in) |
| Deal Complexity | Unknown - depends on borrower size/type |
| Sales Cycle | Unknown - you'll figure it out |
| Deal Size | Unknown - lending product, likely variable |
| Quota (est.) | None set yet - early stage |
Company Context
Stage: Pre-seed or Seed (first sales hire)
Size: <10 employees (startup)
Growth: Inbound demand already exists ("overwhelmed with leads")
Market Position: New entrant in lending/borrowing space
GTM Reality
Pipeline Sources:
- 100% Inbound currently - borrowers coming to them (quality/source unknown)
- No outbound motion built yet
- Unclear if these are qualified leads or tire-kickers
SDR/AE Structure: You're it. No team, no handoffs.
SE Support: No support infrastructure mentioned.
Competitive Landscape
Main Competitors: Unknown (lending space is crowded)
How They Differentiate: Not specified
Common Objections: Likely pricing, terms, trust (new company)
Win Themes: Unknown - you'll discover them
What You'll Actually Do
Time Breakdown
Lead Response (40%) | Qualification Calls (30%) | Process Building (20%) | Founder Syncs (10%)
Key Activities
- Responding to inbound inquiries: Triaging leads as they come in, figuring out who's serious vs browsing
- Qualification calls: Having conversations to understand borrower needs, loan amounts, urgency - without a script
- CRM setup: Probably building basic tracking in a spreadsheet or setting up a CRM from scratch
- Process documentation: Writing down what questions work, what objections you hear, what converts
The Honest Reality
What's Hard
- No one knows what a good lead looks like yet - you'll waste time on unqualified prospects
- Zero training or onboarding - founders will be busy building product
- "Overwhelmed with leads" might mean 5/day or 50/day, and quality is unknown
- You're making it up as you go - no manager coaching you, no peer to learn from
- Compensation is low for NYC market, likely minimal commission structure initially
What Success Looks Like
- Converting X% of inbound leads to qualified opportunities (you'll set the benchmark)
- Building a repeatable qualification framework that founders can use to hire SDR #2
- Identifying which lead sources/types convert best
Who You're Selling To
Primary Buyers:
- Borrowers (individuals or businesses - unclear from post)
- Likely varies by loan type/size
What They Care About:
- Loan terms and rates
- Speed of approval/funding
- Trust in a new platform
Requirements
- Comfortable with extreme ambiguity and zero structure
- Self-directed - no one will tell you what to do each day
- Willing to take low base salary for equity/experience
- Can handle rejection and figure things out independently
- NYC-based (even though remote) for founder collaboration