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The CC-SDS exam functions as a means for candidates to prove their skills and knowledge to employers. See exactly how the exam works and book a demo with us today.
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Why CC-SDS?
Expanded Hiring Pool: Pre-qualify candidates who would otherwise not make it through your ATS filters. Studies show that ATS filters block up to 75% of qualified candidates from getting a chance to interview. That is a lot of talent that you are missing in your process.
Improved Candidate Filtering: The cost of fully interviewing a candidate can be as high as $500 and that does not factor in the opportunity cost for your sales leadership team. Your ATS does a good job of filtering for experience and education but it does not qualify candidates based on their knowledge of skills. Our certification test does.
Faster Hiring Process: Your interview team is best qualified to test candidates for cultural fit and unique job-specific knowledge and skills. Suppose your team is confident that certified candidates have the basic knowledge and skills required for your positions. In that case, they can spend more time exploring cultural fit and diving deeper into your unique requirements.
Exam Topics:
1. The Role of a Sales Development Specialist (Knowledge)
Definition and responsibilities of an SDS
Key differences between BDRs, SDRs, and Account Executives
Importance of SDSs in the sales funnel and company growth
2. Prospecting and Lead Generation (Knowledge)
Identifying target markets and ideal customer profiles (ICPs)
Tools and techniques for finding prospects including LinkedIn
Developing and maintaining a healthy sales pipeline
Researching prospects effectivel
3. Crafting and Delivering Effective Outreach (Knowledge and Skills)
Writing compelling emails and crafting impactful messages
Techniques for cold calling and voicemail strategies
Social selling: Engaging with prospects via social media
Personalization and timing in outreach (Cadence)
4. Building Rapport and Qualifying Leads (Knowledge and Skills)
Techniques to build trust and establish rapport with prospects
Investigating to uncover pain points
Qualification frameworks (e.g., BANT, CHAMP, or MEDDIC)
Identifying when to pass leads to Account Executives
5. Handling Objections and Rejection (Knowledge and Skills)
Anticipating common objections and how to respond effectively
Demonstrating empathy in sales conversations
Asking questions to clarify concerns
Strategies for staying resilient and motivated after rejection
Continuous learning from failed attempts
6. Leveraging Tools and Technology (Knowledge)
Overview of key sales tools: CRMs (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot), automation platforms, and prospecting tools
Data tracking and analytics for performance improvement
Time management and productivity tools for BDRs
7. Measuring Success and Continuous Improvement (Knowledge)
Key metrics for BDRs: Activity levels, conversion rates, pipeline contribution
Setting and achieving personal and team goals
Seeking feedback and mentorship
Staying up-to-date with industry trends and best practices
How We Test
Integrity: The exam is conducted via a web conference with a live proctor. The candidate is required to engage without notes, without accessing files or web content and without the assistance of others. If a proctor suspects that you are violating any of these rules, they will be given two warnings. If the proctor identifies a third potential violation of the rules, the candidate will fail the exam.
Role Playing: In the role play, the candidate plays the role of a BDR for CareerDash attempting to secure appointments with a hiring manager at Tech Plus (fictional company) to meet with the CareerDash CEO.
Recording: All exams are recorded.
FAQs
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The common model of using an Applicant Tracking System to filter Sales Development candidates is broken. Up to 75% of qualified candidates get rejected and you know from experience that your team spends too much time interviewing unqualified candidates. When a candidate passes our rigorous one-hour exam, you know two things: The candidate has the basic knowledge and skills to be considered for your role. The candidate has the drive and perseverance required to earn the certification. No ATS can match that.
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The founders of CareerDash have trained over 1,000 new sales professionals. They have a combined 30+ years in sales management and have operated two successful sales training companies.
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The exam is administered by a live proctor on Zoom. Candidates are asked short and long answer questions and asked to play a number of role plays. The exam takes up to one hour.
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We do not charge hiring companies to get access to our certified candidates. We are advocates for our Certified candidates and our goal is to get them interviews. If an employer wants to use our exam or training program for their own unique purposes, we are open to customized projects for a fee.
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The exam is tough, but it is not nit-picky. Candidates are expected to know the key concepts of the sales development role, but they are not penalized for not knowing exact terminology. In the role plays, they will need to demonstrate that they have the skills to engage in phone prospecting.
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We take the integrity of our process very seriously which is why every test is administered by a live proctor. We forbid the use of notes, computer files and web searches during the exam. If we see behavior that is consistent with any of these activities, we will warn the candidate. The candidate will fail the exam if they continue to exhibit forbidden behaviors.
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Our exam was designed to qualify candidates to be interviewed. We provide a link to our exam outline. Every company has some unique job requirements and you should fully interview our certified candidates to determine if they are good fits for your role and your culture; however, based on placing hundreds of entry level sales professionals, we believe that the knowledge and skills for which we test likely cover 90%+ of the knowledge and skills attributes you will assess during your selection process.