Retail Gazette
Sales Development Representative
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Sales Development Representative (SDR)
Location: London
Working pattern: Hybrid — minimum 1 day per week in the office, increasing to 2 days per week from 2027
About Retail Gazette
Retail Gazette is a leading media brand for the UK retail industry, reaching senior decision-makers and influential voices across the sector through digital content, events, insight and commercial partnerships.
We work with some of the biggest and most ambitious brands in retail and the wider retail ecosystem, helping them connect with our highly engaged audience through digital media, content, events and sponsorship opportunities.
We’re looking for an enthusiastic and commercially driven Sales Development Representative (SDR) to join our growing commercial team and play a key role in generating new business opportunities for Retail Gazette.
The Role
As an SDR, your primary responsibility will be to create and qualify sales opportunities for our Account Directors.
You’ll be the first point of contact for many prospective clients, so you’ll need to be confident speaking to people on the phone, comfortable making cold calls and able to quickly establish rapport with prospects.
You’ll research target accounts, make initial contact, follow up with prospects and identify whether there is a genuine opportunity for Retail Gazette to help their business.
Initially, you’ll also be responsible for following up on leads, ensuring opportunities are contacted promptly, professionally and consistently.
Once a prospect has been qualified, you’ll arrange a meeting or handoff call with an Account Director, who will take responsibility for the ongoing relationship, negotiation and closing of the opportunity.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to build a career in B2B sales, media and sponsorship, with the potential to develop their skills across prospecting, qualification and client relationship management.
Core Responsibilities
Prospecting
- Research target accounts and identify relevant prospects and decision-makers.
- Initiate first contact through cold calls, email and social media/LinkedIn.
- Follow up consistently with prospects to generate conversations and meetings.
- Initially, follow up on leads, ensuring all leads are contacted and appropriately qualified.
- Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of potential opportunities.
- Identify new prospects within relevant retail, consumer, technology, agency and B2B businesses.
Lead Qualification
- Engage prospects in meaningful conversations to understand their business and marketing objectives.
- Assess whether a prospect is a good fit for Retail Gazette and its commercial offering.
- Identify the prospect’s need, budget, authority and timeframe, using frameworks such as BANT where appropriate.
- Ask the right questions to understand whether there is a genuine commercial opportunity.
- Accurately record prospect information, conversations and next steps in the CRM.
- Ensure only properly qualified opportunities are passed to Account Directors.
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Appointment Setting
- Book high-quality meetings and handoff calls for Account Directors.
- Provide Account Directors with clear background information on the prospect, their requirements and the opportunity.
- Ensure meetings are properly qualified and have a clear commercial purpose.
- Follow up with prospects to ensure meetings take place and continue nurturing opportunities where appropriate.
Client & Prospect Communication
- Be confident making outbound calls to prospective clients and speaking directly with decision-makers.
- Build rapport quickly and communicate Retail Gazette’s proposition clearly and professionally.
- Handle objections confidently and know when to challenge, qualify or progress a conversation.
- Develop strong early-stage relationships that can be handed over effectively to Account Directors.
- Represent Retail Gazette professionally across phone, email, LinkedIn and face-to-face interactions.
About You
We’re looking for someone who is confident, energetic, commercially minded and not afraid to pick up the phone.
This is not a role for someone who wants to rely solely on email or LinkedIn. Phone-based prospecting is a core part of the job, and you should genuinely enjoy speaking to new people, asking questions and creating opportunities.
You’ll be comfortable starting conversations with people you’ve never spoken to before, resilient when faced with rejection and motivated by the challenge of turning a cold prospect into a qualified sales opportunity.
Essential
- Previous experience in a sales, business development, tele-sales, recruitment or other customer-facing environment is desirable.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Very confident and comfortable speaking to clients and prospects on the phone.
- Comfortable making cold calls and initiating conversations with new prospects.
- Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
- A proactive and persistent approach to prospecting and follow-up.
- Commercially curious, with the ability to ask good questions and identify genuine client needs.
- Organised and able to manage a high volume of prospects and follow-ups.
- Motivated by targets and measurable results.
- Resilient and able to deal positively with rejection.
- Comfortable using CRM systems and sales technology.
- A willingness to learn and develop within a B2B sales environment.
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Desirable
- Previous B2B sales or SDR/BDR experience.
- Experience in media, publishing, advertising, events, sponsorship or technology sales.
- Experience using LinkedIn or other social platforms for prospecting.
- Familiarity with qualification frameworks such as BANT.
- Knowledge or interest in the UK retail industry.
What Makes You Successful in This Role?
The best SDRs are persistent, curious and commercially confident.
You’ll be someone who enjoys the challenge of picking up the phone and speaking to a new prospect. You won’t be discouraged by hearing “no” and will understand that successful outbound sales requires consistency, follow-up and resilience.
You’ll also be a great listener. Rather than simply working through a script, you’ll be able to have a genuine conversation, understand what matters to a prospect and recognise when there is a potential opportunity.
You’ll take ownership of your pipeline, hit your activity and meeting targets and work closely with Account Directors to ensure the opportunities you create are genuinely valuable.
Ultimately, your success will be measured not just by how many calls you make, but by the quality of the conversations you create and the qualified opportunities you generate.
The Working Environment
This is a London-based hybrid role. The successful candidate will be expected to work from our London office at least one day per week, increasing to two days per week from 2027.
The role is highly collaborative, and you’ll work closely with Account Directors and the wider commercial team.
There will also be opportunities to attend Retail Gazette events, networking opportunities and, where appropriate, face-to-face client meetings.
Why Join Retail Gazette?
- Join a growing and influential media brand within the UK retail sector.
- Build a career in B2B media, digital and events sales.
- Work alongside experienced Account Directors and develop your commercial skills.
- Gain experience across prospecting, qualification and client engagement.
- Build relationships with leading brands, retailers, agencies and technology businesses.
- Be part of a collaborative and entrepreneurial commercial team.
- Have a clear opportunity to progress your sales career as you develop.
- Play an important role in driving the growth of Retail Gazette.
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