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Stay looped in about sales tips, tech, and enablement that help sellers convert more and become top performers.
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In this episode, Patrick sits down with Seb van Heyningen, a former SDR turned AE and RevOps consultant who’s spent time at companies like Central Metric, Scaled Consulting, InTandem, and Adstra. Seb’s career path has spanned nearly every GTM seat—sales development, RevOps, consulting, and now closing—giving him a rare 360° view of the sales journey.
Together, Patrick and Seb unpack what it really takes to go from an SDR booking meetings to an AE closing deals. They dig into the transferable (and not-so-transferable) skills, the mindset shift required, and what leaders can do to create better pathways for internal growth. Whether you’re an SDR eyeing that next role, or a VP looking to build a better sales org, this one’s full of practical wisdom.
Seb’s path didn’t follow the classic SDR-to-AE promotion track. In fact, early in his career, he avoided the AE role altogether—largely because he didn’t see himself reflected in the “President’s Club Patagonia vest” culture around him. Instead, he leaned into RevOps and consulting, building process and infrastructure for dozens of GTM teams. It was only after years of experience in RevOps that he finally stepped back into the AE world.
But that time in consulting? It wasn’t a detour—it was an accelerator. Seb got to parachute into different companies, understand their selling environments, and build pattern recognition fast. From startups to scale-ups, he saw the inside of more sales orgs in two years than most reps do in a decade. It gave him a more strategic view of the buyer’s journey and deep exposure to how real business decisions are made—skills that now serve him well as a closer.
One of the biggest mindset shifts Seb had to make? Learning that “maybe” is the worst answer you can get. As an SDR, a soft yes or “follow up later” could still feel like a win. As an AE, it’s a red flag. “If they say ‘get back to me,’ that’s a close-lost,” Seb explained. “You haven’t uncovered enough pain or made a strong enough case.”
As a closer, the focus shifts from simply creating interest to driving toward a real decision. That requires a different level of control and a higher degree of business acumen. Seb described how he had to sharpen his instincts to sniff out dead deals faster, ask better discovery questions, and know when to walk away. And across both of his AE roles—one high-touch and strategic, the other high-volume and transactional—he’s had to tailor his process to the buying motion, not just the persona.
There are plenty of SDR skills that carry over well into the AE role—active listening, sharp note-taking, organized follow-up. But the AE role also demands a different level of subject matter depth. “As a BDR, you can get away with deferring tough questions to your AE,” Seb shared. “As a closer, you are the last line. If you don’t know the answer, it’s game over.”
Where AEs often struggle? Prospecting. Seb made the case that BDRs-turned-AEs tend to outperform “career closers” because they can build their own pipeline, adapt when inbound dries up, and better understand what good top-of-funnel activity looks like. That said, not every BDR skill translates. Some habits—like leaning too heavily on a script or defaulting to “I’ll get you that answer later”—can actually become liabilities when you’re trying to close complex deals.
Seb didn’t shy away from calling out the gaps in how most companies support SDRs in their transition to AE roles. Too often, he said, there’s either no clear path—or a path that exists in theory, but no one’s actually taken it. “If your SDRs don’t believe they can become AEs in your org, they’re already gone,” he said. “You just don’t know it yet.”
For leaders, that means getting specific. Spell out the expectations. Create a repeatable path. And most importantly, make sure someone actually completes it. Seb also emphasized the power of pods—small, cross-functional teams made up of AEs, SDRs, and SEs working the same accounts. When SDRs feel included in deals, not just treated as appointment setters, they’re more likely to understand what it takes to close—and to see themselves growing into that role.
While some reps wait for enablement to provide coaching, Seb has taken a different approach: he’s using AI tools like ChatGPT to self-coach. After a sales call, he’ll paste in the transcript and ask for feedback on how well he stuck to his script or handled objections. “You can match the output of a mediocre sales manager with AI right now,” he said. “And it costs 21 bucks a month.”
He’s also using this data-driven feedback loop to track his own progress week over week, something that would have required layers of sales ops just a few years ago. For reps willing to take ownership of their development, Seb argues that there’s never been a better time to sell.
Looking back, Seb wishes someone had told him to take the AE role sooner. “Just because the room doesn’t look like you doesn’t mean it shouldn’t,” he said. “Don’t let fear drive your decisions.”
The takeaway? Whether you’re a BDR wondering if you’re ready, or a CRO thinking about how to support that next wave of sellers, the best growth paths are built—not handed out. With the right mindset, systems, and support, that jump from opener to closer can be more than just a promotion—it can be a transformation.
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