Sales Development Representative (M&A)

Location: Remote — South Africa

Type: Full-time

Compensation: Competitive base (ZAR) + uncapped commission

Reports to: Founder

Progression: Sales Director — owning and leading a growing SDR function

Apply to: [email protected] — Subject: SDR Application — [Your Name]

The Role

We are a UK-based M&A advisory business. We help founders and business owners navigate some of the most significant financial decisions of their lives — buying, selling, and growing companies. Our clients are sophisticated, our conversations are complex, and the stakes are high.

We are not looking for someone learning the craft of B2B sales. We are looking for someone who has already mastered it — and is ready to bring that expertise to a high-value, relationship-driven market where their ability to find the right people, open the right doors, and hold exceptional conversations will have a direct and measurable impact on the business.

This is a pure hunting role. You will own the top of the funnel entirely — identifying high-value prospects, breaking through to decision makers, and converting cold outreach into qualified conversations with business owners who are considering an exit or acquisition. It requires intelligence, precision, and the kind of commercial maturity that only comes from having done this at a high level before.

For the right person this is not just a role — it is a career-defining opportunity. The first SDR we hire builds and eventually leads the sales function as the business scales. Commission is uncapped. Equity is on the table.

What You'll Be Doing

Identifying and researching high-value prospects — UK business owners and MDs at companies in the £2m–£50m revenue range who are likely acquisition or exit candidates
Building precision target lists using LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Companies House data, Apollo, and sector intelligence — not bulk databases
Executing multi-channel outreach via telephone, LinkedIn, and email — leading with insight and personalisation, not volume and templates
Breaking through to senior decision makers — founders, MDs, and owners — using intelligence, relevance, and commercial credibility
Handling sophisticated objections in live conversations and maintaining prospect engagement through a considered, relationship-first approach
Booking and fully briefing qualified discovery calls for the advisory team — context, background, pain points, timing
Maintaining meticulous pipeline records in HubSpot — every interaction logged, every next step owned
Continuously refining outreach strategy based on what the data is telling you — and bringing that thinking to the table proactively

What I'm Looking For

Experience and Track Record:

A minimum of 3 years in a B2B sales or SDR role — specifically selling high-value, complex, or considered products and services to senior decision makers
A demonstrable track record of hunting — not farming. You have consistently opened new relationships from cold, not managed warm inbound leads
Experience selling into the C-suite or owner-managed business community — you know how to research, approach, and earn the attention of people who do not need to speak to you
Proven ability to build pipeline from scratch — you have done this before in a role where you could not rely on marketing to fill your diary
Ideally: background in financial services, professional services, recruitment, business brokerage, SaaS, or any sector requiring a consultative, insight-led sales approach

The Right Mindset:

Exceptionally commercially intelligent — you understand business financials, can read a P&L, and can hold a credible conversation about business value, growth strategy, and exit planning
Precision over volume — you research before you reach out, you personalise every approach, and you would rather send 10 excellent messages than 100 mediocre ones
Resilient without being robotic — rejection does not derail you, but you also know how to read a room and adjust your approach intelligently
Naturally curious — you read about M&A, follow deal news, and understand the market you are selling into
Self-directed and disciplined — you set your own targets, track your own metrics, and hold yourself accountable without needing management to do it for you

Why This Role?

The market is exceptional right now.

There are tens of thousands of UK business owners approaching retirement with no succession plan, and an M&A market that is increasingly active at the SME level. The pipeline opportunity for a talented SDR who can identify and engage these owners intelligently is enormous — and largely untapped at the boutique advisory level.

The commercial upside is significant.

Commission is uncapped and structured to reward performance meaningfully — not tokenistically. If you are booking the meetings that close those deals, your earnings reflect it.

You are building something, not filling a seat.

We are constructing the sales infrastructure from the ground up. The person we hire is not joining a machine — they are building one. As the SDR team grows, this person leads it. That progression is explicit, not aspirational.

How to Apply

Email CV & cover letter to [email protected] with subject line: SDR Application — [Your Name]

Please do not use AI to draft your cover letter — these will be ignored. Your cover letter should include:

1. Brief intro (150 words max): Who you are, what you are doing now, and why this specific role interests you.

2. Evidence of hunting (300 words max): Tell me about 2-3 specific instances where you built pipeline from cold. What was the target, how did you identify and approach them, what did you convert? Numbers and specifics only — no generalities.

3. Your toolstack: Every sales and prospecting tool you have used with an honest assessment of your depth in each.

4.Quick exercise (150 words max): You need to book 5 qualified discovery calls with UK business owners (£5m–£20m revenue, founder-led) in two weeks using LinkedIn and phone only. No paid tools, no marketing support. Walk me through exactly how you would do it.

5. Practical info: Location, current notice period, salary and OTE expectations, LinkedIn profile.