Sales Development Representative

Focal is a company that specializes in outdoor electric heaters for restaurant groups and hospitality operators. They are seeking a Sales Development Representative to conduct account research, manage outbound outreach, and qualify leads for the sales team.

Responsibilities:

• Identify and prioritize restaurant groups, hotel operators, and hospitality venues that match our customer profile — starting in the Bay Area, expanding across California and beyond as we scale
• Look beyond direct accounts too — general contractors, designers, and project managers who work across multiple restaurants and hospitality venues can be some of the most valuable relationships to build
• Find the right decision-makers at each account — VP Operations, Facilities Director, GM, or Owner — and build out verified contact information
• Run personalized first-touch outreach through the right channel for each account — this isn't a spray-and-pray role, every account gets a tailored approach
• If you're Bay Area-based, we encourage in-person outreach where it makes sense — a well-timed walk-in to a restaurant is often more effective than a cold email
• Book intro meetings and qualify prospects against our criteria before handing off to sales
• Monitor signals for new restaurant construction and build activity — permit filings, architect announcements, group expansion news
• Flag early-stage opportunities where Focal can get into conversations before a space is built out
• Keep a current picture of who's opening what, where, and when across our target geographies
• Log all activity and account status in CRM; keep records clean and attribution accurate
• Prepare account briefs and context so every handoff to sales is warm and well-informed
• Contribute to a consistent view of pipeline health and what's coming down the line

Requirements:

• 1–3 years in an SDR, BDR, outbound sales, or similar role — or strong evidence you can do the job
• CRM experience helpful (Attio, or similar)
• Familiarity with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, enrichment tools (Apollo, ZoomInfo, Clearbit), or construction tracking tools is a plus
• Comfortable initiating — you don't wait to be introduced, you find the right person and reach out
• Meticulous about research — outreach is only as good as the intel behind it
• A clear, concise writer — personalized messages that get responses
• Organized and self-directed; you manage a full outreach cadence without being chased
• Genuinely curious about the restaurant and hospitality scene in the Bay Area and beyond
• Comfortable building process in a scrappy environment — this is an early role at an early company
• Bay Area-based for in-person outreach
• Experience with personalized first-touch outreach through the right channel for each account
• Ability to monitor signals for new restaurant construction and build activity
• Experience logging all activity and account status in CRM; keeping records clean and attribution accurate
• Experience preparing account briefs and context for sales handoff