SDR mock cold call interview: how to pass the role play

This page is for SDR and BDR candidates. For an AE loop, read the AE mock cold call guide. You have a role play stage and want a structure to follow. It has four stages, a sample script, nine objection answers and a 48 hour plan.

What the role play tests

Yardstick writes for hiring teams. A discovery role play shows if you can "build rapport, ask insightful questions, listen actively". An objection exercise tests if you respond "with resilience and adaptability".

Yardstick also gives each role play a feedback step. You get feedback, then redo part of the task. Jobrise describes the aim as "showing you can think on your feet".

Hiring teams score this. See the interview scorecard for the list they use.

The four stages

1. Opener. Say who you are and why you called. Keep it under 15 seconds. See opening lines.
2. Discovery. Ask two or three open questions. Listen for one problem you can help with.
3. Tie back. Repeat their words. Link one problem to what you offer.
4. Ask. Ask for a 20 minute meeting. Offer two times.

Module 3 of the Sales Job Search Kit is the Recruiter Playbook. It has recruiter questions and email templates. Use them to ask what the mock call will cover. £14 + VAT.

The full flow is in the cold call script.

Use the brief they send you

Read it twice. Note the product, the buyer's title and the company size. Write two guesses about the buyer's week. Prepare one opener and three discovery questions. If there is no brief, ask what the product is and who you are calling.

Sample call script

This is an example. The company and people are made up.

Candidate: Hi Priya, it's Sam from Northwind Analytics. Have you got 30 seconds?

Prospect: Go on.

Candidate: We help freight teams see late deliveries earlier. Is that on your radar?

Prospect: A bit.

Candidate: How do you spot a late delivery today?

Prospect: Drivers call in. Or a customer does.

Candidate: What happens when the customer calls first?

Prospect: We lose time. Sometimes the account.

Candidate: So you hear about delays late. That is what we fix.

Candidate: Could we take 20 minutes on Thursday at 10, or Friday at 2?

Prospect: Send me an email first.

Candidate: Happy to. Which day works to talk after you read it?

Notes. The opener asks permission. The discovery questions are open. The tie back uses her words. The ask offers two times.

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Objections you may get

Interviewers often pick one. Pick the answer, say it out loud, then ask again.

• "Send me an email": send me an email
• "We use a competitor": competitor
• "No budget": no budget
• "Call me later": call me later
• "I'm busy": I'm busy
• "Wrong person": not the right person
• "How much does it cost": cost
• "We do it in house": in house
• "Not interested": not interested

If a gatekeeper answers, use the gatekeeper script. The wider method is in objection handling.

The coaching round

Many role plays include feedback and a second try. Yardstick suggests 5 minutes to reflect and a redo of part of the call. Take one note and change one thing. Say what you changed. Do not defend the first attempt.

The debrief

You may be asked why you did something. Answer in three parts. What you tried, what the prospect said, what you would change. Use a real example if you have one. The STAR method examples help here. The next round may be the account executive interview questions. The general version of this stage is in the mock cold call interview page.

A 48 hour practice plan

1. Hour 1: read the job ad. Write the buyer and the product.
2. Hour 2: write your opener and three discovery questions.
3. Day 1 evening: say the sample script aloud three times. Record it on your phone.
4. Day 1 night: listen back. Cut every filler word.
5. Day 2 morning: pick three objections. Write a two sentence answer for each.
6. Day 2 afternoon: ask a friend to play the buyer. Run it twice.
7. Day 2 evening: practise the ask. Say it without a pause.
8. Interview day: warm up with one run. Keep your notes short.

Sources

• Yardstick, role plays for BDR hiring, checked 18 October 2026
• Jobrise, UK SDR application guide, 2026

Questions

Also: SDR CV example.

Related guides

Mock cold call interview

For AE and other sales loops: a short script and a one week practice plan.

SDR cold call script

Opener, reason, question, three objection replies and a voicemail.

SDR and BDR interview questions

18 questions by competency, a role-play and a weighted scorecard.

Principled Pitch is independent. Pay, quotas and hiring processes vary by company and country. Check the details of any role with the recruiter.