Sales Development Representative (SDR)

 The Role: 

Help prospective clients find the right next step with Morningstar. As a Sales Development Representative (SDR), you’ll turn interest from marketing campaigns into qualified sales conversations by understanding each prospect’s business needs. You’ll work with marketing and sales colleagues to improve outreach and give account executives the context they need to continue those conversations. 

You’ll build your product knowledge and sales skills through prospect research, outreach, and feedback on what works.

This role requires four days a week in our Chicago office and is an immediate hire role.

What you’ll be doing:

• Handle and qualify all Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) provided by the marketing team within predetermined Service Levels Agreements (SLAs). 
• Conduct proactive outbound prospecting, including cold calling potential Morningstar Prospects, to identify new business opportunities and generate interest in Morningstar solutions.
• Engage with leads via phone calls, emails, and LinkedIn to understand their needs and pain points. 

• Develop early-stage opportunities through follow-up conversations. Arrange meetings and product demonstrations with account executives or sales managers, sharing the prospect’s needs and conversation history.

• Keep prospect records and next steps current in the CRM so sales colleagues can pick up the conversation without losing context.

• Support outbound sales campaigns as needed, adapting your outreach to each prospect’s business challenges.

• Track calls, emails, meetings set, and opportunities generated. Review conversion rates, outreach results, and pipeline growth to identify where the qualification process could improve.

• Share feedback with marketing on lead quality and campaign results. Use what you learn about Morningstar’s products, industry trends, and competitor offerings to make your conversations more useful to prospects. 

What we’re looking for: 

• Internship-2 years of experience in customer-facing roles, sales, or business development; experience in business-to-business (B2B) or software-as-a-service (SaaS) settings is preferred. 

• A bachelor’s degree is required. Business, Marketing, Communications, or a related field is preferred. 

• Clear written and verbal communication, with the ability to listen closely and ask questions that uncover a prospect’s needs. 

• The ability to manage several prospect conversations, prioritize follow-ups, and meet agreed response times. 

• Familiarity with CRM tools, such as Salesforce, and sales engagement platforms, plus the ability to use lead and outreach data to improve your approach. 

The Group: 

Morningstar’s Business Development & Sales group helps financial professionals build their businesses and provide better outcomes for investors. 

Compensation and Benefits

At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That’s why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:

• Financial Health

  • 100% 401k match up to 6% of salary

  • Stock Ownership Potential

  • Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission

• Physical Health 

  • Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages

  • Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual

  • Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance

• Emotional Health 

  • Trust-Based Time Off

  • 6-week Paid Sabbatical Program

  • 6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave

  • Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave

  • Adoption Assistance

  • Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities

  • Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses

  • Tuition Reimbursement

• Social Health 

  • Charitable Matching Gifts program

  • Dollars for Doers volunteer program

  • Paid volunteering days

  • 15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups

Total Cash Compensation Range

Inclusive of annual base salary and target incentive

Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.