What Is an SDR in Sales?
An SDR, or sales development representative, is a salesperson who generates and qualifies new opportunities, then books meetings for account executives who close deals. SDRs research prospects, send outreach by email, phone, and social channels, follow up, qualify interest, and hand over qualified meetings. They are usually measured on meetings held and pipeline created.
What an SDR does
SDRs are responsible for starting conversations with potential customers. Daily work includes researching target accounts and contacts, writing and sending personalised emails, making calls, connecting on professional networks, following up through sequences, responding to replies, qualifying prospects against agreed criteria, and booking meetings for account executives. They log every activity in the CRM so the team can see what has happened with each prospect.
SDR versus BDR
The titles are often used interchangeably. Where companies distinguish them, SDRs sometimes handle inbound leads, following up with people who requested information, while BDRs, business development representatives, focus on outbound prospecting. Other companies use the opposite split or a single title. What matters is the scope: inbound follow-up, outbound prospecting, or both.
SDR versus account executive
Splitting sales into SDRs and account executives lets each focus on different skills. SDRs specialise in research, outreach, persistence, and qualification. Account executives specialise in discovery, demos, proposals, negotiation, and closing. The handoff between them, with notes on the prospect's situation and needs, is a critical moment in the sales process.
Key skills
Effective SDRs are good at research, concise writing, phone conversations, handling rejection, organising many prospects at once, and judging whether a prospect is a real fit. They need enough product knowledge to explain value credibly and enough curiosity to ask good questions. Coachability matters, because outreach approaches change as markets and tools change.
How SDRs are measured
Common metrics include activities such as emails sent and calls made, reply rates, meetings booked, meetings held, qualified opportunities created, and pipeline value generated. Activity metrics help diagnose problems, but outcome metrics matter more. Measuring held meetings and pipeline rather than booked meetings encourages good qualification and reduces no-shows.
How SDRs are paid
Most in-house SDRs receive a base salary plus variable pay tied to meetings held, qualified opportunities, or pipeline and closed revenue from their meetings. The balance between base and variable differs by company and market. Independent SDRs and appointment setters may be paid entirely per result, such as per held meeting or a share of closed revenue.
The SDR career path
The SDR role is a common entry point into sales. Many SDRs move into account executive roles after a period of strong performance, while others become SDR team leads, managers, or move into sales operations, marketing, or customer success. The skills learned, such as prospecting, communication, and resilience, transfer widely.
How AI is changing the SDR role
AI tools now research prospects, draft outreach, classify replies, and handle routine follow-ups. Some companies deploy AI SDR agents that take on parts of the role entirely. In practice, many teams use AI to expand what each SDR can do, with people reviewing messages, handling complex conversations, and making calls. The role is shifting toward judgement, relationships, and supervising automated work.
Independent and outsourced SDRs
Companies can also add SDR capacity without hiring, through outsourced SDR agencies or independent reps paid per result. Marketplaces connect companies with independent reps who claim leads and book meetings, with each booking attributed to the rep and paid only when the meeting is held.
A day in the life of an SDR
A typical day might start with reviewing replies and booking meetings from overnight responses, then researching a batch of target accounts, writing personalised first-touch emails, making a block of calls, working through sequence tasks, and updating CRM records. Many SDRs also prepare handoff notes for meetings booked that day and review feedback from account executives on recent meetings, using it to sharpen qualification.
SDR tools
Common SDR tools include a CRM, prospect data sources, email sequencing, a dialer, scheduling links, and increasingly AI assistants for research and drafting. The best setups keep everything in one place so that every touch is logged to the lead, opt-outs apply across all channels, and managers can see activity and outcomes without chasing spreadsheets.
Hiring SDRs
When hiring SDRs, look for curiosity, clear writing, comfort on the phone, resilience, and coachability more than prior sales titles. Practical exercises, such as researching an account and drafting a first email, reveal more than general interview questions.
Managing an SDR team
SDR managers coach on messaging and calls, review activity and outcomes, keep qualification criteria aligned with account executives, and manage territories or lead assignment. Regular call reviews and shared libraries of effective messages help new SDRs ramp faster.
Frequently asked questions
- What does SDR stand for in sales?
- SDR stands for sales development representative. It describes a salesperson who prospects, qualifies leads, and books meetings for account executives rather than closing deals themselves. The role focuses on the early stages of the sales process and on creating new pipeline.
- Is SDR a good entry-level job?
- For many people, yes. It teaches prospecting, communication, qualification, and resilience, and it is a common path into account executive and sales leadership roles. It can be demanding, with rejection and targets, so it suits people who enjoy conversations and steady improvement.
- What is the difference between an SDR and an appointment setter?
- They overlap heavily. SDR is the common B2B software term for someone who prospects and books meetings. Appointment setter is used more broadly across industries, and often describes independent contractors paid per meeting. Both aim to deliver qualified meetings that actually take place.