Sales Development Representative (SDR)
A Sales Development Representative (SDR) is the inbound-focused sales rep responsible for qualifying leads and booking meetings for Account Executives to close. SDRs work marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) generated by inbound channels through email and phone outreach, qualifying them into sales-qualified leads (SQLs). The SDR is typically the entry-level role in a B2B sales career path and the primary source of pipeline for AE-led sales motions. SDRs work the top of the funnel; AEs work the middle and close.
The SDR role specifics:
Owns: lead qualification, meeting-booking, MQL-to-SQL conversion.
Doesn't own: closing deals. SDRs typically don't carry a closing quota, their quota is meetings booked or qualified opportunities created.
Typical activity levels: 60-120 calls/day, 30-60 personalized emails, 10-20 LinkedIn touches, 5-15 conversations.
Reports to: SDR Manager (in larger orgs) or VP Sales (in smaller).
Compensation: $60K-$90K base, $80K-$120K OTE (lower than AE), with variable tied to meetings booked or pipeline created.
Career path: typical promotion to AE after 12-18 months of strong performance.
The SDR vs BDR distinction:
- SDR typically handles inbound MQLs from marketing.
- BDR (Business Development Rep) typically handles outbound prospecting (cold calls/emails to target accounts).
- Some companies use the terms interchangeably; others maintain a clear inbound/outbound split.
- Both roles have similar comp structures and career paths.
What good SDR performance looks like:
Meeting-set rate: ~10-25% of qualified leads → meetings booked.
Show-rate: ~70-80% of booked meetings → completed meetings.
Show-to-qualified rate: ~60-80% of completed meetings → sales-qualified opportunities.
Activity efficiency: 25-35 meetings booked per month for a productive SDR.
Quota attainment: 60-70%+ of SDRs hitting their monthly target.
The SDR-to-AE pipeline:
Most B2B SaaS companies use SDR teams as both lead generation and AE talent pipeline:
- High-performing SDR after 12-18 months → promoted to AE.
- This creates institutional knowledge (SDR-promoted AEs know the product, customers, and process).
- Ramped AEs from SDR background often outperform external hires in retention and culture fit.
- Trade-off: longer total ramp time vs hiring experienced AEs externally.
Common SDR challenges:
Burnout: high-activity roles with significant rejection volume. Average tenure is 12-24 months.
Quality vs quantity: pressure to book meetings can lead to low-quality meetings that waste AE time.
Lead source bias: SDRs work whatever leads come from marketing; if leads are bad, SDR metrics suffer regardless of effort.
Career frustration: not all SDRs make great AEs. Some plateau; some need different career paths.
Ryan's Take
SDRs are the underrated linchpin of B2B sales orgs. The discipline that works: hire SDRs with grit and coachability over polish; invest in sales training and call coaching weekly; promote top performers to AE within 12-18 months (the promise drives recruiting); maintain reasonable quality bars on what counts as a "qualified" meeting. The pattern that fails: cheap-out on SDR salary and burn through the team; let SDR managers push meeting volume over quality; lose the best SDRs to competitors because the promotion timeline is fuzzy.
What founders get wrong: Hiring SDRs and giving them no manager, no coaching, no defined ICP, and expecting them to figure it out. SDR success is largely about process, clear scripts, defined target accounts, weekly coaching. Without those, even great SDR hires fail. The right discipline: invest in SDR management and coaching infrastructure as much as in the SDR hires themselves.
Related: Business Development Representative · Account Executive · Sales Pipeline · VP Sales · Marketing Qualified Lead · Sales Qualified Lead
FAQ
What is a Sales Development Representative (SDR)?
The inbound-focused sales rep responsible for qualifying marketing leads, booking meetings, and handing off to AEs. Entry-level B2B sales role. Doesn't close deals; owns lead qualification.
What's the difference between SDR and BDR?
SDR typically handles inbound MQLs from marketing. BDR (Business Development Rep) typically handles outbound prospecting to target accounts. Some companies use terms interchangeably; both have similar comp and career paths.
What's typical SDR compensation?
$60K-$90K base, $80K-$120K OTE. Variable tied to meetings booked or qualified opportunities created. Lower than AE comp; entry-level role with clear path to AE promotion in 12-18 months.
What does good SDR performance look like?
25-35 qualified meetings booked per month; 10-25% lead-to-meeting conversion rate; 60-70%+ quota attainment. Promotion to AE after 12-18 months of strong performance is the standard reward.
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