SDR (Sales Development Representative)

An SDR, or sales development representative, is a salesperson who focuses on reaching and qualifying new leads and setting meetings for account executives.

SDRs sit at the top of the sales funnel. Their job is not usually to close deals. It is to find out who is worth a deeper conversation and get that conversation on the calendar.

Typical SDR work:

• Following up on inbound leads, such as demo requests and content downloads.
• Outbound prospecting by phone, email, and social channels.
• Asking qualifying questions about need, timing, budget, and decision makers.
• Booking meetings or transferring calls to account executives.
• Logging activity in the CRM.

Common SDR metrics include dials, connected calls, conversations, meetings booked, and meetings held. Many teams also track speed to lead on inbound leads.

The role is often an entry point into sales, and turnover can be high because much of the day is repetitive dialing with few live conversations. That is where tools come in. Power dialers, parallel dialers, and AI SDRs all aim to cut the time spent on dialing and voicemails so SDRs can spend more time talking to interested people.

Some companies call the role BDR, for business development representative, usually for outbound-focused reps. The exact split varies by company.