--- title: "SDR (Sales Development Representative) | Sales Glossary" description: "Role focused on qualifying leads and booking meetings for AEs. Learn key concepts, industry benchmarks, and best practices." canonical: "https://firstsales.io/sales/glossary/sdr/" --- [Home](/)/[Glossary](/sales/glossary/)/SDR (Sales Development Representative) S, Sales Glossary # SDR (Sales Development Representative) Role focused on qualifying leads and booking meetings for AEs. [Back to glossary](/sales/glossary/) ## What is an SDR? SDR (Sales Development Representative) is a sales role focused on qualifying inbound leads and generating outbound opportunities for Account Executives. SDRs don't close deals. They book meetings with qualified prospects who fit the Ideal Customer Profile. The role sits between marketing and sales: * Marketing generates leads * SDRs qualify and book meetings * AEs (Account Executives) close deals This specialization increases efficiency. SDRs become expert prospectors. AEs focus on closing. --- ## SDR vs BDR vs AE Sales development has three main roles: **SDR (Sales Development Representative):** Qualifies inbound leads generated by marketing. Someone downloaded a whitepaper or signed up for a trial. SDR reaches out to qualify and book meetings. **BDR (Business Development Representative):** Generates outbound opportunities through cold email and cold calling. Pure hunter role. No warm leads. **AE (Account Executive):** Closes deals. Runs discovery calls, demos, handles objections, negotiates contracts. Some companies use SDR and BDR interchangeably. Others separate them by inbound vs outbound focus. Career progression typically: SDR/BDR → AE → Senior AE → Sales Manager → VP Sales --- ## Core SDR Responsibilities ### 1\. Lead Qualification SDRs determine if prospects are worth AE time. They use frameworks like BANT or MEDDIC: **BANT:** * Budget: Can they afford it? * Authority: Are they the decision maker? * Need: Do they have the problem we solve? * Timeline: When are they buying? **MEDDIC (for complex B2B):** * Metrics: What's the quantified business impact? * Economic Buyer: Who controls budget? * Decision Criteria: How are they evaluating solutions? * Decision Process: What's the approval process? * Identify Pain: What specific problem needs solving? * Champion: Who will advocate internally? Qualifying rigorously prevents wasted AE time on bad-fit prospects. ### 2\. Outbound Prospecting SDRs build targeted prospect lists and conduct outreach. **Daily activities:** * Research target accounts (20-30 min) * Build prospect lists (30-45 min) * Send cold emails (50-100 emails) * Make cold calls (40-60 dials) * LinkedIn outreach (20-40 touches) * Follow-ups across channels (30-45 min) Total: 6-8 hours of focused activity. Successful SDRs master multi-channel sequences: Day 1: LinkedIn connection + personalized note Day 2: Cold email #1 (value hook) Day 4: Phone call attempt #1 Day 5: Cold email #2 (different angle) Day 7: LinkedIn engagement (comment on their content) Day 10: Cold email #3 (case study) Day 12: Phone call attempt #2 Day 14: Cold email #4 (direct ask) Day 21: Breakup email ### 3\. Meeting Setting Getting prospects on AE calendars is the core output. SDRs must: * Explain value proposition clearly * Set proper expectations for the call * Confirm fit before booking * Provide AE with qualification notes Bad handoffs waste everyone's time. "I booked a meeting but I'm not sure if they have budget" is useless. ### 4\. CRM Management SDRs log every touchpoint in the CRM. This includes: * Emails sent * Calls made * LinkedIn touches * Responses received * Meeting outcomes * Qualification notes Data hygiene matters. Sales leaders use SDR activity data for forecasting, coaching, and territory planning. ### 5\. Continuous Learning Top SDRs study: * Buyer personas deeply * Competitive intelligence * Industry trends * Sales methodologies * Messaging that works The role requires constant adaptation as markets shift and prospects evolve. --- ## SDR Performance Benchmarks ### Activity Metrics | Metric | Ramping SDR | Fully Ramped | Top Performer | | -------------------- | ----------- | ------------ | ------------- | | Emails/Day | 30-50 | 50-100 | 100-150 | | Calls/Day | 20-40 | 40-60 | 60-100 | | LinkedIn Touches/Day | 10-20 | 20-40 | 40-60 | | Total Touches/Day | 60-110 | 110-200 | 200-300 | ### Outcome Metrics | Metric | Ramping SDR | Fully Ramped | Top Performer | | ------------------------ | ----------- | ------------ | ------------- | | Meetings/Month | 5-10 | 10-20 | 20-35 | | SQLs/Month | 3-7 | 7-15 | 15-25 | | Pipeline Generated/Month | $50K-$150K | $150K-$400K | $400K+ | | Quota Attainment | 70-85% | 85-110% | 110-150% | Source: Bridge Group SDR Metrics Report 2025 ### Response Rates | Channel | Poor | Average | Good | Excellent | | ---------------------- | ---- | ------- | ------ | --------- | | Cold Email Reply Rate | <1% | 1-3% | 3-8% | \>8% | | Cold Call Connect Rate | <5% | 5-10% | 10-15% | \>15% | | LinkedIn Response Rate | <3% | 3-7% | 7-12% | \>12% | Top performers achieve 2-3x higher response rates through better targeting and messaging. --- ## SDR Compensation **Base Salary:** $45K-$65K (entry-level) $55K-$75K (experienced) **OTE (On-Target Earnings):** $70K-$95K (entry-level) $85K-$120K (experienced) **Typical Split:** 60/40 or 70/30 (base/variable) **Accelerators:** Many plans pay 1.5-2x commission above 100% quota attainment. Example: * Base: $60K * Variable: $40K * Total OTE: $100K * At 120% quota: $60K base + $56K variable = $116K total Variable comp tied to meetings booked, SQLs created, or pipeline generated. Top 10% of SDRs earn $120K+ in year two through accelerators and promotions to Senior SDR or AE roles. --- ## SDR Career Path **Typical progression:** **SDR (0-18 months):** Learn prospecting, qualification, messaging. Build foundation. **Senior SDR (18-30 months):** Mentor junior SDRs. Handle key accounts. Refine methodology. **AE (30-48 months):** Close deals. Run full sales cycle. Earn $100K-$200K OTE. **Senior AE (48-72 months):** Handle enterprise accounts. Earn $150K-$300K OTE. **Sales Manager (72+ months):** Lead team of 5-10 reps. Earn $120K-$180K base + variable. **VP Sales (5-7 years):** Own entire sales org. Earn $180K-$300K+ total comp. Alternative paths: * **Customer Success** (relationship-focused) * **Sales Operations** (data and process) * **Sales Enablement** (training and coaching) * **Revenue Operations** (cross-functional strategy) --- ## Skills Top SDRs Master ### Core Skills **1\. Research & Targeting** Finding the right prospects matters more than volume. Top SDRs spend 30% of time on research, identifying trigger events and pain points. **2\. Multi-Channel Sequencing** Email alone isn't enough. Phone, LinkedIn, and email together generate 40% higher reply rates than any single channel. **3\. Objection Handling** "Send me more information" = "I'm not interested but too polite to say so." Top SDRs identify real objections vs brush-offs. **4\. Time Management** Protecting 4-6 hours daily for high-value activities (prospecting, calls, emails) vs administrative tasks (CRM updates, meetings). **5\. Messaging** Writing cold emails that get responses. Speaking value propositions clearly in 30 seconds. ### Tools SDRs Use **CRM:** * Salesforce (enterprise standard) * HubSpot (mid-market favorite) * Pipedrive (SMB friendly) **Sales Engagement:** * Outreach (enterprise sequencing) * Salesloft (multichannel automation) * Apollo.io (data + engagement) **Cold Email:** * Firstsales.io (87% inbox placement at $29-499/mo) * Instantly (high volume at $97/mo) * Smartlead (multi-inbox at $94/mo) **Data:** * ZoomInfo (premium B2B contacts) * LinkedIn Sales Navigator (targeted list building) * Cognism (GDPR-compliant EU data) **Dialers:** * Aircall (cloud phone system) * PhoneBurner (power dialer) * Qcall.ai (AI voice calling at $0.07/min) --- ## Common SDR Challenges **1\. Deliverability Issues** 60-70% of cold emails hitting spam kills pipeline. Firstsales.io solves this with 87% inbox placement through automated warm-up and real-time monitoring. **2\. Low Response Rates** Most SDRs quit after 1-2 touches. 80% of sales require 5+ touches. Persistence wins. **3\. Quota Pressure** Missing quota 2-3 quarters in a row typically leads to PIP (Performance Improvement Plan) or termination. High-pressure role. **4\. Burnout** Rejection is constant. 95%+ of outreach gets ignored. Mental resilience required. **5\. Ramp Time** Most SDRs don't hit quota for 3-6 months. New reps must survive the learning curve. --- ## SDR Success Framework **Week 1-4: Foundation** * Learn ICP inside out * Study buyer personas * Master CRM and tools * Shadow successful reps * Practice pitch 100+ times **Month 2-3: Activity Ramp** * Hit activity benchmarks daily * A/B test messaging constantly * Track what actually works * Build repeatable sequences * Focus on learning, not quota **Month 4-6: Results Focus** * Shift from activity to outcomes * Refine targeting based on data * Increase meeting show rates * Improve SQL conversion * Start hitting quota consistently **Month 7-12: Optimization** * Mentor newer reps * Build specialized sequences * Handle key accounts * Prepare for AE promotion --- ## Related Terms * [BDR (Business Development Representative)](/sales/glossary/bdr) \- Outbound-focused prospecting role * [Account Executive](/sales/glossary/account-executive) \- Closing role SDRs feed * [Lead Qualification](/sales/glossary/lead-qualification) \- Core SDR responsibility * [Cold Email](%28/sales/glossary/cold-email) \- Primary SDR channel * [Pipeline](/sales/glossary/pipeline) \- What SDRs build for AEs --- **Next:** Read our complete guide on [SDR roles and responsibilities](https://firstsales.io/blog/sdr-roles-and-responsibilities) with activity benchmarks and career progression. ## Related Terms [SSAL (Sales Accepted Lead)Lead accepted by sales for qualification. Bridge between MQL and SQL.View term](/sales/glossary/sal/)[SSales CadenceStructured sequence of touchpoints over time.View term](/sales/glossary/sales-cadence/)[SSales ChampionInternal advocate promoting your solution. Key to enterprise deals.View term](/sales/glossary/sales-champion/)[SSales CycleTime from first contact to closed deal. Varies by deal size.View term](/sales/glossary/sales-cycle/) ## Put these terms to work, on autopilot FirstSales scrapes the web for your leads, writes every email, follows up automatically, and books meetings to your calendar. 87% inbox placement from $29/mo. [Start your AI SDR for $1](https://app.firstsales.io) Live in 8 minutes. Cancel anytime.