What is SDR (Sales Development Representative)?
A sales professional focused on outbound prospecting and qualifying leads before passing to Account Executives.
A sales professional focused on outbound prospecting and qualifying leads before passing to Account Executives.
Full Definition
A Sales Development Representative (SDR) is a specialized sales role focused exclusively on the top of the sales funnel — prospecting, outreach, and initial qualification — rather than closing deals. SDRs use multi-channel outreach (email, LinkedIn, phone) to identify and engage potential customers, qualify them against ICP and BANT criteria, and book discovery meetings with Account Executives. The SDR role was popularized by Aaron Ross's Predictable Revenue methodology and has become standard in B2B SaaS companies as a way to separate the hunter and farmer roles in the sales organization.
Real-World Example
A typical SDR at a B2B SaaS company might send 60-80 personalized outreach touches per day across LinkedIn and email, aiming to book 8-12 qualified discovery meetings per month for their assigned Account Executive.
SDR (Sales Development Representative): Common Questions
What is SDR (Sales Development Representative) in B2B sales?
A Sales Development Representative (SDR) is a specialized sales role focused exclusively on the top of the sales funnel — prospecting, outreach, and initial qualification — rather than closing deals. SDRs use multi-channel outreach (email, LinkedIn, phone) to identify and engage potential customers, qualify them against ICP and BANT criteria, and book discovery meetings with Account Executives. The SDR role was popularized by Aaron Ross's Predictable Revenue methodology and has become standard in B2B SaaS companies as a way to separate the hunter and farmer roles in the sales organization.
Why does SDR (Sales Development Representative) matter for revenue teams?
SDR (Sales Development Representative) is a critical concept for any B2B revenue team because it directly impacts pipeline predictability and revenue growth. Without a clear understanding of SDR (Sales Development Representative), teams often make decisions based on incomplete information or misaligned frameworks — leading to poor forecasting, wasted outreach effort, and missed quota. DevCommX incorporates SDR (Sales Development Representative) thinking into every SDR Outsourcing engagement we run.
How does SDR (Sales Development Representative) relate to GTM Engineering?
SDR (Sales Development Representative) is closely connected to BDR (Business Development Representative) and AE (Account Executive), and several other core GTM concepts. In the context of GTM Engineering, SDR (Sales Development Representative) typically informs how revenue systems are designed, what data is tracked, and how performance is measured. Modern GTM Engineers treat SDR (Sales Development Representative) as a quantifiable lever — not just a concept — building automation and reporting that makes it visible and actionable.
Related Terms
Understanding SDR (Sales Development Representative) is more powerful when combined with these related concepts:
BDR (Business Development Representative)
Similar to an SDR but often focused on outbound prospecting to net-new accounts rather than inbound leads.
AE (Account Executive)
A quota-carrying sales professional responsible for closing new business and managing active opportunities.
Outbound Sequence
A structured series of multi-channel touches designed to engage a prospect and generate a response.
BANT
A sales qualification framework: Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline.
Pipeline
The collection of active sales opportunities being worked by a sales team at any given time.
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