Sales Dictionary
SDR (Sales Development Representative)
Definition
A sales specialist focusing on finding new leads and qualifying them for account executives.
Deep Dive
A Sales Development Representative (SDR) is a specialized sales role primarily focused on the top of the sales funnel: identifying, qualifying, and nurturing new leads to generate sales opportunities for Account Executives (AEs). SDRs typically engage in extensive research and outreach, employing various communication channels like cold calling, email, social media, and LinkedIn to connect with potential customers. Their main objective is to determine if a prospect fits the ideal customer profile and has a genuine need that the company's product or service can address, before scheduling a discovery meeting or demo for a more senior salesperson.
Examples & Use Cases
- 1An outbound SDR researches target companies on LinkedIn and corporate websites, crafts personalized cold emails outlining potential value, and makes follow-up calls to book an initial discovery meeting for an Account Executive.
- 2An inbound SDR responds to leads who downloaded a whitepaper or attended a webinar, calling them to understand their specific challenges and qualify their interest before handing them off as an SQL.
- 3An SDR uses a sales engagement platform to manage email sequences and call cadences, tracking prospect engagement and scheduling follow-up activities to nurture leads over time.
Related Terms
Business Development Representative (BDR)Account Executive (AE)Lead Generation