SDR (Sales Development Representative)

The SDR role exists because prospecting and closing are different jobs. SDRs own the first half: researching accounts against an ideal customer profile, building and verifying contact lists, writing and sending outreach sequences, handling early objections in replies, and qualifying interest before handing the conversation to an account executive. They are usually measured on meetings booked or qualified opportunities created, not on closed revenue.

In most B2B teams the title sits alongside BDR (business development representative). The split varies by company: some use SDR for qualifying inbound leads and BDR for outbound prospecting, others flip the definitions or use the titles interchangeably. What matters is the function, a dedicated person whose job is to start sales conversations rather than finish them.

A typical SDR day is list building, personalization research, sending and answering emails, cold calls, LinkedIn touches, and CRM hygiene. The role is usually an entry point into a sales career, which is why tenure tends to be short; many SDRs move into account executive seats within a year or two, and the prospecting machine has to be rebuilt around each departure.

For cold email specifically, the SDR is the human engine behind most in-house programs, and the economics of the role drive a lot of build-versus-buy decisions. One hire has to cover list building, copywriting, deliverability, sequencing, and follow-up, skills that are usually split across several specialists, and the fully loaded cost goes well beyond base salary once you add commission, contact data, a sequencer, and management time. Building a working outbound function in-house typically runs $8,000 or more per month, so it pays to be clear about what you actually need: a closer who works warm conversations, or the machine that creates them.