Glossary
What is an SDR?
A salesperson who finds and qualifies new prospects and books meetings for account executives, instead of closing deals.
Definition
An SDR (sales development representative) is a salesperson whose job is to start new sales conversations: researching prospects, reaching out, qualifying interest and booking meetings for an account executive who runs the deal. SDRs work the top of the funnel, so they're usually measured on meetings booked or qualified opportunities, not revenue closed.
What an SDR does day to day
- Research. Pick target accounts and contacts that fit the ideal customer profile.
- Outreach. Send cold emails, LinkedIn messages and calls, usually as a multi-step sequence.
- Qualification. Ask a few questions to confirm the prospect has a real problem, some budget and a reason to act.
- Handoff. Book the meeting and pass notes to the account executive.
Most of the week goes to research and outreach. A typical SDR works from a target list, follows a set cadence and logs every touch in the CRM, so the AE can see the full history before the first meeting.
Where the role came from
Splitting prospecting from closing became a standard model in software sales. Aaron Ross was part of the early team that built Salesforce's enterprise sales development function, and he later wrote up the approach in the book Predictable Revenue. The idea is simple: closers sell better when they aren't also filling their own calendars, and prospectors get better when prospecting is their whole job.
SDR vs AE vs BDR
The account executive (AE) owns the deal from first meeting to signed contract. The SDR feeds the AE. BDR is a close cousin, and many companies use the two titles interchangeably. Where they're split, SDRs often work inbound leads and BDRs work outbound, but plenty of companies define it the other way around. At small companies, a founder often does both jobs until outreach volume justifies a dedicated prospector.
An example
Say a payroll startup's SDR targets restaurant groups with 5 to 50 locations. In a week she might research 200 contacts, send a four-step sequence, get 12 replies, qualify 6 and book 4 demos for the AE. Those numbers are illustrative. Reply and meeting rates vary widely by market, offer and list quality.
How Siela AI uses it
Siela AI's AI SDR (called Lead Finder in the app) finds leads, scores each one hot, warm or cold with a one-line reason, and runs outreach on LinkedIn, X and email from your own accounts. When someone is ready, it shares your booking link.
Questions
What does SDR stand for in sales?
SDR stands for sales development representative. It's a prospecting role: finding potential customers, reaching out, qualifying interest and booking meetings for an account executive, who then runs the sales process and closes the deal.
Is an SDR the same as a BDR?
Often, yes. Many companies use the titles interchangeably. Others split them, commonly with SDRs handling inbound leads and BDRs handling outbound prospecting, though some companies flip that. Read the job description rather than relying on the title.
How is an SDR measured?
Usually on meetings booked, meetings held or qualified opportunities created, sometimes alongside activity counts like emails sent and calls made. Good teams weight outcomes over activity, since a rep can send a lot of messages without starting any real conversations.
Sources, checked 25 October 2026: Predictable Revenue: About.
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