Guide · 9 min read
What Is an SDR? Role, Skills, and When to Outsource
Published August 10, 2026
Quick answer: an SDR (sales development representative) is a salesperson who finds and qualifies new prospects, then books meetings for account executives. SDRs own the top of the pipeline: research, outreach, follow-up and qualification. They don't close deals. Their main metric is qualified meetings held.
Outsourced SDR and sales development — Senior prospecting specialists without building an internal SDR team.
What does an SDR do day to day?
Researches target accounts, writes and sends outreach on LinkedIn, email and phone, follows up, handles replies, qualifies interest against the ICP and books meetings into an AE's calendar. See the SDR glossary entry.
SDR vs BDR vs AE
SDRs often work inbound leads and outbound lists. BDRs usually focus on purely outbound prospecting. Many companies use the two titles interchangeably. AEs (account executives) run discovery, demos and negotiation, and close the deal.
SDR metrics that matter
Reply rate, positive reply rate, meetings booked, meeting show rate, and meeting-to-opportunity conversion. Activity counts such as calls and emails sent are inputs, not results.
Skills of a strong SDR
Research, concise writing, curiosity, resilience, and the judgement to disqualify poor-fit prospects early. Writing matters more than ever, because buyers ignore templated messages.
When to outsource sales development
Outsource when you need pipeline faster than you can hire and ramp a team, when you have no sales leader to manage SDRs, or when you want to test a new market first. See sales development as a service.
Frequently asked questions
What does SDR stand for?
SDR stands for sales development representative: the person who prospects, qualifies and books meetings for the sales team.
Do SDRs close deals?
No. SDRs create and qualify opportunities. Account executives close them.
How long does an SDR take to ramp?
In-house SDRs commonly take around three months to ramp fully. An outsourced team can usually start booking meetings within weeks.
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