What Is an SDR? Meaning, What a Sales Development Rep Does and the Account-Based View
An SDR (sales development representative) is a salesperson who finds and contacts potential buyers and books qualified first conversations for the people who close deals.
Short answer. SDR stands for sales development representative. An SDR researches potential buyers, contacts them by email, phone and LinkedIn, checks whether they fit and books a first meeting for an account executive or founder. SDRs are usually measured on meetings booked. When a deal needs several people at one company to agree, account-based selling works the whole named account instead.
Updated 21 Oct 2026 · By the Intandemly team
What does SDR mean in sales?
SDR means sales development representative. It is the first role in many B2B sales teams: the person who starts conversations, so that the salespeople who run deals spend their time with buyers who fit. The work is sometimes called sales development, and the team an SDR team.
For the wider subject of outsourced SDRs and what they cost, see the sales outsourcing and SDRs topic hub.
What does an SDR do day to day?
A typical SDR day has four parts.
- Research. Choosing who to contact and finding a reason to write to each.
- Outreach. Emails, calls and LinkedIn messages, usually in a sequence over several weeks.
- Qualification. A short check of fit, need and timing with the people who reply.
- Handover. Booking a meeting for the account executive, with notes on what was said.
The balance between research and outreach decides the quality of the work. An SDR measured only on activity will send more and research less.
What is the difference between an SDR and a BDR?
The titles are often used for the same job. Where a company uses both, an SDR usually works inbound interest (people who have downloaded something or asked for contact) and a BDR (business development representative) works outbound, contacting people who have not raised their hand. Some companies use them the other way round, so check the job description rather than the title.
How is an SDR different from an account executive?
An SDR opens the conversation; an account executive (AE) runs the deal and closes it.
| SDR | Account executive | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts with | A list of possible buyers | A booked first meeting |
| Main job | Contact, qualify, book | Discover, propose, negotiate, close |
| Usually measured on | Meetings booked and held | Revenue closed |
| Typical next step | Handover to the AE | Contract |
In a small company the founder often plays the AE, and sometimes the SDR too.
Should you hire an SDR, outsource one or use an AI SDR?
Each option costs more than its headline figure. An in-house SDR adds ramp months, management time, tools and data to the salary. An outsourced SDR adds set-up fees and a team that also works for other clients. An AI SDR adds data, mailboxes and the hours your team spends checking what it sends.
The SDR cost calculator puts the three side by side with your own figures, and AI SDR vs human SDR compares the two models directly. Whichever you choose, agree in writing what counts as a qualified meeting before the work starts.
How is an SDR different from account-based selling?
An SDR is usually measured one meeting at a time: one person, one booked call. Account-based selling is measured one company at a time, across the several people who must agree.
| SDR model | Account-based selling | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A buyer description and a list | A list of named accounts |
| Unit of work | The meeting | The company |
| People per company | Usually one or two | Several members of the buying committee |
| When a contact goes quiet | Move to the next name | Find the next relevant person in the same account |
| What is counted | Meetings booked | Accounts penetrated, active conversations, pipeline |
The side-by-side for meeting-led outsourcing is in appointment setting alternative, and the appointment setting entry covers the SDR's main output.
An SDR measured on meetings will find the person most likely to say yes to a call, at whichever company that is. On a named account, the question is different: who at this company decides, who checks and who will use what you sell, and which of them should hear from you first. One booked meeting with one of them is a start. The work is reaching the others with a reason that is true for each. In our BEST SAP engagement, 800 accounts were worked and 22 were penetrated: progress counted in accounts, not calls. The buying committee map is where that work starts.
Related terms
- Appointment setting →
- SDR as a service
- Lead generation →
- Outbound sales
- Account-based selling
- Buying committee
- Qualified meeting
- SDR outsourcing →
Common questions
What does SDR stand for?
SDR stands for sales development representative: the salesperson who contacts potential buyers and books first meetings for the people who close deals.
Is an SDR a good first sales hire?
Often not. An SDR books meetings for someone else to run, so if nobody can yet run and close those meetings, the founder or a senior seller usually comes first. An SDR helps most once the offer, the buyer and the sales conversation are proven.
How are SDRs measured?
Usually on meetings booked and meetings held, sometimes on pipeline created from those meetings. Activity counts such as calls and emails are tracked too, but they say little about whether the right companies are being reached.
Is Intandemly an SDR agency?
No. Intandemly is the account-based selling company: a platform plus a dedicated consultant working your named accounts. We report on accounts and pipeline and do not promise a number of meetings.
What is an AI SDR?
Software that writes and sends outreach, and sometimes answers replies, in place of a human SDR. It costs more than its licence once data, mailboxes and checking time are counted, and it is weakest where buyers are senior and few.
Want this run on your key accounts?
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