Sales Development Representative (SDR)
A Sales Development Representative (SDR) is a sales role focused on inbound lead qualification and top-of-funnel prospecting rather than closing. SDRs respond to and qualify marketing-generated leads, then hand qualified opportunities to account executives who run the deal to close.
How it works
SDRs typically work inbound signals — form fills, demo requests, content downloads — plus some outbound follow-up, qualifying each lead against fit and intent criteria before booking a meeting for an account executive.
Why it matters
Splitting prospecting from closing lets each role specialize: SDRs generate qualified pipeline volume while AEs focus on conversion. Clear SDR-to-AE handoff criteria (an agreed definition of a qualified opportunity) is what keeps the model efficient.
How Autocloz handles it
Autocloz gives SDR teams unlimited seats on a free CRM with shared sequences, a unified inbox and a pipeline board, so qualification activity and handoffs to closers live in one system instead of scattered tools.
FAQ
What is the difference between an SDR and a BDR?
The titles overlap and vary by company, but SDR usually denotes inbound-focused qualification of marketing leads, while BDR denotes outbound-focused prospecting into net-new accounts. Both feed qualified opportunities to account executives.
Do SDRs close deals?
Generally no. SDRs qualify and book meetings; account executives run the demo, negotiation and close. Some smaller teams have a single rep do both, but the specialized model separates the two.
Related terms
Multichannel sequencing is automating a coordinated outreach cadence across more than one channel — for example email, then a LinkedIn touch, then a call, then a WhatsApp follow-up — from a single sequence, with per-channel timing and safety rules.
Lead enrichment is the process of automatically adding missing data to a lead or company record — job title, company size, industry, verified email, phone, LinkedIn, technographics — from third-party data sources, so reps can segment, personalize and prioritize without manual research.
A sales sequence is an automated, pre-defined series of outreach steps — emails, calls, LinkedIn touches, texts — that fire on a schedule to move a prospect from cold to a conversation. Each step specifies a channel, a delay and often a branching condition (like skip if the prospect already replied), so follow-up happens consistently without a rep remembering every touch.
A Business Development Representative (BDR) is a sales role focused on outbound prospecting — generating net-new pipeline by proactively reaching accounts that have not raised their hand. BDRs research target accounts, run cold outreach across channels, and book qualified meetings for account executives.