An SDR (Sales Development Representative) qualifies inbound leads that come to your company. A BDR (Business Development Representative) prospects outbound to people who have never heard of you. The difference is the direction of the first contact: SDRs respond to interest, BDRs create it.
Both roles book meetings for account executives, and neither closes deals.
SDR vs BDR: Side-by-Side Comparison
SDR | BDR | |
Lead source | Inbound: demo requests, content downloads, webinars | Outbound: cold calls, cold email, LinkedIn |
First contact | Prospect reaches out first | Rep reaches out first |
Main activity | Qualifying and routing | Researching and prospecting |
Primary metric | Speed to lead, qualification rate | Meetings booked, connect rate |
Volume | Lower contact volume, higher conversion | Higher contact volume, lower conversion |
Reports to | Sales or marketing | Sales |
What Does an SDR Do?
An SDR responds to leads that marketing generates and decides which ones are worth an AE’s time. When someone requests a demo or downloads a guide, the SDR calls, qualifies against criteria like budget and timeline, and books a meeting if the lead fits.
Because inbound leads decay quickly, speed to lead is the metric that defines the role. A lead contacted in five minutes converts far better than one contacted the next day.
What Does a BDR Do?
A BDR builds pipeline from scratch by contacting people who have not expressed interest. The work starts with research: identifying target accounts, finding the right contacts, and writing outreach relevant enough to earn a reply.
Most of a BDR’s day is outbound prospecting across calls, email, and LinkedIn. Rejection rates are high by design, so the role is measured on meetings booked rather than on conversion percentage.
Are SDR and BDR the Same Thing?
At many companies, yes. The titles are used interchangeably, and plenty of teams call every prospecting rep an SDR regardless of lead source.
The distinction matters most at companies that run both motions and need to separate them. If your team has one prospecting rep handling everything, the title is cosmetic. If you have a marketing engine producing inbound and a separate outbound push, splitting the roles prevents inbound leads from sitting while a rep is deep in a cold calling block.
Which Should You Hire First?
Hire based on where your leads come from, not on the title.
If marketing is generating more inbound than your team can respond to quickly, hire an SDR. If you have a defined target account list and no inbound flow, hire a BDR. Companies with neither usually need marketing investment before either hire pays off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do SDRs and BDRs get paid differently? Base pay is usually similar. Variable comp differs: SDRs are often paid on qualified meetings, BDRs on meetings booked from cold outreach.
Which role is harder? BDR work has higher rejection volume. SDR work has more time pressure.
What comes after these roles? Both typically promote to account executive.
How Conquer Supports SDR and BDR Teams
Both roles depend on volume and follow-up, which is where CRM admin time hurts most. Conquer runs calling, email, and text from inside Salesforce, so reps work a queue without switching tools and every touch logs itself automatically.
For SDRs, that means faster response to inbound. For BDRs, it means more dials and sequences that keep running without manual tracking.
Want your prospecting reps spending more time on live conversations? Book a demo