What is an SDR?
A sales development representative (SDR) is a frontline role responsible for identifying, prospecting, and qualifying leads to support the sales team. SDRs are mainly responsible for prospecting new business opportunities and nurturing existing leads to help drive revenue growth. They use various sales methods like calling, emailing, and social media to engage with potential customers.
SDRs also work closely with account executives to ensure a smooth handover of qualified leads, allowing the sales team to focus on closing deals. They play a crucial role in the sales process by establishing initial contact with prospects and setting the foundation for a successful sales cycle.
SDRs are typically entry-level positions in sales and serve as a training ground for future account executives. They are essential members of any sales team as a driving force behind generating new business and building a strong pipeline of potential customers. Their efforts and success in identifying and qualifying leads ultimately contribute to the overall growth and success of their organizations.
What Does an SDR Do?
Key responsibilities of an SDR include:
- Proactive Outreach and Lead Nurturing: SDRs reach out to prospects, identifying and engaging with the most promising leads. They set up initial calls with potential customers to understand their pain points, goals, and how to provide tailored solutions.
- Relationship Building: Developing strong relationships with prospects is crucial. SDRs maintain regular contact to answer questions, provide timely feedback, and share relevant content. They act as trusted advisors, always keeping the customer’s best interests in mind.
- Customer Interaction Tracking: SDRs track customer interactions using sales automation tools. This ensures they stay organized and up to date, enabling them to provide a seamless customer experience.
- Lead Generation: Generating leads through networking and research is a key part of the SDR role. They ensure the sales rep has a steady pipeline of potential customers to contact.
- Collaboration with Marketing and Sales: SDRs work closely with the marketing and sales teams to align on messaging, target accounts, and strategies. They provide valuable feedback from the field, helping to optimize campaigns and improve overall sales performance.
Skills Needed to Be an SDR
Successful SDRs combine technical expertise with interpersonal abilities to excel in their role. Here are the essential skills that make an SDR effective:
Excellent Communication
- Clear and concise verbal communication for cold calling and virtual meetings
- Strong writing abilities for crafting personalized, compelling outreach
- Active listening skills to understand prospect pain points and objectives
- Ability to translate complex data into meaningful conversations
Technical Proficiency
- Mastery of sales and revenue intelligence platforms to identify in-market accounts
- CRM platform expertise (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.)
- Sales engagement tool proficiency
- Expertise with LinkedIn Sales Navigator and social selling
- Understanding of intent data and buying signals
Research and Planning
- Skilled at using account insights and buying stage data
- Mastery of strategic account prioritization based on intent signals
- Understanding of ideal customer profiles (ICPs) and buyer personas
- Ability to map key stakeholders within target accounts
Sales Psychology
- Objection-handling expertise
- Understanding of complex B2B buying cycles
- Ability to identify and engage decision-makers at the right time
- Problem-solving mindset to address prospect challenges
- Skill in using timing and intent data to inform outreach strategies
Time Management
- Efficient pipeline management
- Strategic prioritization of accounts showing buying signals
- Multi-tasking across numerous accounts
- Goal-setting and progress tracking
- Ability to focus efforts on accounts most likely to convert
Industry Knowledge
- Deep understanding of your company’s products/services
- Awareness of competitor offerings
- Knowledge of industry trends and challenges
- Business acumen and market understanding
Inbound vs. Outbound Sales
Inbound and outbound sales are two distinct approaches within modern B2B sales organizations.
Inbound Sales
Inbound sales start with prospects who have already shown interest in your solution through digital channels. These leads typically come through marketing activities such as content downloads, website visits, and form submissions, making them generally warmer and more familiar with your offerings.
SDRs handling inbound leads need strong qualification and nurturing skills to convert this initial interest into meaningful sales conversations. This approach is enhanced by 6sense’s intent data, which provides valuable insights into active research and buying signals. 6sense’s AI-driven platform identifies and prioritizes leads that are most likely to convert, allowing SDRs to focus their efforts on the most promising opportunities.
Common channels for inbound sales include:
- Chat interactions
- Demo request follow-ups
- Content download follow-ups
- Website inquiry responses
- Webinar attendee engagement
Outbound Sales
Outbound sales require SDRs to proactively identify and pursue potential opportunities, demanding strategic account selection and precise timing. This approach involves creating interest and awareness in prospects who may not yet know your solution, requiring strong research and personalization skills to create relevant connections.
Success in outbound sales is increasingly enhanced by 6sense predictive analytics that help identify accounts showing readiness to buy, ensuring SDRs reach out at the right time with the right message. Using predictive analytics to analyze vast amounts of data, 6sense provides SDRs with actionable insights into which accounts are most likely to convert – then prioritize their outreach efforts more effectively.
Primary outbound channels include:
- Cold calling
- Targeted email campaigns
- LinkedIn outreach
- Strategic social selling
- Multi-channel cadences
Key Differences
- Prospect Intent: Inbound leads are seeking solutions, while outbound prospects may not yet recognize their needs.
- Engagement Style: Inbound is more consultative and responsive, while outbound may require longer nurturing periods.
- Lead Quality: Inbound leads typically have higher initial interest but may not always fit ideal customer profiles, while outbound targets are strategically selected but require more nurturing.
- Timing: Inbound responds to immediate interest, while outbound success relies on identifying and acting on buying signals.
- Scale: Inbound is limited by marketing reach, while outbound can be scaled through strategic prospecting and automation using tools like 6QAs and AI email assistants.
| Inbound Sales | Outbound Sales |
| Initiated by the prospect | Initiated by sales rep |
| Active lead engagement | Passive lead engagement |
| Engagement through digital marketing | Engagement through calls and emails |
| Reactive | Proactive |
| Limited by marketing reach | Scaled through strategic prospecting |
Modern Integration
Today’s most effective SDR teams blend both inbound and outbound approaches, using AI-powered revenue platforms to:
- Identify which accounts are actively researching solutions
- Determine the best time for outbound outreach
- Enhance inbound follow-up with account insights
- Create personalized messaging based on account activity
- Prioritize efforts across both inbound and outbound opportunities
The SDR Sales Process: How Reps Build Pipeline
While sales development reps kick off the sales process, the insights they garner play a role throughout the buying process.
Strategic Prospecting
SDRs generate and identify potential opportunities through multiple channels and methods:
- Using intent data to identify accounts actively researching solutions
- Conducting thorough research on target accounts and key decision-makers
- Monitoring competitor contract renewal dates
- Attending industry events and trade shows
- Mining social media platforms, especially LinkedIn
- Analyzing technographic data to identify companies using complementary technologies
- Using account insights to understand prospect’s tech stack and business challenges
6sense for Sales pulls together all the necessary research in one place, saving SDRs valuable time that would otherwise be spent tracking down details. The platform provides a comprehensive view of target accounts, including intent data, technographic insights, and information about key decision makers. By consolidating this data, 6sense helps SDRs focus on building relationships and drive pipeline growth.
Intelligent Qualification
Modern SDRs use a data-driven approach to evaluate leads and determine fit:
- Assessing prospects against ICP criteria
- Analyzing buying signals and engagement patterns
- Evaluating budget availability and purchasing authority
- Understanding prospects’ timeline and urgency
- Identifying key stakeholders in the buying committee
- Determining technical and organizational readiness
- Gauging competitive situation and incumbent solutions
6sense for Marketing matches historic customer patterns against current buyer behavior to understand which accounts to prioritize. Using AI and machine learning, 6sense for Marketing helps SDRs focus on the most promising opportunities.
Strategic Account Development
Once prospects are qualified, SDRs focus on building relationships and moving opportunities forward:
- Creating personalized outreach strategies based on account insights
- Developing multi-threaded relationships within target accounts
- Crafting tailored value propositions that address specific pain points
- Providing relevant content and resources at each buying stage
- Coordinating with account executives for smooth hand-offs
- Managing and updating pipeline data in CRM systems
- Setting up discovery calls and product demonstrations
Pipeline Management
Successful SDRs maintain a healthy pipeline through consistent organization and prioritization:
- Regular pipeline reviews and updates
- Prioritizing accounts showing active buying signals
- Tracking engagement levels across accounts
- Managing follow-up cadences and touchpoints
- Documenting all interactions and next steps
- Monitoring conversion rates at each pipeline stage
Collaboration and Integration
Modern pipeline building requires coordination across teams:
- Working with marketing to use actionable campaign insights
- Partnering with account executives on strategic accounts
- Coordinating with customer success for reference stories
- Consulting sales operations for data and insight support
- Engaging subject matter experts for technical validation
Continuous Optimization
SDRs regularly refine their pipeline building approach by:
- Analyzing successful deals for common patterns
- Testing different outreach methods and messages
- Adjusting qualification criteria based on win/loss data
- Optimizing time allocation across pipeline stages
- Incorporating feedback from prospects and team members
- Staying updated on industry trends and buyer behaviors
Challenges Faced by SDRs
SDRs face challenges in their daily work. Understanding these challenges — and knowing how to overcome them — is crucial for long-term success in the role. Here are the primary challenges they encounter and proven strategies to address them.
Lead Leakage and Follow-up Timing
Challenge: Inbound leads falling through the cracks or receiving delayed follow-ups, especially during high-volume periods.
Solutions:
- Implement strict service level agreements (SLAs) for inbound lead response times
- Use intent data to prioritize high-potential leads
- Create automated nurture tracks for leads not ready to engage
- Use an AI email assistant to automate follow-up
- Set up alerts for re-engagement signals from past leads
- Develop a systematic approach to lead recycling
- Track and analyze reasons for leaked leads
Multi-Threading at Scale
Challenge: Building relationships with multiple stakeholders across numerous accounts simultaneously.
Solutions:
- Map buying committees using org chart data
- Obtain contact info for key personas and enroll them in persona-tailored marketing campaigns
- Track engagement levels across different stakeholders
- Customize messaging for various roles and personas
- Use account insights to identify additional contacts
- Maintain detailed relationship maps for key accounts
- Coordinate outreach across decision-makers
Nurturing Long-term Relationships
Challenge: Keeping prospects engaged over extended sales cycles without becoming pushy or forgotten.
Solutions:
- Create nurture cadences that provide value through industry reports, event invites, and relevant content specific to prospect pain points
- Monitor intent signals for optimal re-engagement timing
- Share relevant industry insights and content
- Maintain periodic check-ins based on buying stage
- Track competitor engagement within accounts
- Use trigger events for personalized outreach
Territory and Account Overlap
Challenge: Navigating complex account ownership and ensuring coordinated outreach across teams.
Solutions:
- Clear documentation of account ownership rules
- Regular communication with account executives
- Use of territory management tools
- Coordinate efforts on shared accounts
- Track and manage account hierarchies
- Regular territory review and optimization
Pipeline Quality vs. Quantity
Challenge: Balancing aggressive meeting quotas while ensuring high-quality opportunities.
Solutions:
- Focus on accounts showing active buying signals
- Develop clear qualification frameworks
- Track conversion rates by lead source
- Regular pipeline review with sales leaders
- Adjust outreach based on historical conversion data
- Prioritize quality over volume when resources are limited
Data Management and Hygiene
Challenge: Maintaining accurate, up-to-date prospect and account information across multiple systems.
Solutions:
- Regular data cleaning and verification
- Consistent CRM update protocols
- Use of data enrichment tools
- Clear documentation of customer interactions
- Regular database maintenance
- Integration of various data sources
Handling “Not Ready” Prospects
Challenge: Managing prospects who show interest but aren’t ready to buy without losing them entirely.
Solutions:
- Create segmented nurture tracks
- Monitor intent signals for buying windows
- Develop educational content sequences
- Set up automated re-engagement triggers
- Track competitive engagement
- Maintain light-touch relationships
SDR vs. BDR: What’s the Difference?
While SDRs and BDRs (Business Development Representatives) share similar foundational skills, these roles have distinct differences in their focus and responsibilities. Understanding these differences is crucial for organizations building their sales teams and professionals choosing their career paths.
Primary Focus
SDRs typically work with inbound leads and focus on qualifying prospects who have already shown interest in your solution. They respond to demo requests, handle website inquiries, and follow up with marketing qualified leads. Their primary goal is to convert existing interest into qualified opportunities.
BDRs concentrate on outbound prospecting and creating new opportunities from scratch. They identify potential accounts, conduct research, and proactively reach out to build relationships with prospects who may not be familiar with your solutions. Their focus is on expanding the business into new markets or accounts.
Key Responsibilities
SDR key responsibilities include:
- Responding to inbound inquiries promptly
- Qualifying marketing-generating leads
- Following up on content downloads and website visits
- Converting interest into sales meetings
- Nurturing leads through early buying stages
- Working closely with marketing teams
- Managing lead scoring and routing
BDR key responsibilities include:
- Identifying target accounts and decision-makers
- Conducting deep account research
- Creating personalized outbound campaigns
- Building relationships in new markets
- Generating interest in cold accounts
- Territory planning and management
- Competitive market analysis
Success Metrics
SDRs are typically measured on the following:
- Lead response time
- Inbound lead conversion rate
- MQL to SQL ratio (which is a doomed metric)
- Demo show rates
- Pipeline conversion velocity
- Nurture campaign effectiveness
BDRs are typically measured on the following:
- New pipeline generated
- Outbound meeting conversion rate (which can be unfair when BDRs are flying blind)
- Account penetration rates
- Territory coverage
- New market expansion
- Cold outreach response rates
- Account research quality
Career Progression
Both roles offer valuable experience but can lead to different career paths.
SDRs may move to roles like:
- Account Executive (often focused on mid-market)
- Marketing Operations
- Sales Operations
- Customer Success Management
- Marketing Strategy
BDRs may move to roles like:
- Enterprise Account Executive
- Account-Based Marketing
- Sales Strategy
- Business Development Management
- Market Development
Best Practices to Motivate Your SDRs
Transform your SDR team’s performance and morale with these proven motivation strategies:
- Set Clear Goals and Expectations: Establish specific, measurable KPIs that align with company objectives and create transparent progression paths. Regular feedback sessions and documented success metrics help SDRs understand exactly what they need to achieve and how they’re progressing. This clarity eliminates uncertainty and provides a clear path to success.
- Implement Recognition and Rewards Programs: Create a structured system that celebrates both major wins and small victories through monetary and non-monetary incentives. Recognition should extend beyond results to include effort, improvement, and teamwork. This comprehensive approach ensures all team members have opportunities to be recognized.
- Run Team-Based Competitions: Design contests that encourage both healthy competition and collaboration, using themed challenges aligned with company initiatives. Rotate team members to share strengths and knowledge, while using leaderboards and special projects to maintain engagement. These competitions build camaraderie while driving performance.
- Provide Continuous Training and Development: Offer regular workshops, industry certifications, and cross-functional learning opportunities that help SDRs build their capabilities. Create customized learning paths for different skill levels and bring in external experts for specialized training. This investment in their growth shows SDRs that they have a future within your organization.
- Establish Mentorship Programs: Pair new SDRs with experienced sales staff through structured mentorship programs with clear guidelines and goals. Regular check-ins and best-practice sharing help accelerate the development of newer team members while providing leadership opportunities for experienced SDRs.
- Foster an Inclusive Company Culture: Include SDRs in strategic planning sessions, product development discussions, and company celebrations. Create opportunities for cross-departmental collaboration and team-building activities. This inclusion helps SDRs feel connected to the broader company mission and valued as team members.
- Use Data-Driven Performance Optimization: Use revenue intelligence platforms like 6sense to help SDRs focus on high-intent accounts and optimize their outreach timing. This technology-enabled approach helps SDRs achieve better results by focusing their efforts on accounts most likely to convert, boosting both motivation and success rates.
- Create Career Development Paths: Establish clear progression opportunities within the organization, whether toward account executive roles or other departments. Regular career development discussions and skill-building opportunities show SDRs how their current role connects to their long-term professional goals.
- Offer Performance-Based Incentives: Design a comprehensive compensation structure that rewards both individual and team achievements. Include accelerators, spiffs, and bonuses tied to specific objectives while ensuring the program is fair and achievable. This balanced approach motivates SDRs while encouraging collaborative success.
- Enable Work-Life Balance: Support flexible scheduling and reasonable workload management while maintaining high performance standards. Recognize that motivated SDRs need time to recharge and avoid burnout. This balance helps maintain long-term motivation and reduces turnover.
Empower Your SDR Team with 6sense
6sense transforms how SDR teams identify and engage with potential buyers, providing insights into account behavior and buying signals. The revenue intelligence platform enables teams to identify accounts actively showing buying signals, understand where prospects are in their buying journey, and uncover entire buying teams rather than just individual leads. Through AI-driven insights, SDRs can prioritize accounts most likely to convert, time their outreach, and personalize messaging.
By powering best practices with 6sense’s revenue intelligence capabilities and Conversational Email technology, organizations can create a data-driven sales development program that maximizes both efficiency and results. With these capabilities, you can personalize outreach across buying teams, maintain engagement with cold leads, and ensure no opportunity falls through the cracks.
The result? A more strategic, insights-driven approach that accelerates the buyer’s journey and delivers better outcomes for the entire sales team and organization.
