---
title: "Sales development rep (SDR) explained"
url: "https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/sales-development-representative.md"
canonical_url: "https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/sales-development-representative"
last_updated: "2026-10-21"
type: "conceptual"
summary: "A sales development representative finds and qualifies prospects and books meetings for sellers. See what the role does in a weekly example."
related: ["https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/sales-qualified-lead.md", "https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/sales-cadence.md", "https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/meeting-booked-rate.md"]
---

# Sales development rep (SDR) explained

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A sales development representative finds and qualifies prospects and books meetings for sellers. See what the role does in a weekly example.

**What is a sales development representative?**

A sales development representative (SDR) is a person who researches prospects, reaches out to them and books meetings for account executives. The role focuses on the start of the pipeline, not on closing deals.

Group: 3. Outreach.

## The parts

1. **Research**: Find companies and people who match the target profile and learn enough to write a relevant first message.
2. **Outreach**: Contact prospects by email, phone and social channels, following a cadence.
3. **Qualification**: Ask a few questions to confirm fit and interest before passing a lead to a seller.
4. **Handoff**: Book the meeting and share the notes, so the account executive starts with context.

## Worked example: one week for one SDR

Shieldline Security, a fictional company, tracks the week of one SDR: 250 emails sent and 40 calls made.

1. Replies received: 14.
2. Meetings booked: 4.
3. Meeting booked rate: 4 / 14 x 100 = 28.6%.

The week at a glance (invented figures)

| Field | Value | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emails sent | 250 | Across all active cadences |
| Calls made | 40 | Follow-up touches |
| Replies | 14 | All channels |
| Meetings booked | 4 | 28.6% of replies |

## How to apply it

1. Define who an SDR hands leads to and what a ready lead looks like.
2. Give the SDR a target list and a cadence, so time goes to outreach rather than building lists.
3. Measure replies and meetings booked, not only messages sent.
4. Review booked meetings with the sellers weekly and adjust the qualification rule.

## Common mistakes

- Rewarding the number of messages sent, which pushes quantity over relevance.
- Passing leads to sellers without notes from the conversation.
- Leaving the SDR to build lists by hand, which uses the time meant for outreach.

## Related terms

- [Sales qualified lead](https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/sales-qualified-lead.md): A sales qualified lead (SQL) is a lead that the sales team has reviewed and accepted as a real opportunity worth active selling.
- [Sales cadence](https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/sales-cadence.md): A sales cadence is a scheduled series of contacts, spread over days and often over more than one channel, that a seller follows to reach a prospect.
- [Meeting booked rate](https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/meeting-booked-rate.md): Meeting booked rate is the share of replies that end with a meeting on the calendar.

## Keep reading

- [Replies and meetings](https://coldmeetings.com/product/replies-and-meetings.md)
- [Cost per meeting calculator](https://coldmeetings.com/tools/cost-per-meeting.md)
- [B2B sales prospecting](https://coldmeetings.com/blog/b2b-sales-prospecting.md)

## Questions

### What does an SDR do all day?

Researches prospects, sends messages, makes calls, answers replies and books meetings for sellers.

### What is the difference between an SDR and an account executive?

An SDR opens conversations and books meetings. An account executive runs those meetings and closes deals.

### What is the difference between an SDR and a BDR?

The titles overlap. Some companies use SDR for inbound leads and BDR for outbound, others use them as the same role.

### Can software replace an SDR?

Software can do list building, sequencing and reply sorting. A person is still useful for judgment on replies and for the conversations that follow.

Questions about outbound for your own company? Email hello@coldmeetings.com.

## Related

- [Sales qualified lead (SQL): definition](https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/sales-qualified-lead.md)
- [Sales cadence: definition, steps and example](https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/sales-cadence.md)
- [Meeting booked rate: formula and example](https://coldmeetings.com/glossary/meeting-booked-rate.md)