Leads to Deals: Key Differences Between SDR and BDR Roles

[jrineakter]

Various roles are involved in an organization's revenue generation process, such as market research, advertising, public relations (PR), marketing, social media, events, partnerships, sales, etc.

In a business-to-business (B2B) organization, the revenue team is a bit more streamlined. Especially in technology and SaaS sales companies, the revenue engine is made up of marketing, sales, and the right customer intent.

As a bridge between these departments, within what is commonly called the internal sales team , two distinct roles appear: the sales development representative (SDR) and the business development representative (BDR).

The SDR vs. BDR debate dates back to ancient times. Some organizations have a vested interest in differentiating the two; others use these two roles interchangeably, as they both work toward the same goal.

Before you decide how you're going to structure your teams, here's a primer on SDRs and BDRs.

Defining SDR and BDR roles
Within the sales organization, both spain number data SDRs and BDRs play distinct and critical roles. Here’s what it looks like.

Sales Development Representative
An SDR focuses on qualifying inbound leads and passing them on to account executives. Their role is to:

Review incoming leads
Evaluate them as sales qualified leads (SQL) or potential customers
Connect with the potential client to understand their needs
Document all information about the potential client and transmit it to the account executives
Business Development Representative
A BDR is responsible for prospecting outbound leads. Their role consists of:

Conduct cold contacts
Identify business opportunities
Support in the development of services
Set up meetings with sales teams
The roles and responsibilities of an SDR are very different from those of a BDR. Let’s look at how they differ.

Key differences between SDRs and BDRs
Did you know? Over 50% of customers engage with brands across 3-5 channels during their sales process. A typical buying group involves 6-10 stakeholders. And 75% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free experience .

There are some things in common between SDRs and BDRs. Both are in early career roles with immense opportunities to become sales leaders. Typically, both are part of the sales team. Both regularly collaborate with marketing and customer-facing departments.

And most importantly, as an SDR or BDR, your goal is to generate revenue for the organization. The similarities end here. Here are the differences.

Areas of interest
SDRs focus on inbound leads and BDRs focus on outbound campaigns. As a result, SDRs look to create and nurture leads to convert them into sales, while BDRs build relationships that help increase the company’s share of wallet.

For example, when the marketing team generates a lead in the form of an asset download, the sales development rep reaches out to them offering assistance and starting a conversation.

On the other hand, a business development representative researches existing customers and new markets to identify growth opportunities.

Involvement in the sales cycle
SDRs have a tactical mandate to capture attention, identify needs, and pass them on to account executives (AEs). They don’t close deals. This means they focus on the top of the sales funnel.

BDRs have a strategic mandate to monitor trends, conduct market research and identify potential opportunities. They engage the potential customer from start to finish – they deal with the entire cycle.