Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) focus on inbound leads, responding to prospects who have already shown interest and qualifying them for the sales team. Business Development Representatives (BDRs) concentrate on outbound prospecting, proactively identifying and reaching out to new potential customers. SDRs manage and nurture existing demand, whereas BDRs create new demand by targeting untapped or less-engaged audiences.
Everyone’s got a take on SDR vs. BDR, and many blur the lines or miss what matters. The difference is more than a title. It shapes how GTM teams build pipeline and how AI changes the playbook.
Here’s what matters: who owns what, where the motions cross, and which role your team actually needs.
What Does an SDR Do? (Inbound Role Explained)
SDRs work inbound. They jump on demo requests, content downloads, and webinar signups. These signals confirm inbound intent. Then they qualify. Is this lead worth an AE’s time? Do they fit our ICP? Are they ready now or need nurturing? If your team’s drowning in inbound, but too many leads stall out, this is where SDRs shine. They triage fast and keep AEs focused on closing. You’ll usually find them qualifying leads using structured frameworks, and checking for budget, authority, urgency, and fit. Then they log the details in CRM and track warm leads who aren’t quite ready. SDRs win by qualifying fast and routing clean.
SDR responsibilities in practice
Acting on inbound leads fast
Qualifying based on your ideal customer profile (ICP)
Using a structured qualification approach to assess urgency, fit, and intent
Passing sales-ready leads to AEs for next-step conversations
Keeping CRM records accurate and current
Staying engaged with warm leads until they’re ready to convert
What Does a BDR Do? (Outbound Role Explained)
BDRs work outbound and focus on demand generation. The job starts with research, then shifts to getting in front of the right buyers and finding paths into accounts that haven’t shown intent. Cold calls. Cold emails. LinkedIn. Research. All fair game.
No inbound? Chasing bigger logos? BDRs build pipeline from scratch.
BDR responsibilities in practice
Identifying and researching high-value target accounts
Building outbound sequences across phone, email, and social
Personalizing messaging to speak to industry and persona pain
Creating first-touch conversations that open pipeline
Qualifying early-stage interest and hand off to sales
Breaking into strategic or enterprise accounts where inbound falls short
SDR vs. BDR: Key Differences
1. Inbound vs. outbound
SDRs convert existing interest. BDRs generate pipeline from scratch. Figure out whether your funnel starts with hand-raisers or cold outreach, then staff accordingly.
2. Funnel position
SDRs engage leads who’ve already shown intent. BDRs kickstart conversations before any interest exists. This drives how you train reps, which tech you prioritize (sequencing vs. routing), and what skills you coach — persistence for BDRs, qualification for SDRs.
3. Skills required
SDRs operate with structure. They move fast, qualify tight, and pass leads that actually show potential. BDRs work a different motion. They dig deep, personalize hard, and open net-new accounts. Expecting one role to run both motions often creates gaps in execution.
4. Success metrics
For SDRs, it comes down to how quickly they follow up, how consistently they qualify, and how smooth the AE handoff is. BDRs are measured by whether they’re creating momentum in the right accounts and turning outreach into actual opportunities. These are two different motions. Structure these motions separately.
SDR vs. BDR skills snapshot
SDR skills:
Fast, structured qualification
Strong discovery and listening
Pattern recognition across inbound signals
Consistent follow-up and handoff discipline
BDR skills:
Research and account mapping
Personalized outbound messaging
Multichannel prospecting
Persistence in generating net-new opportunities
How AI Is Changing SDR and BDR Roles
AI hasn’t changed what sales teams are responsible for, but it has changed what gets in the way. Lead scoring no longer needs a human. Neither does pulling research or writing that first email. These steps once required hours of manual work. Now they run automatically before outreach begins.
For SDRs, this changes the motion. Instead of clicking through lead queues or guessing which name to call next, they’re spending time on real conversations. They know which leads are worth pursuing, and when those leads are most likely to engage. The result is faster qualification and fewer missed opportunities.
For BDRs, the shift shows up in how they prioritize accounts. They aren’t stuck sifting through dead data or running cold plays with no context. They know which accounts are active, where there’s movement, and how to approach with relevance. That advantage speeds up early conversations and improves outreach relevance.
Reps move more pipeline when administrative work drops. The more distractions you cut, the faster they close.
SDR vs. BDR: How to Choose the Right Role
SDRs usually sit closer to inbound demand or marketing teams, while BDRs align with outbound sales or strategic growth. Clear ownership keeps the motions from overlapping.
Start with the funnel. If inbound is steady and reps are buried in form fills, bring in SDRs to clean it up. They’ll qualify what’s real and move the rest out of the way. If inbound volume is low and pipeline is thin, the issue is usually outbound coverage. Time to fire up the BDR motion.
Next, look at how you’re trying to grow. New verticals? Bigger logos? Enterprise expansion? That all takes outbound reach. But if inbound leads are converting poorly or sitting untouched, you’ve got an SDR issue. If you’re scaling fast, odds are you’ll need both. A blended role often weakens both motions.
Define what strong performance looks like before you start interviewing. If you’re bringing in an SDR, know what good looks like. Fast follow-up, clean qualification, and smooth handoffs. If it’s a BDR, you’re measuring conversations started, opps created, and actual pipeline. When those lines blur, so does performance.
Then back the team with tools that match the motion. SDRs don’t need a stack of dashboards, but they do need lead queues that work and routing that makes sense. BDRs need signals they can act on and outreach tools that don’t slow them down. Platforms such as ZoomInfo give SDRs reliable lead routing and give BDRs account-level signals they can act on without slowing their motion. Data is only useful when it drives a clear next step.
Teams should adjust mid-cycle instead of waiting for the quarter to close. If your inbound is slipping through the cracks, stack your SDR bench. If outreach is stalling and opps are flat, that’s a BDR problem.
Both roles often lead into AE positions over time, with the pace of progression shaped by team structure and how reps grow in the role.
Where SDRs and BDRs Fit in Your GTM Motion
Understanding the difference between the SDR and BDR motions matters. The roles, tools, and outcomes are different. Treat them that way.
When SDRs qualify fast and pass clean, AEs close more. When BDRs open the right doors with the right message, pipeline grows. But none of that works if you hire blind or expect one role to do both.
Build each function with purpose and measure what matters. Give the team the structure and tools to focus on active selling.