A Business Development Representative (BDR) is a sales role focused on generating new business, typically by qualifying inbound leads or running strategic outbound into target accounts. The BDR title overlaps heavily with SDR; the most common usage today reserves BDR for inbound and target-account work, and SDR for high-volume cold outbound. Quota and compensation are similar, with BDRs sometimes paid slightly higher on inbound-heavy motions because conversion is faster.
BDR vs SDR: how the split actually works in practice
Across modern B2B sales orgs, the split usually breaks one of three ways. Pattern one (most common in mid-market SaaS): BDRs handle inbound MQLs and partner-sourced leads; SDRs run pure cold outbound. Pattern two (common in enterprise): BDRs own a named-account list of 20-50 strategic targets and run multi-quarter campaigns; SDRs cover everything else at higher volume. Pattern three (common in early-stage startups): one team called either SDR or BDR does both, and the title is just whatever the founder used at their last job. None of the three is wrong, but the split has to be documented or you get account collisions, where two reps work the same prospect in parallel.
The functional differences matter more than the title. Inbound qualifiers need fast response time and consultative discovery skills. Outbound prospectors need volume discipline, list hygiene, and resilience to no's.
What does a BDR's quota look like?
On the inbound side, BDR quota is usually expressed as accepted leads or held meetings per month, typically 20-40, depending on inbound volume. On the strategic outbound side, BDRs carry a smaller pipeline number (say 5-10 high-quality opportunities per quarter) tied to named accounts. The compensation mix is similar to SDR: 60-70% base, 30-40% variable, with the variable portion paid on qualified meetings or sourced pipeline. Automated sequencing makes the strategic-outbound BDR motion viable at scale, since each rep can run 30-50 named accounts without losing personalization.
Related questions
Should we call our team SDRs or BDRs?
Use whichever term your target hires already understand. If you're recruiting from larger orgs (Salesforce, HubSpot, Gong) where the SDR vs BDR distinction is clear, match their last title. If your team is small, pick one term and stick with it. Renaming the team twice in a year confuses recruiters and slows hiring.
Is a BDR a senior SDR?
Sometimes. Some companies use BDR as a senior SDR title, with BDRs handling larger accounts and SDRs running volume. Other companies use the titles interchangeably. There is no industry-wide hierarchy. Check the comp plan and the quota; that's the real signal.
What's the career path from BDR?
Most BDRs promote to AE within 18-24 months. Other paths include moving into Customer Success, RevOps, or marketing (especially demand gen and ABM). The fastest-growing path is to revenue technology or sales engineering, where outbound craft plus technical curiosity is in high demand.