Introduction
Hiring a winning sales team is easier said than done. You want strong team members who know your company to talk to potential customers first. Yet you want the seasoned professional to be involved in closing the deal. There are so many moving parts! But did you know that two key team members will make or break your sales team? These are your Business Development Representatives (BDR) and your Sales Development Representatives (SDR). At first glance, these two roles seem similar. But they are vastly different! Let’s break down the difference between BDRs and SDRs.
What is a BDR?
A BDR is a Business Development Representative. Having a BDR on the sales team is vital for one reason: to generate leads. We could include a fancy list with a breakdown of all the pieces that involve a BDR, but it essentially comes down to this one piece. After all, these potential business opportunities need to be identified!
A BDR’s focus should be on finding potential customers and generating interest. While most sales positions run off spreadsheets and numbers, a BDR is creative.
Each day is spent brainstorming new ideas for lead developments. And a lead can come in from anywhere! While we often think of referrals, a lead can come from a search engine result or a social media post. Even cold calls and emails are considered leads! Essentially, anything that might generate new leads falls within the responsibility of a BDR.
Another crucial part of a business development representative is their relationship-building skills. A good BDR builds a relationship with these potential clients. They effectively move them through the sales funnel and turn cold leads into warm ones. It is then that the BDR brings the information to the attention of another team member, the SDR.
What is an SDR?
An SDR is a Sales Development Representative. While this is one position, there are two parts to this team member.
First, they manage the leads that have reached out directly. These direct leads can come from marketing assets. An example of this could be an email newsletter or new signup form submissions. These are potential leads that are ready to start a conversation. Another way that they can reach out is through social media! There are many critical sources for incoming leads.
Second, an SDR oversees the process of rating leads. All leads should be rated according to their readiness to buy. It’s common for each company to have its own system. So it’s essential to understand the responsibilities found within lead scoring.
We call this lead scoring. This is how your team will look at a prospect. Should this lead continue through the sales funnel or be abandoned for the time being? That is the question all SDRs must ask! The goal of the SDR team is not to waste resources on cold leads.
Whether they are engaging with a direct contact lead or working off a referral, the primary responsibility of your SDR team is simple. They must figure out which leads are likely to be profitable and which ones aren’t.
Why Are They Both Important?
Comparing BDR vs SDR
At first glance, it may seem like a BDR, and an SDR can be combined. However, there are distinct differences between the two.
Here is a simple way to separate which responsibility falls with each role:
- Business Development Representatives (BDR) are responsible for outbound lead prospecting
- Sales Development Representatives (SDR) are responsible for inbound lead qualification
The BDR agents represent your company that is reaching out to potential prospects on your behalf. They need to be up to date with the latest software and the latest trends. While the BDR may not be involved in the marketing planning phases, they need to be aware of which campaigns are live.
However, the SDR agents take those potential prospects that have responded and rank them. Are they ready for a sales call? Do they need to be educated more before an offer is made? It’s up to the SDR team and their lead scoring system.
BDR vs SDR: Popular Software
| Outreach |
| Hubspot |
| ZoomInfo |
| Lusha |
| Salesforce |
| Lmsleads |
| Aircall |
| Twilio |
| Sales Navigator |
Closing
There we have it! We’ve broken down the roles and responsibilities of a BDR and an SDR. You should understand how different these roles are. It might seem more straightforward to bundle them into one sales team member, but you won’t get the best results.
Make sure that your BDR team is creative, innovative, and up to date with the latest trends in sales. Your SDR team should focus on the quality of leads and getting them ready to continue down the sales path. Neither will do the job their best if they worry about other responsibilities.
This clear definition of the two roles is crucial for building an efficient sales team. These different talents both help move the sales team toward a win. And that’s what every company wants? A winning sales team!
Call-to-Action
Looking to grow your sales team but worried about the overhead cost? Let’s explore outsourcing! Toplead is ready to handle both your BDR and SDR needs. Schedule a call with our team today, and you’ll be rocking your sales tomorrow!
Click here to contact the Toplead Sales Team!