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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for B2B Sales Development Representative

šŸ’° $50,000 - $85,000

SalesB2BSales DevelopmentBusiness DevelopmentSaaS

šŸŽÆ Role Definition

The B2B Sales Development Representative (SDR) is a front-line revenue generation role focused on outbound and inbound lead qualification, appointment setting, and early-stage pipeline creation for Account Executives. The SDR executes targeted prospecting campaigns, conducts discovery conversations to validate fit, and advances qualified opportunities into the sales funnel using a multi-channel approach (cold calls, cold emails, LinkedIn outreach, and CRM-driven follow-up). Success is measured by qualified meetings booked, pipeline value created, conversion rates, and activity metrics.

Key keywords: B2B Sales Development Representative, SDR, lead generation, prospecting, pipeline creation, appointment setting, outbound sales, inbound qualification, cold calling, cold emailing, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Salesforce, HubSpot.

šŸ“ˆ Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Inside Sales Representative / Sales Associate
  • Marketing Coordinator or Demand Generation Specialist (transitioning into sales)
  • Customer Success or Account Coordinator with consultative skills

Advancement To:

  • Account Executive (AE) / Closing Sales Representative
  • Senior SDR / Team Lead, Sales Development
  • Business Development Manager / Enterprise SDR
  • Sales Manager / Head of Sales Development

Lateral Moves:

  • Sales Operations / Sales Enablement
  • Customer Success / Customer Onboarding
  • Product Specialist / Solution Consultant

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Execute high-volume, multi-channel prospecting campaigns to generate net-new B2B leads using cold calling, cold emailing, LinkedIn outreach, and targeted social selling; consistently meet or exceed daily and weekly activity KPIs.
  • Qualify inbound leads and marketing-sourced opportunities through structured discovery conversations, assessing budget, authority, need, and timeline (BANT) or relevant qualification frameworks, then document qualification outcomes in the CRM.
  • Book and hand off qualified meetings to Account Executives with clear meeting agendas, succinct qualification notes, and defined next steps to ensure smooth opportunity progression.
  • Manage and grow a pipeline of prospects by nurturing early-stage contacts, conducting follow-up cadences, and re-engaging dormant leads to maintain pipeline velocity.
  • Create, personalize, and test outbound email sequences and LinkedIn messaging to improve open, reply, and conversion rates; use A/B testing to iterate messaging and subject lines for higher engagement.
  • Maintain accurate, timely, and detailed records of all prospect interactions, qualification criteria, and meeting notes in Salesforce, HubSpot, or the company CRM to support reporting and forecast accuracy.
  • Meet or exceed monthly and quarterly KPIs including qualified meetings booked, SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads), pipeline created (dollar value), conversion rates, and activity metrics (calls, emails, LinkedIn touches).
  • Conduct research on target accounts and buyer personas (industry, tech stack, org chart) to develop tailored outreach sequences and value propositions that resonate with decision-makers.
  • Collaborate with marketing and product teams to provide feedback on lead quality, campaign performance, messaging, and market trends to optimize demand-gen programs.
  • Leverage Sales Engagement Platforms (Outreach.io, SalesLoft, Groove) to execute cadences, log interactions, and report on cadence performance for continuous improvement.
  • Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator and other prospecting tools to create targeted account lists, identify champions and championsā€™ contact information, and map the buying committee.
  • Handle inbound demo requests, pricing inquiries, and introductory conversations; triage and escalate high-fit opportunities for immediate AE engagement.
  • Prepare and present concise opportunity briefs to Account Executives and Sales Managers to align on next steps, deal strategy, and qualification gaps.
  • Participate in daily standups, regular coaching sessions, and role-playing exercises to refine discovery questions, objection handling, and pitch clarity.
  • Track and analyze outreach metrics and conversion funnels (e.g., call-to-meeting, email-to-reply, meeting-to-opportunity) to identify areas for process optimization and personal performance improvement.
  • Support new product launches and market expansions by building target lists, qualifying early leads, and relaying customer feedback on messaging and product-market fit.
  • Ensure compliance with data protection and outreach best practices, including GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and internal policies for contact consent and data hygiene.
  • Collaborate with revenue operations and sales enablement to implement and refine scoring models, lead routing rules, and SLA adherence between SDRs and AEs.
  • Proactively identify and escalate strategic opportunities or competitor intelligence discovered during prospect conversations to inform pricing, positioning, and competitive responses.
  • Manage and optimize personal productivity tools (calendar blocking, CRM task queues, email templates) to maximize time spent on high-impact activities.
  • Serve as the ā€œvoice of the customerā€ by capturing prospect pain points and feature requests into CRM and feedback channels for product and marketing teams.
  • Own the handoff process for outbound-sourced pipeline, ensuring opportunities are packaged with contextual information, pain points, and prioritized next steps.
  • Participate in quarterly planning and target-setting sessions to align outreach strategy with company objectives, ICP updates, and territory plans.
  • Mentor junior SDRs on best practices for outreach cadence construction, objection handling, and CRM hygiene as part of an ongoing coaching culture.

Secondary Functions

  • Contribute to the creation and maintenance of targeted account lists, ICP definitions, and buying persona documentation.
  • Assist marketing with case study identification, testimonial collection, and referral capture from warmed prospects.
  • Help QA and optimize email templates, playbooks, and call scripts to boost reply and meeting conversion rates.
  • Support ad-hoc competitive research and market intelligence projects to inform sales messaging and positioning.
  • Participate in cross-functional projects to improve lead routing, enrichment, and scoring logic with Sales Ops and RevOps.
  • Prepare weekly performance summaries and insights for the Sales Manager to support forecast accuracy and coaching priorities.
  • Take part in occasional trade show outreach follow-ups, post-event lead qualification, and handoff coordination.
  • Train on new tools and integrations, and evangelize best practices across the SDR team to increase adoption and performance.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Prospecting and outbound lead generation (cold calling, cold emailing, social outreach)
  • CRM proficiency: Salesforce or HubSpot (recording activities, building views, opportunity logging)
  • Sales engagement tools: Outreach.io, SalesLoft, Groove or equivalent
  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator and social selling best practices
  • Lead qualification frameworks: BANT, MEDDICC, CHAMP or similar methodologies
  • Email sequence construction, A/B testing, and deliverability best practices
  • Basic pipeline and sales metrics analysis (KPIs, conversion rates, funnel optimization)
  • Microsoft Excel / Google Sheets for list management and basic data analysis (VLOOKUP, pivot tables)
  • Calendar management and meeting scheduling tools (Calendly, Chili Piper)
  • Familiarity with marketing automation platforms and lead lifecycle (Marketo, Pardot, HubSpot)
  • Data hygiene and enrichment practices (Clearbit, ZoomInfo, Apollo)
  • Call recording and coaching platforms (Gong, Chorus) for performance feedback

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional verbal communication and phone presence for outreach and discovery
  • Strong written communication and persuasive email copywriting skills
  • Active listening and consultative questioning to uncover prospect pain points
  • High resilience, persistence, and a competitive drive to hit targets in outbound-heavy roles
  • Coachability and continuous improvement mindset; accepts feedback and iterates quickly
  • Time management and prioritization to balance prospecting, follow-ups, and admin tasks
  • Critical thinking and problem-solving to tailor messaging for complex B2B buying scenarios
  • Empathy and customer-centric attitude to build rapport quickly with prospects
  • Collaboration and cross-functional communication with marketing, product, and sales ops
  • Attention to detail and organizational skills for maintaining accurate CRM records

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent (many organizations accept proven sales performance in lieu of degree)

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelorā€™s degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Economics, or a related field

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Marketing
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Computer Science / Information Systems (for technical product lines)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 0 to 3 years in sales, SDR, inside sales, or customer-facing roles; entry-level to early-career candidates are commonly hired.

Preferred:

  • 1ā€“3 years of B2B SDR or inside sales experience, ideally in SaaS, technology, or professional services
  • Demonstrated track record of meeting or exceeding outbound KPIs and quota attainment
  • Experience using Salesforce or HubSpot and at least one sales engagement platform (Outreach, SalesLoft)
  • Prior success in outbound prospecting, cold calling, and multi-touch cadence execution
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