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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for B2B Sales Development Representative

💰 $50,000 - $85,000

SalesB2BSales DevelopmentBusiness DevelopmentSaaS

🎯 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.

📈 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 champions’ 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 “voice of the customer” 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:

  • Bachelor’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:

  • 1–3 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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