Understanding the difference between SDRs and BDRs in sales
Ever wondered about the dynamic duo of sales, the SDR and the BDR? Let’s dive deep into understanding these two acronyms that are ubiquitous within sales departments.
In the fast-paced world of sales, understanding the nuances between Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) and Business Development Representatives (BDRs) is crucial for success. Let's dive into the trenches and unravel the differences between these two roles.
The key differences between the two roles are:
SDRs focus on inbound prospection, wherein prospects educate themselves about your solution and reach out to you with initial interest.
BDRs focus on outbound prospection, wherein the initial outreach is made by you, mainly using a cold/warm approach to initiate a prospect conversation.
Why are two terms used interchangeably?
The main objective of either SDRs or BDRs is what is called business development. This, in a nutshell, means bringing a constant and predictable flow of new qualified deals into the sales organization.
This is independent of the type of prospection used (inbound or outbound). In the event that the inbound flow of leads diminishes, the role is expected to transition to outbound prospection. Therefore, you must be flexible and be able to transition between both in order to ensure a continuous flow of qualified opportunities.
How do the activities of SDRs and BDRs differ?
Essentially, the two types of prospecting flows require different skill sets.
Inbound flow necessitates a greater focus on lead and prospect qualification. Essentially, you're searching for a needle in a haystack among all incoming leads. This 'needle' represents a lead with the potential to transition into an opportunity, while the 'haystack' encompasses all other leads.
The outbound flow begins with a prospecting plan, which involves understanding your prospect's problems and how you can help solve them. If you're targeting businesses, this requires an understanding of the individuals within your target account that you can reach and how they could be impacted by your solution.
We will give more insight on the specifics of what a qualification framework or how a prospect plan looks like. But just keep in mind that whatever your role may be, we want to equip you with the best tools so that you can be succesfull.