What a BDR Does
A Business Development Representative owns the top of the funnel and turns cold accounts and raw interest into qualified pipeline that closers can work. BDRs research target accounts and run outbound sequences across email, phone, and social. They qualify inbound interest before it reaches an account executive, which protects closer capacity: AEs stay focused on late-stage deals while the BDR layer handles the volume work of finding and vetting new opportunities. Consistent pipeline-generation from this layer keeps quota-carrying reps supplied with deals.Where a BDR aims matters as much as how hard they work. Reps who target a tight account list that fits the ideal customer profile book meetings that survive the handoff, while unfocused outreach produces meetings that AEs disqualify on the first call.
BDR vs SDR
The titles overlap, and many companies use them interchangeably. A commonly cited practitioner convention separates them by lead source:
| Role | Primary source | Typical input |
|---|---|---|
| BDR | Outbound | Cold, self-sourced accounts |
| SDR | Inbound | marketing-qualified-lead flow |
How BDRs Are Measured
BDR performance ties to output rather than raw activity. The metrics that matter track how much qualified pipeline the role creates and how well it converts:
- Meetings or opportunities accepted per period - Conversion rate from first touch to qualified opportunity - Pipeline sourced against a quota-attainment target - Response time on inbound interest
Dials and emails sent are leading indicators. They help with coaching but make weak goals, since they reward motion instead of results. Compensation usually blends a base salary with a variable tied to accepted meetings or sourced pipeline, which aligns the BDR with downstream revenue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a BDR and an SDR?
The two titles overlap, and plenty of companies use them for the same job. A common convention assigns BDRs to outbound work, where they cold-prospect net-new accounts, and SDRs to inbound work, where they qualify leads that marketing generated. What matters more than the label is the scope each company writes into the role, so confirm the definition before you compare teams or benchmarks.
What does a BDR do all day?
A BDR builds and works a list of target accounts, then runs outreach across email, phone, and LinkedIn to open conversations. When a prospect shows genuine interest and fits the qualification criteria, the BDR books a meeting and hands the opportunity to an account executive. The role also keeps account data clean so the pipeline the team forecasts against stays accurate.
How are BDRs measured and paid?
BDRs are judged on qualified output, mainly the meetings and opportunities that account executives accept, plus the pipeline dollars those opportunities represent. Activity counts like calls and emails are tracked for coaching but rarely serve as the primary goal, since they reward effort over results. Pay usually pairs a base salary with a commission tied to accepted meetings or sourced pipeline, which keeps the BDR pointed at revenue the company can actually book.
Put these metrics to work
ORM builds custom revenue forecast models that turn concepts like business development representative (bdr) into prescriptive action for your team.
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