In this article, you’ll read about:

• What is SDR
• What are the SDR’s duties?
• What are the advantages of SDR?
• What’s the difference between SDR and Sales
• The difference between SDR and BDR
• When to hire an SDR?
• SDR trends

What is SDR?

Sales Development Representative (SDR) is the name given to the sales professional responsible for prospecting and qualifying leads. This service aims to identify potential clients, contact them and generate business opportunities.

What are the SDR’s duties?

In order to generate sales opportunities, the SDR works from initial prospecting to follow-up and providing feedback to the sales team. See what functions the SDR performs:

Lead qualification

Lead qualification is the process of identifying and classifying potential customers based on their interest, needs and purchasing capacity. The SDR is responsible for making this detailed analysis of the lead’s profile and classifying them according to the company’s Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).

Further information: Lead qualification: the complete guide to optimizing your sales

Cold calls

Cold calls are terms used to define the first contact with a cold lead, i.e. a potential customer who is not yet interested in hiring your services or buying your products. The SDR’s role in cold calls is to probe the lead’s pains and relevant information about their business, in order to use it to promote the solutions the company offers. This contact is intended to warm up the lead and generate deep interest in moving on to a negotiation meeting with a salesperson.

Lead follow-up

After the first contact, the SDR’s role is to follow up the lead until it moves on to the negotiation stage with the salesperson. This follow-up can be done through emails or phone calls, and aims to create a relationship with the potential customer, keeping them interested and engaged.

Feedback for the sales team

In addition to contacting leads, the SDR is also responsible for sharing relevant information with the sales team. This feedback aims to optimize the negotiation process and make the salesperson’s approach more assertive and effective, contributing to successful sales.

What are the advantages of SDR for the company?

The work of the SDR brings several advantages to the company. Some of the main advantages are:

Optimizing the sales process

As we’ve already seen, one of the functions performed by the SDR is to follow up the lead, with the aim of keeping them interested and engaged in closing deals. Maintaining interactions with the lead before contacting the salesperson helps to optimize the sales process, making negotiations more effective and increasing the chances of conversion.

Increased conversion rate

Another advantage of the SDR service is the potential increase in the conversion rate. This is because qualified leads, who are nurtured with a good relationship before the sale, are more likely to close deals with the company. Thus, when these potential customers move on to the negotiation process, they demonstrate a more receptive and interested behavior, making it easier to close the sale.

In addition to these advantages, which can be of great benefit to the company, the SDR also contributes to:

• Reduction in the Churn Rate, since the leads go through the Ideal Customer Profile assessment and are therefore potential customers who have the brand’s purchasing profile;

• More assertive marketing strategies, since the SDR has direct contact with leads and these interactions can provide insights into the characteristics, needs and expectations of these potential customers. In this way, the SDR can provide feedback that helps marketing direct more assertive campaigns.

What’s the difference between SDR and Sales?

The main difference between SDR (Sales Development Representative) and sales lies in the stage of the sales process at which each one operates.

As we have already seen, the SDR is responsible for qualifying leads and generating opportunities. They work in the initial phase of the sales funnel, prospecting potential customers, making initial contact with these leads, qualifying them and preparing them to move on to a negotiation with the sales team. The SDR’s main focus is therefore to identify business opportunities and start the sales process.

The sales team, on the other hand, is responsible for conducting negotiations after the SDR has contacted the lead and converting it into a customer. Salespeople work with leads that have already been qualified and have shown interest in moving on to the next stage of the sales process. They therefore focus on understanding the customer’s specific needs, presenting solutions, overcoming objections and finalizing sales.

Therefore, the main factors that differentiate SDR and sales are:

• The stage of action in the sales funnel, since the SDR acts at the top and the sales team acts at the bottom of the funnel;
• The responsibilities performed, since the SDR is responsible for qualifying leads and the sales team is responsible for closing deals with already qualified leads;
• The objective of the action, since the SDR’s objective is to generate business opportunities and the sales team focuses on converting these opportunities into sales;

B2B sales: learn how to succeed in this business model

What is the difference between SDR and BDR?

Sales Development Representative (SDR) and Business Development Representative (BDR) are professionals who work at the pre-sales stage, but do not perform the same functions and do not have the same objectives.

The BDR is responsible for delivering a list of leads interested in the product or service offered by the company. This list is created by searching for people and companies who are not yet aware of your business, but may be interested in your products or services.

The SDR is responsible for continuing the work of the BDR, qualifying these leads and preparing them to move on to the negotiation stage. They work in the initial phase of the sales funnel, actively prospecting potential customers and nurturing a relationship with these leads.

So the difference between SDR and BDR is:

Sales Development Representative (SDR)

• Qualifies leads and prepares them for the negotiation stage;
• Active prospecting of potential clients;
• Focus on converting leads into sales opportunities.

Business Development Representative (BDR)

• Generates leads interested in the company’s product or service;
• It works to identify potential clients who don’t yet know the business;
• Deliver a list of qualified leads for the SDR to continue the sales process.

Further information | SDR, BDR, LDR: Understanding the difference

When to hire an SDR?

So far, we’ve understood that the Sales Development Representative (SDR) service is essential for optimizing the sales process and boosting the sales team’s negotiations. But there are also specific situations in which a company can benefit even more from hiring an SDR. Here are some of them:

• Company growth: if your company is in a period of growth and expansion, you may need to increase the volume of leads and sales opportunities to keep up with this growing demand. In this case, hiring an SDR can help boost lead generation and ensure that the company doesn’t miss out on business opportunities.

• Low conversion rate: if your business is experiencing a low customer conversion rate, it may be a sign that the leads are not being well qualified or nurtured before they move on to negotiation. In this situation, hiring an SDR can help solve this problem, qualifying leads more effectively and helping to increase the conversion rate.

• Expansion into new markets: if your company is looking to expand into new markets or customer segments, hiring an SDR will help identify and prospect potential customers, boosting the company’s growth in these new markets.

Does SDR work for my business?

Even after understanding that SDR is essential for sales success, you may be asking yourself: does SDR work for my business?

The answer to this question depends on several factors related to your company, the objective and the sales process. Therefore, to determine whether SDR works for your business, you need to analyze these factors in detail

SDR works for your business if your company has it:

• A significant volume of leads that need to be qualified and nurtured before moving on to the negotiation process;

• This is a complex sales process that involves several stages and requires a more consultative approach so that the lead is ready to become a customer;

• Need for scalability, seeking to expand sales and have a larger customer base.

SDR in the energy segment

One of the growing segments is the energy market. Research has already shown that demand for energy is likely to grow in the coming years, and there is also a great possibility that renewable energy will expand in Brazil.

• The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that global demand for energy will grow by 50% by 2050, driven by an increase in population and economic activity.
• The Energy Research Company (EPE) estimates that the installed capacity of renewable energy in Brazil will grow by 84% by 2030.

In this growing market, the role of the SDR can be particularly beneficial for a number of reasons:

• Identifying business opportunities: with the growing demand for energy and the expansion of renewable energy in Brazil, there is a considerable increase in business opportunities. SDR can play a key role in identifying and prospecting potential clients, including companies looking to adopt cleaner and more sustainable energy sources.

• Lead qualification: in the energy sector, identifying leads that have specific needs and meet the company’s technical requirements can be even more complex. The SDR can help qualify these leads, ensuring that only those with conversion potential are forwarded to the sales team, optimizing the negotiation process and increasing the conversion rate.

• Lead follow-up: in a complex sales market like energy, the sales process is prolonged and requires the creation of a closer relationship with the lead over time. The SDR can provide continuous follow-up, keeping leads engaged and interested until they are ready to move on to the negotiation stage.

Understand how Scooto’s SDR works in your company

SDR trends

Changes in consumer behavior over time and innovations in the market have a direct impact on the SDR’s approach, which needs to adapt to new customer preferences, expectations and needs.

1. A more humanized and consultative approach

• The focus will be on generating value through content and information that is relevant to the lead’s business, building a relationship of trust and partnership;
• The SDR will become a strategic consultant, helping the lead to identify and solve their problems;
• Communication will be personalized and targeted, focusing on the specific needs and challenges of each lead.

2. Using Artificial Intelligence to optimize processes

• AI will be used to automate repetitive and manual tasks, freeing up time for the SDR to focus on more strategic activities;
• AI tools will help with lead research, qualification, scheduling meetings and other tasks;
• Data analysis will be used to identify opportunities for improvement in the sales process.

3. More personalized and targeted content

• The SDR will use marketing automation tools to send emails, messages and other personalized content to each lead;
• The content will be targeted to the specific interests and needs of each lead, increasing engagement and the chances of conversion;
• Videos, podcasts and other content formats will be used to attract and engage leads.

SDR solution for your company: meet Scooto

At Scooto, we go through the lead’s entire journey. After studying their profile, we establish contact through engaged prospecting, checking that your company’s product or service solves the lead’s pain.

In this service, we generate demands through a B2B list, contact, follow up and qualify the leads contacted, as well as directing them to the sales team.

Contact Scooto and have your SDR operation up and running within 24 hours.