Outbound SDR

Also known as: sales development representative, outbound SDR

An outbound SDR (Sales Development Representative) is a salesperson whose job is to find and qualify net-new prospects through cold outbound — email, phone, LinkedIn, and increasingly video — and book qualified meetings for account executives or directly with decision-makers. SDRs do not close deals; they create them.

The economic model of an outbound SDR is roughly: 300-600 high-quality outbound touches per week, leading to 8-20 booked meetings, of which 4-10 are accepted as qualified. The volume side is the limit — there is only so much research a human can do per lead while still hitting the volume target. AI tools that handle per-lead research at machine speed have changed the ceiling.

AI-assisted outbound does not replace the SDR — it changes the work. The judgment calls (which prospects to chase, how to handle a positive reply, how to position a product against a specific objection) remain human. The per-lead writing and follow-up cadence can be automated to high quality.