Sales
SDR/BDR
The direct path to revenue leadership through pure prospecting discipline. This grind produces CROs who understand every stage of the funnel because they've lived in the trenches, not the boardroom.
The Career Arc
Rotational · L1–L3
Build the SDR/BDR craft. Prove you can wield the tools of Sales.
Transformational · L4–L7
Deliver SDR/BDR outcomes — each Sales tour at this altitude has a defined mission and success criteria.
- L4 : Mentor team members while exceeding personal targets
- L5 : Lead a pod of SDRs/BDRs to collective success
- L6 : Define SDR/BDR strategy and pioneer prospecting methodology
- L7 : Serve as the company's foremost sales development strategist
Manage a Team?
Great SDR/BDR managers are practitioners first. The Sales IC responsibilities in L4–L7 are your foundation — your management responsibilities are additive:
- • Hire for coachability—skills can be taught, attitude can't
- • Coach by connecting personal goals to business outcomes—make quota personal
- • Lead with results, not activity metrics—manage outcomes, not keystrokes
- • Run 1:1s that develop skills—not just pipeline reviews
- • Remove blockers—clear the path so reps can close
Foundational · L8–L9
Shape the Sales organization from the SDR/BDR chair — build institutions, not just products.
L1 — Associate SDR/BDR Rotational
Mission
Learn prospecting fundamentals and hit activity targets
This tour of duty
Complete ramp and hit your first monthly meeting target
Own the outcomes
- • Learn prospecting fundamentals and qualification criteria
- • Execute outreach sequences via phone, email, and LinkedIn
- • Meet daily activity targets for calls and emails
- • Research accounts before outreach attempts
- • Document all activities accurately in CRM
- • Build resilience through high-volume prospecting
SDR/BDR at L1 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Researching accounts quickly
- • Drafting personalized emails
- • Creating call scripts
L2 — Junior SDR/BDR Rotational
Mission
Consistently hit meeting and opportunity quotas
This tour of duty
Achieve 100%+ attainment for a full quarter
Own the outcomes
- • Consistently hit meeting and opportunity quotas
- • Qualify leads using established frameworks
- • Personalize outreach for higher response rates
- • Build effective multi-channel prospecting sequences
- • Develop target account lists strategically
- • Partner effectively with Account Executives
SDR/BDR at L2 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Building prospecting sequences
- • Analyzing response patterns
- • Creating follow-up content
L3 — Senior SDR/BDR Rotational
Mission
Exceed targets and develop advanced prospecting skills
This tour of duty
Become a top performer and earn promotion consideration
Own the outcomes
- • Exceed targets with advanced prospecting techniques
- • Develop creative approaches to hard-to-reach prospects
- • Handle initial objections with confidence
- • Build deep account knowledge for better qualification
- • Contribute ideas for improving prospecting effectiveness
- • Prepare for potential promotion to closing role
SDR/BDR at L3 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Optimizing outreach approaches
- • Analyzing conversion data
- • Building new prospecting strategies
L4 — Staff SDR/BDR / Manager, Sales Development Transformational
Mission
Mentor team members while exceeding personal targets
This tour of duty
Help a new SDR hit their first quota
Own the outcomes
- • Mentor junior SDRs while exceeding personal targets
- • Develop prospecting strategies that benefit the team
- • Lead training sessions on effective techniques
- • Handle complex qualification scenarios
- • Contribute to playbooks and best practices
- • Support new hire onboarding and ramp
SDR/BDR at L4 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Creating coaching frameworks
- • Analyzing team patterns
- • Building training content
L5 — Senior Staff SDR/BDR / Senior Manager, Sales Development Transformational
Mission
Lead a pod of SDRs/BDRs to collective success
This tour of duty
Lead a pod to consistent overachievement
Own the outcomes
- • Lead a pod of SDRs to collective overachievement
- • Define prospecting strategies for the team
- • Drive innovation in outreach and qualification
- • Coach team members on performance improvement
- • Influence tool and process decisions
- • Set standards for SDR excellence
SDR/BDR at L5 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Developing pod strategies
- • Analyzing performance metrics
- • Creating best practices
L6 — Director, Sales Development Transformational
Mission
Define SDR/BDR strategy and pioneer prospecting methodology
This tour of duty
Build a team that feeds the sales pipeline reliably
Own the outcomes
- • Define SDR/BDR strategy and pioneer prospecting methodology
- • Architect scalable outreach approaches that maximize conversion
- • Establish best practices and playbooks that elevate pipeline generation
- • Serve as the expert on optimizing the prospecting-to-meeting journey
- • Drive initiatives that shape sales development go-to-market approach
- • Influence tool and process decisions through operational insights
SDR/BDR at L6 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Capacity planning
- • Building team playbooks
- • Creating onboarding programs
L7 — Senior Director, Sales Development Transformational
Mission
Serve as the company's foremost sales development strategist
This tour of duty
Scale SDR operations with process and technology
Own the outcomes
- • Serve as the company's foremost expert in sales development methodology
- • Define the strategic framework for scalable pipeline generation
- • Establish thought leadership in prospecting and outreach effectiveness
- • Architect innovative approaches for sales development excellence
- • Drive cross-functional alignment on pipeline generation initiatives
- • Shape SDR culture through expertise and best practices
SDR/BDR at L7 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Process optimization
- • Building scale strategies
- • Creating efficiency frameworks
L8 — VP, Sales Development Foundational
Mission
Own pipeline generation strategy
This tour of duty
Transform pipeline generation practices
Own the outcomes
- • Own pipeline generation strategy and planning
- • Build organizational structure for growth
- • Define SDR go-to-market and operating model
- • Drive alignment with marketing on demand gen
- • Establish operational excellence metrics
- • Represent pipeline generation in executive forums
SDR/BDR at L8 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Pipeline analysis
- • Building strategy documents
- • Creating executive content
L9 — SVP, Sales Development Foundational
Mission
Define the sales development strategy
This tour of duty
Define the sales development strategy
Own the outcomes
- • Define the sales development strategy
- • Shape company approach to pipeline generation
- • Establish strategic initiatives for outbound growth
- • Build scalable SDR motions for market expansion
- • Drive SDR culture and operational excellence
- • Influence board decisions on pipeline investment
SDR/BDR at L9 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Strategic planning
- • Building board content
- • Creating growth strategies
What Hiring Managers Look For
L1-L3: Hiring managers want to see quota attainment above 100% and evidence you can handle rejection without losing momentum.
L4-L6: They're looking for candidates who've built repeatable prospecting systems and can coach junior reps to quota achievement.
L7+: Boards evaluate your ability to scale revenue operations and demonstrate predictable pipeline generation across multiple market segments.
Common Career Transitions
SDR/BDR → Customer Success at L3-L4 for relationship-building skills with existing accounts
SDR/BDR → Marketing at L4-L5 leveraging demand generation and lead qualification expertise
SDR/BDR → Operations at L5-L6 for process optimization and sales systems management
Official Classifications
No exact official classification exists for this modern role — these are the nearest honest ancestors.
| System | Code | Official Title |
|---|---|---|
| O*NET-SOC (US) | 41-9099.00 | Sales and Related Workers, All Other |
| ISCO-08 (UN/ILO) | 3322 | Commercial sales representatives |
At L6 and above, the manager classification 1221 — Sales and marketing managers applies IN ADDITION to the professional code — a manager is a superset of the individual contributor, never a replacement.
Measure yourself against this ladder — pin it to your Career Record.
Build Your Career Record