What is a BDR?
In short
A BDR, or business development representative, is a salesperson who generates new business from cold outreach rather than working inbound enquiries.
The definition
A BDR owns the cold end of the funnel. They choose target companies, make first contact and qualify interest, then hand the conversation to a closer.
The distinction from an SDR is inconsistent across companies and not worth arguing about. Where a line is drawn, BDRs work purely outbound while SDRs also handle inbound enquiries.
What the week looks like
Research, outreach, qualification and handover, in that proportion. A good BDR spends more time choosing who to contact than contacting them, because volume without targeting produces nothing but domain damage.
The unglamorous part is CRM hygiene, and it is the reason forecasts are wrong when it slips.
BDR, SDR and AE
AEs run and close deals and are measured on revenue. BDRs and SDRs create the conversations and are measured on qualified meetings.
What matters is not the title but whether one person owns creating conversations and a different person owns closing them. Give both jobs to one person and prospecting is always what gets dropped.
When you need one
When you have a proven offer, someone to manage them weekly, and enough deal value to justify a fully loaded six-figure first year in Western Europe.
If any of those is missing, software or an agency usually beats a hire.
Frequently asked
What is a BDR in sales?
What is the difference between a BDR and an SDR?
How much does a BDR cost?
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