What is Sales Development?

According to Bridge Group research, companies with dedicated sales development teams generate 30-45% more pipeline per rep compared to organizations where AEs handle their own prospecting. The specialization works because it allows each role to focus: SDRs become experts at opening doors, AEs become experts at closing deals.

The economics of sales development are well-documented. The average SDR generates 8-12 qualified opportunities per month at a fully-loaded cost of $95,000-$130,000 per year. For companies selling $30K+ ACV deals, the math works: even modest conversion rates from SDR-generated pipeline produce positive ROI.

However, the SDR role is under transformation. Average SDR tenure is just 1.4 years, and annual turnover exceeds 35% (Bridge Group, 2024). Ramp time averages 3.2 months, meaning organizations lose significant productivity to constant hiring and training cycles. This economic pressure is driving adoption of AI tools to amplify SDR productivity and, in some cases, replace portions of the manual workflow.

The most effective SDR organizations are shifting from volume-based (blast hundreds of prospects daily) to signal-based (prioritize and personalize based on buying signals) approaches, which produce higher conversion rates with less effort.

Sales development operates through a structured daily workflow combining research, outreach, and qualification.

**Pipeline sourcing** is the starting point. SDRs work from two sources: inbound leads (marketing-qualified leads from website conversions, content downloads, and events) and outbound targets (accounts identified through ICP analysis, signal detection, and territory mapping). The ratio varies by organization, but a common split is 40% inbound / 60% outbound.

**Research and prioritization** determines which prospects to contact and in what order. Effective SDRs spend 15-30 minutes per day reviewing signals — new funding, job changes, technology installs, content engagement — to identify time-sensitive outreach opportunities. Signal-based prioritization consistently outperforms alphabetical or random list-working.

**Multi-channel outreach** follows structured sequences (cadences) that combine email, phone, LinkedIn, and sometimes video or direct mail over 2-4 weeks. A typical sequence includes 8-12 touches across channels. Each touch should add value and demonstrate relevance, not just remind the prospect you exist.

**Qualification** is the SDR's primary deliverable. Using frameworks like BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) or MEDDIC, SDRs assess whether a prospect has a genuine need, the authority and budget to buy, and a reasonable timeline. Qualified prospects are booked as meetings and handed to AEs with a complete briefing.

**Metrics and management:** SDR teams are measured on activities (emails sent, calls made, LinkedIn connections), outputs (meetings booked, opportunities created), and quality (opportunity-to-close rate, pipeline generated). The best organizations track all three to balance volume with quality.

Autobound transforms SDR productivity by automating the two most time-consuming parts of the role: research and message drafting. Instead of spending 30+ minutes researching a single prospect, SDRs use Autobound's Chrome extension to generate a fully personalized email in seconds — complete with references to recent signals, relevant value propositions, and a contextual call to action. SDR teams using Autobound report dramatically higher email personalization rates and more meetings booked per rep.