Ever feel like your business sales team is a one-person show? One day, you’re researching leads; the next, you’re making cold calls and crafting follow-up emails. You’re wearing all the sales hats – and probably a few others too!
But if you want to scale, there comes a point when hiring the right salespeople is more than a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have. Here comes the role of SDR vs BDR. But which do you hire first? What’s the difference? And how do you make the right choice without busting your budget?
In this guide, I’ll break down the key differences between the SDR (Sales Development Representative) and BDR (Business Development Representative) roles, including when each is most effective and how to identify the right time to bring them on board. Let’s dive into how to strategically grow your sales team, save resources, and bring in more deals.
SDR vs BDR: Key Differences
To keep it simple, let’s think of Sales development representatives and Business development representatives as two halves of a sales prospecting machine. Each has a different focus, but together, they’re a powerhouse.
| Sales Development Representative | Business Development Representative |
|---|---|
| They usually focus on nurturing inbound leads. SDRs follow up with leads who’ve shown interest, whether they filled out a form, attended a webinar, or downloaded a resource. They qualify leads and move them closer to an initial sales conversation. | This guy’s focus is on outbound sales. BDR digs for new business opportunities, identifies decision-makers, and generates interest from people who haven’t heard of you. It’s like prospecting in the wild – they’re reaching out cold but aim to create something hot! |
Although they may sound similar, an SDR is reactive (handling interest), and a BDR is proactive (creating interest).
How Do You Know When It’s Time to Hire SDR vs BDR?
When you’re running a small business, every hire counts. Hiring salespeople before your business is ready can mean wasted resources. However, waiting too long can leave you with missed opportunities.
Here’s a simple way to know if you’re ready to hire an SDR or BDR:
Signs You Need an SDR | Signs You Need a BDR |
|---|---|
| 1. Lead Volume is High: You’re getting a steady flow of leads from your website or other channels, but it’s hard to keep up. | 1. You Want to Enter New Markets If you’re eyeing a new sector or geography, a BDR can help kickstart outreach. |
2. Conversion Rates Could Improve Leads are coming in, but your closing rate is inconsistent. | 2. Outbound Strategy is a Priority You know who you want to target, but reaching them requires focused, personalized outreach. |
| 3. Sales Rep Time is Stretched Your sales rep is so busy following up with warm leads that they don’t have time for in-depth calls. | 3. Sales Team is Reactive If your salespeople are waiting for leads to come to them, it might be time for a proactive approach to get in front of high-value prospects. |
Who Should You Hire First – BDR or SDR?
if you’re swimming in leads, hire an SDR first to qualify and manage them. If you need outbound leads, hire a BDR first to drive outreach and start building a pipeline from scratch.
1. Your Business Has a Strong Inbound Strategy
You might already be generating solid inbound traffic through your website, content, and events.
💡 Pro tip: Bring in a remote SDR iIf your sales cycle involves multiple decision-makers, research, or prolonged nurturing, an SDR can help maintain engagement at the top of the funnel. They ensure that leads are consistently qualified and nurtured until they are ready to buy.
2. You’re Building Your Outbound Muscle
If your sales strategy includes heavy outbound prospecting, hiring a BDR is a smart move. Unlike SDRs, who often focus on inbound leads, BDRs are proactive in reaching out to potential customers, whether through cold calls, emails, or networking events.
💡 Pro tip: According to Hubspot's 2024 Sales Trends Report, 63% of sales professionals conduct cold outreach. Hire a BDR to reach out to key decision-makers and prime your leads for the sales team.
Where to Find and Hire Top SDRs and BDRs Under Budget?
Now that you know what you need, let’s discuss where to find the best SDRs and BDRs. Following are some cost-effective platforms where you can find quality SDRs and BDRs without blowing your budget.
Hire Full-time Remote SDRs & BDRs
Hiring full-time remote sales professionals offshore is the most cost-effective way to scale your small business. Countries with growing sales talent pools like Pakistan, Latin America, and Southeast Asia offer highly skilled SDRs and BDRs at competitive rates.
Offshore recruitment agency provides trained remote sales professionals who can integrate seamlessly with your team.
Job Boards and Industry Sites
You can also hire remote inbound sales reps by posting jobs on job boards such as Workplace Remote, Indeed, and Flexjobs. These websites are useful if you’re looking to attract remote candidates from anywhere in the world.
Hire Outsourcing Sales Companies
When you partner with outsourcing sales companies like Pavago, you gain access to experienced outsourced sales teams without bearing the heavy costs of local hires.
Sales outsourcing companies specialize in talent management and have teams trained in outsourcing sales teams who have expertise in outreach, lead generation, and client acquisition.
Sales and marketing recruitment agencies allow small and medium-sized businesses to leverage expert sales talent without paying for in-house salaries, benefits, and training expenses. Moreover, they offer flexibility, enabling startups to scale their sales efforts up or down based on needs and budget.
Some of them are:
- Pavago: Global offshore recruitment agency in the US specializing in sourcing candidates for sales, marketing, admin, and IT.
- Belkins: Specializes in B2B lead generation and appointment setting, tailoring services to your business needs.
- MarketStar: Offers comprehensive outsourced sales solutions, including inside sales, partner enablement, and customer success teams.
- SalesRoads: Provides fully managed sales development teams focused on building pipelines and setting qualified appointments.
- Acquirent: Generates leads and closes deals by recruiting, training, and managing sales teams, either complementing your current team or outsourcing your entire sales function.
- Sales Focus Inc.: Offers a range of sales outsourcing services, including outside, inside, international, and co-sourcing solutions, tailored to various industries.
💡 As offshore sales recruiters, Pavago brings you the top 1% of remote sales representatives ready to fill your pipeline, close deals, and drive revenue—tailored to the needs of your business.
Hire Sales Freelancers
Engaging freelancers provides flexibility and cost-effectiveness, allowing you to hire skilled sales professionals on a project or hourly basis.
Upwork: A global freelancing platform where you can find and hire sales representatives with diverse expertise.
CommissionCrowd: Connects companies with independent sales agents for commission-only sales opportunities, offering a platform to recruit, manage, train, and pay sales partners globally.
Overpass: An online marketplace and payment platform for hiring freelance sales and support contractors across 100+ countries, allowing you to browse, interview, onboard, and pay qualified remote reps.
Freelancer: A platform where you can post projects and hire freelance sales professionals from a global talent pool.
PeoplePerHour: Connects businesses with freelance sales experts, enabling you to browse profiles and hire professionals for specific projects.
💡 Pro tip: When selecting between offshoring, outsourcing, and freelancing websites, consider factors such as the scale of your sales operations, budget constraints, and the level of control you wish to maintain over the sales process.
Hiring Tips: What to Look for in an SDR vs BDR
A well-chosen SDR or BDR is the difference between scaling effectively and struggling. Here are some traits to prioritize:
Curiosity and Tenacity
Whether they’re responding to inbound leads or reaching out cold, SDRs and BDRs need a sense of curiosity. They should genuinely want to understand prospects’ needs and challenges and have the resilience to handle rejection.
Research Skills
Especially for BDRs, it’s essential to find candidates who know how to dig deep. They should be able to uncover valuable insights about prospects to personalize outreach.
Communication
This goes beyond good speaking skills. SDRs and BDRs need to know how to frame questions, listen actively, and build a rapport with leads quickly.
Process-Oriented
Sales development often involves repetitive tasks, and it can be easy to lose focus. Hire remote sales staff who can follow sales processes and track their progress accurately to boost your ROI.
Why Choose Pavago for Remote SDRs and BDRs?
Pavago specializes in connecting small businesses with top-tier offshore talent for SDR and BDR roles. With a focus on hiring from Pakistan, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, we ensure that our sales candidates have the expertise you need and fit seamlessly with your company’s culture and sales strategy. Here’s what makes Pavago your ideal partner for remote hiring:
Cost-Effective Talent: Pavago sources highly skilled sales representatives at competitive rates, helping you stay within budget without compromising on quality.
Ready-to-Go Onboarding: Pavago’s candidates come pre-vetted and trained, so you save time on recruitment and onboarding.
Scalable and Flexible: Whether you need someone full-time, part-time, or on a project basis, Pavago’s model allows for easy scalability to match your growth.
Investing in remote SDRs vs BDRs through Pavago gives you access to a global talent pool, keeps your costs manageable, and provides a strategic edge.
If you’re ready to get started with scaled partnerships to utilize outsourced salespeople with Pavago, Book a free consultation call today!
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