Sales Development Representative Salary - Average Salary - SDR

Around the position and the missions of Sales Development Representative (SDR) a very strong ambiguity for many companies. In practice, the SDR focuses on hunting prospects (leads) Outbound : that is to say he creates and executes prospecting sequences. It is a huntsman junior.

However, in theory, an SDR should focus on qualifying inbound opportunities. For example, these will have been generated by marketing through webinars, online advertising, white papers, etc. He can also do hunting (prospecting), but that is not his main activity.

Many Akimbers become SDR after their Bootcamp at Akimbo.

What is the salary for a Sales Development Representative?

Sales Development Representative Intern Salary

These are profiles with < 1 year of experience in sales and customer relations.

Beginners, they must not only learn the prospecting process, but above all gain ease. It is a Very valued passage by companies that allows you to get a job within a sales team, and learn alongside an SDR on a permanent contract. However, the longer the sales cycles, the longer it takes to move up a tier. The SDR intern must be persistent and motivated.

On these roles, we find a gross monthly bonus between €700 and €1,200 fixed + €200 unto €1,000/month in variable.

Junior Sales Development Representative (SDR Junior) Salary

It's about profile up to 2 years of experience in sales and customer relations.

At this stage, Junior SDRs already have practical experience. Although it remains to be developed, it is nevertheless useful for their missions. They are taking on more and more responsibilities and achieving more relevant results. Their work is intensifying and improving, and this evolution is then reflected in their remuneration.

We will find on these roles a fixed annual gross salary between €25K and 32K € fixed + 20% unto 50% of variable.

Sales Development Representative (SDR) Salary

This is the profile of 0 to 2 years of experience in sales and customer relations.

The SDR does not necessarily have sales experience, and he is trained mainly in the field. Although he continues to learn and adapt his strategy continuously, he is gaining perspective and knowledge, which makes him more and more efficient. He is preparing to become a more competent and convincing manager (ex: Team Lead SDR).

We will find on these roles a fixed annual gross salary between 26 K€ and €35K fixed + 20% unto 50% of variable.

Senior Sales Development Representative (SDR Senior) Salary

It's about profile > 1.5 years of experience in sales and customer relations.

After several years in this type of position, the Senior SDR had the opportunity to meet and deal with different profiles in different contexts that allow him a global application. He knows how to identify situations and how to react to them. He is a prospecting expert and an advisor who analyzes and contextualizes each of his actions.

We will find on these roles a fixed annual gross salary between €30K and €40K fixed + 20% unto 50% of variable.

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What factors influence the salary of an SDR?

As with many commercial professions, the remuneration of the SDR consists of a fixed part (an amount from which they benefit permanently) and a variable part (depending on the objectives achieved). The whole thing forms a package, his salary.

• The level of development of the startup

If the startup has good recognition in the market, it will be easier for the SDR to find people interested in the business. The Marketing department will highlight performance in order to attract more potential customers and the SDR will have something to convince them.

• The distribution between managing incoming requests (inbound) and hunting for new opportunities (outbound): The more outbound is in the majority, the better the remuneration will be

The Outbound strategy, compared to Inbound, has the additional difficulty of initiating interaction with the prospect (cold calling, mailing...). It is more difficult to contact individuals who are not involved in the activity and to assess their relevance. Success in this case is more valued.

• The startup industry (sector, average basket, complexity of sales...)

Depending on the sector of activity and internal functioning, the objectives to be achieved vary and the salary reward is just as varied. For SDR, the quality, the price and the target of the products or services determine for many how to proceed but also the work to be done to be paid.

With a high average basket as in cybersecurity, you will necessarily get a higher remuneration than in FoodTech. But companies will also be more demanding on hard skills.

• Your experience level

Some sectors of activity such as cybersecurity and FinTech require specific skills. Whether it is hard skills (mastery of tools or foreign languages) or soft skills (communication, management), the contributions of similar past experiences can impact remuneration.

• Your maintenance performance

During a recruitment interview, prospecting simulations may be requested in order to put candidates in a situation. Performance but also the confidence, training and experience shown by the candidate determines his correspondence to the job but also his level and the salary associated with it.

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What is the role of a Sales Development Representative?

The Sales Development Representative prospects individuals who have already initiated contact through the company's marketing (Inbound strategy). After contacting them, he will then analyze and qualify them if they correspond to the company's target. They then pass on the qualified leads to the Accounts Executives who will take care of the negotiation until closing.

At the margin in theory, the SDR is also hunting.

What are the missions of an SDR?

• Understand the product and its value on the market

In order to sell well, you must first understand. The SDR will constantly learn about its product or service and the market in which it operates. He must be able to adjust and argue in order to always be fair and offer the best advice.

• Get to know your target customers (expectations, motivations, fears...)

Prospects arouse interest in the business but there is still a whole relationship of trust to be built. In order to best meet the needs of its customers, SDR uses active listening and exchange. It gathers as much information as possible to advise and propose the best solutions.

• Depending on the intensity of outbound prospecting, create and execute prospecting sequences

In some cases, the SDR may be required to initiate contact (outbound strategy) and make offers. He then became an expert in email prospecting sequences, cold calls or prospecting on LinkedIn. Copywriting must be very good at reassuring prospects, you have to manage the approach gently while remaining convincing.

• Gather the needs of prospects and identify and then quantify their challenges

Thanks to the work of the Marketing team, the SDR has the first resources (social networks, data...) to be exploited to identify prospects. He will analyze, synthesize and interpret these results to conduct the best prospecting campaign possible.

• Managing a portfolio of opportunities on CRM (note taking, reminders,...)

An SDR must absolutely know how to organize his work and his time. He has a lot of leads to contact, to whom to respond... He must be available and effective for each of them. To do this, he needs to master tools such as CRM to categorize, track and prioritize their actions. This way, they have more time to focus their attention on relationships and customer needs.

• Make the switch to Account Executives and/or Sales. Work in pairs with them

Once qualified prospects are identified and their needs are identified as compatible with the company's business, the SDR transfers them to salespeople. It must keep track of the entire prospecting process in order to allow Sales teams to apply the best sales strategy.

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What are the qualities and skills required?

• Depending on the intensity of the Outbound prospecting: abnegation, resilience, pugnacity

The SDR is an expert hunter. He knows the lead cycle by heart and knows how to recognize one potential customer from another. He faces a lot of opposition and obstacles but makes the effort to always move forward despite failure. In prospecting, there are a lot of attempts and a lot of efforts that are sometimes in vain.

• Listening skills and interpersonal skills to reassure prospects

In order to offer the best support and the best solutions, the SDR must listen to its prospect. Active listening has the effect of establishing a real relationship of trust and a lasting collaboration that is beneficial to both parties.

• Curiosity to become an expert in your industry

The SDR is constantly learning about the product/service sold and the market. As an expert, guide and advisor to prospects, he must show that the product corresponds to them and will be useful to them. This learning about the sales proposal or how to sell it is an ongoing process. More information on qualities of SDR/BizDev here.

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Sales Development Representative vs. Business Developer Representative

The SDR and the BDR both intervene at the beginning of the sales cycle but on different missions.

SDR normally focuses on the qualification of customer profiles who have already shown interest in the company (Inbound). The BDR is working on the qualification of outgoing prospects who are currently foreign to the organization (Outbound).

Salary difference between SDR and BDR

In fact, SDRs are slightly less well paid because they are more junior than BDRs.

The BDR, unlike the SDR, has a great deal of work in finding and prospecting new leads because they are external to the company network. The SDRs have a lead because they Know normally the individuals they approach.

Hierarchy, seniority and sector factors can influence this remuneration.

In some scale-ups (Salesforce, Lucca...), there are both SDRs and BDRs in the same team. Their roles in theory and practice are not always well defined, and so is their salary.

Business Development Representative Salary

As with many commercial professions, remuneration is paid in the form of a package consisting of a fixed portion (guaranteed in all cases) and a variable portion (which depends on the objectives achieved).

Business Development Representatives are profiles of 0 to 3 years of experience in sales and customer relations.

We will find on these roles a fixed annual gross salary between €30K and €40K fixed + 20% unto 50% of variable.

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