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Manasa Goli
Published February 12, 2026
4 min


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If you’re building a sales team or exploring a career in sales, you’ve probably searched:
At first glance, the two roles look almost identical. Both generate pipelines. Both qualify prospects. Both support Account Executives.
So why do companies use different titles?
Let’s break it down clearly — with real-world context, responsibilities.
Get started!
An SDR (Sales Development Representative) primarily focuses on inbound leads.
These are prospects who have already shown interest by:
Convert marketing interest into qualified sales opportunities.
In simple words:
SDRs handle the hand-raisers.
A BDR (Business Development Representative) focuses primarily on outbound prospecting.
These prospects have not interacted with your company yet. The BDR initiates the conversation.
Create new opportunities from cold or untapped markets.
In simple words:
BDRs create demand from scratch.
Here’s the clear breakdown:
The SDR vs BDR difference comes down to where the conversation starts.
That’s it.
However, here’s where it gets interesting.
In modern SaaS companies (especially startups), the roles often overlap.
You may see:
Why?
Because growth teams want:
But combining roles also creates problems:
This is exactly where AI tools like Oppora.ai become critical.
Both roles rely heavily on:
Traditionally, this takes hours daily.
For example:
With Oppora.ai, SDRs and BDRs can automate:
Instead of spending 3–4 hours researching, reps can focus on what matters:
Conversations and relationship building.
Both roles require resilience, communication skills, and consistency.
This depends on:
If marketing generates strong inbound volume → SDR-heavy model works.
If growth depends on expansion and new market capture → BDR-driven outbound becomes critical.
In reality, high-growth companies need both.
Many people assume:
SDR = junior role, BDR = senior role
That’s incorrect.
The difference is not seniority. It’s pipeline source ownership.
In some companies:
Titles vary. Responsibilities define the real difference.
Today’s best-performing sales teams:
Instead of random cold emails, teams now use:
Oppora.ai enables teams to track these signals automatically — turning generic outreach into context-driven conversations.
To summarize clearly:
The difference lies in lead source and outreach strategy, not hierarchy.
And in 2026, the real competitive edge is not the title.
It’s how effectively your team uses intelligence and automation to work smarter.
Compensation depends on company structure and commission plans. There is no universal pay difference.
Yes. Both roles are entry points into sales and can transition into Account Executive roles.
Often no. Early-stage companies combine responsibilities to maximize efficiency.
In most SaaS companies, reps stay in these roles for 12–24 months before moving into closing or strategic positions, depending on performance and company structure.
Automation can handle repetitive tasks like research and follow-ups, but it cannot replace relationship-building, objection handling, and live conversations. AI enhances these roles — it doesn’t eliminate them.
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