---
title: "BDR (Business Development Representative): Definition"
description: "A BDR (business development representative) is a salesperson who creates new pipeline through outbound prospecting: finding target accounts, contacting..."
path: /glossary/bdr
family: glossary
updated: 2026-10-17
html: /glossary/bdr
sources:
  - "https://www.hubspot.com/glossary/business-development-representative"
  - "https://www.salesforce.com/blog/sales/business-development-representative/"
  - "https://business.linkedin.com/sell/resources/sales-terms/sales-development-representative"
facts:
  term: "BDR (business development representative)"
  also_called: "Business development representative, Business development rep"
  category: "Sales"
---

# BDR (business development representative)

A BDR (business development representative) is a salesperson who creates new pipeline through outbound prospecting: finding target accounts, contacting people who have not shown interest yet, and booking qualified meetings for account executives.

## What Is BDR (Business Development Representative)?

**In short:** A BDR starts from an account list rather than a lead form: they choose target companies, find the right people and run cold email, calling and LinkedIn sequences to start conversations.

Where companies split the roles, HubSpot describes BDRs handling cold outbound prospecting while SDRs nurture inbound leads. In many companies the two titles describe the same job.

The BDR role suits account-based selling. Instead of working through thousands of contacts, a BDR often owns a fixed list of named accounts and reaches several people in each buying committee, so one unanswered email doesn't end the attempt.

## BDR Example

Example: a BDR owns 120 named accounts in healthcare IT. Each month the BDR maps 3 to 5 stakeholders per account, sequences about 400 people and books 10 meetings, 6 of which become opportunities. Because pipeline per meeting matters more than meeting count, the BDR puts accounts with an active project first.

## BDR in Practice

BDRs are measured like SDRs, on meetings held and pipeline created, and often face a higher bar for what counts as qualified because outbound prospects start colder. The role is a common path to account executive.

## FAQ

### What does a BDR do?

A BDR researches target accounts, finds the right contacts, reaches out by email, phone and LinkedIn, qualifies interest and books meetings for account executives.

### Is a BDR the same as an SDR?

Often, yes. Salesforce says the titles are often used interchangeably. When companies split them, the common version is BDR for outbound and SDR for inbound, though some companies reverse it.

### Is a BDR inbound or outbound?

Usually outbound. HubSpot's glossary says BDRs typically handle cold outbound prospecting while SDRs nurture warm inbound leads. Salesforce documents companies that split it the other way.

### What comes after a BDR role?

The most common next step is account executive, closing deals instead of booking them. Others move into BDR team leadership, account management or marketing.

## Do this in Ken

### Do This in Ken

BDRs pull the people at their target accounts from Ken Search (250M people and 24M companies), free to search and 1 credit per valid email, then sequence them in Campaigns.

- Link: [Do This in Ken](/features)

## Related

- [GTM Glossary](/glossary): Every GTM term, grouped by topic.
- [SDR (sales development representative)](/glossary/sdr)
- [Account executive](/glossary/account-executive)
- [Prospecting](/glossary/prospecting)
- [Account-based marketing (ABM)](/glossary/account-based-marketing)
- [Stakeholder mapping](/glossary/stakeholder-mapping)
- [Pipeline generation](/glossary/pipeline-generation)
- [Ken features](/features)

## Sources

| Source | URL | Checked |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HubSpot: Business Development Representative | https://www.hubspot.com/glossary/business-development-representative | 2026-10-17 |
| Salesforce: What Is a Business Development Representative (BDR)? | https://www.salesforce.com/blog/sales/business-development-representative/ | 2026-10-17 |
| LinkedIn Sales Solutions: Guide to Sales Development Representatives | https://business.linkedin.com/sell/resources/sales-terms/sales-development-representative | 2026-10-17 |

## Changelog

- 2026-10-17: Page published.