Side by side
Salary bands as of October 2026. They are United States, cybersecurity sector, at a Series B baseline. They shift with stage and geography, and they are directional, for scoping a description or a target range rather than making or accepting an offer.
| Business Development Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
|---|---|---|
| Level | Individual contributor | Individual contributor |
| Core question the role answers | Which accounts are worth reaching right now, and what gets a response. | Of everything that came in this week, which are real and which are noise. |
| Owns | Outbound prospecting across email, phone and social. Inbound lead follow up within a stated response time. Meeting and qualified opportunity targets. Account research and list building inside the ICP. | Inbound lead qualification and response speed. Discovery conversations that establish fit before an account executive is booked. Meeting volume from marketing sourced demand. Data quality on the records they touch. |
| Explicitly does not own | Closing and negotiation. Pricing conversations. Territory design. | Outbound prospecting into cold accounts. Closing and commercial negotiation. Campaign strategy. |
| Base salary band | $75,000 to $107,000 base | $69,000 to $94,000 base |
| Variable | 40% variable | 40% variable |
| Equity | Commonly 0.01% to 0.03% at Series B. | Commonly 0.01% to 0.03% at Series B. |
Posted ranges are a useful check on these bands. GTM Radar lists open go-to-market roles at pre-IPO cybersecurity companies, updated daily, so you can see how BDR and SDR openings are being scoped right now.
Where the line actually falls
Business Development Representative, seen from the Sales Development Representative seat
A BDR starts from a list of named accounts that have not raised their hand and has to earn the first reply through research and persistence. An SDR starts from inbound that marketing already produced and wins on speed and clean qualification. Hiring a BDR into an inbound queue wastes the research skill you paid for, and hiring an SDR for cold outbound usually means the outbound never really starts.
Sales Development Representative, seen from the Business Development Representative seat
The split matters and conflating them is a real mis scope. A BDR works outbound into named accounts that have shown no interest. An SDR works inbound that marketing produced. Different skills, different day, different person. One job description asking for both usually gets neither done well.
Common questions
What is the difference between a BDR and an SDR?
A BDR works outbound into named accounts that have shown no interest. An SDR works inbound that marketing produced. Different skills, different day, different person. One job description asking for both usually gets neither done well, and the conflation is common enough that it is worth checking which one a posting actually describes before applying or before hiring.
How is a Business Development Representative different from a Sales Development Representative?
A BDR starts from a list of named accounts that have not raised their hand and has to earn the first reply through research and persistence. An SDR starts from inbound that marketing already produced and wins on speed and clean qualification. Hiring a BDR into an inbound queue wastes the research skill you paid for, and hiring an SDR for cold outbound usually means the outbound never really starts.
How is a Sales Development Representative different from a Business Development Representative?
The split matters and conflating them is a real mis scope. A BDR works outbound into named accounts that have shown no interest. An SDR works inbound that marketing produced. Different skills, different day, different person. One job description asking for both usually gets neither done well.
Which pays more, a Business Development Representative or a Sales Development Representative?
Business Development Representative roles benchmark at $75,000 to $107,000 base with roughly 40% variable. Sales Development Representative roles benchmark at $69,000 to $94,000 base with roughly 40% variable. Both figures are United States, cybersecurity sector, at a Series B baseline as of October 2026, and shift with stage and geography. Security pays above the cross-industry midpoint because the buyer is technical, the cycle is longer, and the pool with real security context is small.