Sales · Level R1

Sales Development Rep (SDR)

The front line of the revenue engine: prospecting, cold outreach, and booking qualified meetings. Paid on an OTE with a meetings/pipeline quota — the most AI-exposed sales rung, so the move is toward personalisation and full-cycle skills.

Typical total compensation (US)

$85,000median

Range $78,000–$95,000 · base $60,000 · variable $25,000

Indicative, sourced ranges — not a guarantee. RepVue SDR (median base $60k / OTE $85k; ~54% attainment); Bridge Group 2024

At a glance

Difficulty

Low

Hiring demand

High

Competition

High

AI task-risk

High

AI & this role: Prospecting, list-building, email sequencing and initial outreach are heavily automated by AI SDR tools; the most exposed sales rung. The move is to climb the scope ladder, not to fear the tool.

What differentiates you at this level

prospectingOutbound prospecting + cold outreach
toolingCRM hygiene (Salesforce/HubSpot)
discoveryHandle early objections + book meetings
ai-leverageUse AI outbound tooling while keeping personalisation

Where this leads — your highest-value routes

Ranked by pay ceiling. Progression is driven by scope and level transitions, not tenure.

Regional Sales Directorup to $400,000

$85,000 OTE now → $340,000 total comp in ~9 yrs

Strategic Account Executiveup to $360,000

$85,000 OTE now → $300,000 OTE in ~9 yrs

Enterprise Account Executiveup to $320,000

$85,000 OTE now → $275,000 OTE in ~6 yrs

Sales Managerup to $320,000

$85,000 OTE now → $280,000 OTE in ~6 yrs

Principal Sales Engineerup to $315,000

$85,000 OTE now → $270,000 OTE in 9 yrs

Credentials that help

Credentials help entry and specialisation; they don't gate senior or leadership roles — scope does.

Sandler Sales training · ~$3,000
Salesforce Certified Administrator · ~$200

See the full Sales Development Rep (SDR) pay breakdown by metro →