Separate the jobs, connect the process
A sales development representative, or SDR, typically owns the early work that creates a useful sales conversation. An account executive, or AE, typically owns the work that develops an accepted opportunity toward a commercial decision. The exact boundary varies by business, so job titles alone cannot define your process.
For a smaller team, one person may do both jobs. The distinction still matters: prospecting, qualification, discovery, and commercial follow-up need different information and different decisions. Define those stages even if the same person owns them.
What the SDR owns
SDR responsibilities commonly include account research, prospecting, outreach, initial conversations, qualification, appointment setting, and CRM updates. The goal is to establish whether a prospect is a reasonable fit for a further discussion and to prepare that discussion well.
A useful SDR record captures why the account fits, who is involved, what prompted interest, what was discussed, and what the meeting is supposed to achieve. It should avoid turning assumptions into confirmed needs. If budget or timing is unknown, record that honestly.
What the AE owns
AE responsibilities commonly include deeper discovery, demonstrations where relevant, stakeholder alignment, opportunity management, proposals, negotiation, closing support, and customer handoff. The AE tests whether the offer addresses a meaningful need and whether the buyer has a workable path to a decision.
Every active opportunity should have a documented next action, an owner, and a reason for its stage. A proposal sent without a clear decision process may create work without creating progress. Commercial terms and authority to make commitments must also be explicit.
Define the acceptance point
The most useful boundary is the point at which sales accepts ownership. Agree qualification criteria that fit your offer and sales motion. Criteria might include account fit, a relevant buyer role, a problem worth exploring, and willingness to discuss it. Do not assume a calendar booking meets those criteria.
The receiving seller should be able to accept a handoff, request clarification, or return it with a reason. A returned meeting is feedback about the process, not merely a negative score for the SDR. Review patterns so the team can improve the definition or the outreach.
Prevent the conversation from restarting
Before a meeting, pass the buyer’s context, correspondence, qualification notes, and any promises made. Confirm who will attend and who owns follow-up. After the meeting, the AE should record whether the opportunity moved forward and what the early outreach team can learn.
CRM fields should support those decisions. A long checklist that nobody uses is less useful than a small, accurate record. Choose required fields deliberately and keep ownership current when a deal changes hands.
Choose support at the bottleneck
If sellers have capacity but spend too much time building lists and handling early interest, SDR support may help. If qualified opportunities exist but discovery and commercial follow-up stall, AE support may be the better starting point. If both are needed, scope the handoff before adding activity.
Review the current process before choosing the service. More prospecting will not resolve a proposal bottleneck, and more closing capacity will not repair an unclear audience. The right scope depends on where useful conversations lose momentum.