Sales development rep (SDR)

What does a sales development rep (SDR) do?

A sales development representative (SDR) finds new prospects and starts the first conversation with them.

You research companies, reach out by email, phone and LinkedIn, and book meetings for a more senior seller. Closing deals is usually someone else's job.

In a Singapore organisation, the SDR sits in the sales team, often under a sales development manager. The role is common in software, financial services, logistics and business services firms selling to other companies. Many regional teams hire SDRs in Singapore to cover Southeast Asia.

You work daily with account executives, who take over the meetings you book. You also work with marketing, who pass you inbound leads, and with revenue operations, who look after the CRM and reporting.

What the work involves

• Build lists of target companies and decision-makers using LinkedIn Sales Navigator and the CRM.
• Send personalised emails and LinkedIn messages, and make calls, as part of a set outreach sequence.
• Run short discovery calls to check whether a prospect has a need, budget and a person who can decide.
• Book qualified meetings into an account executive's calendar and pass over clear notes.
• Log every contact in the CRM and follow up on inbound leads from marketing.
• Review reply and meeting rates each week and adjust your messages and targeting.

Pay in Singapore

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Skills a sales development rep (SDR) needs

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Sales development rep (SDR) job description

We are hiring a sales development representative to open new business conversations in Singapore and the wider region.

You will research target accounts, run outbound campaigns and qualify interest on calls. You will then hand meetings to our account executives. You will work to monthly targets for meetings booked and pipeline created, and report to the sales development manager.

Responsibilities

• Research target companies and identify the right contacts using Sales Navigator and other data sources.
• Run outbound sequences by email, phone and LinkedIn to reach decision-makers.
• Write clear, short messages tailored to the prospect's industry and role.
• Follow up on inbound leads from marketing within the agreed response time.
• Hold discovery calls to understand the prospect's problem, timing, budget and decision process.
• Book qualified meetings and brief the account executive before each one.
• Keep CRM records accurate, including call notes, next steps and lead status.
• Track your own activity, reply rates and meetings booked against target.
• Test new message angles and share what works with the team.
• Follow Singapore rules on marketing contact, including the PDPA and the Do Not Call Registry.

Requirements

• A diploma or degree in any field, often business, communications or a related subject. Some employers accept strong sales results instead.
• Typically 0 to 2 years of experience in sales, customer service, telemarketing or a similar client-facing role.
• Clear written and spoken English. A second language such as Mandarin, Bahasa or Thai helps for regional work.
• Working knowledge of a CRM such as Salesforce or HubSpot, and of LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
• Familiarity with sales engagement tools such as Outreach, Apollo or Salesloft is an advantage.
• Comfort with rejection, steady follow-up habits and the ability to work to weekly targets.

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Sales development rep (SDR) career path

Most SDRs move into closing roles within one to two years, then into team leadership.

Some stay on the development side and become a team lead or a sales development manager.

1. Sales development representative

   Entry

   You research prospects, run outreach and book qualified meetings for account executives.

2. Account executive

   Mid

   You run demos and negotiations, and close deals with small and mid-sized customers.

3. Senior account executive

   Senior

   You handle larger and more complex deals and often mentor newer sellers.

4. Sales manager

   Lead

   You lead a team of sellers, set targets, coach on deals and review the pipeline.

5. Head of sales

   Head

   You own the sales strategy, hiring and revenue results for a country or region.

The titles are ones commonly used in Singapore; employers may name the levels differently.

Related jobs and their pay

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Sales development rep (SDR) interview questions

We wrote these questions from the skills this job needs. They are not an official question bank.

1. How would you build a prospect list of 100 finance and operations heads at Singapore logistics firms with 50 to 200 staff?

   What a good answer covers

   • Defines the ideal customer profile first, such as size, industry and likely pain points
   • Uses Sales Navigator filters for location, company size and job title
   • Checks the CRM to avoid contacting existing customers or active leads
   • Verifies contact details before loading them into a sequence
   • Ranks accounts by fit and timing signals, such as hiring or expansion news

2. Write a first email to a head of operations at a mid-sized retailer. Explain your choices.

   What a good answer covers

   • Short, specific subject line
   • Opens with a reason tied to the recipient's business, instead of a generic greeting
   • States one clear benefit in simple words
   • Ends with a single, low-effort ask
   • Keeps jargon and long product descriptions out

3. How do you structure a 20-minute discovery call?

   What a good answer covers

   • Opens by confirming time and the purpose of the call
   • Asks open questions on current process, problems and impact
   • Finds out who decides, the budget range and the timeline
   • Listens more than it pitches
   • Closes with a clear next step, such as a meeting with the account executive

4. What do you record in the CRM after each call, and why does it matter?

   What a good answer covers

   • Call outcome, date and the next step with a due date
   • Pain points and the prospect's own words
   • Who else is involved in the decision
   • Lead status updated so reporting stays accurate
   • Notes written so an account executive can act without calling you

5. Design a three-week outreach sequence for a new prospect. Which channels and spacing would you use?

   What a good answer covers

   • Mixes email, LinkedIn and phone across several touches
   • Spaces touches over days, not all at once
   • Changes the message angle at each step instead of repeating it
   • Includes a polite closing message at the end
   • Names what you would track, such as open, reply and meeting rates

6. Your emails get good reply rates, but few replies become meetings. What would you check?

   What a good answer covers

   • Reads the replies to see if they are interest, questions or objections
   • Reviews whether the call to action is clear and easy
   • Checks that targeting matches the people who can buy
   • Looks at response speed and follow-up on replies
   • Tests one change at a time and compares results

7. How would you use ChatGPT in prospecting without damaging your messages or leaking data?

   What a good answer covers

   • Uses it for drafts, subject line options and summarising public company information
   • Edits every draft so the tone and facts are right
   • Checks claims against the company's own website or news
   • Keeps customer data, confidential material and private personal details out of the tool
   • Follows the company's policy on AI tools

8. Describe an automation you would build in Zapier or n8n for new inbound leads.

   What a good answer covers

   • Trigger from a web form or marketing tool
   • Creates or updates the CRM record and checks for duplicates
   • Assigns the lead to an owner and sends an alert
   • Starts a follow-up task with a response deadline
   • Includes a way to catch errors, such as a failed step notification

1. A prospect picks up and says, "Just send me an email." What do you say?

   What a good answer covers

   • Stays polite and avoids arguing
   • Asks one short question to learn if there is any real interest
   • Offers a specific, relevant point instead of a generic brochure
   • Agrees what the email will cover and when you will follow up
   • Logs the outcome and sets a task

2. An account executive says half the meetings you booked were not a fit. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Asks for specific examples and the reasons
   • Compares them with your qualification questions
   • Agrees clear criteria for what counts as a qualified meeting
   • Adjusts your targeting and call questions
   • Sets a time to review results together

3. You have sent a sequence to 80 contacts over three weeks and had almost no replies. What next?

   What a good answer covers

   • Checks list quality, such as job titles and valid email addresses
   • Reviews deliverability signs, such as bounces
   • Rewrites the opening and the ask, and tests one variation
   • Tries a different channel, such as phone or LinkedIn
   • Reports the finding to your manager early

1. Tell me about a time you faced repeated rejection and how you kept performing.

   What a good answer covers

   • Gives a real situation with specific numbers or outcomes
   • Explains what you changed as well as how you kept trying
   • Shows how you asked for feedback
   • Describes a routine that keeps activity steady
   • Stays calm and honest about what was hard

2. Describe a time you worked with a colleague in another team to win or keep a customer.

   What a good answer covers

   • Names the situation and your own part clearly
   • Shows how you shared information, such as handover notes
   • Handles disagreement respectfully
   • Gives the result and what you would repeat
   • Credits the other person fairly

1. A prospect tells you to stop calling and says their number is on the Do Not Call Registry. What do you do, and how do you handle personal data in outreach?

   What a good answer covers

   • Stops contact at once and records the request in the CRM so it is removed from sequences
   • Knows that Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) covers how personal data is collected, used and disclosed
   • Knows the Do Not Call Registry rules apply to some marketing calls and messages to Singapore numbers
   • Checks the company's own compliance process before contacting a number
   • Escalates unclear cases to a manager or compliance instead of guessing

2. How would you change your outreach for a local SME compared with the Singapore office of a regional multinational?

   What a good answer covers

   • Expects an SME owner to decide quickly and to care about cost and simple set-up
   • Expects a multinational contact to have a regional or global approval process
   • Adjusts the message, the job titles you target and the call length
   • Finds out who in the Singapore office has local authority and who sits abroad
   • Considers language, time zones and the right channel for each group

Common questions about a sales development rep (SDR) job

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