SDR vs Account Executive: What's the Difference?
SDRs open conversations and book meetings. Account executives run those meetings and close deals. Here is how the two sales roles work together.
By the Zenstack team · · 2 min read
Sales has two very different jobs inside it. One is finding people who might buy. The other is turning interest into a signed deal. SDRs do the first. Account executives do the second.
What an SDR does
A sales development representative works the top of the funnel:
- Builds lists of target companies and contacts
- Sends cold emails and LinkedIn messages
- Makes cold calls
- Qualifies replies
- Books meetings for the account executive
Read more in what an SDR does.
What an account executive does
An account executive (AE) takes over once a meeting is booked:
- Runs discovery calls and demos
- Understands the buyer's problem in depth
- Writes proposals and handles objections
- Negotiates terms and price
- Closes the deal
In a small company the founder is often the account executive.
Side by side
| SDR | Account executive | |
|---|---|---|
| Stage | Top of the funnel | Middle and bottom |
| Goal | Qualified meetings | Closed deals |
| Daily work | Outreach in volume | Fewer, deeper conversations |
| Key skills | Writing, calling, persistence | Listening, presenting, negotiating |
| Measured by | Meetings booked | Revenue closed |
| Experience | Often earlier in career | Usually more senior |
Why teams split the roles
Prospecting and closing need different rhythms. Prospecting is steady, repeated effort every day. Closing needs long, focused conversations. When one person does both, prospecting is the first thing dropped in a busy week, and the pipeline dries up a month later.
Splitting the roles keeps new meetings coming while deals are being closed.
The handoff
The weak point is the moment an SDR passes a meeting to the AE. Make it reliable:
- Agree in writing what counts as a qualified meeting
- The SDR adds notes to the CRM before the call
- The AE gives feedback on meeting quality every week
Without that feedback, SDRs book meetings that look fine on paper but never close.
Which should you hire first
If the founder is closing deals well but has too few conversations, hire an SDR. The founder keeps the AE role.
If plenty of leads arrive but nobody has time to run calls, you need a closer first.
Most early-stage companies need the SDR first. See when to hire your first SDR.
How many SDRs per account executive
There is no fixed rule. It depends on your deal size and how long sales take. A common starting point is one SDR supporting one or two closers, then adjust based on whether calendars are full.
Hiring an SDR
A full-time remote SDR can feed your closers at a fixed monthly cost. For the numbers, see how much an SDR costs, and for what to track, SDR KPIs.
Frequently asked questions
Is an account executive more senior than an SDR?
Usually. Many account executives started as SDRs. The AE role carries a revenue target and needs more experience with buyers.
Can one person be both SDR and account executive?
In very small teams, yes. It is sometimes called a full-cycle rep. As volume grows, splitting the roles usually produces more pipeline.
Do SDRs get promoted to account executive?
It is a common career path. Good SDRs learn the product and the buyers, which prepares them to run deals.