What Kind of Business Development Representative Should You Hire?
Hiring a BDR starts with understanding how your company generates new business.
A representative selling software to small businesses needs a different approach from someone reaching executives at large companies. The customers, sales cycles, and outreach strategies all influence which candidate will succeed.
Before hiring, define your ideal customer profile, target accounts, and the type of outbound conversations you want your BDR to create.
| BDR Specialization |
Best For |
Primary Focus |
| High-Volume Outbound BDR |
Companies targeting SMBs with
repeatable sales processes
|
Cold calling, email sequences,
prospect qualification, and
meeting generation
|
| Account-Based BDR |
Mid-market and large companies
pursuing high-value accounts
|
Account research, personalized outreach,
and engaging multiple decision-makers
|
| Technical BDR |
SaaS, cybersecurity, IT services,
and technical B2B companies
|
Explaining technical value propositions
and identifying relevant business challenges
|
| Partner Development BDR |
Companies growing through resellers,
alliances, and channel partnerships
|
Partner research, outreach,
relationship development, and
introductory meetings
|
For example, a cybersecurity company may need someone comfortable discussing technical challenges with IT leaders.
A professional services firm might prioritize consultative communication, account research, and experience reaching senior decision-makers.
The goal is to hire someone who understands how to start conversations with the people your business wants to reach.
How Should a Remote BDR Fit Into Your Sales Team?
A remote Business Development Representative can take ownership of outbound prospecting while working closely with your U.S.-based sales team.
To get consistent results, you'll need clear expectations around account ownership, prospect qualification, and sales handoffs.
Define Your Ideal Customer Profile
Your BDR should understand exactly which companies and contacts are worth pursuing.
Provide information such as:
- Target industries.
- Company size and revenue range.
- Geographic markets.
- Relevant job titles.
- Common customer challenges.
- Buying signals that indicate potential interest.
The clearer your targeting criteria, the more useful your BDR's prospecting efforts will be.
Establish a Clear BDR-to-Account Executive Handoff
A productive sales meeting begins with useful information.
Before passing a prospect to an Account Executive, your BDR should document the contact's role, relevant business challenges, reason for interest, and any important timing considerations.
Your sales team should also define when a meeting counts as qualified and how Account Executives provide feedback.
This helps improve the quality of future outreach.
Measure Pipeline Contribution
Outreach activity matters, especially while a new BDR is building their prospecting routine.
However, hiring managers should also evaluate the business opportunities those activities create.
Track metrics such as qualified meetings accepted by sales, meeting attendance, opportunities created, and outbound-sourced pipeline.
These indicators help you understand whether your BDR is reaching the right prospects and generating conversations with commercial potential.
Related Roles to Consider
Depending on your sales process, you may also need:
How to Evaluate BDR Candidates
The best way to evaluate a BDR is to see how they approach real prospecting situations.
Give shortlisted candidates a simple exercise.
Share a fictional company profile, your ideal customer, and the product you're selling. Ask them to identify three potential buyer personas, write a short outbound email, and demonstrate how they'd open a cold call.
Use the following scorecard to evaluate their performance.
| Evaluation Area |
What to Look For |
| Prospect Research |
Ability to identify relevant companies,
contacts, and business challenges
|
| Outreach Communication |
Clear, personalized messaging that gives
prospects a reason to engage
|
| Cold Calling Skills |
Confidence, active listening,
and the ability to guide a conversation
|
| Lead Qualification |
Judgment about customer fit, interest,
and appropriate next steps
|
| CRM and Follow-Up Discipline |
Organized records, consistent follow-ups,
and accurate activity reporting
|
During the role-play, introduce a realistic objection, such as a prospect saying they're satisfied with their current provider.
Pay attention to whether the candidate asks useful questions and adapts their message.
A strong BDR understands how to create a meaningful business conversation.
What Should a BDR Accomplish in the First 90 Days?
A BDR needs time to understand your offering, test messaging, and build a prospecting pipeline.
Here's a practical framework for evaluating their first three months.
Days 1–30: Understand the Market and Sales Process
Your new BDR should become familiar with your ideal customer profile, product, outreach tools, CRM, and qualification criteria.
They should also practice messaging and begin researching target accounts.
Expected outcome: A reliable prospecting process and an initial list of relevant accounts.
Days 31–60: Build Consistent Outreach
The BDR should begin managing outreach sequences, making calls, responding to prospects, and scheduling qualified conversations.
Sales leaders should review outreach quality and provide regular feedback.
Expected outcome: Consistent activity, accurate CRM records, and an improving flow of qualified meetings.
Days 61–90: Optimize Pipeline Generation
By the third month, your BDR should be able to identify which messages, channels, and customer segments generate the strongest responses.
They should also understand how their meetings progress through the sales process.
Expected outcome: A repeatable prospecting routine with measurable contributions to the sales pipeline.
How South Has Helped Companies Hire LATAM Sales Representatives in Days
South has helped companies expand their outbound sales capacity by finding experienced professionals across Latin America.
Here are two examples.
A Leadership Development Firm Hired a BDR in 15 Days
A company specializing in leadership development, coaching, and organizational consulting needed a BDR to support prospect research and business development.
The role required experience with CRM tools, LinkedIn prospecting, and lead generation.
South helped the company hire Paulina, a BDR based in Colombia, in 15 days.
The published monthly hiring rate was $1,500.
Her responsibilities included researching prospects, managing Zoho CRM, conducting email and phone outreach, and supporting sales follow-ups.
Read the leadership development firm's BDR success story.
A B2B SaaS Consulting Firm Hired Two Senior SDRs in 10 Days
A growing consulting company serving B2B SaaS businesses needed to expand its outbound prospecting team.
South helped the client hire two Senior Sales Development Representatives in just 10 days.
Their responsibilities included researching B2B prospects, conducting outbound outreach, booking qualified meetings, and maintaining CRM records.
The published case study reports approximately 65% hiring cost savings per role compared with equivalent U.S.-based positions.
Although these hires carried the SDR title, their outbound responsibilities closely resemble those of many BDR positions.
Read the two-person sales hiring success story.
Build a Stronger Outbound Pipeline With South
A growing sales pipeline starts with people who know how to find the right prospects, start relevant conversations, and turn interest into qualified opportunities.
South helps U.S. companies hire full-time Business Development Representatives from Latin America with the communication skills, prospecting experience, and sales-tool knowledge their teams need.
We screen candidates for English proficiency and relevant experience, helping you identify professionals who can collaborate during overlapping U.S. business hours.
You'll also benefit from a consolidated monthly invoice, no minimum commitments, and a free replacement if needed.
Schedule a call with South and find a BDR who can help your team create more qualified sales opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How many qualified meetings should a BDR book per month?
The right target depends on your industry, ideal customer profile, sales cycle, and outreach strategy.
A BDR targeting smaller businesses may generate more meetings than someone pursuing senior executives at large companies.
Establish performance expectations using your existing sales conversion data and the time required to research and engage target accounts.
Focus on meetings that meet your qualification criteria and have a reasonable chance of becoming sales opportunities.
Can a BDR in Latin America cold call U.S. prospects?
Yes. A remote BDR based in Latin America can prospect U.S. companies through phone calls, email, and LinkedIn while working during U.S. business hours.
Employers should provide approved outreach tools, customer targeting guidelines, and processes that comply with applicable calling, email, and privacy requirements.
Strong English communication skills and previous experience with U.S. customers are especially valuable.
Should I hire a BDR or an SDR?
The titles often overlap.
Many companies use BDR for representatives focused on outbound prospecting and SDR for those qualifying inbound leads.
Other organizations use both titles for similar responsibilities.
Define the position according to lead sources, prospecting expectations, and sales handoff responsibilities.
What KPIs should I use to evaluate a BDR?
Useful BDR KPIs include:
- Prospecting activity.
- Positive response rate.
- Qualified meetings booked.
- Meeting attendance rate.
- Meetings accepted by Account Executives.
- Opportunities created.
- Outbound-sourced pipeline.
Combine activity and quality metrics to understand how effectively the representative generates sales opportunities.
What tools should a BDR know?
Common BDR tools include:
- Salesforce or HubSpot for CRM management.
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator for account research.
- Apollo or ZoomInfo for prospecting data.
- Outreach, Salesloft, or Lemlist for managing sequences.
- Aircall or similar platforms for sales calls.
Tool familiarity is helpful, but employers should also evaluate how candidates research prospects, personalize outreach, and manage follow-ups.
Should I hire one BDR or build a team?
If your company is developing its first structured outbound sales process, one experienced BDR can help test messaging, prospect targeting, and qualification criteria.
Once you have a repeatable process and enough Account Executive capacity to handle additional meetings, expanding the BDR team may make sense.
Consider your pipeline goals, sales conversion rates, and management capacity when deciding how many representatives to hire.
How much does it cost to hire a BDR from Latin America?
Hiring costs depend on experience, industry knowledge, English proficiency, and the complexity of the sales process.
A junior BDR handling standardized outreach will generally have different compensation expectations from a senior representative experienced in account-based prospecting.
South can help you benchmark compensation and evaluate the cost fit for your position.
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