Hire a Top Sales Development Rep (SDR) in LatAm. Same Quality. 42% Less.

• Reach out to potential clients through cold calling, emailing, and social media outreach.
• Qualify leads from marketing campaigns as sales opportunities.
• Set up meetings or calls between (prospective) clients and Sales Executives.
• Present the company to potential clients through direct communication, in face-to-face meetings, networking events, calls, and emails.
• Research and identify client needs and suggest appropriate products/services.
• Customize product solutions to increase customer satisfaction.
• Build long-term trusting relationships with clients.
• Proactively seek new business opportunities in the market.
• Report to the Sales Manager on sales results and pipeline.
• Stay up-to-date with new products/services and new pricing/payment plans.

• Proven work experience as a Sales Development Representative, Sales Account Executive, or similar role.
• Hands-on experience with multiple sales techniques (including cold calls).
• Familiarity with CRM software (e.g., Salesforce).
• Understanding of sales performance metrics.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Ability to deliver engaging presentations.
• Experience with lead segmentation and prospecting tools.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills.
• Resilience, persistence, and the ability to handle rejection.
• A degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or relevant field is often preferred.

What Kind of SDR Does Your Company Need?

An SDR qualifying inbound demo requests for a SaaS company has different responsibilities from someone researching enterprise accounts and starting outbound conversations with decision-makers.

The right candidate depends on your lead sources, target customers, sales cycle, and how your company defines a qualified opportunity.

Some experienced SDRs can work across several of these areas, particularly when they've supported both inbound and outbound sales motions.

However, experience with your target customer and type of outreach matters more than familiarity with every sales engagement tool.

For example, a B2B SaaS company may prioritize someone who can research target accounts, personalize messages, and qualify prospects before introducing them to an Account Executive.

A professional services business receiving steady inbound inquiries may benefit more from someone who can respond quickly, identify customer requirements, and schedule productive consultations.

Before hiring, define the SDR's primary lead sources, the buyer personas they'll contact, and the criteria that determine when a prospect is ready for a sales meeting.

How Should a Remote SDR Fit Into Your Sales Team?

A remote Sales Development Representative can take responsibility for prospecting, lead qualification, follow-ups, appointment setting, and CRM management while collaborating with your U.S. sales team.

The arrangement works best when your SDR knows what qualifies as a valuable opportunity, who receives the handoff, and how performance will be evaluated beyond outreach volume.

Define Lead Sources and Prospecting Responsibilities

Your SDR may work with inbound leads, outbound prospect lists, or a combination of both.

Each approach requires different processes and expectations.

For example, an inbound SDR may receive demo requests from potential customers who have already visited your website.

Their responsibility is to understand the inquiry, determine whether the prospect matches your target customer profile, and schedule the appropriate next conversation.

An outbound SDR may begin by researching companies that match your ideal customer profile and identifying relevant decision-makers.

They then use approved outreach methods to start conversations and explore whether the prospect has a relevant business need.

Establish which leads belong to the SDR, where prospect information comes from, and which activities they can manage independently.

For outbound roles, the company should provide an ideal customer profile, approved messaging, prospecting tools, and guidance on relevant outreach requirements.

For inbound roles, establish routing rules, response-time expectations, and procedures for handling inquiries that don't match the target customer.

Establish Clear Qualification and Meeting Acceptance Criteria

A booked meeting is more valuable when the prospect has a relevant need and understands why the conversation is happening.

Your SDR should know how to determine whether a contact is worth passing to the closing team.

For example, a company selling financial software to growing businesses may target finance leaders at organizations with complex monthly reporting requirements.

An SDR could identify whether the prospect fits the company's target segment, understands the relevant financial problem, and is interested in exploring a solution.

The representative should also clarify any important buying considerations, such as timeline, existing systems, or other stakeholders.

Before hiring, define:

• Ideal customer profile: The business characteristics that indicate a potential fit.
• Buyer personas: The roles and responsibilities of the people the SDR should contact.
• Qualification criteria: The information needed to determine whether a lead is sales-ready.
• Meeting requirements: What must happen before an appointment counts as qualified.
• Disqualification rules: When the representative should stop pursuing a lead.
• Handoff information: What the Account Executive needs before the conversation.
• Acceptance process: How the closing team confirms that the opportunity meets expectations.

For example, a prospect may agree to a meeting simply to learn about your service.

The SDR should evaluate whether there is a meaningful business reason for the conversation and whether it fits the company's qualification standards.

Define meeting quality with your sales leadership before establishing activity or appointment targets.

This helps prevent situations where representatives generate large numbers of appointments that rarely develop into worthwhile opportunities.

Create a Consistent SDR-to-Account Executive Handoff

A successful SDR handoff gives the Account Executive enough information to conduct a productive next conversation.

For example, an SDR may qualify a software company that wants to improve how its customer support team manages incoming requests.

Before scheduling the meeting, the SDR should understand the company's current process, the problem the buyer wants to solve, and who will attend the next call.

A useful handoff might include:

• Company name and relevant account information
• Contact name, title, and buying role
• Reason for interest or relevant business problem
• Existing tools, providers, or processes
• Important timing considerations
• Additional stakeholders
• Agreed meeting objective
• Relevant objections or questions
• Notes from previous interactions

Your company should define where this information belongs in Salesforce, HubSpot, or another CRM.

The Account Executive can then review it before the conversation.

The SDR should remain responsible for preparing a complete handoff, while the Account Executive provides feedback on whether the opportunity was appropriately qualified.

For example, if several meetings involve prospects outside the target customer segment, the sales team can review the qualification criteria and refine the SDR's process.

This feedback helps improve meeting quality over time.

Coordinate CRM Management and Follow-Up Discipline

An SDR may manage dozens or hundreds of contacts at different stages of engagement.

Without consistent CRM practices, valuable opportunities can become difficult to track.

Your SDR should understand how to maintain accurate records and schedule appropriate follow-ups.

For example, a prospect may respond to an outbound email and indicate that a project will become a priority in three months.

The SDR should record the relevant information, identify an appropriate follow-up date, and avoid treating the contact as an immediately qualified opportunity.

Your company should establish standards for:

• Lead and contact ownership
• CRM activity logging
• Contact and account information
• Prospecting sequence status
• Follow-up scheduling
• Meeting outcomes
• Qualification notes
• Lead disqualification reasons
• Duplicate record prevention
• Opportunity creation and assignment

Accurate CRM information allows sales managers to understand which prospects are progressing and where outreach efforts need adjustment.

It also helps prevent duplicate outreach and conflicting communications between SDRs, Account Executives, and other sales employees.

Establish Outreach Quality and Compliance Standards

SDRs often use a combination of calls, emails, LinkedIn, and other approved communication channels.

Your company should establish expectations for how those channels are used.

For example, a representative may use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify prospects, Apollo or ZoomInfo for account research, and Outreach or Salesloft to manage follow-up sequences.

However, access to prospect data and automation tools doesn't automatically make an outreach process effective.

The SDR should understand how to write relevant messages, identify appropriate contacts, and respect requests to stop communication.

Establish requirements for:

• Approved prospecting data sources
• Accurate and appropriate contact information
• Personalized messaging where relevant
• Professional calling practices
• Email sending and deliverability procedures
• Consent and opt-out handling
• Applicable outreach rules and internal policies
• CRM documentation and record retention
• Appropriate use of AI-assisted prospecting tools

For example, an SDR using AI to draft outreach should verify factual claims and ensure that the message accurately represents the company.

A dependable SDR should balance outreach activity with message relevance, accurate information, and appropriate prospect communication.

Your legal or compliance team should establish any additional rules that apply to your markets, channels, and customer segments.

Connect SDR Performance With Sales Outcomes

Sales development performance involves several stages.

An SDR may contact prospects, receive responses, qualify interest, schedule meetings, and create opportunities for the closing team.

Each stage provides useful information.

For example, a representative may book many meetings, but a large percentage of prospects may fail to attend.

Another SDR may schedule fewer meetings but produce more conversations accepted by Account Executives.

Your company should evaluate the complete process.

Useful measures include:

• Outreach activity across relevant channels
• Conversations initiated with target buyers
• Positive or qualified responses
• Lead-to-meeting conversion
• Qualified meetings booked
• Meeting attendance rate
• Sales-accepted meetings or opportunities
• Opportunities created from SDR-sourced activity
• Pipeline generated, where attributable
• CRM accuracy and follow-up completion

Qualified meetings and accepted opportunities should carry more weight than raw call or email volume when evaluating the value of an SDR's work.

For a new position, use your historical conversion data and sales capacity to set realistic expectations.

Targets should reflect the complexity of your product, buyer availability, lead sources, and the time required to qualify prospects.

Related Roles to Consider

Depending on your revenue team's needs, another sales professional may be a better fit or a useful addition.

• Business Development Representative (BDR): Best for companies prioritizing proactive outbound prospecting, target account research, and new-market pipeline development.
• Account Executive: A strong fit when your company needs someone to manage qualified opportunities through discovery, demonstrations, proposals, negotiation, and closing.
• Lead Qualifier: Appropriate when the main responsibility is screening incoming leads and determining whether they meet established qualification criteria.
• Outbound Sales Representative: Focuses on initiating sales conversations through proactive outreach and may manage a broader portion of the selling process depending on the company.
• Inbound Sales Rep: Supports businesses handling incoming inquiries and may take more responsibility for converting those leads into customers.
• Sales Rep: A broader sales position that may include prospecting, qualification, presentations, relationship management, and closing.
• Sales Manager: Appropriate when your company needs someone to coach representatives, monitor performance, improve sales processes, and manage the team.

An SDR is generally the strongest choice when your Account Executives or sales leaders need a consistent flow of qualified conversations and better ownership of the early sales process.

If your company already has many qualified prospects but struggles to close deals, an Account Executive may be the higher-priority hire.

If you need more outbound account research and first-touch engagement, a BDR may provide a more specialized fit.

For a broader view of how these roles work together, see South's Sales Team Structure in 2026.

How to Evaluate SDR Candidates

A candidate may describe themselves as persistent, confident, and experienced with Salesforce, Apollo, or LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

Those skills are relevant, but the strongest evidence comes from how they research prospects, begin conversations, qualify business needs, and respond to feedback.

A practical sales assessment can help reveal those abilities.

Consider giving shortlisted candidates this scenario:

Your company sells a B2B SaaS platform that helps growing businesses manage customer support operations.

The SDR will contact Heads of Customer Support at companies with 50–300 employees. Your Account Executives want meetings with people experiencing challenges related to ticket volume, response times, or team capacity.

One target prospect has recently downloaded a report from your website. Another company matches your ideal customer profile but hasn't engaged with your brand.

How would you approach each prospect, qualify their needs, and decide whether to schedule a meeting?

Provide a short product description, two fictional prospect profiles, your qualification criteria, and a sample CRM record.

Ask candidates to prepare an introductory email, conduct a short mock call, and explain the information they'd record before handing the opportunity to an Account Executive.

Use the following evaluation scorecard:

Pay particular attention to how candidates handle common objections.

For example, a prospect may respond, "We already have a provider."

A strong SDR should acknowledge the response and explore whether the prospect has a relevant unmet need before deciding whether another conversation would be useful.

If the prospect says, "Send me some information," the candidate should clarify what information would be most relevant and agree on a reasonable next step.

After the role-play, provide the candidate with one or two specific suggestions and ask them to repeat part of the exercise.

This gives you useful evidence of how they incorporate coaching.

For inbound positions, prioritize response quality, qualification, and meeting coordination.

For outbound positions, place greater emphasis on account research, personalized messaging, call openings, and creating relevant conversations.

For senior SDR positions, ask candidates to explain how they've improved prospecting processes, maintained pipeline quality, or supported less experienced representatives.

How to Verify Previous SDR Performance

Ask candidates to explain the outcomes they've personally generated.

Useful questions include:

• What type of leads did they manage?
• Which industries and buyers did they contact?
• How many qualified meetings did they book?
• What percentage of those meetings were attended?
• How were meetings accepted by the sales team?
• What opportunity or pipeline results followed their work?
• How were their targets established?
• Which tools and channels did they use?
• What improvements did they make to their outreach approach?

For example, a candidate who booked meetings from highly qualified demo requests may have a different skill set from someone who generated interest through cold outbound campaigns.

Evaluate achievements in the context of lead quality, sales complexity, and the candidate's individual responsibilities.

What Should an SDR Accomplish in the First 90 Days?

The first three months should demonstrate whether your new SDR understands your ideal customer profile, follows the company's prospecting process, and produces increasingly valuable sales conversations.

First 30 Days: Understand the Product, Buyers, and Sales Process

Your new hire should become familiar with your product, target customer profile, competitors, value proposition, and qualification criteria.

They should also learn your CRM, outreach tools, meeting scheduling procedures, and Account Executive handoff requirements.

A useful first milestone is completing supervised prospecting or lead qualification activities.

That may involve reviewing target accounts, preparing outreach messages, conducting introductory calls, or responding to inbound inquiries.

The priority is developing accurate product knowledge, professional communication, and consistent sales development habits.

Days 31–60: Build Consistent Prospecting and Qualification

By the second month, the SDR should begin handling more assigned work independently.

For outbound positions, that may involve researching target accounts, running approved sequences, and creating qualified conversations.

For inbound positions, it may include responding to new leads, conducting qualification calls, and arranging meetings for Account Executives.

The SDR should also maintain accurate CRM records and participate in coaching sessions.

Sales leadership can review conversation quality, meeting attendance, and handoff completeness to identify areas for improvement.

The objective is consistent execution with increasing independence.

Days 61–90: Demonstrate Measurable Pipeline Contribution

By the third month, your SDR should be contributing regularly to the company's early-stage sales pipeline.

Useful performance indicators include:

• Target accounts researched and appropriately contacted
• Qualified conversations generated
• Lead response time for assigned inbound inquiries
• Positive response and conversation rates
• Qualified meetings booked
• Meeting attendance rate
• Sales acceptance rate of SDR-sourced meetings
• Opportunities created from accepted meetings
• Pipeline generated where attribution is available
• Accuracy of qualification and CRM records
• Follow-up completion
• Improvement in outreach and call quality

Evaluate these indicators against your historical data and the level of opportunity available.

For example, a company selling a relatively straightforward service to small businesses may have a shorter qualification cycle.

An SDR prospecting large organizations with several stakeholders may need more time to develop qualified conversations.

A successful first 90 days should establish dependable prospecting, consistent qualification, strong Account Executive handoffs, and measurable progress toward pipeline goals.

How South Has Helped Companies Hire Sales Development Representatives

Companies hiring SDRs need professionals who can communicate with U.S. prospects, understand customer needs, and maintain disciplined outreach and qualification processes.

South has experience recruiting sales development talent for companies across different industries.

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 sales capacity.

The company wanted experienced SDRs who could research prospects, conduct outreach, book qualified meetings, and maintain accurate CRM information.

South helped the firm hire two Senior Sales Development Representatives in 10 days.

The search prioritized:

• Previous B2B SaaS sales experience
• Strong outbound prospecting capabilities
• Confident spoken and written English
• CRM proficiency
• Appointment-setting experience
• Independent work habits
• Effective communication with sales leadership

One selected professional was based in Jamaica and brought experience across sales operations, CRM management, market research, and lead generation.

The second professional was based in Chile and had experience supporting U.S. B2B sales, including work with HubSpot, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, and other prospecting tools.

The documented results included:

• Positions filled: Two Senior SDRs
• Hiring timeline: 10 days
• Reported cost reduction: Approximately 65% per role compared with the case study's U.S. benchmark
• Primary responsibilities: Outbound outreach, prospect qualification, meeting generation, and CRM management

Why this matters: The company needed representatives capable of generating new sales conversations within a defined outbound motion.

South identified professionals whose previous experience aligned with those requirements.

The case study confirms the hires and reported cost savings, although it doesn't provide quantified post-hire pipeline or revenue performance.

A GovTech Company Hired an SDR From Argentina for $1,000 per Month

A U.S. GovTech company providing data-driven solutions for local governments needed a Sales Development Representative with relevant real estate knowledge.

The company's products helped municipalities understand property vacancies and related challenges affecting local tax revenue.

Its sales development position required someone who could communicate with potential clients and understand the connection between real estate information and the company's services.

South helped the company hire Francisco, an SDR from Argentina, for $1,000 per month.

Francisco brought more than two years of SDR experience, including work in real estate-related sales development.

His background included:

• Cold calling and prospect outreach
• Email and LinkedIn prospecting
• Salesforce, Pipedrive, and HubSpot
• High-volume lead generation
• Qualification and appointment setting
• Managing large prospect databases
• Refining sales scripts and handling objections

The published case study reports that in a previous role, Francisco generated 53 qualified leads within 30 days and ranked among his team's top three SDRs.

Those results describe his earlier experience rather than performance after joining the GovTech client.

Why this matters: The company needed someone who could understand a specialized target market and communicate effectively with potential customers.

Francisco's combination of sales development experience and real estate knowledge made him relevant to the position.

Together, these cases demonstrate South's experience recruiting SDRs for both established B2B sales motions and specialized industries.

Hire an SDR in Latin America With South

A strong sales pipeline begins with relevant conversations.

As your company grows, a dedicated SDR can help your team reach the right prospects, qualify interest, and keep valuable opportunities moving toward the people responsible for closing them.

South helps U.S. companies hire full-time, pre-vetted Sales Development Representatives from Latin America, matched to their sales motion, ideal customer profile, CRM tools, and required experience.

Whether you need someone qualifying inbound leads, booking meetings for Account Executives, researching target accounts, or running outbound prospecting campaigns, we can help you identify professionals with relevant skills.

You'll benefit from overlapping U.S. working hours, English-screened candidates, one consolidated monthly invoice, no minimum commitments, and a free replacement if the hire doesn't work out.

Schedule a call with South to find an SDR who fits your sales team's requirements and hiring budget.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Should I Hire an SDR or a BDR?

An SDR typically focuses on qualifying prospects and generating sales-ready meetings, often from inbound leads or assigned outbound activity.

A BDR generally emphasizes proactive outbound prospecting and developing opportunities within target accounts.

However, many companies use the titles interchangeably.

Define the actual lead sources, prospecting requirements, and handoff responsibilities before deciding which title to use.

Should I Hire an SDR or an Account Executive?

An SDR focuses on early-stage sales activities, including prospecting, qualification, and meeting generation.

An Account Executive usually takes responsibility for qualified opportunities and manages conversations through discovery, proposals, negotiation, and closing.

If your closers already have the capacity to handle more qualified opportunities, an SDR may be the more useful hire.

If qualified leads are available but deals aren't progressing, additional closing capacity may be a higher priority.

Can an SDR Handle Both Inbound and Outbound Leads?

Yes. Many SDRs work with a combination of inbound inquiries and outbound prospecting.

However, the skills and daily processes differ.

Inbound work requires timely responses and effective qualification, while outbound prospecting involves account research, relevant outreach, and creating conversations with unfamiliar buyers.

Establish clear lead priorities and workload expectations when one representative handles both.

How Many Meetings Should an SDR Book Each Month?

There isn't a universal meeting target that applies to every company.

The appropriate number depends on lead volume, target market, average deal size, prospecting channels, sales cycle, and qualification requirements.

For example, an SDR booking meetings from inbound demo requests may have different expectations from someone prospecting senior executives at large companies.

Set targets using historical conversion data and evaluate meeting attendance and sales acceptance alongside bookings.

What's the Difference Between a Booked Meeting and a Qualified Meeting?

A booked meeting is an appointment scheduled with a prospect.

A qualified meeting should also satisfy the company's agreed criteria, such as customer fit, relevant business needs, and an appropriate reason for a sales conversation.

Some organizations require additional information before a meeting counts toward an SDR's target.

Defining these criteria helps align SDR and Account Executive expectations.

How Do I Measure an SDR's Performance?

Useful metrics include qualified conversations, meetings booked, attendance rates, sales-accepted meetings, opportunities created, and CRM accuracy.

Outbound teams may also evaluate account coverage, positive responses, and the effectiveness of specific prospecting channels.

The most useful performance measures connect the SDR's activity to qualified opportunities and eventual pipeline development.

Avoid evaluating representatives solely by the number of calls or emails they send.

What Tools Should an SDR Know?

Common SDR tools include Salesforce, HubSpot, or Pipedrive for CRM management.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Apollo, ZoomInfo, and Cognism may support account and prospect research.

Outreach, Salesloft, and approved calling platforms can help manage sequences and sales activity.

Gong or other conversation intelligence tools may support coaching and call reviews.

Prioritize candidates who understand prospecting workflows and can use your existing tools effectively.

Does an SDR Need Experience Selling to U.S. Companies?

Experience with U.S. customers can be particularly useful when the position involves live conversations, English communication, and familiarity with American business expectations.

However, relevant buyer experience and strong prospecting fundamentals are also valuable.

For specialized industries, candidates may benefit from familiarity with the customer's terminology, challenges, and buying process.

Evaluate the candidate through practical conversations and evidence of previous sales development performance.

Should I Hire a Junior, Mid-Level, or Senior SDR?

Junior SDRs can be effective in structured prospecting environments with clear scripts, qualification criteria, and regular coaching.

Mid-level SDRs can often manage assigned accounts, handle objections, qualify opportunities, and maintain their pipeline with greater independence.

Senior SDRs may be more appropriate for complex outbound sales, strategic account research, specialized industries, mentoring, and improving outreach processes.

Choose seniority based on the complexity of the sales motion and the amount of coaching available.

How Long Does It Take for an SDR to Become Productive?

Ramp time depends on your product, target customer, onboarding process, and sales cycle.

A representative qualifying straightforward inbound inquiries may begin contributing sooner than someone developing enterprise outbound opportunities.

Define milestones for product knowledge, call quality, CRM proficiency, independent outreach, and qualified meeting generation.

Evaluate early progress according to those milestones rather than expecting identical results from every hire.

Should an SDR Have a Commission or Bonus Structure?

An SDR's compensation may include a base amount and variable incentives linked to agreed performance outcomes.

Some companies reward qualified meetings, sales-accepted opportunities, or another measurable contribution to the pipeline.

The structure should define eligibility, quality requirements, payment timing, and treatment of cancellations or unqualified appointments.

Confirm the applicable compensation arrangements before hiring and clarify what is included in the employer's total budget.

Can a Remote SDR Work During U.S. Business Hours?

Yes. Latin American SDRs can work schedules that overlap with U.S. business hours.

That can help with live prospecting calls, same-day follow-ups, sales meetings, and communication with Account Executives.

Your company should define the required coverage according to the locations and availability of the buyers the representative will contact.

Can an SDR Use AI for Prospect Research and Outreach?

Yes. AI tools may help representatives organize account research, summarize publicly available business information, and prepare initial message drafts.

However, prospect data and AI-generated claims should be checked before use.

Your company should establish approved tools, data-handling requirements, message review procedures, and rules for outbound communications.

AI can support the prospecting workflow while the SDR remains responsible for accurate and professional outreach.

Can One SDR Support Multiple Account Executives?

Yes. One SDR may support several Account Executives when the prospecting workload, account coverage, and required qualification process are manageable.

However, the appropriate arrangement depends on sales complexity, lead volume, and the amount of research required for each opportunity.

For example, an SDR handling high-volume inbound qualification may support a different number of AEs than someone working on deeply researched enterprise accounts.

Define lead allocation, meeting expectations, and feedback responsibilities before assigning multiple AEs.

What Information Should I Prepare Before Hiring Through South?

Start with your product or service, ideal customer profile, target industries, buyer personas, and primary lead sources.

You should also define whether the position focuses on inbound qualification, outbound prospecting, or both.

Include your CRM, prospecting tools, qualification criteria, meeting expectations, sales process, preferred seniority, and English communication requirements.

South can use these details to identify candidates whose experience matches your sales development needs.