How to Hire a Business Development Representative
A comprehensive guide to evaluating Business Development Representative candidates — the metrics that matter, the questions to ask, and the mistakes to avoid.
What Great Looks Like
- Consistently exceeds meeting quotas (140%+) with quality meetings that convert to pipeline
- Has developed their own prospecting sequences and outreach strategies, not just following scripts
- Can articulate why certain approaches work for specific buyer personas and industries
- Shows a trajectory toward closing roles — hungry, coachable, and strategically minded
- Creates high reply rates through personalization at scale, not just volume
- Understands the full funnel and can speak to conversion rates at each stage
Metrics That Matter
Meetings Booked / Month
30-50+ qualified meetings
Meeting-to-Opportunity Rate
60%+ meetings accepted by AEs
Pipeline Generated
$200K-$1M+ monthly pipeline
Response Rate
5-12% cold outreach reply rate
Activity Volume
80-120 activities/day with quality
Quota Attainment
120%+ consistently
Questions to Ask
- 1
What does your outbound prospecting workflow look like from account selection to booked meeting? Walk me through a real sequence.
- 2
What's your highest converting cold email sequence? What made it work and how did you iterate on it?
- 3
How do you research accounts before reaching out? Give me an example of how research changed your approach.
- 4
Tell me about a time you broke into an account everyone else had given up on. What was your strategy?
- 5
How do you prioritize your account list? What signals tell you an account is worth pursuing now versus later?
Red Flags
- Can't share specific metrics — "I was always a top performer" without numbers
- Relies on a single channel (only email, only phone) with no multi-channel strategy
- No personalization in outreach — pure volume play with spray-and-pray mentality
- Doesn't understand what makes a qualified meeting beyond just booking it
- No curiosity about the product or market they'd be selling into
- Can't explain their approach to objection handling during prospecting
Typical Performance Indicators
| Indicator | Good | Great |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Meetings | 25-35 | 40+ |
| Meeting Quality Rate | 50-65% | 70%+ |
| Cold Reply Rate | 3-6% | 8%+ |
| Quota Attainment | 100-130% | 140%+ |
Scorecard Template
Interview Structure
Recruiter Screen
20 minMotivation, career goals, logistics
Hiring Manager Interview
45 minMetrics deep-dive, prospecting methodology
Live Prospecting Exercise
30 minResearch an account and write a cold outreach sequence
Mock Cold Call
20 minRoleplay cold call with realistic objections
Team Fit & Final
30 minCulture, collaboration, coachability assessment
What Changes by Company Stage
Seed / Series A
SDR is often the first outbound motion. Need someone who can build the playbook, not just run it.
Series B
Formalizing the SDR function. Look for people who thrive with some structure but still experiment.
Series C / Growth
Scaling the team. Look for SDRs who can be promoted to AE or become team leads within 12-18 months.
Late / Public
Specialized by segment or territory. Look for SDRs comfortable in a structured, metrics-driven environment.
What Changes by ACV
$0-25K ACV
Volume motion — need SDRs who can run fast with high activity and quick qualification.
$25-75K ACV
Balanced approach. Research and personalization matter more. Quality over pure quantity.
$75K+ ACV
Account-based approach. Deep research, multi-threaded outreach, and exec-level messaging are critical.
Common Hiring Mistakes
- 1Hiring only for energy and ignoring analytical skills — the best SDRs are strategic
- 2Not providing enough ramp time and enablement before expecting full productivity
- 3Measuring only meetings booked without tracking meeting quality and downstream conversion
- 4Ignoring writing ability — cold outreach is fundamentally a writing job
- 5Hiring experienced SDRs when your motion actually needs fresh, coachable talent (or vice versa)
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