What an SDR Does and How to Measure It: Qualified Meetings, Not Calls

Published by

David Argüello

CEO of Hurus AI · LinkedIn

An SDR opens sales conversations and books meetings with buyers who fit, so someone else can close. An SDR is measured by qualified meetings, not calls or emails. A qualified meeting meets three conditions: a decision-maker or influencer attends, a real problem exists and a next step is agreed.

What an SDR does

SDR stands for sales development representative. The job is the first part of the sales process:

• Identify who to write to.
• Open the conversation.
• Understand whether there is a real problem.
• Hand the opportunity to whoever negotiates and closes, with the context gathered.

An SDR does not close sales. If they do, it is a different role.

Why calls and emails are not a metric

They measure activity, not results. An SDR can send a hundred emails and not open a single useful conversation. Another can send twenty well-targeted ones and generate three meetings. If you reward volume, you get volume.

Define the qualified meeting in writing

A qualified meeting meets three conditions:

• A decision-maker or influencer attends. Not someone who "wants information."
• A real problem exists that your product can solve.
• A next step is agreed, with a date.

If one is missing, it is a meeting, not a qualified meeting. Agreeing on this before you start avoids arguing about results later.

Four metrics that matter

• Qualified meetings per week. What it measures: Results. How to read it: If it is low, the problem is upstream or in the opening
• Response rate by type of opening. What it measures: Message quality. How to read it: Compare which signal or phrase opens the most conversations
• Percentage of meetings that move to proposal. What it measures: Quality of fit. How to read it: If it is low, you are writing to people who don't decide or don't fit
• Time from signal to first contact. What it measures: Speed. How to read it: A signal expires

We don't give benchmark values because there is no reliable public standard for your sector. Set your own after a few weeks of real data.

Calls and emails sent are useful only to diagnose why the other metrics fail.

Common mistakes

• Measuring by activity volume.
• Not defining what a qualified meeting is.
• Writing to job titles that don't decide.
• Not recording the context of each conversation.

In-house, external or AI-powered SDR

The measurement is the same, whoever does the work. What changes is who directs it, who carries the management load and how long it takes you to start. We compare them criterion by criterion in article 4.

At Hurus, we measure our work this way: qualified meetings with companies that fit, at the moment they can talk.

Frequently asked questions

What is a qualified meeting?

A meeting where a decision-maker or influencer takes part, a real problem exists that your product solves and a next step is agreed. If any of the three is missing, it is a meeting, not a qualified meeting. Defining it in writing before you start avoids arguing about results later.

Which metrics matter?

Qualified meetings per week, response rate by type of opening, percentage of meetings that advance to proposal and time from signal to first contact. Calls or emails sent measure activity, not results. Use them only to diagnose why the others fail.

What are the common mistakes?

Measuring by activity volume, not defining what a qualified meeting is, writing to job titles that don't decide and not recording the context of each conversation. All of them are fixed with a written standard for who you write to, what you say and when the conversation passes to whoever closes.

This article is based on working judgment, with no external statistics.

Full guide: B2B prospecting for food and beverage manufacturers: 2026 guide

Last reviewed: October 18, 2026.