Salary guide · Sales · Junior–Mid

Sales Development Representative salary in 2026

What a Sales Development Representative typically earns across the US, UK and EU — and what to budget when you hire one. Figures are approximate annual gross, as of Q2 2026.

Sales Development Representative salary by region

RegionTypical annual pay
United StatesNational range; SF/NYC skew higher.$40,000 – $55,000 base + $8,000 – $15,000 annual commission/bonus
United KingdomNational range; London skews higher.£28,000 – £38,000 base + £4,000 – £8,000 bonus
European UnionVaries widely by country.€35,000 – €50,000 base + €5,000 – €10,000 bonus

Ranges are directional benchmarks for budgeting, not offers. Actual pay depends on location, company stage, and the candidate’s track record.

What moves a Sales Development Representative’s salary

Seniority is the biggest lever (junior–mid is the common band for this role), followed by the depth of these skills:

  • 2+ years in sales development, SDR, or telesales role with demonstrable activity metrics and conversion rates
  • Proficiency in Salesforce or comparable CRM; ability to log 50+ activities per week accurately
  • Comfortable making 40+ cold calls weekly; experience with LinkedIn prospecting and email outreach tools (Apollo, Hunter, Outreach)
  • Basic knowledge of SaaS sales cycles and ability to ask discovery questions that uncover budget and decision-making process
  • Written and verbal communication skills sufficient to pitch value verbally and craft short, punchy prospecting emails
  • Coachability and resilience: comfort with rejection rates >90%, weekly feedback, and iterating messaging based on performance data

Why companies pay for a Sales Development Representative

SMBs need dedicated prospectors to fill their sales funnel so AEs can focus on closing. A single SDR typically unlocks $500k–$1M in AE capacity by handling initial outreach, qualification calls, and meeting scheduling.

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