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Performance review template for a sales development rep (sdr / bdr)

A ready-to-use, section-by-section template with the competencies that matter for a sales development rep (sdr / bdr), role-specific example phrases, and a guard against the stock filler that makes most reviews read as generic. Copy the structure, fill in your evidence, or skip the writing entirely with Crestento.

The template

Four sections, in this order. Length should match the evidence you have — a thin section is honest; an invented paragraph is not.

Summary

One or two paragraphs setting the context: what was expected of sales development rep (sdr / bdr) this period, and your overall verdict. Lead with the headline.

Example phrasing

“Booked 38 SQLs against a quota of 28, A/B-tested three subject lines and scaled the winner team-wide, and AE handoffs converted to opportunity at 64% (team average 51%).”

Strengths

The behaviours and outcomes that made the work happen. Anchor in evidence: SQLs booked against quota, outbound activity (calls + emails + LinkedIn touches) per day, open rate, reply rate, meeting-set rate on outbound sequences.

  • Evidence for: outbound activity discipline (volume + cadence).
  • Evidence for: qualified meeting / SQL volume vs quota.
  • Evidence for: message personalization and prospect research.
  • Evidence for: objection handling on cold calls.

Areas for Growth

Forward-looking development edges. Frame as opportunities, not deficiencies. Specific behaviours to develop, not generic sales development rep (sdr / bdr) criticism.

  • One pattern observed across the period.
  • One specific behaviour to develop.
  • One concrete next step.

Goals for the Next Period

Two or three concrete goals. Each should name a specific behaviour change, a measurable target, and a deadline. Avoid vague aspirations.

Competencies to evaluate

The 7 competencies a strong sales development rep (sdr / bdr) review structures around, in priority order. Use these as the spine of the Strengths and Areas for Growth sections.

  • outbound activity discipline (volume + cadence)
  • qualified meeting / SQL volume vs quota
  • message personalization and prospect research
  • objection handling on cold calls
  • CRM hygiene and handoff quality to AEs
  • coachability and rep-of-the-rep iteration
  • ramping speed (for new SDRs)

Before you write

An SDR's job sounds simple (book qualified meetings) but separating strong SDRs from average ones requires reading the work UPSTREAM of the booked meeting. The discipline of the activity floor, the quality of the research before each outbound, the calibration on what 'qualified' actually means, the cleanliness of the AE handoff. Strong SDRs make their AEs' lives easier. Weak SDRs hit the activity number but pass through unqualified meetings that waste AE cycles. The booked-meeting count alone doesn't tell you which kind of SDR you have.

Evidence to gather

Strong reviews for a sales development rep (sdr / bdr) cite evidence of these shapes. Only use a specific value (a percentage, a count, a dollar amount) if you actually have it — don’t invent a number to sound concrete.

  • SQLs booked against quota
  • outbound activity (calls + emails + LinkedIn touches) per day
  • open rate, reply rate, meeting-set rate on outbound sequences
  • SQL-to-opportunity conversion rate (the AE-side quality signal)
  • average prospecting touches per booked meeting
  • ramp time (for new SDRs hitting quota)
  • show-rate on booked meetings

Where to find the evidence

Work products a sales development rep (sdr / bdr) produces. Reference these by name in the review when they’re relevant — it signals you know the work.

  • outbound sequences (cadences with subject-line + body variants)
  • personalization research notes attached to prospect records
  • weekly 1:1 with AE counterpart for handoff feedback
  • call recordings reviewed in coaching sessions (Gong / Chorus)
  • objection-handling playbook contributions
  • ICP / persona target-account list maintained in CRM

Phrasing that lands vs phrasing that doesn’t

Strong — specific, evidenced, role-appropriate

“Booked 38 SQLs against a quota of 28, A/B-tested three subject lines and scaled the winner team-wide, and AE handoffs converted to opportunity at 64% (team average 51%).”

Weak — vague, unevidenced, generic

“Hits their numbers most of the time.”

Phrases to never use

Stock filler that AI-written sales development rep (sdr / bdr) reviews slip into. Managers spot it instantly. Rewrite to name a specific behaviour instead.

  • “hits the phones hard”
  • “great hustle”
  • “strong work ethic on the activity floor”
  • “natural salesperson”
  • “rep-with-a-quota mentality”
  • “always-be-closing energy”
  • “go-getter attitude”
  • “thirsty for the next meeting”
  • “consistently delivers strong activity”

Don’t invent these specifics

The details an AI tends to fabricate for sales development rep (sdr / bdr)reviews. If you don’t have the specific number, name, or date in your notes, leave it out — generic-but-honest beats specific-but- invented every time.

  • specific SQL counts the manager didn't provide
  • named outbound sequences or campaign names the manager didn't write
  • specific reply rates or open rates the manager didn't quantify
  • named accounts the SDR booked meetings into when only volume was given
  • specific AE names the SDR partners with when not mentioned
  • particular tools used (Outreach, Salesloft, Apollo) when no tool was named
  • specific ramp times in weeks/months when the manager said 'ramped quickly'

Skip the template, generate the review

Drop your bullet points into Crestento and it produces the polished draft using this exact template structure, tuned for a sales development rep (sdr / bdr). Two reviews free, no card.

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