Account Executive vs SDR
What is the difference between Account Executive and SDR? Side-by-side definitions, formulas, and benchmarks for two of the most-watched SaaS metrics.
Definitions
What is Account Executive?
An Account Executive is the closing sales role in a SaaS team — the AE runs discovery and demos, manages the deal cycle, negotiates terms, and signs new customers, usually working meetings booked by SDRs.
Full Account Executive definition →
What is SDR?
An SDR is a sales development representative — a specialized sales role focused on outbound prospecting and inbound lead qualification, booking qualified meetings that account executives then run to close.
Account Executive vs SDR at a Glance
| Account Executive | SDR | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Sales | Sales |
| Formula | — | — |
| Benchmarks | — | — |
| Calculator | — | — |
When Each Matters
Account Executive and SDR answer different questions. An Account Executive is the closing sales role in a SaaS team — the AE runs discovery and demos, manages the deal cycle, negotiates terms, and signs new customers, usually working meetings booked by SDRs. An SDR is a sales development representative — a specialized sales role focused on outbound prospecting and inbound lead qualification, booking qualified meetings that account executives then run to close. In practice, healthy SaaS operators watch both, because each one catches failure modes the other misses.