It’s the question every prospective SDR asks before accepting a role: what does the actual day look like?
The honest answer is that the title alone cannot tell you. Sitemate’s current Sydney vacancy is inbound-focused, while current DevRev and Instructure ANZ vacancies combine outbound prospecting, inbound qualification, account research, CRM work and collaboration. Those examples show role variation, not a national average.
The schedule below is an adaptable example from Isobel Hardwick’s professional experience. It deliberately contains no call-volume, connect-rate or meeting benchmark because QuotaClub has not found representative Australian evidence for one.
| Time (AEST) | Activity |
|---|---|
| 8:00–8:30 | Pipeline review + day plan |
| 8:30–9:30 | Email, LinkedIn, call-block prep |
| 9:30–11:00 | Focused outreach block |
| 11:00–11:30 | Inbound triage |
| 11:30–12:00 | Discovery call or internal meeting |
| 12:00–13:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00–14:30 | Focused outreach or qualification block |
| 14:30–15:30 | LinkedIn, research, list building |
| 15:30–16:30 | Discovery call or AE shadowing |
| 16:30–17:30 | CRM hygiene + day-close |
Editorial example from Isobel Hardwick’s professional experience. It is not a national benchmark or a recommended activity quota.
An adaptable morning
8:00 to 8:30: Coffee, pipeline review, day plan
In this example, the first block is spent reviewing overnight inbound (form fills, demo requests, content downloads), scanning the pipeline for accounts at the right stage to follow up, and writing a list of priorities for the day. A different team may start later, work another time zone or begin with training.
8:30 to 9:30: Email, LinkedIn, prep for the call block
This example uses the pre-call block to send personalised emails and LinkedIn messages you queued up the day before, respond to overnight replies, and scan the prospect list for the morning’s call block. The list size should come from the employer’s expectations, not a generic target.
9:30 to 11:00: Cold call block #1
A protected outreach block can reduce context switching. The right time depends on the prospect’s location, the territory and the employer’s evidence about when its audience responds.
Phone is on do-not-disturb, Slack is closed, the call list is open, and the focus is total. SDRs who interleave dialling with Slack messages end the block having made fewer calls than intended. The cost is real.
11:00 to 11:30: Inbound triage
The example next reviews forms, demo requests, and high-intent MQLs that arrived during the call block. The employer should define its response-time expectation and how inbound work is prioritised against outbound activity. New to these terms? See the tech sales glossary.
11:30 to 12:00: Discovery call or internal meeting
This slot can hold prospect qualification, a team huddle, coaching or product training. The title, length and ownership of prospect calls vary between employers.
An adaptable afternoon
12:00 to 13:00: Lunch
Break entitlements depend on the applicable award, agreement and workplace arrangements. Confirm them for the specific role rather than inferring them from the SDR title.
13:00 to 14:30: Cold call block #2
A second outreach block is one possible structure. A team may instead prioritise another geography, inbound work, account research or scheduled prospect calls.
For practical scripts and the actual mechanics of these dials, see the QuotaClub cold-calling guide.
14:30 to 15:30: LinkedIn, account research, list building
LinkedIn messages and connection requests, deeper account research on the next day’s call list, sequencing new outbound campaigns, and preparation for future conversations can sit here when they match the employer’s process.
15:30 to 16:30: Discovery call #2 or AE shadowing
This example reserves a slot for prospect calls or observing later sales stages. Exposure to discovery and demos can build useful skills, but it does not guarantee promotion (covered in detail in how long it takes to become an AE). Less experienced SDRs use it for additional outreach or further inbound triage.
16:30 to 17:30: Sequencing, CRM hygiene, day-close
Update the CRM with required notes from the day. Queue up tomorrow’s emails and call list. Log activity metrics and update records for meetings booked or progressed. Current DevRev and Instructure vacancies explicitly include accurate CRM and pipeline records among the role’s responsibilities.
Ask for the current team’s calendar and scorecard. The job title alone does not reveal the workload.
What changes the schedule
These factors change how an SDR’s work is organised. None has one standard Australian setting.
Inbound, outbound or blended motion
An inbound role can prioritise response, qualification and routing. An outbound role can spend more time on account research and proactive outreach. A blended role must explain how the two priorities compete.
Customer segment and territory
Selling to local small businesses is different from researching a small number of enterprise accounts across several time zones. Ask how account volume, buyer seniority and geography affect the calendar.
Scorecard and tools
Activity targets, accepted meetings, qualified pipeline and response time can produce very different priorities. Ask which measures affect performance reviews and variable pay, and who controls whether work is credited.
Coaching and administration
Product learning, call review, manager 1:1s, CRM maintenance and territory planning are part of the work, even though job ads may not assign them a fixed block. Ask how much protected time exists for each.
Employer-specific
Daily activity, meeting and pipeline expectations should come from the written scorecard for the role.
Questions to ask before accepting
- Which outcomes and activities are measured, and how is each one defined?
- How much of the role is inbound qualification versus outbound prospecting?
- Which channels, tools and territories will I use?
- What does a current team member's calendar look like in practice?
- How are coaching, call review, CRM administration and account research scheduled?
- What are the ordinary hours, office expectations and rules for additional hours?
For the broader career-context around how this daily work compounds into the AE seat, see how long it takes to become an AE in Australia. For what you’ll earn while you’re doing this, see the full SDR salary breakdown. And for the path that gets you into this seat in the first place, see how to get into tech sales in Australia.
Sources & methodology
This guide compares three current employer examples with Fair Work’s maximum-weekly-hours guidance. It does not convert those examples into a national activity or schedule estimate.
- Sitemate, Sales Development Representative, Sydney: Current vacancy reviewed August 2026. The role emphasises inbound qualification across phone, email and live chat.
- DevRev, Sales Development Representative, ANZ: Current vacancy reviewed August 2026. The role describes outbound prospecting, inbound qualification, account research, CRM work and cross-functional collaboration.
- Instructure, Sales Development Representative, ANZ: Current vacancy reviewed August 2026. The role combines inbound response, outbound prospecting, research, CRM tracking and enablement.
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Maximum weekly hours fact sheet: Content updated 16 January 2026. Full-time employees have a 38-hour maximum ordinary week unless an award or enterprise agreement specifies otherwise, plus reasonable additional hours.
The cited vacancies show what individual employers currently ask SDRs to do. They do not establish national averages for calls, emails, meetings, working location or quota. QuotaClub's sample schedule is a planning example from Isobel Hardwick's professional experience. It is not a benchmark and should be adapted to the employer's written expectations. Fair Work's National Employment Standards set 38 hours as the maximum ordinary week for a full-time employee unless an award or enterprise agreement specifies otherwise, plus reasonable additional hours. They do not establish one SaaS schedule. Last reviewed .