The world of sales and support is vast, and different terms can be used interchangeably by different companies and employers.

To help keep contractors and clients on the same page, here’s how we define these positions at Overpass.

This position describes people working in a "full sales" capacity. Account Executives handle every aspect of the sales cycle: initial outreach, qualifying, building relationships with prospective customers, and ultimately closing the sale.

SDRs work from an existing list of warm or cold leads to qualify those customers, build relationships, and set appointments. They are typically not closing sales, but are highly involved in the beginning and middle stages of the sales process.

BDRs also work from a pre-existing list to set appointments for a closer. They have less authority and access than SDRs. While they may establish some relationship with the potential customers, they are generally not focused on qualifying them.

This is a very similar role to BDR; Appointment Setters are also working from a pre-existing list to set appointments for a closer. This position involves little to no qualifying and appointment setters generally do not have any ongoing relationship with customers.

This role describes "volume" callers, who are primarily focused on delivering a sales pitch to as many potential customers as possible every day. Telemarketing reps are not focusing on qualifying or developing relationships with customers.
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VAs perform a variety of administrative tasks. They can schedule appointments, answer the phone, respond to emails, manage calendars, organize documents, and perform data entry. Their skillsets are vast, with the goal of supporting businesses where they need it most.

This position describes a phone rep who is primarily concerned with receiving inbound calls rather than making outbound calls. They work with existing customers to answer questions and solve problems.

This is an HR-focused role, for callers who are matching potential candidates with clients interested in hiring them. This position generally does not involve selling, but industry knowledge and qualifying skills.

Outreach reps are not performing sales work. Instead, they call contacts to conduct phone surveys or check in on existing customers.