Sales development is changing fast—bigger deals, fewer promotions, and shifting compensation models. So what does the data really say?

In this episode, Matt Bertuzzi, Head of Research at The Bridge Group, breaks down the 2025 Sales Development Metrics and Compensation Report. He shares what’s driving record-high pipeline per SDR, why fewer reps are moving up to AE roles, and how compensation plans are creating frustration in the field.

Matt also discusses the return-to-office trend, the resurgence of cold calling, and why sales teams are loosening qualification criteria just to get meetings on the books.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why SDRs are generating more pipeline but seeing fewer promotions
• How changing comp plans are impacting rep behavior
• What’s behind the shift to outbound-only sales development teams

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) What counts as a compensation trigger for SDRs with Matt Bertuzzi

(00:27) Breaking down the 2025 Sales Development Report

(03:12) Why more SDRs are working on enterprise deals

(06:18) The shift to outbound-only SDR teams

(09:12) Why more companies are bringing SDRs back to the office

(12:26) Fewer SDRs are getting promoted—here’s why

(18:13) How AI and email noise are making cold calls more valuable

(21:42) The gap between SDR comp plans and actual work

(27:16) What’s driving the record-high pipeline per SDR

(30:47) Final takeaways on sales development trends in 2025