BDR to AE Handoff in HubSpot: The Right Time to Create a Deal (and Avoid Pipeline Chaos)

Without clear handoff rules:

• AEs waste time on bad deals
• Pipeline is inflated or out of date
• Reports become unreliable

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If your sales team includes SDRs or BDRs who generate leads, and AEs who close, this setup works best — a structure that also supports clean lifecycle transitions seen in the SaaS Growth Framework using HubSpot Lifecycle Stages:

• BDRs create the deal after qualifying the lead and booking the first meeting.
• AEs own the deal from there. They move it forward or close it out with a reason.
• Track both roles using two fields:
  • Deal Creator: BDR, SDR, or AE
  • Deal Owner: AE or Closer

This creates a clear split:

• BDRs work off Contacts
• AEs work off Deals

Cleaner, simpler, and easier to report on.

Yes, AEs can work off Contacts. But it’s messier.

• They need to flip between Contacts and Deals
• Harder to see true conversion from outreach to close

Letting BDRs create the deal streamlines the workflow and keeps focus where it matters.

Set a clear rule: BDRs create a deal once a meeting is booked with a qualified lead.

To get this right:

• Define who qualifies for a meeting
• Train BDRs to follow clear criteria (ICP, interest, role)

Then, AEs verify the quality during the meeting. If it's not a fit, they move it to Closed Lost with a reason.

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If the meeting gets canceled or rescheduled, don’t move the deal forward or close it yet. Keep it in Stage 1 (Discovery Scheduled) — consistent with the clean deal discipline outlined in the SaaS HubSpot Operating System.

• The deal is still valid. It’s just pending a new meeting.
• The original BDR owns follow-up and rebooking.
• Use tasks or a property like Next Step to keep things moving.

BDR:

• Qualify the lead
• Book the meeting
• Create the deal for the AE

AE:

• Run the meeting
• Advance or close the deal
• Keep deal stages and notes updated

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Use required fields when a deal is created:

• BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline)
• Or your custom qualification checklist

This helps avoid bloated pipeline and gives clear guidelines for BDRs.

We help SaaS teams build clean BDR to AE handoffs in HubSpot.

Book a free RevOps clarity call. We’ll help you get your pipeline straight in under a week.