SDR Playbook: Hiring, Ramping, and Quota for the First Reps

SDR Playbook for Startups

The first SDR hire is one of the most-blown decisions in startup GTM. Hired too early it's a wasted salary; hired too late it caps growth. Structure matters as much as the person.

When to hire

After the founder has personally booked 30-50 meetings from outbound and knows the message that converts. Before that, an SDR has nothing repeatable to execute and both sides get frustrated.

Ramp and quota

Month 1: training and shadowing. Month 2: 50% quota. Month 3: full quota. Typical quota: 10-15 qualified meetings per month for mid-market, 20-30 for SMB. Anything above 40 is call-center pace, not startup pace.

Compensation

50-70K base, 20-40K variable, tied to qualified meetings held and sourced pipeline. Paying only on closed deals mis-aligns SDRs from their job. Paying only on booked-not-held meetings creates junk pipeline.

Activity metrics worth tracking

Meetings booked, meetings held, meetings converted to opportunity, pipeline sourced, sequence completion rate. Dials per day and emails sent are inputs, not outcomes — don't manage to them.

Frequently asked questions

Report to sales or marketing?

Sales, once you have a sales leader. Marketing until then.

SDR or full-cycle AE first?

Full-cycle AE first, SDR after the AE proves the motion.

Outsource SDR?

Rarely works at early stage. Message iteration is too tight to outsource.

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