The role, comp, tooling, and 30-60-90 plan that gets a first SDR to productive in 8 weeks — not 6 months.
The first SDR you hire either multiplies your outbound or costs you nine months and $30K. The difference is mostly preparation.
Be ready before you hire
An SDR amplifies a process — they don't create one. Before you hire, the founder or an early seller should have booked meetings with a repeatable message to a defined audience. If you can't write down who to target and what to say, wait.
Hire for output, not experience
You don't need someone with three years at a big-name software company. You need someone who has demonstrably hit a target somewhere — anywhere — and can show you how.
In the interview, ask them to write a short outreach message to one of your real target accounts. It tells you more than any résumé.
Comp: base + on-target, not commission-only
Commission-only is a red flag to good SDRs. A 60/40 or 70/30 base-to-variable split with clear on-target earnings is common. Pay variable on qualified meetings held, not just booked.
Tools they need on day one
- A CRM with a working pipeline (Gro Wing CRM, obviously)
- A business phone line, plus a WhatsApp Business number only if you sell to international buyers
- Email deliverability set up (SPF/DKIM/DMARC configured)
- A meeting scheduler that writes to Google Calendar or Outlook
- A written ideal customer profile and a target account list
The 8-week ramp
- Week 1–2: shadow 20 calls. Learn the product and the buyer. No outbound.
- Week 3–4: 10 outbound touches a day. Every call reviewed by the manager.
- Week 5–6: 25 outbound touches a day. Weekly review.
- Week 7–8: full target. Bi-weekly review.
Define "qualified" together
Agree with whoever takes the hand-off — founder or AE — exactly what makes a meeting qualified. Write it down. Most first-SDR failures are really hand-off failures.
Know when it isn't working
If they're not booking qualified meetings by week 6, despite good coaching, it's not a fit. Say so, kindly and early.
Try it on your own pipeline
Book a 20-minute walkthrough with our team.
