How much a fractional SDR costs

Most fractional SDR engagements are priced as a monthly retainer, a fee per meeting, or a mix of the two. The ranges below come from price guides published by outbound agencies and staffing firms. Those firms sell the service, so read the figures as asking prices, not as a neutral survey.

The short answer

The spread is wide because "fractional SDR" covers three different purchases: a part-time individual you direct, a rep shared across an agency's clients, and a managed pod that brings its own data, tools and manager. A pod costs more per month and does more of the work for you.

What pushes the price up

• Hours. Price tiers in the guides above scale with weekly hours more than with anything else.
• Who you are trying to reach. Revnew says meetings with senior buyers cost more to book, because each one takes more research and more touches.
• Channels. Email-only programs are cheaper than programs that add phone and LinkedIn.
• What is included. Data, sequencing tools and a manager may be in the retainer or billed on top.
• How "qualified" is defined. A tight definition (right title, confirmed need, held not just booked) costs more per meeting and wastes less of your sales team's time.

Price by model

Each row is one seller's published figure, not a market average. How each billing model works.

Cost per meeting: a worked example

A retainer looks cheap or dear until you divide it by the meetings it produces. Take a $5,000 monthly retainer. If the rep holds 10 qualified meetings in the month, each costs $500. At 15 meetings each costs about $333, and at 5 each costs $1,000. The same fee is a bargain or a poor deal depending on the meetings held, so track meetings held rather than emails sent. Put your own retainer and meeting rate into the cost calculator.

What a full-time SDR costs by comparison

• Median on-target pay is $80,000 (Bridge Group), before benefits, tools and recruiting.
• With those added, year one comes to about $114,000 to $141,000.
• Average ramp is 3.0 months and average tenure 1.9 years, so hiring costs come round again.

The line-by-line sums are in the full cost of a full-time SDR.

Fees to check before you sign

Some agencies charge a setup or onboarding fee, and GigRadar reports 90-day minimums as usual for fractional engagements. Ask for both in writing, along with what happens if the meeting target is missed.

Questions to ask before you compare quotes

A quote is only comparable to another once you know what sits behind it. Put these to every provider, price first.

1. What is the price model? A flat monthly retainer, a fee per meeting, or a retainer plus a bonus per meeting. The model decides who carries the risk of a slow month.
2. What is extra? Commission on top, data and tooling, a LinkedIn add-on.
3. What counts as a billable meeting? Get the definition in writing (see what pushes the price up).
4. How do you leave? Ask for the notice period and any fee for stopping early. Terms and setup fees are in the section above.
5. Who does the work, and for how many other clients? A named rep at 15 to 25 hours a week is a different purchase from a pooled team.
6. Who owns the sending domains, inboxes and prospect data? If you stop, you want to keep them.

Providers that publish a price

Each line uses the provider's own published figure, so confirm current terms with the provider before you buy.

• Activated Scale: part-time SDRs. Its pricing page starts at $4,000 a month plus commission.
• Leadium: a managed outbound program from $3,500 a month for cold calling, or $4,000 to $5,000 for multi-channel. It says its programs are month-to-month.
• LeadHaste: $4,500 a month plus a $1,000 one-time setup, with a three-month initial term and month-to-month after that.
• SalesRoads: $11,950 per four-week engagement for one dedicated SDR, with a lower cost per rep for larger teams.
• Callbox: managed pods at $16,000 to $32,000 a month, with a minimum of one quarter.

See every provider and its terms.

Go deeper

• See retainer, per-meeting and per-opportunity pricing for how each model bills and who carries the risk.
• See the full cost of a full-time SDR to set a fractional quote against a hire.
• Use the cost calculator to put your own numbers in.
• If you are still choosing the model, compare the other ways to staff outbound or see how each fractional SDR model works.
• Ready to buy? Follow the steps to hire a fractional SDR.

When you know your budget and model, you can line up quotes from fractional SDR providers.

FAQ

How much does a fractional SDR cost per month?

Published retainers mostly fall between about $3,000 and $8,000 a month for one part-time rep, according to vendor price guides. Managed programs with their own tools and manager are quoted higher.

Is it cheaper to pay per meeting?

Not always. Vendor guides put a qualified meeting at about $150 to $600. If a provider books many meetings, a retainer can work out cheaper per meeting. If it books few, pay-per-meeting protects you.

Are there setup fees?

Some agencies charge one, and 90-day minimums are usual for fractional engagements (GigRadar). Ask for both before you sign.