Fractional SDR contract terms that matter

A fractional SDR contract that only states a monthly fee leaves every hard question open. These are the clauses worth negotiating. This is a buyer's checklist, not legal advice, so have a lawyer read the final version.

Define a qualified meeting

Write it as a test anyone can apply. A workable definition names:

• The buyer: title or role, company size, industry and country.
• The state: booked, held (the prospect attended), or accepted (your sales team agrees it fits).
• The evidence: a calendar record, a short note of the prospect's need, and the reply thread.
• The decider: who rules when you and the provider disagree, and how fast.

Several sources define a qualified meeting as one the prospect attends and your team accepts, and one gives the arithmetic: qualified meetings are meetings booked, times the show rate, times the acceptance rate. Paying on held meetings is stricter than paying on booked ones. Sources also note that pay-per-meeting can reward volume over quality, which a tight definition limits.

Service levels

An SLA, in the general sense used by contract glossaries, sets a measurable standard, how it is measured, and what follows if it is missed. For an SDR contract:

• A target, stated as a range or a commitment, not an average of past clients. No neutral benchmark exists; one provider advertises 10 to 15 qualified meetings a month as its client average, which is a marketing figure.
• A measurement: by your CRM or a shared report, not the provider's own summary.
• A remedy: a credit, extra hours or a step-down right after repeated misses. The same glossary source suggests a termination right for persistent failure.
• Response times: how quickly replies and meeting requests are handled.

A target the provider will not put in writing is a hope. See the KPIs page for the numbers to measure.

Reporting and access

Weekly reporting, access to the replies and call recordings, and read access to the sequences. Ask to be admin on the CRM and sending accounts you pay for.

Term, notice and exit

Minimum terms of about three months are common, with 90-day minimums reported by GigRadar. Ask what notice applies after the minimum, and whether you can pause.

Data, domains and rep conversion

State who owns the lists, sequences and sending domains when the contract ends. If you may want the rep permanently, see contract-to-hire.

Back to hiring a fractional SDR or the fractional SDR providers we list.

FAQ

Should I pay for booked or held meetings?

Held is stricter and aligns the provider with your sales team's time. Providers may price it higher.

Is a guaranteed number of meetings realistic?

Some providers commit to a number and some do not. Ask for the commitment in writing and the remedy if it is missed.

Who owns the data?

Whatever the contract says. If it says nothing, assume the provider keeps its lists. Fix it before you sign.