Hire your own SDR or outsource?
An in-house SDR gives you full control, but requires recruiting, onboarding, tooling and management. Outsourcing is faster and more flexible, but you share control. Below, we set out the differences side by side, honestly.
| In-house SDR | Outsourcing to Esdoorn de Vries | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | In-house SDRIndication: a junior SDR in the Netherlands costs around €3,000 to €4,000 gross per month, plus roughly 30 to 35% in employer costs. Together, roughly €3,900 to €5,400, even in a month without any appointments. | Outsourcing to Esdoorn de VriesBasis: €245 per approved meeting, €195 per 4 weeks and €749.50 setup. Plus, with LinkedIn: €196 per approved meeting, €995 per 4 weeks and €749.50 setup. All amounts excl. VAT. |
| Hiring time | In-house SDRJob posting, interviews and your candidate's notice period. Expect anything from a few weeks to a few months. | Outsourcing to Esdoorn de VriesNo recruiting. After the introductory call and the strategy session, the team gets to work for you quickly. We expect the first meetings within 1 to 2 weeks of the campaign launch. |
| Ramp-up time | In-house SDRYour SDR has to learn your product, your target group, the scripts and the tools. The first few weeks are mainly spent onboarding. | Outsourcing to Esdoorn de VriesThe process is already in place. We capture your product and target group in a strategy session of 1 to 1.5 hours. You approve the scripts and messages yourself. |
| Tooling | In-house SDRYou buy and manage LinkedIn Sales Navigator, a CRM and a contact data source yourself, per user. | Outsourcing to Esdoorn de VriesCRM set up, licence included. Leads come from Radar every day. You can get Sales Navigator through us for €125 per 4 weeks. |
| Management | In-house SDRSomeone on your team sets targets, coaches and reviews calls. That takes up a manager's time every week. | Outsourcing to Esdoorn de VriesWe manage our SDRs. You approve every appointment in your client portal, have one 15-minute meeting a week and receive a weekly report. |
| Sickness and turnover | In-house SDRIf your SDR is off sick or leaves, prospecting comes to a standstill and you start recruiting and onboarding all over again. | Outsourcing to Esdoorn de VriesYou work with a team. If an SDR drops out, someone else takes over. Notes and leads are stored in the CRM. |
| Scalability | In-house SDRScaling up means a new vacancy. Scaling down is difficult with a permanent contract. | Outsourcing to Esdoorn de VriesScale up, pause or stop by mutual agreement. Add an extra LinkedIn profile, market or language without recruiting yourself. |
| Languages | In-house SDRAn SDR usually speaks one or two languages at business level. For a new market, you need to find someone who speaks that language. | Outsourcing to Esdoorn de VriesCampaigns in Dutch, English and German, run by SDRs who speak the language at native or business level. |
| Notice period | In-house SDRAn employment contract, with the notice periods and rules of employment law. | Outsourcing to Esdoorn de VriesThe first 4 working weeks are a trial period: you can stop from the next working day, without giving a reason. You then pay the setup, the approved meetings and the fixed amount pro rata. After that, the notice period is 4 working weeks. |
When an in-house SDR is the better choice
An in-house SDR is a good investment if you know what works and want to keep it going for the long term. Knowledge about your clients stays in-house, and your SDR can grow into an account manager role.
- You have a proven target group and a steady flow of leads
- Someone on your team has time to coach an SDR
- Your product requires in-depth knowledge you don't want to hand to an outside party
When outsourcing is a better fit
Outsourcing makes sense if you want to start quickly, or first want to find out what works before you hire someone. You get a flexible sales team and pay per meeting you approve, so a quiet week costs you nothing in calling.
- You want to start quickly, without recruiting
- You want to test a new market or language, such as Belgium or Germany
- You don't have a sales manager who can manage an SDR
There is no single best choice for everyone. If you have a proven approach, enough leads and someone who can coach an SDR, an in-house SDR is a logical step in the long run. If you want to start quickly, test a market or language, or first see what works, an outsourced SDR is the smaller and more flexible step. You can also do both: outsource first, and later hire someone yourself, using what you have learned in the meantime.
Frequently asked questions
What does an in-house SDR really cost?
More than the gross salary. On top of salary and employer costs, add recruitment, ramp-up time, tooling such as Sales Navigator and a CRM, and the hours of the manager who supervises them. Use the calculator to work it out for your situation.
Is €245 per approved meeting expensive compared with an in-house SDR?
That depends on how many appointments your own SDR books per month. Based on the indication of €3,900 to €5,400 per month, you reach €245 per appointment if your SDR books around 16 to 22 qualified appointments per month, before tooling and recruitment. With us, the tooling is included in the fixed €195 per 4 weeks.
Can I still hire my own SDR later?
Yes. After the trial period, a notice period of 4 working weeks applies. Everything you learn in the meantime about your target group and your message, you take with you.
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