Role guide
Pipeline generation is a system, and it starts with the people. We build SDR and BDR teams, and the managers who run them, with assessment focused on coachability and output rather than CV polish.
Key facts
£38k–£50k base
$65k–$80k base
Enterprise outbound pods
Cohorts hired and onboarded together
Outbound teams work better when people ramp together: shared onboarding, shared call reviews and internal competition from day one. We run SDR hiring as batched cohorts, so you get four or six aligned starts rather than a trickle over five months.
For volume hiring, an RPO or embedded model is usually cheaper per hire than contingent placement fees and keeps the assessment bar consistent across the cohort.
Not the degree, and not previous sector experience. The strongest predictors are coachability under live feedback, written clarity and resilience to volume. We test all three: a short live objection-handling exercise, a written prospecting sample against your ICP and a structured motivation interview.
We also screen for the promotion path. An SDR hired with no realistic route to AE inside 18 months will leave at month 12, which is why attrition rather than sourcing is usually the real cost.
We also place SDR managers, team leads and heads of sales development: people who can build the sequence library, run the coaching cadence and hold conversion rate accountability rather than just chase activity metrics.
2026 pay benchmarks
| Role | UK | US | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDR / BDR | £38k–£50k base · £50k–£68k OTE | $65k–$80k base · $90k–$115k OTE | Enterprise outbound pods pay at the top of range |
| Mid-market AE | £70k–£85k base · £140k–£170k OTE | $120k–$140k base · $240k–$280k OTE | 50/50 split standard, quota 4–5x OTE |
Full dataset: 2026 GTM salary and hiring benchmarks. Model the cost of a vacant seat with the quota loss calculator.
FAQ
Related guides
A short intro call is usually enough to tell whether we're the right partner for the search.
