Key takeaways
- A hired SDR costs about $80,000 a year in pay at target and takes about 3 months to ramp, by The Bridge Group's 2025 survey of 351 B2B companies.
- An AI SDR tool is cheaper to start: AiSDR charges $1.50 per person prospected, or $2,500 a month to run the channel for you. Someone still has to decide who to reach.
- An outbound agency runs it all for a monthly fee. Leadium's 2026 guide puts outsourced SDR programs at $3,000 to $14,000 a month. Rosefall's outbound is from US$3,000 a month.
At a glance
| Hire an SDR | AI SDR tool | Outbound agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay | About $80,000 a year at target: $55,000 base and $25,000 variable (The Bridge Group) | $1.50 per person prospected, or $2,500 a month fully managed (AiSDR) | $3,000 to $14,000 a month (Leadium); Rosefall from US$3,000 a month |
| Before the first meetings | Time to hire, then 3.0 months of ramp on average (The Bridge Group) | Setup by someone on your team | No hire and no ramp |
| Your time | Hiring, training and managing the rep | Choosing who to reach and checking what it writes | Telling the agency who you sell to, then taking the calls |
| Main risk | 60% of reps reach quota (The Bridge Group) | Messages that read like everyone else's | Not seeing what goes out in your name |
The SDR's figure is $80,000 a year shown by the month. Leadium's bar is the top of its own range. Source: each company's own page, read on October 18, 2026.
Hiring an SDR
The Bridge Group surveyed 351 B2B companies for its 2025 report. Median SDR pay at target is $80,000 a year: $55,000 base and $25,000 variable. Average ramp is 3.0 months, and 60% of reps reach quota (The Bridge Group).
That is pay alone. Recruiting, benefits, tools and a manager's time come on top. Leadium's guide lists what vendors add as well: "Setup fees, separate data fees, tooling surcharges, per-seat charges" (Leadium).
An AI SDR tool
An AI SDR tool finds leads, writes messages and sends them. AiSDR charges $1.50 per person prospected on its pay-as-you-go plan, and $2,500 a month for a fully managed service, where it says: "We run targeting, messaging, replies, and reporting. You take the meetings."
On the self-serve plan, someone on your team still picks who to reach, checks what the tool writes and answers the replies.
An outbound agency
An agency runs the list, the messages, the sending and the replies for a monthly fee. Leadium's 2026 guide puts outsourced SDR programs at $3,000 to $14,000 a month, and Leadium's own email, phone and LinkedIn programs at $4,000 to $5,000. CIENCE charges $2,000 a month for its team and $499 for its platform, plus each SDR from $1,750 a month.
Prices by agency, from their own pages: Belkins, Martal Group, Cleverly, SalesRoads and CIENCE.
Which one fits
- Hire an SDR once outbound already works for your offer and someone can manage the rep.
- An AI SDR tool suits a team with someone who has hours each week to run it.
- An agency is the pick when you're still the one selling and want calls without a hire.
What you get with Rosefall
| To hire for in the US, over 90 days | What you get |
|---|---|
| Up to US$28,180An SDR on full pay | Finding the people, every first message and the reply desk's answers |
| Up to US$7,500A personal-brand firm | We rewrite your LinkedIn headline and About, and make your banner images. |
| Up to US$12,500A direct-response copywriter | Your own video sales letter script, written from our calls, with a shot list. |
| Up to US$6,341A fifth of an account manager's time | A private portal for your lists and messages, and the Monday report. |
| Up to US$2,200A market sizing report | We count the buyers in your niche, so you know how many people we can reach. |
| Up to US$1,206Tools at list price | Signal data, contact data and sending tools. |
| We test your messages against each other on your own campaign. |
Up to US$111,721 to hire for all of this in the US over 90 days. It's all included, from US$3,000 a month.
The total adds recruiting, ramp time, training, a manager and payroll for the SDR. Each figure is the top of its sources' range: The Bridge Group's 2025 SDR report, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Payscale, Top Echelon, ATD, JSM, The Barefoot Writer, Business Plan Firm. The account manager's share of time and the ramp curve are our estimates.
Where Rosefall fits
Rosefall does done-for-you outbound for B2B companies on LinkedIn and email. Your only job is to take the calls.
- Who to message first. 20 or more people in your niche we'd message first, and the message we'd send each. You see and keep the list before you pay.
- Your buyers, every week. New people in your niche every week, ranked by recent LinkedIn activity.
- First messages written for each person. Each first message is about something specific to the person, so it doesn't sound like slop.
- LinkedIn and email, sent for you. We write and send all of it: LinkedIn invites and messages, emails and follow-ups. Email comes set up for you, and every reply reaches you the moment it comes in.
- The Monday report. Every Monday: who we reached, who replied and who is next.
- Calls on your calendar. A reply that says yes, with a day and a time, goes on your calendar.
- Data and tools, included. Signal data, contact data and sending tools.
Rosefall's 90-day sales calls program has two ways to pay. You can pay after results: nothing until your first 3 qualified sales calls are held, then US$5,000 a month. Or you can prepay US$9,000 for your first 3 months, which is US$3,000 a month, and US$3,000 stays your rate. We never run outreach for your direct competitors at the same time.
Unconditional satisfaction guarantee. You don't pay if you're not satisfied. We never run outreach for your direct competitors at the same time.
On the call, we show you who we'd reach out to first.
Questions
How much does an SDR cost?
Median SDR pay at target is $80,000 a year, $55,000 base and $25,000 variable, in The Bridge Group's 2025 survey of 351 B2B companies. Recruiting, benefits, tools and management come on top.
How long does an SDR take to ramp?
3.0 months on average, by The Bridge Group's 2025 report.
Is an AI SDR tool cheaper than an agency?
To start, yes: AiSDR charges $1.50 per person prospected. Its fully managed service is $2,500 a month. Leadium's guide puts agencies at $3,000 to $14,000 a month.
How much does Rosefall cost?
Rosefall's 90-day sales calls program has two ways to pay. You can pay after results: nothing until your first 3 qualified sales calls are held, then US$5,000 a month. Or you can prepay US$9,000 for your first 3 months, which is US$3,000 a month, and US$3,000 stays your rate.
What if it doesn't work?
You don't pay if you're not satisfied, and if you pay after results, nothing is due until your first 3 qualified sales calls are held. On prepay, if your first 3 qualified sales calls aren't held by the end of month 3, we keep going at no charge until they are, for up to 90 more days. The 3-call terms are offered when the list we show you on the call has enough people in your niche, and the agreement defines a qualified call.
Prices and terms for other agencies are from each company's own pages, read on October 18, 2026. Rosefall's are our own.