Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) form the crucial first line of your sales organization. To effectively measure and improve their performance, we need to understand the key metrics that truly matter. This article explains the ten most important SDR metrics, why they're significant, and how they work together to drive revenue.
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1. Activity per SDR
Some say that sales is a numbers game. Sure it is. But for the best companies it is more than that. Your team can put in the work but it’s the quality of the message, the technique, and the processes that drive higher throughput. But as a baseline we need to look at activity levels.
Activity metrics measure how many touchpoints your SDRs create with potential customers each day. While many organizations focus solely on volume (like 100+ activities daily), what truly matters is meaningful engagement.
An SDR's daily activities typically include emails, phone calls, social media interactions, and video messages. The ideal range for most B2B companies falls between 60-80 quality touchpoints per day. This number allows enough volume for market coverage while still permitting personalization.
Many teams I’ve talked to seed 10-12 net new outbound contacts into a sequence per day. If that’s the case, then with a single tap approach 10-12 of your 70 daily calls are for the first day of a sequence. The rest of the calls from come from other steps/days of previously seeded contacts within a sequence.
To put this in perspective, consider two approaches: an SDR sending 100 identical template emails versus another sending 40 highly personalized messages with researched insights about each prospect's business challenges. The latter consistently produces better results because it prioritizes quality over sheer quantity.
2. Calls per SDR (Calls to Power): Reaching Decision-Makers
This metric goes beyond simply counting calls to evaluate who your SDRs are reaching. "Calls to power" specifically tracks outreach to decision-makers who can actually approve purchases.
For example, in a typical B2B sale, reaching a VP of Operations who controls budget will be significantly more valuable than connecting with a team member who lacks purchasing authority. While connecting with individual contributors can sometimes provide useful information, conversations with decision-makers accelerate the sales process.
When analyzing this metric, categorize contacts by seniority level (C-suite, VP, Director, Manager, Individual Contributor) and track connection rates for each. This reveals whether your SDRs are effectively navigating organizational structures to reach those with buying power.
3. Connect Rate per SDR: Measuring Conversation Opportunities
Connect rate represents the percentage of call attempts that result in actual conversations. This fundamental metric reveals how effectively your SDRs are reaching prospects.
To calculate connect rate, divide the number of meaningful conversations by the total number of call attempts, then multiply by 100. For example, if an SDR makes 100 calls and speaks with 8 prospects, their connect rate is 8%.
Industry benchmarks vary by sector and target market:
Enterprise B2B technology: 5-7% is typical due to multiple gatekeepers
Mid-market B2B: 8-12% represents a healthy standard
Small business/high-volume markets: 12-15% should be achievable
If your connect rates fall below these ranges, examine your calling strategy. Are SDRs calling during optimal times? Is your contact data accurate? Are they leaving effective voicemails that encourage callbacks?
Previously, tracking meaningful conversations was a dull metric looking at length of time of call. But I’d find when working with firms there was significant errors in their meaningful conversation count. Often times it takes 30-40 seconds before a voicemail message comes up. Then the SDR would leave a 30 second voicemail message. They’d write “LVM” for left voicemail in their disposition in their Sales Engagement tool. If your formula said that a meaningful call was 60 seconds then you would erroneously boost your meaningful conversation count. Bad move compadre.
Instead, what I would do today is bring in the power of an LLM to analyze the call and determine if the call was a true conversation. Voicemails should be tracked separately but most definitely not a meaningful conversation.
4. Activity and Connect Rate
This metric examines when your SDRs are most effective throughout the day. By tracking activities and connects on an hourly basis, you'll discover patterns that can transform productivity.
Most sales organizations discover that certain time blocks yield significantly better results. For instance, many B2B teams find that Tuesday through Thursday mornings (9-11 AM in the prospect's time zone) produce connect rates 30-40% higher than other periods.
It goes without saying: DO NOT BOOK YOUR TEAM HUDDLES OR MEETINGS DURING THESE TIMES! You would be killing valuable conversion time for SDRs. My two cents: huddles should be early AF for the team. Rise-and-shine warriors.
To leverage this information, create a "power hour" schedule where SDRs focus exclusively on outbound calling during their most productive times. Reserve administrative tasks, research, and email for periods with historically lower connect rates.
5. Meetings Set per Connect: Conversation Effectiveness
Once your SDR connects with a prospect, how often does that conversation result in a scheduled meeting? This conversion metric reveals the effectiveness of your SDR's conversation skills and value proposition.
To calculate this, divide the number of meetings set by the number of conversations, then multiply by 100. For example, if an SDR has 20 meaningful conversations and schedules 5 meetings, their conversion rate is 25%.
High-performing SDRs typically convert 25-30% of their conversations to meetings. If your team falls below 20%, examine their conversation techniques. Are they:
Asking effective discovery questions?
Clearly articulating your solution's value proposition?
Creating urgency by identifying specific business challenges?
Using a strong meeting request that emphasizes value for the prospect?
Recording calls for coaching purposes can identify specific areas for improvement in conversation quality.
For more detail here’s some reference math:
The average SDR books around 15 meetings per month.
SDRs typically have 3.6 quality conversations (connects) per day.
Assuming a 20-day work month, we can calculate:
Connects per month: 3.6 × 20 = 72 connects
Meetings set per month: 15
Therefore, the expected Meetings Set per Connect ratio is:
15 meetings / 72 connects = 0.208 or approximately 20.8%
This means that for every 100 quality conversations (connects) an SDR has, they can expect to set about 21 meetings. However, it's important to note that this ratio can vary based on factors such as industry, target audience, and the SDR's experience level.
6. Meetings Held: Measuring Follow-Through
This metric tracks the percentage of scheduled meetings that actually occur. It's a critical but often overlooked indicator of qualification quality and pre-meeting engagement.
Calculate your meeting hold rate by dividing meetings held by meetings scheduled, then multiplying by 100. For instance, if 10 meetings are scheduled but only 7 occur, the hold rate is 70%.
Top-performing organizations maintain hold rates of 85% or higher. Lower rates suggest potential issues in your qualification process or pre-meeting engagement strategy. To improve this metric:
Implement a multi-channel confirmation process (email + calendar + day-before reminder)
Send valuable resources before the meeting to build anticipation
Ensure SDRs are properly qualifying prospects' interest level and availability
Consider calendar tools that reduce scheduling friction
I’ve previously managed an organization with an expected 70% held rate. But recently I worked with an SDR Director who expected 80%. Perhaps I was too lenient with my team?!
7. Active Leads per SDR: managing lead vintage
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