New hire info
How to use this. Fill in the info fields below, set activity targets before Day 1, assign a buddy and AE partner, and run this schedule week by week.
Fill this in before Day 1.
- New hire name
- Start date
- Direct manager
- SDR buddy
- AE partner
- Team / region
Week 1: orient & absorb
Context. Week 1 follows the company-wide onboarding schedule. SDRs attend all sessions with the full team and layer in role-specific context. Sessions marked SDR+ include extra prep, follow-up, or a different lens.
Welcome & setup
IT setup, HR paperwork, team lunch, CEO welcome.
SDR+: Begin sales tool setup (CRM, sequencer, Sales Navigator) alongside the core stack. Aim to be fully live by end of Day 1.
Owner: HR, IT, CEO, ManagerHow we work & the customer
Meeting norms, OKRs, customer deep dive, real stories, support tickets.
SDR+: Write down the exact words customers use to describe their pain: that language becomes your cold email copy.
Owner: CEO, Head of CX, ManagerGTM & sales motion
ICP, personas, competitive landscape, pipeline stages, deal cycle, SDR-to-AE handoff criteria.
SDR+: Lock in the handoff criteria and what “qualified” means here. You’ll be measured on this from Week 3 onward.
Owner: CEO, Head of Sales, AEProduct deep dive
End-to-end walkthrough, use cases, roadmap, differentiators.
SDR+: Focus on the questions prospects ask before agreeing to a meeting: make a list of the 10 most likely objections. Full product depth can come later.
Owner: CPO, ProductFlex & catch-up
Revisit materials, finalize tools, end-of-day Week 1 check-in (30 min).
SDR+: Come to the check-in with your first prospect list started. Even 10 names is a useful start.
Owner: Manager, BuddyWeek 1 check-in. All core and sales tools live. Product demo watched. SDR can explain handoff criteria and name 3 customer pain points in the customer’s own words. Ask: “What surprised you most this week?”
Week 2: learn the process
Daily RP. Every day in Weeks 2–4 ends with a 10–15 min role play tied to the day’s learning. Manager plays the prospect. Written feedback within 24 hours.
Sales process
End-to-end cycle, SDR-to-AE handoff criteria, what makes a qualified meeting.
RP: SDR qualifies a prospect and hands off to AE. Manager plays a curious but skeptical prospect. Focus: correctly applying handoff criteria.
Owner: AE, ManagerOutreach sequences
Review all active sequences, email and call frameworks, cadence logic.
RP: Call a prospect who received a cold email but didn’t reply. Focus: referencing the email naturally, not re-pitching.
Owner: Sr. SDR, ManagerCold calling 101
Call framework, objection handling, live shadowing (3–5 calls minimum).
RP: Full cold call, cold open to meeting ask. Manager plays a gatekeeper, then a decision-maker. Focus: opener quality and getting past the first 20 seconds cleanly.
Owner: Sr. SDR, ManagerCold email craft
Personalization, subject lines, review top-performing emails.
RP: Call a prospect who replied “not interested.” Focus: acknowledging without caving. Keep the door open without being pushy.
Owner: ManagerLinkedIn prospecting
Social selling, connection strategy, messaging frameworks.
RP: Call a prospect who accepted your LinkedIn request. Focus: transitioning from social context to a meeting ask without feeling transactional.
Owner: Sr. SDR, ManagerWeek 2 check-in. Sequences reviewed, call shadows complete. SDR can explain handoff criteria without notes, and has completed 5 graded role plays with written feedback.
Week 3: practice & apply
Shift. Live prospecting begins. Role play shifts to harder scenarios and real-call debrief.
Prospecting practice
Build first list using ICP criteria, enroll in sequences, verify data.
RP: Pitch one of your actual prospects: real company, real pain hypothesis, real ask. Focus: personalization and whether the hypothesis lands.
Owner: ManagerRole play: calls (full session)
3 full cold calls scored against framework, written debrief after each.
Scenarios: (1) skeptical prospect who’s heard of you, (2) cold and time-pressured, (3) interested but won’t commit.
Owner: ManagerRole play: discovery (full session)
Mock discovery, objection handling, question quality.
RP: AE plays a prospect mid-discovery who throws a curveball (“your competitor is half the price”). Focus: staying calm, not over-explaining.
Owner: AE, ManagerDay 14 review
Review Week 1–2 milestones, discuss blockers, adjust Week 4 goals.
RP: Replay the SDR’s weakest moment from prior role plays. One focused re-do. Fix the thing before going live.
Owner: ManagerLive outreach begins
First live calls and emails sent independently; manager available for real-time support.
EoD debrief: Recap best and worst real interaction. Manager replays the worst one: same scenario, fresh perspective.
Owner: Manager (support)The role play standard
Score every role play on three dimensions: opener quality, question quality, close attempt. Written feedback within 24 hours. By Day 15, 10 graded role plays on record.
Week 4: ramp & refine
Shift. Full volume outreach. Role play evolves into real-call review and targeted coaching.
Active prospecting
Full cadence, log all activities, track daily against targets.
Each standup: SDR shares one real call/email from prior day. Manager picks a moment to replay live (5 min max). Daily rhythm.
Owner: ManagerReview & iterate
Outreach performance, A/B test messaging, identify what’s working.
Data-informed: SDR identifies lowest-converting step and role-plays a fix (e.g., 3 different voicemail openers back-to-back).
Owner: ManagerCross-functional sync
Marketing (campaigns), CS (customer stories), Product (roadmap).
RP: Call a prospect using a new asset learned today. Focus: weaving it in naturally, not reading it out loud.
Owner: Mkt, CS, ProductContinued ramp
Full volume, pursue first qualified meetings, refine approach.
Weekly: 20-min recorded RP via Gong/Chorus. Manager leaves timestamped comments async. SDR responds. Builds self-coaching habit.
Owner: Manager30-day formal review
Results vs. targets, qualitative feedback, 60-day goal setting.
Final RP: Full cold call start-to-finish, incorporating all feedback from past 3 weeks. Compare it to the Day 8 recording; the difference shows how far the rep has come.
Owner: ManagerCoaching note. By Day 30, the SDR should have 20+ graded role plays on record. If the difference between the Day 30 final RP and Day 8 is small, look first at the coaching approach rather than the rep’s effort.
The Day 30 final role play compared against Day 8 is the clearest signal of ramp quality.
Key milestones
End-of-week-1 check-in
All tools live. Product demo watched. ICP understood.
End-of-week-2 check-in
Sequences reviewed. Call shadows done. Handoff criteria clear.
Mid-point check-in
Role plays done. Feedback absorbed. Ready for live outreach.
30-day formal review
Activity targets met. First meetings booked or in progress. 60-day plan set.
Activity targets: weeks 3 & 4
At least 60% of daily activities should be calls. Multi-channel outreach is encouraged, with calling as the minimum.
| Metric | Daily target | Weekly target |
|---|---|---|
Tips for managers
- Assign the buddy before Day 1. The SDR buddy handles everything informal. Pick someone 6–18 months in, close enough to the new hire experience to give real guidance.
- Be specific in role play feedback. “Good energy” is not useful. “Your opener took 45 seconds before you asked a question. Cut it to 15” is actionable.
- Don’t skip the Day 14 check-in. It’s where habit problems are cheapest to fix: issues caught here prevent poor habits from hardening.
- Watch for the Month 3 drift. Around month three, SDRs often shift from curious questioner to mini-AE, pitching before the prospect feels pain. Catch it early and coach against it.