Hiring an SDR vs a managed GTM service
Published August 2026. Cost figures carry their check dates and are rechecked quarterly.
A full-time US SDR averages $55,018 a year in salary alone (ZipRecruiter, July 2026), before tools, management, and ramp. LinkyBot runs $2,000 a month plus $200 per qualified meeting recorded in your CRM, capped at $4,000 a month, measured in Outcome OS. They are not the same purchase, and the right one depends on what you want to own in-house.
What does a full-time SDR actually cost?
The average US SDR salary is $55,018 a year, or $4,584 a month (ZipRecruiter, data as of July 2026). That is salary alone. Tools, management time, and the ramp months before the first booked meeting all add cost on top, and none of them shows up in the job listing.
What does a managed service cost?
LinkyBot’s standard engagement runs $2,000 per month plus $200 per qualified meeting recorded, capped at $4,000 a month, on a 6-month term. A limited five-seat pilot starts at $500 per month, capped at $2,000 a month, on a 3-month minimum. Full breakdown on the pricing page.
How do the two compare side by side?
| Category | In-house SDR | LinkyBot |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | $55,018 average salary, before tools, management, and ramp (ZipRecruiter, July 2026) | $24,000 to $48,000 a year at published rates, performance leg included in the cap |
| What you are buying | A person, and the capability to develop in-house | Strategy, research, messaging, workflow design, and measurement, delivered as a service |
| Who holds the conversations | The SDR, from your accounts | Your team, from your accounts. We plan, draft, and coach around them |
| Measurement | Depends on your CRM and process | Outcome OS, on client-authorized CRM milestones |
| Commitment | Employment | 6-month term, or 3-month pilot |
SDR salary data last checked 2026-08-02 against ziprecruiter.com. LinkyBot figures are published pricing; the annual range is that pricing times twelve months.
When is hiring an SDR the right call?
When the seat is the first hire of a sales team you are building, when you want the skill developed in-house, or when you already have a manager with the time to coach it. An SDR is a capability investment. A managed service is a way to run the program while you decide whether to make that investment.
When is a managed service the right call?
When the strategy, list, and messaging are the bottleneck rather than headcount, when you want the program measured on CRM milestones from the first month, or when you are not ready to carry an employment cost. Neither option guarantees meetings, and we do not offer one.
Questions on the comparison
1. Is there a contract?
Standard engagements run 6-month terms. The pilot runs a 3-month minimum. An SDR is an employment relationship, with everything that implies.
2. What does the $200 per meeting fee cover?
It is the performance leg of the pricing. It accrues only when a qualified meeting is recorded in your CRM, and the cap keeps a strong month from becoming a surprise invoice.
3. Do SDR costs stop at salary?
No. Tools, management time, and ramp all add real cost on top. We cite salary alone because it is the figure with a clean, dated source; the rest varies too much to publish a number for.
4. Does LinkyBot replace the hire?
Not on its own. We do the strategy, research, messaging, workflow, and measurement work. Someone on your side still holds the conversations and owns the accounts.
Work out which one fits
Book a fit call
20 minutes. You’ll leave with a straight answer on whether LinkyBot fits your offer, either way.