Signature tool · CRO AI Momentum
AI vs human SDR economics
Compare three ways to run sales development: a human SDR team, an AI SDR agent, and a hybrid. Every assumption is editable. Where a published benchmark exists (for example SDR ramp time, tenure and quota) the tool shows its source; everything else is an illustrative default you should replace with your own numbers. You get cost per meeting, cost per opportunity, pipeline per dollar, a quality proxy and time to full productivity.
Defaults not linked to a source are ILLUSTRATIVE. Replace them with your own contracts, pay data and pilot results. Green tags link to the source; amber tags are illustrative defaults.
1. Shared assumptions
2. The three models
Ramp is linear; each human leaver costs half a ramp of output plus a replacement cost. Set human SDRs to 0 or switch the agent off to remove a side.
3. Comparison
| Metric | Human SDR team | AI SDR agent | Hybrid (humans + agent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total cost (12 months) | $421,053 | $100,000 | $295,526 |
| Meetings held | 388.4 | 165 | 343.1 (32% from agent) |
| Qualified opportunities | 194.2 | 49.5 | 155 |
| Pipeline | $7,768,421 | $1,980,000 | $6,201,053 |
| Cost per meeting | $1,084 | $606Best | $861 |
| Cost per opportunity | $2,168 | $2,020 | $1,906 |
| Pipeline per $1 spent | $18.45 | $19.80 | $20.98Best |
| Opportunities per 100 meetings (quality) | 50Best | 30 | 45.2 |
| Positive share of replies | 40% | 20% | 35% |
| Months to full productivity | 3 | 2Best | 3 |
- Human SDR team$1,084
- AI SDR agent$606
- Hybrid (humans + agent)$861
- Human SDR team$18.45
- AI SDR agent$19.80
- Hybrid (humans + agent)$20.98
Cheapest per meeting is not the same as best. Compare quality (opportunities per 100 meetings) and brand indicators — unsubscribes, complaints, spam rates — before deciding, and test with a holdout.
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