SDR Onboarding & Training Schedule
A 30-day structured ramp plan for new Sales Development Reps. Three phases — absorb, learn, practice, ramp — with clear milestones, daily activities, and check-ins built in.
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.
New Hire Info
Fill this in before Day 1.
- New Hire Name
- Start Date
- Direct Manager
- SDR Buddy
- AE Partner
- Team / Region
Week 1 — Orient & Absorb
ContextWeek 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.
How 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.
GTM & Sales Motion
ICP, personas, competitive landscape, pipeline stages, deal cycle, SDR-to-AE handoff criteria. ⚡ SDR+: Your most important day. Lock in the handoff criteria and what "qualified" means — you'll be measured on this from Week 3 onward.
Product Deep Dive
End-to-end walkthrough, use cases, roadmap, differentiators. ⚡ SDR+: You don't need to be a product expert. You need to handle the questions prospects ask before agreeing to a meeting — make a list of the 10 most likely objections.
Flex & 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 demonstrates the right mindset.
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 RPEvery 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.
Outreach 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.
Cold 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.
Cold 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.
LinkedIn 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.
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
ShiftLive 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.
Role 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.
Role 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.
✅ Day 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.
Live 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.
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
ShiftFull 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.
Review & 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).
Cross-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.
Continued 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.
✅ 30-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 to Day 8 recording — the delta is the coaching evidence of the month.
By Day 30, the SDR should have 20+ graded role plays on record. The Day 30 final RP compared against Day 8 is the clearest signal of ramp quality. If the delta is small, the coaching — not the SDR — needs to change.
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 is encouraged — but voice is the floor, not the ceiling.
| Metric | Daily Target | Weekly Target |
|---|---|---|
| Calls Made | — | — |
| Emails Sent | — | — |
| LinkedIn Touches | — | — |
| Meetings Booked | — | — |
| Opportunities Created | — | — |
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. The most important coaching moment of the ramp. 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.