GrowthStack Advisory / SDR Team Build
Build your SDR team, from the first hire to a managed function.
Hiring, onboarding, ramp and management for sales development teams. We build the process the SDRs will run, hire and ramp them into it, and hand you a team that works without us.
Most first SDR hires fail for reasons that have nothing to do with the person: no written ICP, no message with a known reply rate, no qualification standard, and nobody with time to manage them. GrowthStack builds those first, then hires and ramps the SDRs into them. Shobhit Gupta has done this at every stage. At Landmark Group’s Logistiq division he recruited and onboarded the founding inside sales team, and the division generated $500K ARR in its first quarter. At GoComet he scaled the SDR team from 10 to 23 across the US, India and South East Asia, hired the two SDR managers, and lifted output from 2 to 6 SQLs per rep per month.
Figures are from Shobhit Gupta’s in-house roles. Full career record.
Three stages, three different problems
- The first SDR. The risk is hiring before the motion exists. The first hire inherits whatever is written down, and if nothing is, they are asked to invent the ICP, the message and the qualification standard while also hitting a number. When to hire your first SDR.
- Two to eight SDRs. The risk is inconsistency. Each rep runs a slightly different process, so results vary and nobody can say why. The fix is one cadence, one qualification standard and reporting by rep.
- A team that needs managers. The risk is the founder or head of sales becoming the bottleneck. At GoComet the answer was two SDR managers, hired while the team grew from 10 to 23. How that was run.
What we build
- The foundation the SDR runs. ICP, personas, messaging, sequences and the qualification standard, written before anyone is hired, in the shape of the SDR playbook. ICP framework.
- The hiring process. The role profile and an interview loop that tests execution rather than interview polish. What that looks like.
- Onboarding and ramp. Week one, two and four milestones, with a defined point at which the rep should book a first meeting and a first SQL.
- Coaching. Call reviews, message reviews and a weekly one-to-one structure the manager can keep running. SDR coaching and playbooks.
- Reporting by rep. Activity, conversion and SQLs per rep, so a struggling hire is visible in week three, not month three.
- The management layer. When the team is big enough to need one, the manager role, the hire and the operating rhythm they inherit.
Where this has been done
Logistiq, Landmark Group. A SaaS and logistics function built from the ground up across India and the Middle East. Shobhit designed the ICPs, personas, CRM workflows and sequences, and recruited and onboarded the founding inside sales team, building the interview loop, the ramp plan and the reporting alongside the hires. The division generated $500K ARR in its first quarter.
GoComet. As Global Sales Development and Revenue Growth Leader, Shobhit scaled the SDR team from 10 to 23 across the US, India and South East Asia, hired and managed two SDR managers, and improved output from 2 to 6 SQLs per rep per month.
NuVista AI, an AWS consulting partner in Atlanta. NuVista had one remote SDR. We built the outbound engine around them from zero, set up Apollo, and onboarded and coached the SDR on it: how sequences are built, what a campaign looks like, and how LinkedIn runs alongside email.
Who this is for
- A founder-led company about to hire its first SDR and wanting the role to succeed on the first attempt. Founder-led sales.
- A team of two to eight SDRs producing uneven results with no clear reason.
- A sales leader scaling past ten SDRs who needs a management layer and a hiring process that does not depend on them.
If you need someone to own closing, quota and AE management, that is a different role. This work is sales development.
Who does the work
Shobhit Gupta owns the hiring process, the qualification standard and the coaching structure. Ruchi Mittal, previously Director of Inside Sales at Locus, owns delivery: sequences in market, CRM workflows and the weekly operating rhythm.
Frequently asked questions
When should we hire our first SDR?+
Once you have a written ICP, a message with a reply rate you can explain, a written qualification standard and someone with time to manage the role. If those do not exist yet, building them comes first.
Do you recruit the SDRs for us?+
We build the role profile, the interview loop and the onboarding plan with you. The hiring decision is yours.
How long does a new SDR take to ramp?+
It depends on the sales cycle and how much is already written down. The onboarding plan sets week one, two and four milestones and a defined point for the first meeting and first SQL, so a slow ramp is visible early.
When does an SDR team need a manager?+
When the person currently coaching the SDRs no longer has time to review their calls and messages every week. At GoComet, two SDR managers were hired as the team grew from 10 to 23.
What does it cost?+
Engagements start at $2,000 per month on the GTM Growth Sprint, or $3,500 per month on the GTM Scale Partner for multi-market teams that need SDR enablement and management support. An optional $750 GTM Diagnostic comes first.
Related reading
Terms. Engagements start at $2,000 per month, after an optional $750 GTM Diagnostic. A 90 day initial commitment is recommended, after which the engagement moves to a monthly model with 30 days’ written notice. GrowthStack does not guarantee a fixed number of meetings, opportunities or revenue. Full pricing and terms.
Planning an SDR hire?
Thirty minutes on whether the role is ready to hire for, and what has to be written down first.
Written with AI assistance from Shobhit Gupta’s notes and client work, then reviewed and edited by Shobhit Gupta on .