5 alternatives to hiring an SDR

There are five realistic alternatives to hiring an SDR: use an agency, bring in a freelancer, run tools on your own time, let AI reactivate your existing leads, or do nothing at all. All five have a place, and all five have a downside. Here is the honest comparison.

An in-house SDR costs a fully loaded salary plus 3 to 6 months of ramp. In Sweden that lands around 42,000 to 51,000 SEK per month all in, and the profile looks similar in most Western markets. That is the number every alternative should be measured against.

Alternative 1: Outreach agency

You pay a retainer and the agency handles prospecting, email and sometimes booking. Retainers commonly run in the range of a mid-level salary per month.

For: Up and running in weeks instead of months. No recruiting risk. Proven processes.

Against: Quality varies enormously between agencies. Lock-ins of 3 to 6 months are common. The agency almost always chases new cold lists, not the leads you already paid for. And the knowledge about your market disappears the day the contract ends.

Alternative 2: Freelance SDR

An experienced freelancer part or full time, often on an hourly rate or a fixed monthly fee.

For: Flexible. No payroll tax, no notice period to worry about. A senior freelancer skips most of the ramp.

Against: The best ones are hard to find and have a queue. You compete for their time with other clients. And just like with the agency, you build no internal knowledge.

Alternative 3: Tools plus your own time

Platforms in the Apollo and Instantly class cost from a few hundred to a few thousand a month and give you data, sequences and sends.

For: The lowest cash cost of all the alternatives. Full control over tone and list. You learn the market yourself.

Against: The tool does nothing on its own. Someone at your company has to build lists, write emails, handle replies and keep the domain reputation in check. That is easily 10 to 15 hours a week, and it is usually the founder's hours. A tool is a cost decision disguised as a time decision.

Alternative 4: AI assisted reactivation of existing leads

A newer category: instead of chasing new contacts you work the leads you already have in your CRM. Industry data shows that 70 to 80 percent of all leads never get followed up (MarketResearchFuture), and according to Forrester 80 percent of leads stamped "not ready" buy something within 24 months. Services in this category, like Revexa's Leo, monitor signals at your dormant leads and send personal emails when the timing has changed.

For: Builds on investments you already made. No ramp, no recruiting. The recipients already know you, which means lower friction than a cold list. Often performance priced, you pay for outcomes.

Against: Requires that you actually have a lead database of a certain size and age. Does not solve the need for entirely new market development. And the category is young, so demand transparency before you choose a vendor.

Alternative 5: Doing nothing

The most common alternative in practice.

For: Costs nothing today. Sometimes it is the right call, for example if the sales team is already fully booked with inbound.

Against: The cost is invisible but real. A lead costs the equivalent of about 100 USD to generate, and according to Apollo 22.5 percent of all contact data decays per year. Every quarter you wait, the database loses value. Doing nothing is also a decision, it just never gets booked anywhere.

How do you choose the right alternative?

Ask three questions. Do you have a large unworked lead database? Then reactivation is the cheapest place to start, because the acquisition cost is already paid. Do you have a proven process and enough volume for a full-time role? Then a hire can be justified. Do you have neither database nor process? Start with tools and your own time until you know what works, and do not buy capacity before then.

If you want to put numbers on the comparison, Revexa's calculator sets the alternatives against each other based on your own lead volume.

Common questions

What is cheaper, an agency or an in-house SDR?

Short term the agency, because you skip ramp and recruiting. Long term often an in-house SDR, provided the person stays and performs. The break-even point usually sits around 12 to 18 months.

Can you combine the alternatives?

Yes, and it is often the smartest move. Many let reactivation work the existing database while an agency or in-house resource takes new market.

When is "doing nothing" the wrong call?

When you are sitting on hundreds of paid leads that no one has touched in over a quarter. Then the value decays every month without it showing up in any budget.