8 Essential Metrics to Manage a High-Performing SDR Team

An elite sales development team is the engine that powers predictable revenue growth. SDRs generate qualified pipelines that keep sales humming. But how can sales leaders ensure their SDR organization is firing on all cylinders? By tracking the right performance metrics. 

Key performance indicators (KPIs) provide visibility into what’s working and what needs tuning. Metrics enable managers to identify gaps, coach reps, and continuously refine processes. 

In this post, we’ll explore 8 key SDR metrics and KPIs to guide your team to peak effectiveness,  including:

• Dials made
• Conversations booked
• Connect rate
• Qualified meetings set
• Meetings attended
• Sales accepted leads (SALs)
• Pipeline generated
• Activities per rep

Dials Made

• The volume of daily/weekly dials measures sales activity and capacity. It helps managers forecast results based on rep capacity over time.
• However, more dials does not automatically mean more meetings. Reps should focus on quality conversations, not just quantity of calls.
• Tools like Koncert's AI-based auto-dialer optimize connections to high-potential prospects while eliminating manual labor. This increases dials without sacrificing precision.

Conversations Booked

• Conversations booked indicate how many prospects engaged beyond a cold call. Lengthy discussions signify interest better than short gatekeeper calls.
• Track both total conversations and unique contacts to avoid reps calling the same lead repeatedly.
• Compare booked conversations to dials made to derive “conversation yield” – highlighting effective reps.

Connect Rate

• Connect rate is the percentage of calls that successfully reach a human prospect. Higher connect rates demonstrate effective calling techniques and targeted call lists.
• Connect rate = Connections / Dials made
• A best practice goal is 25-35% connect rate. Anything below 20% signals inefficient calling tool and/or list issue.

Qualified Meetings Set

• This tracks discovery calls booked with targeted, high-potential prospects like decision makers at target accounts.
• Focus on quality over quantity - a handful of strong opportunities drives pipeline better than bad fits. Review meeting notes to confirm fit.
• Having a separate goal for qualified meetings ensures they get proper focus beyond raw call or meeting volume.

Meetings Attended

• While SDRs schedule discovery calls, account executives or solutions consultants actually attend them.
• Tracking meeting attendance vs. cancellations or reschedules shows if booked meetings are qualified. Low attendance signals unqualified prospects in the pipeline.
• Attended meetings also indicate sales readiness to capitalize on SDRs priming the prospect.

Sales Accepted Leads(SLAs)

• SALs measure the number of discovery calls that convert to pipeline by being accepted by sales.
• SAL conversion rate from scheduled discovery calls reveals both SDR quality and sales follow-through.
• Low conversion could mean unqualified prospects, poor sales hand-off, or disengaged account executives.

Pipeline Generated

• Pipeline generated tracks the cumulative sales opportunity value that SDRs create through discovery calls. This demonstrates hard revenue impact.
• Strong SAL-to-pipeline conversion showcases SDRs properly qualifying, positioning value, and piquing buyer interest on calls.

Activities Per Rep

• Activities include calls, emails, LinkedIn outreach, touches, and other prospect engagements per rep per day/week.
• Higher output indicates greater work capacity and effort. But focus must remain on quality interactions, not just volume of activities.
• CRM dashboards should make activity metrics readily visible to help managers spot high and low performers.
• Using a power dialer like Koncert can help automate activities for greater consistency across the team.

The Bottom Line

Consistently tracking performance against SDR metrics provides crucial visibility into prospecting efficiency, rep performance, and pipeline health. Managers should analyze metrics trends to identify successes to replicate and gaps to address. Data-driven insight informs everything from rep coaching to process improvements.