RevOps

What a new sales hire costs before they hit full productivity.

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RevOps
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Example values throughout; replace with your own.
months
Months until a rep reaches full productivity.
$
$
Salary, variable pay, benefits, tools and management overhead.
Cost of ramp
$90,000
Cost paid for unproductive capacity during ramp
Revenue lag
$375,000
Bookings lost vs fully ramped reps
Total cost during ramp
$216,000
Ramp months × monthly cost × hires
First-year bookings
$1,425,000
9.5 productive months per rep
Payback month per rep
Month 2
Cumulative bookings ≥ cumulative cost

Over a 6-month ramp each rep delivers about 3.5 months of full output, so 3 hires cost $90,000 in unproductive time. Bookings are not margin, so treat the payback month as a floor.

About this calculator

A new rep costs full salary from day one but sells at full pace only months later. Hiring plans that assume instant productivity miss the number. This calculator shows how much bookings you give up during ramp, how much of the payroll goes to unproductive time, and when each hire pays back.

How to use it

  1. Enter the number of reps you are hiring and the ramp period in months. Defaults are editable examples.
  2. Pick a ramp curve: linear, slow start or fast start.
  3. Enter the monthly quota of a fully ramped rep and the fully loaded monthly cost per rep.
  4. Read cost of ramp, revenue lag, total cost during ramp, first-year bookings and the payback month per rep.

Methodology

Productivity in month m of a ramp of R months is m ÷ R for the linear curve, (m ÷ R)² for slow start and the square root of (m ÷ R) for fast start. From month R onward productivity is 100%.

Productive months during ramp = the sum of monthly productivity over months 1 to R. Idle months = R − productive months.

Revenue lag = idle months × fully ramped monthly quota × hires. Cost of ramp = idle months × monthly cost × hires. Total cost during ramp = R × monthly cost × hires.

First-year bookings = the sum of monthly productivity over months 1 to 12 × monthly quota × hires. Payback month is the first month, up to 36, where one rep's cumulative bookings meet cumulative cost. Bookings are compared with cost directly, not gross margin, so real payback is later.

Go deeper

FAQ

Which ramp curve should I choose?

Linear fits most teams without data. Slow start suits long or complex sales cycles where the first deals take months to close. Fast start suits transactional sales with inbound leads available from week one. Your own historical cohort data is the best guide.

What goes into fully loaded cost?

Base salary, expected variable pay, benefits and taxes, software seats, equipment and a share of manager time. Leaving these out makes ramp look cheaper than it is.

Does this account for reps who leave during ramp?

No. Early attrition makes ramp more expensive because the cost is spent without the productive months. Treat the result as a best case if attrition is a concern.

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