Sales Management 16 min read

How to Train New SDRs in 30 Days or Less

The complete onboarding framework used by top sales teams to cut ramp time in half and get new reps productive fast

Updated January 2025 • For Sales Leaders & Managers

The average SDR takes 90-120 days to ramp. That's 3-4 months of salary, benefits, and opportunity cost before they're productive. For a $60K SDR, that's $15-20K in sunk costs before they book their first qualified meeting.

Top sales organizations cut that time in half. They ramp SDRs in 30-45 days through structured onboarding, intensive practice, and clear milestones.

This guide shows you exactly how to do it.

What You'll Get

  • Week-by-week 30-day SDR onboarding framework
  • Skills assessment checklist for each week
  • Practice volume recommendations
  • Common mistakes that extend ramp time
  • Templates and resources for managers

Why Traditional SDR Onboarding Fails

Most SDR onboarding programs fail for these reasons:

  1. Too much theory, not enough practice: 2 weeks of slides, product training, and shadowing. Then they're thrown on the phones with minimal practice.
  2. No structured milestones: Vague expectations like "learn the pitch" without clear assessment criteria.
  3. Sink or swim mentality: "Just start calling" without coaching, feedback loops, or support.
  4. No safe practice environment: First cold calls are on real prospects. They burn through leads while learning.
  5. Inconsistent training: Each manager trains differently. No playbook. No repeatability.

The 30-Day SDR Onboarding Framework

This framework is based on analyzing top-performing sales teams that consistently ramp SDRs in 30-45 days with 85%+ success rates.

Framework Overview

  • Week 1: Foundation (Product, ICP, Messaging)
  • Week 2: Skills Development (Cold Calling, Email, Discovery)
  • Week 3: Practice & Refinement (100+ Practice Calls)
  • Week 4: Live Calling & Optimization

Week 1: Foundation (Days 1-5)

Goal: New SDRs understand your product, ideal customer profile, and value proposition.

Day 1: Orientation & Product Overview

Morning:

  • Welcome, company culture, team intros (2 hours)
  • Product demo from PM or solution engineer (1 hour)
  • Set up: CRM, email, phone system, tools (1 hour)

Afternoon:

  • Deep dive: Product features, use cases, differentiators (2 hours)
  • Customer stories: 3-5 case studies (1 hour)
  • Homework: Read all customer case studies, watch product demo videos

Day 2: ICP & Buyer Personas

Morning:

  • Ideal Customer Profile workshop (2 hours)
  • Buyer persona deep dive (1 hour)
  • Territory assignment and account review (1 hour)

Afternoon:

  • Competitive landscape training (2 hours)
  • Shadow 3 customer calls (listen only)
  • Homework: Research 20 accounts in territory, identify trigger events

Day 3: Messaging & Value Proposition

Morning:

  • Value proposition workshop: What problem do we solve? For whom? (2 hours)
  • Pitch framework training (1 hour)
  • ROI calculator and business case development (1 hour)

Afternoon:

  • Write first cold call script draft (1 hour)
  • Write first cold email draft (1 hour)
  • Peer feedback session (1 hour)
  • Homework: Revise scripts based on feedback, memorize key talking points

Day 4: Objection Handling & Discovery

Morning:

  • Common objections workshop (2 hours)
  • Discovery question framework (BANT, MEDDIC, etc.) (1 hour)
  • Qualification criteria training (1 hour)

Afternoon:

  • Role play: Objection handling scenarios (2 hours)
  • Role play: Discovery call scenarios (1 hour)
  • Homework: Practice objection responses, prepare discovery questions

Day 5: Week 1 Assessment

Morning:

  • Product knowledge test (1 hour)
  • ICP/persona quiz (30 minutes)
  • Pitch delivery assessment (30 minutes)

Afternoon:

  • 1-on-1 feedback session with manager (1 hour)
  • Goal setting for Week 2 (30 minutes)
  • Weekend homework: Complete 20 practice cold calls (Call 424-458-7771)

Week 1 Success Criteria (Must Pass to Move to Week 2)

Week 2: Skills Development (Days 6-10)

Goal: Master core SDR skills - cold calling, email writing, discovery calls.

Day 6: Cold Calling Mastery Part 1

Morning:

  • Cold calling framework training (2 hours)
  • Opening line workshop (1 hour)
  • Live call shadowing: Listen to 10 real cold calls (1 hour)

Afternoon:

  • Practice session: 30 cold calls to AI prospects (3 hours)
  • Homework: 20 more practice calls, note patterns and objections

Day 7: Cold Calling Mastery Part 2

Morning:

  • Advanced objection handling (2 hours)
  • Tonality and pacing workshop (1 hour)
  • Voicemail strategy (1 hour)

Afternoon:

  • Practice session: 30 cold calls with objection scenarios (3 hours)
  • Recording review: Listen to 5 of your best calls, identify improvements
  • Homework: 20 practice calls focusing on tonality

Day 8: Email & Multi-Channel Outreach

Morning:

  • Email copywriting workshop (2 hours)
  • Subject line best practices (30 minutes)
  • Cadence strategy: When to call, email, LinkedIn (90 minutes)

Afternoon:

  • Write 10 email templates for different scenarios (2 hours)
  • Peer review and feedback (1 hour)
  • Homework: Finalize email templates, set up cadences in sequencing tool

Day 9: Discovery Call Excellence

Morning:

  • Discovery call framework (2 hours)
  • Question library workshop (1 hour)
  • Active listening training (1 hour)

Afternoon:

  • Role play: Full discovery calls (3 hours)
  • Homework: Practice 10 discovery call scenarios

Day 10: Week 2 Assessment

Morning:

  • Cold call assessment: Manager evaluates 5 practice calls (1 hour)
  • Email review: Manager scores email templates (1 hour)
  • Discovery call role play assessment (1 hour)

Afternoon:

  • 1-on-1 coaching session (1 hour)
  • Create personal development plan (1 hour)
  • Weekend homework: 50 practice cold calls

Week 2 Success Criteria

Week 3: Practice & Refinement (Days 11-15)

Goal: Intensive practice until skills are automatic. Build confidence before live calling.

Daily Structure for Week 3

Every Morning (9am-12pm):

  • 50 practice cold calls to AI prospects
  • Focus areas rotate daily: Opening lines, objection handling, discovery, closing

Every Afternoon (1pm-5pm):

  • Review and analyze practice calls (1 hour)
  • 1-on-1 coaching with manager (30 minutes)
  • Skills workshop on identified gaps (2 hours)
  • Additional practice targeting weaknesses (90 minutes)

Daily Homework:

  • 20 additional practice calls
  • Listen to 3 recordings and note improvements

Week 3 Practice Volume Goals

Day 15: Certification Day

Certification Requirements (Must Pass All):

  • Manager scores 10 random practice calls: 8/10 must be "qualified"
  • Live role play with VP of Sales: Must book meeting
  • Objection handling test: Handle 10 objections in 60 seconds each
  • Discovery call simulation: Qualify or disqualify prospect correctly
  • Email template review: All templates approved

If certified: Move to Week 4 (live calling)

If not certified: Extend Week 3, identify gaps, additional coaching

Week 4: Live Calling & Optimization (Days 16-20)

Goal: Start making real calls. Hit first meeting quota. Begin optimization.

Daily Structure for Week 4

Morning Routine:

  • Warmup: 5 practice calls (15 minutes)
  • Live calling: 50 dials (2.5 hours)
  • Real-time coaching: Manager listens to 10 calls

Afternoon Routine:

  • Lunch break (1 hour)
  • Live calling: 50 more dials (2.5 hours)
  • Review and debrief (30 minutes)
  • Practice specific scenarios from live calls (30 minutes)

Week 4 Activity Goals

Day 20: End of Month Assessment

Performance Review Metrics:

  • Total dials: 500+
  • Connect rate: 15-25%
  • Conversation rate: 30-50%
  • Meeting booking rate: 15-25%
  • Meetings booked: 8-12
  • Practice calls completed: 450+

Qualitative Assessment:

  • Confidence level (1-10 scale)
  • Product knowledge (tested)
  • Objection handling proficiency
  • CRM hygiene and note quality
  • Coachability and improvement trajectory

Accelerate SDR Ramp Time with Practice

The #1 difference between 30-day ramp and 90-day ramp? Practice volume before live calling.

Cold Call Gym lets new SDRs complete 100-500 practice calls before touching real prospects. Cut ramp time in half.

Call 424-458-7771 to Try

Common Mistakes That Extend Ramp Time

  1. Not enough practice volume: 20 practice calls isn't enough. Top performers complete 200-500 before live calling.
  2. Skipping certification gates: Moving to Week 4 before mastering Week 3 leads to bad habits and burnout.
  3. Too much product training, not enough skills training: Knowing features doesn't help if you can't handle "I'm not interested."
  4. No daily coaching: Weekly 1-on-1s aren't enough. Daily feedback loops accelerate learning.
  5. Burning through good leads: Letting new SDRs call A-tier accounts in Week 1 wastes opportunities.
  6. No ongoing practice: Stopping practice after Week 3. Top reps practice 10-20 calls weekly forever.

Tools & Resources for SDR Onboarding

Essential Tech Stack

Training Materials Checklist

Measuring SDR Onboarding Success

Week 1 Metrics

Week 2 Metrics

Week 3 Metrics

Week 4 Metrics

Ongoing Development (Months 2-3)

Onboarding doesn't end at Day 30. Here's what happens next:

Month 2 Focus

Month 3 Focus

Key Takeaways for Sales Managers

Download the Complete 30-Day SDR Onboarding Template

Want the full framework? Here's what you get:

Cut Your SDR Ramp Time in Half

The framework is proven. The missing piece? A safe environment for new SDRs to complete 400+ practice calls before going live.

Cold Call Gym provides realistic AI cold call practice. New SDRs ramp 2x faster.

Call 424-458-7771 to Learn More

Or start your team trial to see how practice accelerates onboarding.