Outbound Kitchen - B2B Sales Podcast OK25: How to Build a Profitable Outbound SDR Team: P&L Math, Headcount Decisions, and the 9-Month Payback Reality with Jay Glenn, Founder at Jay Glenn Agency
Jan 29, 2026
Jay Glenn, founder and CEO of Jay Glenn Agency who builds financially sustainable SDR programs. He discusses SDR P&L calculators and the 9-month to 18-month payback reality. Topics include efficiency benchmarks, the $50K ACV threshold, when to hire SDRs versus invest in product, headcount gap modeling, and separate conversion rates for inbound vs outbound.
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SDR Teams Need CFO-Level Thinking
- The 2022 SDR layoffs exposed that many SDR teams were unprofitable and unaccountable for revenue.
- Jay Glenn argues SDR leaders must adopt CFO-level financial thinking to survive and prove ROI.
Measure Ramp And Efficiency First
- Track ramp time and efficiency benchmarks before hiring additional SDRs.
- Measure metrics like days-to-ramp, booked meetings, show rate, reply and connect rates to avoid hidden capacity loss.
Validate TAM Before Scaling
- Use market research tools (e.g., Clay) to size your TAM before hiring SDRs.
- Do the due diligence on market size and product-market fit to avoid contacting unprofitable accounts.