Why ramp is really a curve
Ramp isn't a switch that flips at month 6. A typical AE hits 15–25% of quota in month 1, 40–55% by month 3–4, 70–85% by month 5–6, then 100%. Integrate under that curve and the average productivity across a 6-month ramp is 50% — not the '75% by month 4' most plans assume.
Loaded cost is more than salary
The real Year-1 cost is base + variable earned + recruiting + training + manager/enablement time. For a mid-market AE that's usually $180K–$250K all-in. Compare that against Year-1 gross-margin contribution to see if the hire is actually accretive.
When to speed up ramp instead of hiring
If your ramp is > 9 months on SMB deals or > 12 months mid-market, you're leaving huge capacity on the table. A tighter onboarding program that cuts ramp by 2 months often outperforms adding a whole new hire.
Related guides
Long-form playbooks on the same topic, written by the RevenueLab editorial team.
FAQ
How do I know my real ramp curve?
Pull the average monthly attainment for reps in their first 6–12 months from your CRM. That's your empirical ramp curve — use it here instead of defaults.
Should manager time be in the loaded cost?
Yes, if you want the real number. A rough proxy: 4 hours/week of manager time for the first 6 months at $150/hour fully loaded = about $15K.
Does gross margin really matter for the break-even?
A lot. At 75% GM a $500K deal contributes $375K; at 55% (services-heavy) it's $275K. Break-even shifts by months.
What about attrition risk during ramp?
This calculator assumes the rep completes ramp. If your ramp attrition is >15%, discount expected contribution by that percentage or the break-even is optimistic.
Can I model a role change (SDR → AE)?
Yes — set a shorter ramp (2–3 mo) and higher month-1 productivity (30–40%) to reflect the internal candidate's ramp advantage.
How this calculator is built
Independently maintained
Written by Sam Doshi and the RevenueLab editorial team. We don't sell the data feeds this tool is built on.
Sourced from primary data
Benchmarks come from public AdSense / Stripe / IRS disclosures and reader-submitted data — never third-party "$X per view" claims. Full methodology.
Last reviewed
July 2026. We re-check every figure on the platform on a rolling quarterly cycle.
Editorial standards
See our editorial policy and disclaimer. Results are estimates, not advice.