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Sales Ramp & Time-to-Productivity Calculator

Model new-hire sales productivity month-by-month, loaded ramp cost, capacity loss, and the break-even month. Editable ramp curve for SDR, SMB AE, mid-market, enterprise, or CSM.

Short answer

Sales Ramp & Time-to-Productivity Calculator

3.0 moBreak-even month

A new hire breaks even (cumulative gross margin covers recruiting + training + salary) in month 3. During the ramp period you lose $227,500 of expected quota — plan pipeline coverage accordingly.

How it's calculated: $1,000,000 quota • 6-mo ramp • 75% gross margin Adjust the inputs below to recalculate for your own numbers.

Disclaimer: Editable assumptions, not benchmarks. Every RevOps model is only as honest as its inputs — attainment, ramp curve, win rate, and stage probability are what actually determine the answer. Use conservative/base/aggressive scenarios before committing.

New here? Watch it work in 2 seconds — then tweak it for you.
$1,000,000
6
15%
50%
$90,000
$90,000
$15,000
$8,000
75%
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Tap a scenario to load realistic numbers, then tweak the sliders.

Related calculators
Sales Capacity CalculatorGuide: Sales capacity planningRevenue Operations Hub
Formula used

Ramp cost & break-even

Two numbers matter: capacity loss (revenue you miss during ramp) and break-even (when the hire pays back their loaded cost). SMB AEs usually break even in 8–10 months; enterprise reps can take 14–18. If a role can't break even in Year 1, revisit quota or ramp assumptions before hiring.

Ramp revenue = Σ(monthly quota × productivity%) • Break-even = month when Σ(GM contribution − salary) ≥ recruiting + training
SMB AE ramp (median)
3–4 mo
Mid-market AE ramp
6–9 mo
Enterprise AE ramp
9–12 mo
Break-even (fully loaded)
10–14 mo
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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.

Guide · 11 min read

Sales Capacity Planning: Targets, Quotas, Ramp and Hiring

A monthly cohort model for sales capacity that accounts for expected attainment, ramp curves, and attrition — with a 12-month worked example and the four sanity checks that catch bad plans.

Read the guide

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 editorial review

Reviewed on a rolling quarterly cycle. Dated reviews are published on the methodology record for each calculator.

Editorial standards

See our editorial policy and disclaimer. Results are estimates, not advice.

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