Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Total dials needed
27,972
Connects needed
1,678
Meetings to book
336
Qualified opportunities needed
120
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How to use this
- 1Enter pipeline target this quarter ($).
- 2Enter average qualified opportunity value ($).
- 3Enter dial-to-connect rate (%).
- 4Enter connect-to-meeting-booked rate (%).
- 5Enter meeting show rate (%).
- 6Enter meeting-to-qualified-opp rate (%).
- 7Read your total dials needed on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
This calculator works backward through the SDR funnel — from a pipeline dollar target, through meetings booked, connects, and dials — so you can staff and set activity targets that are actually mathematically sufficient rather than guessed. Most SDR funnels lose the vast majority of volume at each stage: a typical outbound motion sees roughly 3-8% of dials convert to connects, 15-30% of connects convert to booked meetings, and 40-60% of booked meetings actually show up and become a qualified opportunity, and only a fraction of qualified opportunities carry enough deal value to matter. Running these numbers backward from a target usually produces an activity number leadership finds uncomfortably high, which is exactly the point — it's better to find out you need 25% more dials than planned before the quarter starts than to discover it in a pipeline review in week 10. Benchmarks vary enormously by industry, seniority of target buyer, and whether outbound is cold or warm (intent-driven), so calibrate the connect and meeting rates to your own historical data as soon as you have it rather than trusting generic industry numbers for more than the first quarter.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Pipeline target this quarter: 3000000 $
- Average qualified opportunity value: 25000 $
- Dial-to-connect rate: 6 %
- Connect-to-meeting-booked rate: 20 %
- Meeting show rate: 65 %
- Meeting-to-qualified-opp rate: 55 %
Results
- Total dials needed: 27,972
- Connects needed: 1,678
- Meetings to book: 336
- Qualified opportunities needed: 120
What each field means
Inputs
- Pipeline target this quarter ($)
- The pipeline target this quarter used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 3000000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Average qualified opportunity value ($)
- The average qualified opportunity value used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 25000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Dial-to-connect rate (%)
- The dial-to-connect rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 6 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0.5–100 %.
- Connect-to-meeting-booked rate (%)
- The connect-to-meeting-booked rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 20 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–100 %.
- Meeting show rate (%)
- The meeting show rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 65 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–100 %.
- Meeting-to-qualified-opp rate (%)
- The meeting-to-qualified-opp rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 55 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–100 %.
Results
- Total dials needed
- Returned as a whole number and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Connects needed
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Meetings to book
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Qualified opportunities needed
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How many dials can one SDR realistically make per day?
50-80 dials per day is typical for a full-time SDR doing sustained outbound, though this varies with how much of the role includes research, personalization, and multi-channel touches (email, LinkedIn) alongside calls. Divide your total dials-needed number by roughly 15-18 working days per month per rep to size headcount.
Why is the funnel math so punishing at the bottom?
Compounding conversion rates multiply, so even solid individual stage rates (6% connect, 20% meeting, 65% show, 55% qualify) compound down to needing dozens of dials per single qualified opportunity. This is normal for cold outbound — it's why warm/inbound-assisted pipeline generation is so much more efficient per rep-hour when it's available.
Should these conversion rates be the same for every rep?
No — use team averages for initial capacity planning, but track individual rep conversion rates separately since a 2x gap between your best and worst SDR at any single funnel stage is common and is exactly where coaching and process fixes should focus first.
How do I improve the funnel instead of just adding headcount?
The highest-leverage fixes are usually better targeting (higher intent lists lift connect and meeting rates simultaneously), tighter meeting confirmation processes to lift show rate, and clearer qualification criteria so 'meetings booked' more reliably becomes 'qualified opportunities' rather than requiring more raw volume to compensate.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). SDR Pipeline Generation Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/sdr-pipeline-generation
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/sdr-pipeline-generation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SDR Pipeline Generation Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [SDR Pipeline Generation Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/sdr-pipeline-generation) (2026).