SDR 90-Day Ramp Checklist
A week-by-week onboarding checklist covering the first dial, first meeting, and first pipeline dollar across three 30-day phases, with manager check-in cadence and red-flag triggers.
How to use it
Hand this to every new SDR on day one, check off items with them at the Week-1, Day-30, Day-60, and Day-90 meetings, and escalate immediately if any red-flag indicator triggers rather than waiting for the next checkpoint.
What's inside
- Days 1-30 checklist: product knowledge, tools setup, skill drills, first dial/connect/meeting milestones
- Days 31-60 checklist: activity ramp, skill development, first opportunity and pipeline dollar milestones
- Days 61-90 checklist: full ramp, ownership, first closed-won-assist milestone
- Manager check-in cadence table (Week 1, Day 30/60/90, weekly ongoing)
- Five red-flag indicators requiring intervention before day 90
How to use this
Check off each item as it's completed. Items are grouped by 30-day phase and include the specific milestone expected by that point. A manager should review this checklist with the new SDR at the end of each phase, not just at day 90.
Days 1–30: Foundation
Product & market knowledge
- Can explain the core product/value proposition in under 60 seconds, unscripted
- Can name the top 3 ICP criteria (industry, size, role) without notes
- Has listened to 10 recorded calls from top-performing reps
- Has shadowed 5 live calls (call or video) with a manager or senior rep
Tools & systems
- Fully set up in CRM, dialer, email sequencer, and calendar-booking tool
- Has built or been assigned their first prospecting list (minimum 100 accounts)
- Knows how to log a call, book a meeting, and update a deal stage without help
Skill drills
- Has role-played the opening statement out loud 10+ times
- Has completed the Prospecting Skill Self-Assessment Quiz as a baseline
- Has reviewed the Gatekeeper Navigation Cheat Sheet and can recite 3 stall-line responses from memory
Milestone: First dial: by end of week 1 Milestone: First live connect: by end of week 2 Milestone: First meeting booked: by end of day 30
Days 31–60: Execution
Activity ramp (targets are illustrative: replace with your team's actual per-rep quota from the Outbound Activity-to-Pipeline Ratio Calculator)
- Hitting 60% of full-ramp daily dial target consistently for 2 consecutive weeks
- Running at least 2 active email sequences simultaneously
- Sending 3+ personalized, trigger-based outreach messages per week (see Trigger-Event Prospecting Guide)
Skill development
- Has been scored once on the Cold Call Talk-to-Listen Ratio Scorecard and reviewed the result with a manager
- Can handle the 6 most common objections without a script in front of them
- Has asked for and received at least 1 referral using a script from the Referral-Ask Script Swipe File
Milestone: First qualified opportunity created: by day 45 Milestone: First pipeline dollar generated: by day 50 Milestone: 5 cumulative meetings booked: by day 60
Days 61–90: Independence
Full ramp
- Hitting 100% of full-ramp daily/weekly activity targets independently
- Managing their own account tier list (A/B/C) per the Account Segmentation Framework without manager assignment
- Running weekly self-review against the talk-to-listen scorecard without being asked
Ownership
- Has resolved at least one gatekeeper-blocked account using a multi-thread approach
- Has independently identified and acted on 3 trigger events without manager prompting
- Has documented one win (a call, email, or approach that worked) to share back with the team
Milestone: First closed-won deal assisted (SDR-sourced opportunity converts): target by day 90; if the sales cycle exceeds 90 days, substitute "opportunity still active and progressing through 2+ stages" as the day-90 proxy milestone Milestone: Full quota-equivalent pipeline generation: by day 90
Manager check-in cadence
| Checkpoint | Format | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| End of Week 1 | 30-min 1:1 | Tools/systems confidence, first dial completed |
| End of Day 30 | Formal review | Foundation checklist complete, first meeting booked |
| End of Day 60 | Formal review + scorecard | Execution checklist complete, pipeline started |
| End of Day 90 | Formal ramp-completion review | Full independence, transition to standard quota |
| Weekly (ongoing) | 15-min activity check | Dials/emails/meetings vs. target, one coaching point |
Red-flag indicators requiring intervention before day 90
- Zero meetings booked by day 30
- Activity consistently below 50% of target for 2+ consecutive weeks with no upward trend
- No qualified opportunity created by day 60
- Talk-to-listen scorecard total stuck in the "needs coaching" band (0–17) across two consecutive scoring sessions
- Visible avoidance of live calling (heavy reliance on email/social only) past day 45
Any one red flag = schedule a dedicated coaching session that week, not at the next scheduled checkpoint.