7 Questions to Ask Before Outsourcing Your SDR Function
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Outsourcing your SDR function can be a game-changer – or a costly misstep.
Done right, it unlocks speed to market, scalability, and a team of experts whose sole focus is building your pipeline. Done wrong, it leads to missed targets, wasted budget, and a damaged brand reputation.
Over the past decade, we’ve built, trained, and run outsourced SDR teams for organisations across industries. Along the way, we’ve learnt that the companies who succeed with outsourcing are the ones who ask the right questions before they sign the contract.
Here are the seven questions you should be asking before you outsource your SDR function – and why they matter.
1. Do they understand your ideal customer – deeply?
An outsourced SDR partner must do more than read your ICP from a slide deck. They should live and breathe your target market, understand your buyers’ pain points, and speak their language.
Look for proof they’ve successfully engaged with similar personas in your industry. Ask them to walk you through how they’d segment and prioritise your audience. This is also a great moment to revisit your ICP and see if it aligns with the evolving market – our recent piece on The Business Case for SDRs in 2025 digs into why this matters more than ever.
2. How will they represent your brand voice in sales conversations?
Your SDR team is often the first live touchpoint in your sales process. Outsourcing doesn’t mean losing control over the message – but it does mean you need a partner who can adapt to your tone and values in a way that feels natural to your buyers.
Ask for examples of call scripts, objection handling, and email sequences they’ve used for other clients, and judge them against your own brand standards.
3. What’s their approach to lead quality vs. lead volume?
A high number of booked meetings looks good in a report, but if they’re with the wrong people, they waste everyone’s time – and erode SDR morale.
Your partner should have a clear qualification framework and be aligned with your definitions of MQL, SQL, and sales-ready leads. We’ve explored how this balance drives real-world sales outcomes in How to Take Your Win Rate to 20-30%, showing how better-qualified opportunities directly improve close rates.
4. How do they integrate with your sales team?
Outsourced SDRs shouldn’t operate in a silo. The best partners act as an extension of your in-house sales team, sharing insights, market feedback, and win/loss patterns that help AEs close more deals.
Ask about their process for lead handover, especially how they ensure SDR-to-AE transitions are seamless. We’ve written about the role of modern outbound in this process in Cold Calling in the Age of AI – a must-read if you’re thinking about scaling prospecting in today’s sales environment.
5. What training and coaching do they provide?
Even the best SDRs need regular sharpening of the saw. Your partner should have structured onboarding and ongoing coaching to keep the team sharp, not just on talk tracks, but also on market changes, product updates, and competitor moves.
In fast-moving industries, this can be the difference between SDRs hitting quota and missing it entirely.
“An SDR is only as good as the coaching they get – you can’t set and forget if you want consistent results.”
David Wilkins
Founder, SDR Leaders of EMEA
6. How do they measure sales success?
Ask what metrics they prioritise – and beware of vanity numbers like dials made or emails sent. The best partners track meaningful outcomes: meetings that convert, opportunities created, pipeline influenced, and revenue closed.
They should also be open to regular review meetings where results are dissected and the strategy is refined to improve conversion rates.
7. Can they scale with your growth plans?
Outsourcing works best when your partner can ramp up (or down) resources quickly, without a dip in quality.
Find out how they manage recruitment, training, and onboarding at scale, and how they ensure consistent performance across multiple SDRs. A scalable partner will also proactively suggest new target segments or geographies as your business grows.
We explored this in detail during our Building SDR Teams from Scratch webinar. The reality is that scaling an in-house SDR team is a major operational project – from hiring and onboarding to ensuring consistent performance across every rep. For many organisations, outsourcing offers a faster, lower-risk route to the same result, with flexibility to flex resource as needed.
“Scaling isn’t just about adding more SDRs – it’s about making sure every new person is producing at the same quality as your best performer.”
Mark Niemiec
Chief Revenue Officer, Salesloft
Final thoughts…
Outsourcing your SDR function isn’t a shortcut, it’s a strategic sales decision. Choose a partner who will protect your brand, align with your revenue goals, and deliver consistent, high-quality pipeline.
Are you’re considering outsourcing your SDR team? At durhamlane, we don’t just book meetings – we create meaningful sales conversations that convert into long-term customers. Let’s have a conversation about how we can help you hit your number.