You Can’t Put an SDR on a Performance Improvement Plan

You Can’t Put an SDR on a Performance Improvement Plan

And pretending you can is how sales orgs rot from the inside

Let’s say the uncomfortable thing upfront:

Putting a Sales Development Rep (SDR) on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is usually an admission of leadership failure — not rep failure.

That’s not an emotional take.

That’s a structural one.

And if you’ve been in sales long enough, you already know it.

The SDR Role Is Binary by Design

An SDR role is not ambiguous.

They either:

• Book qualified meetings at the required volume or

• They don’t

There is very little gray area. Unlike account executives, SDRs are not managing deal cycles, pricing objections, procurement delays, or multi-threaded enterprise chaos.

Their job is simple (not easy):

• Prospect

• Qualify

• Book meetings

That simplicity is exactly why PIPs don’t work here.

There Are Only Two Scenarios — Pick One

When an SDR underperforms, one of two things is true:

Scenario 1: You Failed to Train Them Properly

This is the most common scenario — and the least admitted.

Industry data backs this up:

• According to CSO Insights, only ~30% of sales orgs have a formal, standardized onboarding program

• The average SDR ramp time is 3–6 months, yet many companies expect results in 30–60 days

• Reps who receive structured onboarding are up to 3.4x more likely to hit quota (Brandon Hall Group)

If your SDR:

• Never mastered ICP

• Doesn’t deeply understand buyer pain

• Was handed a script instead of taught why it works

• Was told to “figure it out” with CRM, tools, and sequencing

Then their performance is not a rep issue.

It’s a leadership issue.

Putting that rep on a PIP is you asking them to fix your lack of training.

That’s backwards.

Scenario 2: You Trained Them Properly — and They Still Can’t Perform

This one hurts the ego more.

Because if:

• You trained them thoroughly

• You gave them time to ramp

• You provided feedback, call reviews, coaching, and data

• You validated activity quality, not just volume

And they still can’t produce…

Then a PIP is dishonest.

At that point, the data is already telling you the truth:

This role is not the right fit for this person right now.

Dragging it out helps no one.

Why PIPs Hurt SDR Teams More Than They Help

Let’s talk about the damage.

1. They Kill Team Morale

Sales teams are observant. When one rep is clearly underperforming and leadership keeps them around “just to see,” top performers notice.

What they hear is:

• Standards are flexible

• Accountability is selective

• Performance doesn’t actually matter

That’s how you lose your best reps — quietly.

2. They Create False Hope

Most SDR PIPs aren’t designed to develop. They’re designed to document termination.

Reps know this.

So instead of growth, you get:

• Anxiety

• Disengagement

• Survival behavior

• Burnout

None of which lead to better performance.

3. They Delay the Inevitable

Data from sales ops benchmarks consistently shows:

• SDR turnover is highest in the first 6 months

• Reps who miss quota for 2–3 consecutive periods rarely recover in the same org

Keeping someone who statistically won’t rebound is not compassion.

It’s avoidance.

Here’s the Part Most Leaders Don’t Want to Admit

Some of the best salespeople you admire today have been fired before.

This is well-documented across high-performing sales leaders:

• Early-career misalignment

• Poor initial training

• Wrong product-market fit

• Wrong manager at the wrong time

Being let go didn’t end their careers.

It sharpened them.

The worst outcome isn’t termination.

The worst outcome is keeping someone stuck in a role where they’re failing daily.

Letting an SDR Go Is Not Cruel — If You Did Your Job First

If you:

• Trained them properly

• Set clear expectations

• Gave them real coaching

• Measured leading indicators (not vibes)

Then letting them go is clean.

They leave knowing:

• What good looks like

• Where they fell short

• What to improve next

That rep might:

• Fix their weaknesses

• Land in a better-fit environment

• Come back stronger

That’s not failure.

That’s development — just not under your roof.

The Real Problem: Most Orgs Never Know Who Was Actually Good

Here’s the truth that should scare you:

Most companies don’t know if the SDRs they fire were bad — because they never trained them well enough to find out.

When onboarding is weak:

• You can’t distinguish talent from confusion

• You can’t separate effort from ignorance

• You can’t tell coachability from chaos

So when someone quits or gets let go, everyone walks away guessing.

That’s unacceptable in a data-driven function like sales.

The New-Year Reality Check

It’s a new year.

Some people are going to stay.

Some people are going to go.

The only ethical line is this:

If you trained them properly coming in the door, then whatever outcome follows — success or separation — you did your job.

If you didn’t?

That’s on leadership — not the SDR.

Hey.

It is what it is.