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How to Choose an Outsourced SDR Partner for a Complex Sale
Author:
Pablo Jiménez de Parga
Date:
Choose an outsourced SDR partner for a complex sale by testing six things: who builds the list, how a meeting is qualified, which channels they run, what you can see, who manages the SDRs and how the programme grows. Ask each provider to show you in writing how they handle all six before you sign.
What makes a sale complex
A complex sale has a long cycle, several people in the decision and buyers who are hard to find. Manufacturing, logistics and construction are typical. The plant manager or procurement director who owns the budget rarely sits on LinkedIn or in a standard database, and one badly handled call can close an account for months.
That raises the bar on research, qualification and the quality of every conversation.
Staffed SDRs or a fully managed partner
Providers sell two different services under the same label. Compare the scope before you compare the price.
Staffed outsourced SDRs
You supply the ICP, the list and usually the tools
You manage and coach the SDRs
Fits teams with a proven playbook that need more capacity
Fully managed outbound partner
The partner builds the list and writes the messaging
The partner runs email infrastructure, calling and reply handling
The partner qualifies every meeting against a standard you agree
Fits teams without a proven outbound playbook or the time to run one
The criteria that matter
1. Who builds the list
Ask where the data comes from. Standard databases miss many operational buyers in traditional industries. A strong partner qualifies accounts first, then maps the people inside each one, from decision-makers and champions to influencers and blockers, and ranks them by how close they sit to the problem you solve.
2. How a meeting is qualified
Put the definition in the contract. It should cover company fit, the contact's authority, an identified problem, a realistic timeline and attendance. Every meeting that misses one of these takes time away from your closers.
3. Which channels they run
Operational buyers often pick up the phone when they ignore email. Check that the partner runs cold calling and cold email together, and ask who makes the calls, where they are based and which languages they cover.
4. What you can see
You should have access to call recordings, connection rates, replies and booked meetings. Weekly reporting should show what changed in targeting or messaging and why.
5. Who manages the SDRs
Ask who coaches the reps, reviews the calls and fixes a campaign when replies drop. If the answer is you, budget for that time.
6. How the programme grows
Ask how the partner adds a new market, language or persona, and how they protect sender reputation as volume rises: separate sending domains, warmed mailboxes and regular inbox placement tests.
Questions to ask every provider
What is the average deal size of the clients you work with?
How do you qualify leads before your callers make contact?
What happens when a booked meeting turns out to be unqualified?
Can I speak to a client in my sector?
Who manages the SDRs day to day, your team or mine?
Do I approve meetings before they reach my calendar?
How is the fee split between a base retainer and qualified meetings, and does a meeting have to take place to count?
Warning signs
Qualification defined by job title alone
No attendance requirement for a meeting to count
Shared sending domains or no warm-up before volume
One script for every persona
Reporting that stops at emails sent and open rates
No access to call recordings
When in-house is the better fit
Build in-house when you have a proven playbook, a manager with time to hire and coach SDRs, and enough addressable accounts to keep a team busy. With fewer than 50 addressable accounts worldwide, cold outbound is probably the wrong motion whoever runs it.
How throxy works
throxy is a fully managed outbound partner for traditional industries. It builds a custom database for each campaign, writes every message with human review, runs email on separate sending domains and calls with SDRs based in London and Cape Town. The qualification standard is agreed with each client before launch, and clients approve meetings before they reach the calendar.
Pricing is a base retainer plus a fee for each qualified meeting, and a meeting has to take place to be chargeable.
