AI SDR or a business developer hire: which fits a trades firm?
The short answerA business developer brings judgment, relationships and a handshake on site, but costs roughly $156,000–246,000 a year fully loaded and takes about three months to ramp up. An AI SDR like PEIQ does the research, outreach and follow-up every working day from the first week, on your approval, and books the meeting your team attends.
Compared on
Hiring a business developer
PEIQ
Cost
Published research puts a fully loaded sales development rep at about US$110,000–173,000 a year (roughly CA$156,000–246,000), or about CA$1,280–1,990 per qualified meeting.
Priced per month, shared in a walkthrough. No salary, benefits or recruiting.
Ramp-up
About three months before a new rep is fully productive, and a median tenure under two years.
Briefed in one session; writes and calls in the first week of sending.
What they bring
Judgment, a network, a handshake on site.
Consistency: every building researched, every follow-up sent, every word logged.
Control
You see their results more than their emails.
You approve each email and call before it goes.
Fair to say
When hiring a business developer is the better choice.
Hire a person when you need someone in the room: complex negotiations, long relationships with a few large accounts, or a market where your own network is the main way in. Many firms do both: PEIQ opens doors and the person walks through them.
See what PEIQ would find in your own territory, before you spend a dollar.
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