Top 5 Takeaways

1. Hiring one business development rep can’t support full-funnel outbound growth.
2. Total cost per BDR often exceeds $100K annually when factoring tools, overhead, and ramp time.
3. Ramp time for a new sales rep averages 3.2 months, delaying pipeline impact.
4. Outbound tech stacks like ZoomInfo and sequencing platforms require expert management and budget.
5. Outsourcing business development provides scalable, structured execution without internal strain.

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You’ve got ambitious growth goals this year, and you need real opportunities in the pipeline. Fast. Whether you’re running an agency focused on business development for agencies, leading a media or sponsorship sales team, or scaling an adtech platform, filling that top of funnel can’t wait.

Hiring a business development rep feels like the logical first step. One person to send outbound, open doors, and book meetings. That move might get you started, but it won’t give you the scale or consistency you’re looking for.

It’s not about the person you hire. The reality is that outsourcing business development or building internally both demand structure, tools, specialized roles, and a plan that works even when someone’s out. That’s not something one business development rep can do on their own.

Here’s what actually happens when you try to build pipeline around a single hire. And what to do instead.

What You’re Really Signing Up for When You Hire One In-House Business Development Rep

Bringing on a dedicated business development rep can feel like progress. You’ve got someone focused on outbound. Someone accountable for getting meetings on the calendar. But once they’re in the seat, the reality kicks in. This is a demanding position that quickly expands into five others, stretching one person across everything it takes to fuel your pipeline.

Here’s what that actually looks like once the work starts piling up.

1. You’re taking on more cost than you planned for

The price tag on a new rep is rarely just their salary. You’re also investing time, tools, training, and support. Once you add it all up, the actual cost often lands somewhere between 1.5 to 2 times their base salary. And that’s assuming things go smoothly. 

Here’s where that money and energy usually go:

• Hiring and onboarding: Recruiting one salesperson can cost between $4,000 and $9,000, especially if you’re using a placement firm. Once they’re in the door, onboarding and training add another $1,800 to $3,000 per year, depending on the structure of your process.
• Salary and benefits: Base salary for an in-house rep averages around $40,000 per year, though experienced hires can come in much higher. Benefits, such as healthcare, retirement, and perks, typically add $7,500 to $10,000 more. Add commissions, bonuses, and other incentives, and total compensation can easily exceed $60,000 to $100,000 annually.
• Managing performance: You’re both hiring a rep and managing them, too. The cost of leadership and support (including sales managers or team leads) often runs well into six figures. For one manager overseeing a small team, that can mean $125,000 or more each year.
• Tools and overhead: Even a lean setup requires hardware, CRM access, and outbound platforms. Equipment and software usually cost around $8,000 annually per rep. Add office space, IT support, and admin overhead, and you’re looking at another $4,000 to $8,000 per year.
• Burnout and turnover: Sales roles see high churn. If your hire doesn’t work out, replacement costs can range from $3,000 to $18,000, not including the deals lost during the transition.
• Ramp time: Then there’s the slow start. Across most B2B companies, the average ramp time for a new rep is 3.2 months, and that’s just to reach basic productivity. During that window, your pipeline often lags and your ROI is underwater. And if the rep never quite finds their footing, you’re three months behind and hiring all over again.

Here’s how that cost stacks up at a glance:

Cost Component	Typical Range (per salesperson, per year)
Recruitment	$4,000 – $9,000
Salary	$35,000 – $60,000+
Commissions/Bonuses	$10,000 – $40,000+
Benefits	$7,500 – $10,000+
Training/Onboarding	$1,800 – $3,000
Equipment/IT/Overhead	$500 – $8,000
Management/Support	Varies (often $40,000+ per manager)

Most companies end up investing $60,000 to $120,000 per year per rep (and sometimes more). That’s a major commitment, especially when you’re relying on just one person to carry the entire top of the funnel.

Pro tip: Want a deeper breakdown of what this really costs? Check out our full guide on the true cost of hiring an in-house BD rep.

2. You’re handing them a full tech stack to manage

Outbound runs on tools, and when you only have one rep, they’re expected to run the whole thing. Instead of focusing on outreach, they spend their time switching between platforms and putting out fires.

Here’s what that looks like:

• CRMs like HubSpot or Salesforce: They update records, log activity, move deals, and pull reports. It’s a constant admin lift that eats into prospecting time.
• Email sequencing platforms: They build sequences, test messaging, monitor deliverability, and manage replies. One small error can derail the entire campaign.
• Data tools like ZoomInfo or Winmo: These platforms are essential for sourcing leads, cleaning lists, and verifying contact data. Without them, your outreach efforts fall apart before they even begin. When you’re relying on just one rep to manage lead generation and keep lists clean, you’re also making a high-stakes bet on their ability to maximize the return on a major line item.
• LinkedIn Sales Navigator: They search for accounts, build lead lists, and send custom outreach. Done well, it’s effective. Done fast, it’s wasted effort.
• Dashboards and analytics: They track KPIs, build reports, and explain performance. That’s more time spent analyzing, less time generating pipeline.

Running five tools takes focus, upkeep, and time, none of which move pipeline forward on their own.

3. You’re expecting them to do every piece of the job

Hiring one rep often turns into handing over the full top-of-funnel. They’re not just selling; they’re juggling every piece of the process. It starts to pile up quickly.

Here’s what you’re putting on their plate:

• Build lead lists: They research accounts, find contacts, and piece together data from multiple sources. It’s slow, detailed work that never ends.
• Write and send outreach: They craft emails, test subject lines, personalize messages, and keep follow-ups moving. It takes focus to do it well, and energy to keep it going.
• Manage the CRM: They log every interaction, track deal progress, and keep the database clean. One missed update and your pipeline visibility starts to fade.
• Make cold calls and book meetings: They dial daily, handle objections, and chase calendar links. It’s high-pressure work that needs consistency to deliver.
• Qualify leads: They ask the right questions, vet opportunities, and make sure meetings are worth your time. Rushing this step means wasted calls and dead ends.
• Track performance and report on activity: They gather metrics, explain trends, and justify results, while still trying to hit their number.

Trying to manage all of this alone wears people down. At some point, things start slipping, and when that happens, the pipeline takes the hit.

Why the “One-Person Army” Business Development Rep Approach Doesn’t Always Work

On paper, hiring one rep to own outbound feels lean and efficient. In practice, it creates bottlenecks. There’s only so much one person can do, and when they’re stretched across strategy, execution, and tools, cracks start to form. Over time, those cracks slow growth and make it harder to recover when things shift.

Here’s where the approach starts to fall apart:

1. You’re depending on one skillset to cover the entire funnel

Most people excel in a few areas. Maybe your rep is a killer on the phone but struggles with writing outreach. Or they’re organized but don’t know how to use the tools. It’s rare to find one person who can handle every part of the process at a high level.

When you lean on one person to wear five hats, the weaker areas start to drag the stronger ones down. Even if they’re great at specific tasks, the rest of the job still needs to get done (and usually, it’s not done well). That consistency gap is where deals get missed and pipeline weakens.

Common gaps that slow reps down:

• Weak copy or templated messaging that doesn’t convert
• Disorganized lead lists or outdated data
• Limited tech skills causing missed reporting or delays
• No time for in-depth qualification or call prep

2. One person has a limit

Even the best business development rep can only do so much. Once they hit capacity, the volume of outreach slows. When follow-ups slip, opportunities get lost.

The drop-off usually starts small, maybe a missed reply here, a delayed call there. But over time, it adds up. Outreach becomes inconsistent, and the pipeline gets spotty. Without consistent volume and follow-through, momentum fades and results suffer.

What that looks like:

• Fewer outbound emails and calls per week
• Slower follow-ups and lead response times
• Meetings falling through the cracks
• Inconsistent pipeline volume, month to month

3. Strategy doesn’t get the attention it needs

Most reps don’t have time to analyze targeting or test messaging. They’re too busy executing to optimize. That means activity continues, but it doesn’t improve.

Without space to reflect or adjust, outreach begins to run on autopilot. The same segments, the same messages, the same assumptions. And when things stop working, there’s no plan to fix it, just more activity that leads nowhere.

Signs your strategy is getting neglected:

• Messaging isn’t updated based on performance
• Target accounts remain too broad or too narrow
• No testing or iteration is built into the process
• You’re relying on activity reports, not insight

4. The whole system is vulnerable

If your only rep takes a week off, gets sick, or quits, everything stops. You lose momentum, and your pipeline takes a hit.

Without a team or system to support the work, the entire top-of-funnel hinges on one calendar and one inbox. Any disruption (planned or not) can set you back weeks. And if the rep leaves altogether, you’re rebuilding from zero, right when you should be growing.

What puts your pipeline at risk:

• No backup plan for vacation, sick days, or turnover
• Pipeline dries up while you rehire and retrain
• Revenue targets become harder to hit
• Sales teams are forced to play catch-up for months

These aren’t edge cases. They’re the natural result of asking one person to carry the weight of an entire system. The longer it continues, the more difficult it becomes to maintain consistency in growth.

What It Actually Takes to Build a Reliable Pipeline

Outbound doesn’t work just because you hired a good rep or picked the right tool. It works because the structure behind it makes it sustainable. This is where outsourcing business development or investing in a full team becomes necessary.

You need a team (not just a title)

Trying to get one person to do everything slows things down and burns people out. The teams that win outbound have each part of the engine owned by a specialist. That’s how you increase volume without losing precision. And avoid stalling when things get busy.

Here’s the structure that delivers:

• Strategic Lead: Owns the plan. Defines your ICP, segments your audience, positions your value, and sets the outbound strategy.
• Outreach Specialist: Executes daily. Sends emails, makes calls, personalizes messaging, and follows up fast and consistently.
• Data Specialist: Keeps targeting clean and sharp. Builds accurate lead lists, enriches data, and ensures every contact is worth the effort.
• Tech Admin: Keeps the tools running. Manages CRM, sequences, and dashboards to ensure accurate reporting and maintain system alignment.

This kind of setup helps you hit your numbers without burning through talent. It’s how you scale outbound efforts and still maintain high quality.

Clear accountability

When each piece of your business development engine is owned by someone who knows exactly what they’re doing, everything moves faster and performs better, unlocking:

• Higher outreach volume: Your specialists focus on execution, so you reach more of the right people, more consistently.
• Better response and conversion rates: Messaging improves. Targeting sharpens. Outreach feels more human and drives better meetings.
• Clear performance tracking: You can see exactly what’s working, what’s not, and where to optimize.
• Faster iteration: The team can shift quickly, whether it’s a new segment, message, or offer, without slowing the whole system down.

This is how you get a pipeline that performs without relying on luck, guesswork, or one overwhelmed hire.

Pro tip: Building this in-house is possible, but rarely efficient. Here’s how outsourcing sales operations can help you scale without the overhead.

Is Outsourcing Business Development the Smarter Move for Your Business?

Building outbound internally can feel like the right move. You keep control. You know the business. But what looks lean on paper often turns messy in execution: delayed hires, disjointed tools, missed targets, and too much time spent managing instead of growing.

Outsourcing business development is a strategic and more cost-effective route for many organizations. Here’s how to know if it’s right for you:

1. You need more than a single rep can deliver 

Even one BD hire quickly turns into five jobs: strategist, writer, data analyst, CRM manager, and coordinator. That’s a lot to stack on one person (or even two). Outsourcing gives you access to specialists in each lane without adding headcount.

2. Your team’s already maxed 

If building outbound means robbing time from leadership, ops, or account teams, it’s a sign you’re stretching. Outsourcing lets your internal team stay focused on what they do best, while the pipeline gets handled by experts.

3. You’re hitting bottlenecks, not benchmarks 

Missed targets, delayed campaigns, and CRM chaos are system problems. An outsourced team brings a playbook that’s already proven, so you skip the setup and move straight to results.

4. You can’t afford a slow start

You needed results, like, yesterday. And you can’t deny that ramp time matters. Every month without meetings is a month without momentum. Outsourced teams like Catapult are live and aligned in days, not months, so the work starts immediately, not eventually.

5. You want predictability, not random wins 

In-house comes with variable performance, turnover risk, and rising costs. Outsourcing gives you consistent execution, transparent reporting, and a predictable path to pipeline, all with built-in continuity.

Have Business Development Done for You and on Autopilot

That’s where Catapult fits in. We show up with the right people, proven process, and fully integrated tech stack already aligned to the way agencies, media companies, adtech and martech platforms, and sponsorship teams sell. 

You get:

• A Strategic Lead aligned to your goals
• An Outreach Team focused on daily execution
• A Data Team keeping targeting clean and sharp
• A Tech Manager running the backend systems

No ramp time. No hiring cycle. No guesswork.

Pro tip: If you’re considering outsourcing lead generation, watch this on-demand webinar to see what it takes to do it well.

Don’t Risk Your Growth on a Lone Rep

Sustainable growth depends on structure. It requires clear strategy, shared responsibility, and a system that can adapt as goals evolve. When all of that rests on one person, things slow down. Gaps form, risk increases, and pressure mounts on a role that was never meant to support the entire pipeline. A successful outbound function needs coordination, consistent execution, and the capacity to keep moving even when people are out or priorities shift.

Your growth deserves more than a one-person plan. A single hire can’t deliver the level of predictability, speed, or quality that a reliable pipeline demands. What works is a complete engine, one designed, refined, and operated by a team that does this every day. 

That’s what Catapult brings: a fully functional business development team that plugs in quickly, aligns to your goals, and starts building momentum immediately. No ramp time. No guesswork. And no added strain on your internal team. Book a meeting to learn more.