Sales Rep Payback Period: Month-by-Month Calculation for B2B

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1. Step 2: Attribute Pipeline and Revenue “Apply a fair attribution window — typically 90 days from meeting to opportunity creation.” For AEs: revenue closed directly attributed to their pipeline, plus a weighted contribution from SDR-sourced meetings they worked. Multi-touch attribution gets complex — start simple and refine over time.

   In Attribution windows

2. Track fully-loaded cost per month (constant) against cumulative attributed revenue (rising as the rep ramps). Plot both curves — the crossover point is your break-even month. Include ramp productivity: 0% month 1, 30% month 2, 70% month 3, 100% month 4+. “Activity volume weeks 1–4, meeting quality scores weeks 4–8, opportunity creation rate months 2–4, and pipeline value months 3–6.”

   In Time-phased funnel planning

3. B2B sales cycles mean today's activity produces revenue in 3–9 months. A rep who started in January might not show meaningful closed revenue until Q3. Evaluating ROI too early leads to premature termination of reps who are actually building healthy pipeline. “Use leading indicators during ramp: activity volume (weeks 1–4), meeting quality scores from AEs (weeks 4–8), opportunity creation rate (months 2–4), and pipeline value (months 3–6).” Still comparing hiring models?

   In Ramp measurement

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