What this calculator does

This tool shows the true cost of an in-house SDR in France and compares it to an outsourced sales program over 18 months. Most companies compare an SDR's salary to an agency's monthly fee. That comparison is wrong. Salary is less than half of what an in-house SDR actually costs in France.

The calculator adds the costs that get left out: employer social charges, tools, recruitment, management time, and the ramp period where you pay full cost while the rep is still learning. Then it puts that number next to an outsourced program so you can see the real gap.

What an SDR really costs in France

France has some of the highest employer social charges in Europe. On top of gross salary, employers pay roughly 42% in cotisations patronales. That alone turns a 58,000 package into 82,000 before you have bought a single software license.

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Stack these and the fully loaded cost of a single SDR in France lands close to double the base salary. This matches what we see when we run the numbers for clients deciding between building a team and outsourcing.

Why the salary-vs-fee comparison is misleading

1. Social charges are not optional

In France, cotisations patronales add roughly 42% on top of gross pay. There is no version of an in-house hire where you avoid them. An agency fee already has the equivalent built in, so comparing a raw salary number to a retainer understates the in-house cost by a wide margin.

2. You pay full cost during the ramp

A new SDR in France takes three to five months to reach full productivity. During that time the salary, the charges, and the tools are all running at 100%. The output is not. That gap is real money spent before the function produces meetings. An outsourced team that already has the process, the tools, and the market knowledge starts producing in four to eight weeks.

3. One SDR is not a sales function

As the Profitbl whitepaper puts it, to match the resources of an outsourced agency you do not just need an SDR. You need someone to manage them, someone to build the lists, and someone to keep the messaging sharp. An agency brings all of that in the fee. A single in-house hire brings none of it.

4. Exit costs are real in France

French labour law protects employees. Notice periods run from one to three months depending on seniority, longer for cadres, and severance applies after eight months of service. If the hire does not work out, unwinding it is slow and expensive. An outsourced program can be scaled down or stopped without a labour court.

When in-house still makes sense

This is not an argument that outsourcing always wins. In-house has one real advantage: focus. A good in-house hire develops deep knowledge of your product, your market, and your messaging, and they give you full-time dedicated capacity. If you have the budget, the management bandwidth, and a long runway, building in-house can be the right call for your core market.

Outsourcing tends to win when you are entering a new market, when speed matters, when you do not want to manage a sales team, or when you want to test a market before committing to headcount. Most B2B software companies expanding across Europe sit in exactly that situation.

Frequently asked questions

Are the social charges really 42%?

Employer social charges in France typically run between 40% and 45% of gross salary, depending on pay level, company size, and applicable reliefs. We use 42% as a realistic mid-point. For salaries well above the minimum wage, which most SDRs are, reliefs are limited, so the real figure is often at the higher end.

Why include recruitment and management in the cost?

Because they are real costs you would not pay with an outsourced program. Recruitment is either agency fees or weeks of a manager's time. Management is the coaching and oversight a rep needs to perform. Leaving them out is how the in-house number gets artificially low.

What outsourced monthly cost should I enter?

Enter the retainer you would actually pay, or expect to pay, per equivalent unit. A senior SDR outbound program in France typically runs 3,500 to 5,000 per month. If you have a quote, use that number so the comparison reflects your real options.

Does outsourced really start faster?

Yes, when the agency specialises in your kind of sales. The tools, the process, and the market knowledge are already built. The only inputs they need from you are positioning and messaging. That is why an outsourced program can produce meetings in four to eight weeks against three to five months for a fresh in-house hire.

Where do these numbers come from?

Salary ranges come from French market salary data. Social charge rates come from current French employer contribution guidance. The cost structure and ramp timelines come from the Profitbl whitepaper on the cost of building versus outsourcing a sales team in Europe, and from running these campaigns for clients.