Short answer: Eight firms that name SDR roles on their own websites and recruit for B2B tech companies in the US and Canada are BizDev Labs, Betts Recruiting, Sales Talent Inc., Treeline, Peak Sales Recruiting, Captivate Talent, CulverCareers and Alpha Apex Group. Most charge only when you hire, and almost none publish their fees. If you want entry-level SDRs rather than experienced ones, a training program such as SV Academy may fit better than a recruiter.
BizDev Labs publishes this guide and is listed first. Every other firm's details come from its own website or its public business profiles, checked in November 2026. This guide covers recruiters that place SDRs on your own payroll. For BDR hiring and a wider list that includes firms with less SDR focus, see our best BDR recruiting firms guide.
What an SDR costs before you pay a recruiter
Know the salary before you talk to a recruiter, because most recruiting fees are based on it. The Bridge Group's 2025 survey of 351 B2B companies found:
| Measure | Median or average |
|---|---|
| On-target earnings | $80,000 median ($55,000 base, $25,000 variable) |
| Ramp time | 3.0 months average |
| Tenure | 1.9 years average |
| Annual attrition | 40% median |
| SDRs per manager | 6.4 |
Two things follow. First, a new SDR usually takes about a quarter to reach full output, so plan for it. Second, with average tenure under two years, you'll likely hire for the same seat again, so a replacement guarantee and a recruiter you'd use twice both matter. For the full cost of an in-house SDR, see how much an outsourced SDR agency costs.
The 8 firms at a glance
| Firm | Based | How it names SDRs | How you pay | Published guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BizDev Labs | Toronto; hires in the US and Canada | Recruits experienced SDRs and BDRs only | Percentage of first-year salary; rate shared on the call | 90-day free replacement |
| Betts Recruiting | Offices across the US and in Toronto | SDR is a featured role; publishes a hiring guide for SDR teams | Contingency per hire, or a Recruitment-as-a-Service subscription | Not published |
| Sales Talent Inc. | Seattle; US and Canada | Lists SDRs among the roles it fills | Contingency, or retained for senior hires | No formal guarantee; commits to 3 to 5 vetted candidates |
| Treeline | Wakefield, MA; US nationwide | Publishes guidance on hiring SDRs and BDRs | Contingency: no fee unless you hire | Not published |
| Peak Sales Recruiting | Offices across the US and Canada | Lists SDR and BDR roles for software sales | Executive search or Sales Team RPO | Replaces a hire who isn't progressing, at no charge for its time |
| Captivate Talent | New York | Lists Senior SDR and Sales Development Manager | Search with a dedicated recruiter | Not published |
| CulverCareers | US-wide | Lists SDR roles | Not published | Not published |
| Alpha Apex Group | Denver | Its own guides list SDRs | Recruitment, RPO or executive search | Not published on its site |
1. BizDev Labs
BizDev Labs is an outsourced BDR agency founded in 2020 that has run outbound for 250+ B2B companies. It hires, trains and manages SDRs and BDRs for its own team, and runs the same process to recruit them onto clients' payrolls. Its callers are senior BDRs with deep cold calling experience, ranked top 1% in Nooks, and the candidates it puts forward are held to the same bar.
People who manage SDRs every day run the screening, and every candidate does a live cold call role-play before you meet them. Founder Roy Itzhaki, a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree who was number one out of 16 SDRs on his team for 14 months straight, has interviewed hundreds of BDRs.
- Who it's for: B2B SaaS and technology companies in the US and Canada that want experienced SDRs who can hold a cold call from day one.
- Who it's not for: companies hiring junior, entry-level or straight-out-of-university SDRs, or hiring outside the US and Canada.
- How you pay: a percentage of the hire's first-year salary, shared on the call.
- Guarantee: if the hire leaves or doesn't work out in the first 90 days, BizDev Labs finds a replacement at no extra fee.
2. Betts Recruiting
Betts has recruited for sales, marketing and customer success roles since 2009. "Sales Development Representative" is a featured role on its site, it publishes a remote hiring guide for SDR teams, and one client testimonial on its subscription page describes hiring 10 SDRs in nine months. Betts offers contingency search for single hires and a Recruitment-as-a-Service subscription with unlimited hires, which it says costs about the same as one hire. Fees aren't published.
Best for: companies hiring several SDRs in a year.
3. Sales Talent Inc.
Sales Talent Inc. is a Seattle search firm that recruits across the US and Canada for software, SaaS, AI and other B2B companies, and lists SDRs among the roles it fills. It works on contingency, says most of its hires come from reaching people who are already employed, and commits to delivering 3 to 5 vetted candidates. Fees aren't published.
Best for: companies that want SDRs who are already working elsewhere, not job-board applicants.
4. Treeline
Treeline is a sales recruiter near Boston that recruits across the US and publishes guidance on hiring SDRs and BDRs. Its contingency service has no upfront cost. Treeline says it presents a first candidate within 3 days and fills roles in under 30 days. Its current fee isn't published.
Best for: US companies hiring SDRs or early-career AEs that only want to pay on hire.
5. Peak Sales Recruiting
Peak recruits B2B salespeople from offices across the US and Canada, including Toronto, Ottawa and Calgary. Its software sales page lists SDR and BDR roles, though its positioning leans toward account executives and sales leaders. Peak uses a four-step process with candidate testing and publishes a performance guarantee: if a hire isn't progressing within the agreed timeframe, it finds a replacement without charging for its time and expenses.
Best for: companies that want an assessment-heavy process and a guarantee tied to performance.
6. Captivate Talent
Captivate Talent is a New York firm that recruits go-to-market roles for startups and growth-stage SaaS companies. Its site lists Senior SDR and Sales Development Manager roles and says it can build a business development team from scratch, with a dedicated recruiter on each search. Fees aren't published.
Best for: venture-backed SaaS startups hiring their first SDRs or an SDR manager.
7. CulverCareers
CulverCareers is a sales and marketing recruiter with more than 40 years in business that recruits across the US, from entry-level to C-level. Its site lists Sales Development Representative among the roles it fills. It doesn't publish its model, fees or a guarantee.
Best for: companies that want one long-established recruiter for SDRs through sales leadership.
8. Alpha Apex Group
Alpha Apex Group is a Denver firm that recruits tech and software sales professionals and also offers RPO and executive search. Its own guides describe its coverage as running from SDRs to CROs. It says it delivers first candidates within 72 hours. Fees aren't published on its site.
Best for: tech companies that want a fast first shortlist.
Other ways to hire SDRs
A recruiter isn't the only route. Depending on the seniority you need and how fast you need pipeline:
| Option | How it works | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Training program (for example SV Academy) | SV Academy trains early-career SDRs and places them with employers. Its employer page says there are no placement fees and offers on-the-job coaching for up to 6 months | You want entry-level SDRs and can coach them |
| Contract-to-hire (for example Activated Scale) | The SDR starts on the provider's contract and can convert to your payroll later; Activated Scale lists a fractional SDR at $4,500 a month | You want to try an SDR before committing to a hire |
| Outsourced BDR agency | The agency employs, trains and manages the reps; BizDev Labs goes live 14 days after signing | You need meetings now, or want to prove outbound works before hiring |
| Hiring yourself | Post the role and run the interviews | You have a manager with time to source and screen |
For a fuller comparison, see in-house SDR vs outsourced and SDR vs BDR.
What to ask an SDR recruiter
- How many SDR roles did you fill last year? Many sales recruiters mostly place account executives.
- How do you test whether a candidate can book a meeting? Ask whether there's a live cold call role-play and who runs it.
- Who screens the candidates? Someone who has managed SDRs will catch problems a generalist won't.
- Is the fee based on base salary or on-target earnings, and when is it due? At an $80,000 median OTE, the difference matters.
- What happens if the hire leaves? With average SDR tenure under two years, get the replacement terms in writing.
- Do you recruit experienced SDRs, entry-level SDRs, or both? Pick a firm that matches the level you need.
FAQ
What does an SDR recruiting firm do?
It finds, screens and presents candidates for sales development roles, and you hire the person onto your own payroll. An outsourced SDR agency is different: it employs the reps and provides them as a service.
How much do SDR recruiters charge?
Most don't publish fees. Contingency search, where you pay only if you hire, is common: Betts, Sales Talent Inc. and Treeline offer it. BizDev Labs charges a percentage of the hire's first-year salary, shared on the call, with a 90-day free replacement.
How much does an SDR earn?
The Bridge Group's 2025 survey found median on-target earnings of $80,000, split $55,000 base and $25,000 variable.
How long does it take to hire and ramp an SDR?
Recruiters' own claims range from first candidates within 3 days (Treeline) or 72 hours (Alpha Apex Group) to hires in under 30 days (Treeline). After the start date, The Bridge Group puts average SDR ramp at 3.0 months.
Should I hire an experienced SDR or an entry-level one?
Experienced SDRs cost more but need less coaching, which matters if you don't have an SDR manager. Entry-level SDRs cost less and can grow into the role if someone coaches them every week. Training programs such as SV Academy focus on entry-level reps. BizDev Labs recruits experienced SDRs only.
Sources
- The Bridge Group, 2025 SDR Metrics and Models report: https://www.bridgegroupinc.com/research/2025-sdr-models-metrics-report-the-bridge-group
- Betts Recruiting: https://bettsrecruiting.com/, https://bettsrecruiting.com/recruitment-as-a-service/
- Sales Talent Inc.: https://salestalentinc.com/, https://salestalentinc.com/about-us
- Treeline: https://www.treelineinc.com/sales-recruiting/contingency/, https://www.treelineinc.com/blog/how-to-hire-business-development-representatives-bdrs-or-sales-development-representatives-sdrs/
- Peak Sales Recruiting: https://www.peaksalesrecruiting.com/sectors/software-sales-recruiter/
- Captivate Talent: https://captivatetalent.com/, https://clutch.co/profile/captivate-talent
- CulverCareers: https://culvercareers.com/, https://culvercareers.com/blog/sales-development/
- Alpha Apex Group: https://www.alphaapexgroup.com/sales-recruitment/tech-software, https://www.alphaapexgroup.com/blog/sales-recruiters-executive-search-firms
- SV Academy: https://sv-academy.squarespace.com/for-employers
- Activated Scale: https://www.activatedscale.com/feeds/service/sdr-hire
