Five ways to get a rep selling. Here’s who does what.
A sales recruiter, an appointment-setting agency, a fractional VP of sales, an in-house sales manager, or us. Who employs the rep, who runs them every day, and what you keep if you stop.
Who employs the rep, and who runs them.
Use a recruiter if you’ll manage the rep yourself. Use an agency if you need meetings next week. Use a fractional VP of sales if you have reps and need senior direction part-time. Hire a sales manager once the team keeps one busy full time. Use us if you want a rep on your payroll, recruited and run every day.
| Option | Who employs the rep | Who finds the rep | Who runs the rep day to day | How you pay | What you keep if you stop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales recruiter | You | The recruiter | You | A percentage of first-year pay, often around 30% | The rep |
| SDR agency | The agency | The agency | The agency, for the agency | A monthly fee per rep | The meetings booked. The rep and process leave. Ask who owns the data |
| Fractional VP of sales | You | Ask. Not always included | Part-time, if it’s in the contract | A monthly or hourly fee | Ask who owns the playbook and the CRM |
| In-house sales manager | You | You, or a recruiter for a fee | Your manager | $110K to $160K a year all-in, plus recruiter fees | The rep; one manager who can walk |
| Icebreaker | You. Your employee, on your payroll | We do. Salespeople only | We do, every day | $3,500 to start the search, $3,500 a month once your rep starts | The rep, comp plan, CRM, playbook and data |
Except with an agency, you also pay the rep’s salary and commission. Full pricing, more reps and the monthly cap →
A sales recruiter
A recruiter finds the salesperson and is done the day your rep starts. Most charge a percentage of first-year pay, often around 30%.
The right choice when you’ll manage the rep every day yourself, and the pay plan, script, list and CRM are ready.
Watch for what happens after day one. It’s all on you.
If you have the management covered, we also recruit only. See recruiting only.
An appointment-setting (SDR) agency
An outsourced SDR agency employs its own reps and books meetings for you. You pay a monthly fee per rep.
The right choice when you need meetings on the calendar next week. We don’t do that.
Watch for what you keep. The rep stays theirs. When you stop, the rep and the process leave. Ask who keeps the data and the lists.
Despite the “Sales Development” in our name, we’re not an SDR agency. The rep we recruit is your employee, on your payroll, and finds the leads and closes them.
A fractional VP of sales
A fractional VP of sales, or fractional sales manager, is an experienced sales leader you hire for part of the week. They set direction, build the process and, depending on the contract, run the team.
The right choice when you already have several reps and need a senior leader to set direction.
Watch for three things: how much of their week you actually get, whether recruiting is included, and who owns the playbook and the CRM when the contract ends.
We’re a fractional sales management firm too, with two differences. We recruit the rep onto your payroll ourselves. And we run that rep every day, for a capped monthly fee, not by the hour.
Already have reps and no one running them? Our coaching and systems service does that without a new hire.
An in-house sales manager
A full-time sales manager is another full salary, $110K to $160K a year all-in, before their first hire. You still pay recruiters, often around 30% of first-year pay.
The right choice when you have a team big enough to keep a manager busy, and a system for them to run.
Watch for hiring a manager to fix a rep who has nothing built around them. Now two hires have to work out.
When your team outgrows us, we recruit your in-house manager for you. Growing past us is the plan.
Icebreaker
Icebreaker Sales Development is a sales recruiting and fractional sales management firm in Brooklyn, NY, for owner-led B2B companies. We recruit a salesperson onto your payroll, build the comp plan, script, list and CRM around them, and run them every day.
The right choice when you run an owner-led business, usually $1M to $5M in revenue, and you’re still doing most of the selling. You’ve had a sales hire flop, or you can’t afford your first one to.
Not a fit if you want a commission-only rep, or you need meetings on the calendar next week. Also not a fit if the role isn’t a sales role, or you don’t have 30 minutes for the weekly review.
$3,500 to start the search, $3,500 a month once your rep starts. Take the 2-minute fit check or see how it works.
What owners ask when they compare.
What’s the difference between a sales recruiter and a fractional sales manager?
Is Icebreaker a recruiter or an SDR agency?
Is a fractional VP of sales worth it for a small company?
How does Icebreaker’s price compare with a recruiter’s?
Should I hire a sales manager or outsource sales management?
Find out which one fits your business.
Tell Abe what you’ve tried. If we can’t help, we say so on the first call.
$3,500 to start the search, $3,500 a month once your rep starts. See pricing
Not sure yet? Take the 2-minute fit check