--- title: "SDR Pay and What Comes Next in Your Career | Skipcall" description: "Base, variable, OTE, accelerators: how to read an SDR comp plan, what you can negotiate, and how to prepare the move to Account Executive." url: https://skipcall.io/en/academy/sdr/pay-and-career language: en --- [Stage 7 · Measure and grow](https://skipcall.io/en/academy/sdr) # Pay and what comes next A compensation plan reads like a contract: what you are promised, on what conditions, and what happens when you beat target. This lesson teaches you to read it, then to look past the role. 6 min +50 XP 2/3 [Academy](https://skipcall.io/en/academy/sdr) 0 % Rookie · 0 XP ## Base, variable, OTE: the vocabulary Base is what you earn no matter what. Variable is what you earn if you hit your targets. OTE (on-target earnings) is the sum of both at 100% attainment: that is the number job postings show. A $60,000 OTE with a 70% base means $42,000 guaranteed and $18,000 to go and get. For an SDR, variable is most often triggered by meetings held or qualified, sometimes by pipeline generated, more rarely by signatures they do not control. Always ask what exactly the variable is computed on, and who validates qualification. ## Thresholds, accelerators and floors Three mechanisms change the real value of a plan. The floor: below a certain attainment (often 50 to 70%), nothing is paid. The accelerator: above 100%, each meeting pays more. The cap: some plans stop paying above a level, which is the sign of a badly designed plan. The site’s variable pay simulator shows what a plan yields at your attainment, and what it costs from the manager’s seat. Use it before signing, and every quarter to see where you stand. - Floor: check at what attainment the variable starts. - Accelerator: ask for the rate above 100%. - Cap: if there is one, ask why. - Frequency: monthly, quarterly, and the payment delay. ## What you can negotiate At hiring, base moves little for a first role, but the definition of a qualified meeting, the payment frequency and the ramp period are always negotiable. A reduced target for the first three months (for example 50%, 75%, 100%) protects your variable while you learn the product and the list. Ask for the team’s actual attainment too: if nobody reaches 100%, the posted OTE is only a promise. A serious manager will tell you straight. ## What comes next: AE, AM or manager The SDR role is designed as a step. The most common practice in structured teams is a review after twelve to twenty-four months, with three possible paths: Account Executive (running the sale end to end), Account Manager (growing existing customers) or leading an SDR team. These are patterns seen in teams, not statistics. To get there, three proofs matter more than tenure: targets hit several quarters in a row, meetings the salespeople value (ask them), and a visible contribution to the team’s method, scripts, objections, coaching newcomers. Ask about the progression plan at the hiring interview. ## Key takeaways - OTE = base + variable at 100% attainment. Compare bases between offers, not OTEs. - Floor, accelerator, cap and payment frequency change the real value of a plan. - At hiring, negotiate the qualified meeting definition and a three-month ramp. - What comes next (AE, AM, manager) is earned through targets hit, valued meetings and a contribution to the method. ## Check what you remember Question 1 of 4 One correct answer per question. The explanation appears after your choice. A $60,000 OTE with a 70% base means… ## Go further - [SDR variable pay simulator What you earn at your attainment, and what the plan costs the manager.](https://skipcall.io/en/tools/sdr-variable-pay-simulator) - [SDR commission structure Plan models, their effects and their traps.](https://skipcall.io/en/blog/sdr-commission-structure) - [SDR career path AE, account manager, manager: the three paths and how to prepare.](https://skipcall.io/en/blog/sdr-career-path) A term you are not sure about? [The cold calling glossary](https://skipcall.io/en/academy/cold-calling-glossary)