Tool · pipeline calculator
How many accounts do you need to contact to win one more order?
Put in your own rates, or start from ours. The calculator works forward from a target account list to orders, and compares the cost per meeting of an in-house hire with the Pipeline Engine. Nothing you enter leaves your browser; the link at the bottom saves your inputs in the address so you can share them.
- Drg no
- KSM-TL-01
- Sector
- ALL SECTORS
- Rev
- 1.0
- Date
- Status
- ISSUED FOR USE
Schedules 01 to 04
Run the numbers
| Ref | Input | Value | Default's source |
|---|---|---|---|
| I1 | Target accounts | 300 | KS Media plan: one list for one quarter |
| I2 | Contacts per account | 3 | Business plan: MD, sales or commercial director, and one more |
| I3 | Reply rate, % of contacts | 2.0% | KS Media planning target. Published medians are lower: see method |
| I4 | Replies that become a meeting | 25% | KS Media planning assumption: one meeting per four replies |
| I5 | Meetings that become an opportunity (a quote or tender) | 30% | Example. Replace with your own |
| I6 | Win rate on opportunities | 25% | Example. Replace with your own |
| I7 | Average order value, £ | £40,000 | Example. Replace with your own |
| Ref | Stage | Rate | Load | Bar, log scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Target accounts | Input | 300 | |
| L2 | Contacts | × 3 | 900 | |
| L3 | Replies | 2.0% | 18 | |
| L4 | Meetings | 25% | 4.5 | |
| L5 | Opportunities opened | 30% | 1.35 | |
| L6 | Orders | 25% | 0.34 | |
| L7 | Quote value opened | × £40,000 | £54,000 | |
| L8 | Order value | × £40,000 | £13,500 |
One list worked once rarely pays for itself on outbound alone. The numbers improve when accounts are chosen on live signals, when the list is refreshed every month, and when content, shows and referrals bring conversations in as well.
| Ref | Input | Value | Default's source |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | SDR base salary, £ a year | £30,000 | Coburg Banks, median UK SDR base, updated 13 July 2026 |
| C2 | SDR commission and bonus, £ a year | £15,000 | Coburg Banks gives OTE £40k to £50k; £15k takes the midpoint, £45k, less the £30k base |
| C3 | Employer's costs, tools and data, £ a year | £0 | Enter your own. Employer's National Insurance, pension, equipment, data and software vary by firm |
| C4 | Engine fee, £ a month | £3,000 | KS Media founding rate |
| Ref | Cost | In-house SDR | Pipeline Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| K1 | One quarter | £11,250 | £9,000 |
| K2 | Cost per meeting | £2,500 | £2,000 |
| K3 | A full year | £45,000 | £36,000 |
Over a year, the Pipeline Engine costs £9,000 less than an in-house SDR.
At the rates in schedule 01. One order is the question in the heading.
Accounts to contact in a year
889accounts
for 1 order a year at these rates.
A quarter
222accounts
in each quarter.
Meetings needed
13.3meetings
a year, at your opportunity and win rates.
The link holds your inputs, nothing else.
At the defaults: 300 accounts × 3 = 900 contacts. 900 × 2% = 18 replies. 18 × 25% = 4.5 meetings. 4.5 × 30% = 1.35 opportunities, worth £54,000 in quotes. 1.35 × 25% = 0.34 orders, worth £13,500. SDR quarter: (£30,000 + £15,000) ÷ 4 = £11,250, so £2,500 per meeting. Engine quarter: £9,000, so £2,000 per meeting.
Method
Where the defaults come from
The reply rate default, 2 percent of contacts, is KS Media's planning target, not a measured result. Published benchmarks are lower and count differently. Smartlead's median is 0.74 percent of contacts, with the top quarter at 1.43 percent, across more than 850 million emails. Instantly's 2025 average is 3.43 percent, but divides by emails sent rather than contacts. Both count every reply, including “no thanks”. Set the slider to 0.74 to see the median case.
The meeting rate, one meeting per four replies, is also a planning assumption. Opportunity rate, win rate and order value are examples: your own quote history is a better source than any default, and the Diagnostic works them out from it.
The SDR cost uses a recruiter's published UK figures, and leaves employer's costs at zero for you to fill in, because they vary too much by firm to guess. The comparison is of cost per meeting only. An SDR also does other work, and the Engine includes content and reporting an SDR doesn't.
- Smartlead, average cold email reply rate benchmarks, checked 1 October 2026.
- Instantly, Cold Email Benchmark Report 2026, data 1 January to 18 December 2025, checked 1 October 2026.
- Coburg Banks, Sales Development Representative salary UK 2026, updated 13 July 2026.
Pipeline maths for engineering firms
Outbound to named accounts
See the prices
Want this worked out from your own quote history?
That's the first week of the Pipeline Diagnostic.