Hire SDRs for Manufacturing & Industrial Sales
Full-time remote SDRs for industrial sales. They research OEMs, distributors and plants, follow up on RFQs and book meetings for your sales team.
What is a manufacturing SDR? A sales development rep who books meetings for your industrial sales team. They research OEMs, distributors and plants, find the buyers in procurement and engineering, and follow up on RFQs and quotes. Talentige hires them full-time and remote, only for you.
What does it cost? SDR pay runs $1,200–$2,000 a month. Go month-to-month from $2,000/mo with everything included, or pay the SDR directly plus a one-time placement fee. A US manufacturing sales rep costs about $8,600 a month fully loaded. You cut that by 72%.
How fast? You see tested SDR finalists in 5–8 days and can have one dialing in 1–2 weeks. We recruit across 57+ countries. Nothing is billed until you hire, and a 6-month replacement guarantee backs the placement.
Updated November 9, 2026 · By the Talentige recruitment team, recruiting international talent since 2015
How good industrial outreach sounds
| Motion | What good outreach sounds like | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| OEM pursuit | Mentions their platforms, volume programs and supplier approval steps | “Got 15 minutes?” openers that say nothing about the plant |
| Distributor recruitment | Talks margin, territory and training support | Treating a distributor like a one-off buyer |
| MRO / spare parts | Talks uptime, lead times and easy reorders | Pitching a big project for a parts reorder |
| CapEx projects | Stays patient on long deals. Talks to finance and engineering. | Pushing to close before the fit is clear |
| Trade-show follow-up | Follows up on booth talks and sample requests within 48 hours | Letting badge scans sit for weeks |
The industrial pipeline an SDR actually runs
Industrial deals take research, many contacts and steady RFQ follow-up. Your SDR runs that work every day, then hands meetings to your account executives.
- Account researchMap OEM lines, distributor branches, plants and recent RFQs or expansions.
- Stakeholder mappingFind the contacts in procurement, maintenance, engineering and operations.
- Calls, email and LinkedInMostly phone, with email and LinkedIn in between.
- RFQ / quote follow-upFollow up on open RFQs. Check timing, fit and who decides.
- Meeting handoffBook meetings for your AE, with notes, contacts and next steps in the CRM.
What the SDR does and what your sales team keeps
| Work | SDR owns | Sales / applications keep |
|---|---|---|
| Prospecting lists | Builds and works the account lists you approve | Sets target accounts, territories and who to skip |
| Discovery calls | Checks need, timing, contacts and fit | Deep technical discovery and demos |
| Pricing | Shares price ranges only if you allow it | Quotes, discounts, commercial terms |
| Technical objections | Writes them down and passes them on | Applications engineering answers |
| CRM truth | Keeps stages and contacts up to date | The forecast |
Follow up on trade-show leads and RFQs fast
Trade-show leads and RFQs go cold fast. Agree on a written rule: first contact within a set number of business hours. The SDR updates the record, then books a meeting, sends a technical question to your applications team or closes it out politely. An RFQ nobody works is a lost order.
- Sort real RFQs from people who just want a brochure
- Note competitors and the certifications the buyer needs
- Book your AE or engineers only when the fit is real
- Report every week: RFQs received, worked, moved forward and closed out
How much does a manufacturing SDR cost?
See this chart as a table
| Seat | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Talentige SDR · Mexico | $1.3–1.9k |
| Talentige SDR · offshore band | $1.2–2.0k |
| US SDR, loaded | ≈ $8.3k |
| US wholesale & mfg rep, loaded | ≈ $8.6k |
Choose month-to-month from $2,000/mo, all-inclusive, or pay your SDR directly plus a one-time placement fee. See pricing. Either way, the seat costs 72% less than a US rep.
Where we find industrial SDRs
Latin America works US hours and adds Spanish. North Africa adds French for buyers in Europe. The Philippines covers evening follow-ups and research. We hire in 57+ countries.
Calling hours that match your buyers
- Research and calls
- Sorting RFQs
- Booking meetings
- Clean CRM records
- Deep discovery
- Price and terms
- Forecast
- Technical fit
- Drawings and specs
- Hard technical questions
Build your industrial SDR seat
Pay nothing until you hire · 6-month replacement guarantee · Shortlist in 5–8 days · Hire in 1–2 weeks
Book a free hiring call →A day in the life of a manufacturing SDR
- Morning: clean up the CRM. Stale deals, late RFQ follow-ups, accounts with open quotes.
- Calling block: a call list sorted by hot RFQs, warm distributors and new plants.
- Midday: research. Add contacts to each account. Note certifications, approved supplier lists and expansion news.
- Afternoon: LinkedIn and email follow-ups. Confirm tomorrow’s AE meetings. Update the deal records.
- End of day: every deal has a next step, a date and an owner.
Your sales leader sets the activity targets. Industrial calls are fewer and longer than consumer sales calls. Good accounts and good notes matter as much as the number of dials.
Tell us your target accounts. We’ll build the scorecard.
Pay nothing until you hire · 6-month replacement guarantee · Shortlist in 5–8 days · Hire in 1–2 weeks
Book a free hiring call →ERP, CPQ and CRM tools we test for
Lead with ops systems
- ERP account and ship-to records (SAP, Oracle or yours). You see which systems each finalist has used.
- The CPQ or quoting tools you use
- RFQ inboxes and bid boards
- Distributor and OEM portals, with the access you allow
CRM still matters
- Salesforce, HubSpot or Dynamics, kept up to date
- Trade-show follow-up lists
- Meeting handoff notes for AEs
- Sequence tools, if you use them
Software names belong to their owners. Talentige is not affiliated with ERP or CRM vendors. Each finalist’s profile shows the tools they have really used.
How to coach your SDR in the first month
They get only the access they need. Your IT team keeps admin rights.
- Review the pipeline on target accounts every week
- Coach one hard call each week: procurement, a technical stall or a distributor conflict
- Clean the list every month. Drop accounts that don’t fit.
- Set clear rules for samples, drawings and anything under NDA
SDRs get better when managers listen to calls, not just dashboards. Listen to RFQ follow-ups and gatekeeper calls every week for the first month. Check the notes, check they don’t quote prices, and check your AE got a useful handoff.
Segment playbooks your SDR can run
Give each type of account its own written plan. Without one, outreach turns generic.
OEM accounts
Lead with platform fit, quality paperwork and capacity. Reach supplier quality, engineering and procurement. Expect long gaps between RFQs.
Distributors
Lead with open territory, training and help creating demand. Ask if they already carry a competing line and who decides the line card.
Plant / end-user MRO
Lead with uptime, on-time delivery and easy reorders. Find the maintenance planner and storeroom staff, not just purchasing.
Project / CapEx
Lead with the application fit, then bring in your engineers. Track the project stage. Don’t push for a close every week.
How we test industrial SDRs, and what to ask them
Tests before the shortlist
- English test, written and spoken
- Industrial terms check: RFQ, OEM, MRO, lead time, Incoterms
- Role play: getting past a procurement gatekeeper
- Role play: following up on an RFQ with no reply
- Writing CRM notes after a mock call
Ask finalists
- How do you reach several people at an OEM without annoying procurement?
- What changes in your sequence after a trade show?
- How do you decide an account is disqualified?
- Walk me through a handoff note your AE would thank you for.
- How do you handle a plant that wants pricing before discovery?
A degree helps, but role-play results decide who makes the shortlist.
What “vetted” means for your SDR shortlist
Every finalist passes our English test and live role plays before you meet them. If you want degree holders only, we filter for that too. What matters most: can they run an RFQ call, take clear notes and hand off cleanly to your AE?
- No “industrial expert” claims without a role play to prove it
- Real CRM and outreach-tool experience, shown
- Writing samples from mock follow-ups
- Background check on the person you choose
- Contract, Hubstaff time tracking and replacement terms in writing
Five checks before you meet anyone
- 01EnglishSpoken and written tests.
- 02Role playWorks an RFQ call and gets past a gatekeeper.
- 03ResearchMaps a real target account.
- 04CRM notesWrites notes your AE can use.
- 05Live callSounds right to a plant buyer.
What to track in the first 90 days
Their first 30 days
- Week 1Product and target accountsBattle cards, who to skip, claims they can’t make
- Week 2Calls with a coachLive call coaching on real accounts
- Week 3Own call blocksRuns their own call blocks, with AE feedback
- Week 4Pipeline reviewReview meeting quality and CRM notes together
How hiring works with Talentige
- Day 0 · Sales brief: target accounts, territories, languages, CRM and goals
- Days 1–5 · Sourcing and role plays: industrial role plays and English tests
- Days 5–8 · Shortlist: you interview finalists
- Week 1–2 · Hire: contract, Hubstaff and onboarding plan
No invoice until you hire. Every SDR comes with a 6-month replacement guarantee.
Manufacturing SDR FAQs
What does a manufacturing SDR do?
A manufacturing SDR researches target accounts like OEMs, distributors and plants. They find the buyers in procurement and engineering, follow up on RFQs and quotes, and book meetings for your sales team. They work full-time, only for you.
Do candidates need prior factory-floor experience?
No, unless you want it. We test industrial terms and judgment. Technical product questions go to your specialists. If plant experience is a must, we only shortlist people who have it.
Can they cover bilingual US–Mexico accounts?
Yes. Bilingual Spanish-English SDRs in Mexico and the rest of Latin America can work cross-border account lists. We agree on hours and languages in writing.
How do you test industrial SDRs?
English tests, an industrial terms check, live role plays (RFQ follow-up, gatekeeper, procurement pushback) and a CRM notes exercise. We choose on role-play results.
How much does a manufacturing SDR cost?
SDR pay is $1,200–$2,000 a month, depending on country and experience. Bilingual SDRs in Mexico earn $1,300–$1,900. A US wholesale and manufacturing sales rep costs about $8,600 a month with overhead. Pay us month-to-month from $2,000/mo, all-inclusive, or pay the SDR directly plus a one-time placement fee. That is 72% less than a US rep.
How fast can we hire a manufacturing SDR?
Finalists arrive in 5–8 days and you can hire in 1–2 weeks. There is no charge until you hire, and the first 6 months are covered by our replacement guarantee.
Will they attend trade shows?
No. Remote SDRs do research, outreach and meeting booking. They can follow up on every badge scan the same week. Booth staff is a separate hire.
What systems do they work in?
Your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot or Dynamics), your ERP and quoting tools, LinkedIn, email and your phone system. Each finalist’s profile shows the tools they have used.
Do they need to know our ERP or CPQ?
It helps. Tell us your ERP, CPQ and CRM. Each finalist’s profile shows which of those tools they have used, so you can pick someone who knows your setup.
Related pages: SDRs in Mexico · remote sales representatives · offshore SDR cost · SDR interview questions · freight forwarding assistants · pricing.
Sources: BLS May 2025 median pay for sales representatives; BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (1.43 overhead); Talentige SDR pay and pricing.