Principled Pitch
Home · Guides
Sales development guide

How to reduce SDR meeting no-shows: six steps and one number to track

Meetings booked but not held? Module 5 of the SDR Programme Playbook has a KPI library and a sample leadership dashboard. Module 4 covers the SDR to AE handover. £29 + VAT.

A no-show wastes a rep's call time and an AE's calendar.

Work out what an SDR costs you at your quota. Free calculator, runs in the browser.Open the calculator

Six steps

  1. Confirm the meeting before you hang up. Repeat the date, time and who is attending.
  2. Send the invite straight away. Include a clear title and a link or location.
  3. State the purpose in one line. People attend meetings that have a reason.
  4. Send a short reminder the day before. Offer a way to reschedule.
  5. Send a second reminder on the day. Keep it to one line.
  6. Give the AE the notes. See the handoff notes guide.
Free: the SDR KPI Cheat Sheet. The KPI tree, 15 sourced benchmarks, an early warning checklist and a capacity model. Two printable pages. Get it free

An example reminder

"Hi [name], a reminder of our call tomorrow at [time]. We will look at [purpose]. If the time no longer works, reply and I will move it."

Cadences, onboarding and KPIs in one Notion workspace.
The SDR Programme PlaybookCadences, onboarding and KPIs in one Notion workspace.14 modules and 6 working trackers to build, run and fix the team.
See inside

Track the show rate

Show rate is meetings held divided by meetings booked. Count it every week by rep. Review it in the weekly report. If a rep's rate is far below the team, listen to how they confirm meetings.

Count meetings held, not booked

Pay and quota on meetings held and accepted. It removes the reason to book meetings that will not happen. See SDR KPIs and benchmarks.

When a buyer does not show

Next step: get the free SDR KPI cheat sheet for the full measures.

Questions

How do you reduce no-shows on SDR meetings?

Confirm the date and purpose on the call. Send an invite at once. Remind the buyer the day before and on the day. Pass full notes to the AE.

What is a show rate?

Meetings held divided by meetings booked. Track it weekly by rep.

Should SDRs be paid on meetings booked or held?

Held and accepted. It removes the reason to book meetings that will not happen.

SDR meeting handoff notes

Seven fields an AE needs before accepting a meeting.

SDR and BDR KPIs

What to measure, and 2024-2025 benchmarks to sense-check against.

SDR weekly report template

Six numbers on one page.

The SDR Programme Playbook

Turn this into a programme you can run

Module 5 has a KPI library and a sample leadership dashboard. Module 4 covers the SDR to AE handover. £29, one payment, plus VAT for UK and EU buyers.

Get the playbookSee what's inside

Tune every number to your market, deal size and sales cycle.