The True Cost of DIY Outbound
Most companies budget for salaries and stop there. This free interactive calculator shows what building outbound in-house actually costs a life science company in year one, with every default editable so the number is yours, not ours.
What the calculator includes
The people: choose whether a dedicated person or your field reps run outbound. For a dedicated team, enter team size, base salary per person (default $60,000 for a dedicated hire; $85,000 is the default for field reps), and a fully-loaded multiplier for benefits, payroll tax, and equipment (typically 20-30%). If field reps run it, their salaries are already paid, so the cost is the selling time they give up plus software. The calculator derives each rep's hourly cost from their fully-loaded salary, shows an outbound coverage bar comparing their combined prospecting hours to a full-time outbound effort, and lets you view the total as a yearly or monthly figure. The tool stack: general data and enrichment (Apollo, ZoomInfo, Clay), life-science-specific data (SciLeads, GlobalData, typically $1,500/month), LinkedIn Sales Navigator, sequencing platforms, deliverability and warmup tooling, domains and inboxes, and email verification. Per-person licenses multiply by team size, and a realistic stack runs $2,000+/month. Ramp time: outbound typically takes months before it produces pipeline, and cost accrues the whole time. Results can be turned into a shareable link that opens the calculator with your exact inputs, ready to send to a CFO or co-founder.
Why the real number is bigger than the salary
A $60,000 salary typically becomes $75,000+ fully loaded, plus $25,000+/year in software, spent for months before pipeline shows up. If closers run outbound part-time, the opportunity cost can add tens of thousands more. The calculator shows the transparent math behind every component, with nothing double-counted and nothing inflated.
Compare against outsourcing
An outsourced partner that already owns the tool stack, and has sent 1.5M+ emails across 100+ life-science companies, removes the software cost, the ramp period, and the closer opportunity cost. Enter a monthly retainer quote you're considering and see the delta against your DIY number. Want us to run the real numbers for your team? Book a strategy call at https://calendly.com/d/4cj-hfm-4mq/book-a-strategy-call