About the Role
Enter the details of the sales position you're hiring for. All fields are used in the calculation.
Total Cost of This Bad Hire
$0
— × annual base salary
Compensation paid (salary + benefits est.)
—
Lost pipeline (quota gap during tenure)
—
Recruiting cost (this hire)
—
Onboarding & training sunk cost
—
Manager time diverted (est.)
—
Cost to replace & re-ramp
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How the calculation works
This calculator is based on the cost framework used by sales effectiveness researchers and referenced in Gartner and CSO Insights studies on sales hiring. The industry benchmark is that a failed sales hire costs 3× annual base salary — but the actual number is often higher when pipeline loss is included.
Compensation paid
Salary during tenure plus estimated 25% benefits load
Lost pipeline
Quota gap between attainment and 100%, prorated for tenure duration
Manager time
Estimated 15% of a $150K manager's time diverted to managing a struggling rep
Replacement cost
Recruiting + onboarding for the next hire, plus ramp-time gap in coverage