ramp

Ramp

The period during which a new employee — most often a salesperson — is building toward full productivity. A 'ramping rep' is not yet at quota. 'Time to ramp' is how long it takes to get there.

When you'd see it: Sales planning and headcount modeling. 'We're adding 10 reps in Q1, but they won't be fully ramped until Q3' means the revenue impact is delayed. Also used in revenue forecasts — ramping reps are assigned partial quota contributions during the ramp period (50% in month 1-3, 75% in month 4-6, 100% after).

Why it matters: Ramp time determines how quickly new headcount converts to revenue. A 6-month ramp vs. a 3-month ramp halves the near-term revenue contribution of each hire. Sales leaders obsess over reducing ramp time through better onboarding, tooling, and territory design.

Common mistakes: Modeling new rep headcount as immediately at-quota in revenue forecasts. This inflates near-term projections and creates missed forecast surprises. Always apply ramp curves to new hire revenue contributions.

Related headcount, runway, OTE