AI isn't going to replace SDRs. It just isn't.
You're only going to hear that argument from someone who doesn't run an SDR team.
We have tons of clients at Outbound Squad generating millions in qualified pipeline and closed/won deals from SDRs.
⛔️ AI agents will replace SMB outbound SDRs
Nope. Kyle Norton and Owner.com are a great case study on this. Their ACV is $5-10k. And their SDR org is highly profitable.
They use AI and RevOps to remove all the busy work from the SDRs:
- SDRs don't build lists
- AI helps find personalization snippets & triggers
- AI identifies similar customers to name drop
All in all, their SDRs are able to spend more time dialing and less time being professional list builders.
THAT is the future of AI and SDRs.
⛔️ AI agents will replace inbound SDRs
If by "inbound," you mean "demo request"—yes, that'll be replaced. There hasn't been a need for a human to intervene in this process for many years now. Let the buyer book the meeting as soon as they sign up. You can also disqualify or cancel the meeting later.
Inbound to me is everything outside of a demo request and pure cold outbound. It's the webinar sign-ups, case study downloads, etc.
Orgs are making a BIG mistake by leaving MQL conversion up to an AI agent.
These AI agents can send DMs and emails, but they're not going to engage buyers on the phone. That's where most of the magic happens.
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But here's a truth we believe in: there isn't room for mediocre SDRs anymore.
If you're only capable of mass blasting emails, you will be replaced. But that's been coming for a long time.
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