The resurgence of Outbound: AI and the evolution of the SDR

Read the full transcript here:

Cut out what we don't need... Are you going to have windy pops all the way through this.

Yeah, you'll have to cut that out Emma.

Is it going to keep repeating?

And don't edit that back in by the way. Don't use that as your funny little quip at the start!

Today we're going to talk about outbound. It’s a topic that often goes under the radar—not discussed as much as inbound or other marketing tactics.

[00:55]
We're seeing a lot more interest in outbound from existing clients and prospects. There are probably a number of reasons for that.

[01:07]
We always talk about the economy—uncertainty, slow growth. As a result, there are fewer opportunities.

[01:15]
More people are turning to outbound to accelerate growth and find more opportunities. This goes against some conventional wisdom, especially on LinkedIn, where the focus tends to be on brand.

[01:33]
What we wanted to do today was get into why outbound is seeing a resurgence and how it differs from traditional approaches.

[01:44]
It’s worth touching on why outbound often goes under the radar. I think it’s pure snobbery—it’s not as fashionable.

[02:11]
It’s not always attractive for marketing teams to admit that outbound is an important part of their strategy.

[02:19]
That means it often gets neglected. It’s got a reputation issue.

[02:32]
Many clients have maintained an SDR (Sales Development Representative) outbound cold-calling approach since the dawn of inbound.

[02:44]
Some people claim outbound is dead, but the most successful marketing functions combine different tactics in an interconnected way.

[03:12]
Inbound, outbound, referrals, events—when asked what’s the best source of leads, the answer is “all of them.”

[03:42]
Not everyone has the resources for a full multi-channel approach, so it’s important to choose wisely where to invest.

[03:52]
The SDR function is essential. We’ve worked with clients with and without SDRs, and there’s a marked difference in performance.

[04:06]
Having that bridge between marketing and sales improves lead generation, qualification, and closing.

[04:16]
Without it, things fall through the cracks. The SDR is the vital cog.

[04:33]
Direct salespeople don’t want to do the prospecting. If someone can serve them leads at the right time, they’ll be happy.

[04:48]
That raises the question—how is the SDR role changing?

[05:00]
Historically, it’s been viewed as a junior stepping stone role, but its growing importance means experienced people are now more effective in the role.

[05:34]
The SDR function is often poorly defined. I believe it deserves to be its own team—not quite sales, not quite marketing.

[06:13]
Often, SDRs lack dedicated resources and tech. That makes them ineffective in today’s outbound landscape.

[06:43]
It’s no longer a numbers game. SDRs need the right focus and investment.

[06:59]
We’ve seen it work best when marketing, SDRs, and sales work as one cohesive growth team.

[07:27]
Disjointed functions are a problem. Leads get passed at the wrong time—like every webinar attendee going to SDRs regardless of qualification.

[08:32]
Poor integration between SDR, marketing, and sales causes issues.

[08:41]
The SDR function is here to stay. It never really went away, despite people claiming it did.

[09:11]
The pandemic made SDR work harder. People are harder to reach, and call volume is down.

[10:03]
Traditional outbound meant working through a prospect list. It was about volume.

[10:30]
Rejection is tough. No wonder people want to move into field sales. But now, SDR is becoming a celebrated career.

[11:00]
It’s being professionalized. Done right, it’s effective. Today it’s about prioritization, personalization, and context.

[11:40]
Quality over quantity. Tech enables this through intent data, signals, and multi-channel tools.

[12:09]
Signals are events in a prospect’s professional life that suggest they might be more receptive—like a new job, promotion, or funding round.

[13:08]
You can then prioritize who to reach out to. Strategically think through the buyer journey.

[14:10]
Aggregating and acting on that data at scale has always been hard. AI is changing that.

[14:41]
With tools like ZoomInfo and Sixth Sense, you can see surges in interest. Buyer intent data is also key.

[15:06]
Analyze site visit frequency and behavior. Use AI to prioritize outreach effectively.

[15:34]
It’s no longer just about making calls. SDRs need to be skilled in email, LinkedIn, and automation tools.

[16:07]
A multi-channel approach is now critical. SDRs must be strong communicators both on the phone and in writing.

[17:02]
We’ve covered prioritization, multi-channel outreach, personalization, and contextualization.

[17:32]
Those first 30 seconds on a call are crucial. Personalization makes a big difference.

[18:20]
Generic calls don’t work. If someone researches you, you’re more likely to listen.

[19:48]
A personalized opening based on accurate research builds trust and receptiveness.

[21:30]
Outbound used to be a Yellow Pages numbers game. Thankfully, it’s evolving. But some companies still use outdated tactics.

[22:03]
AI is helping, but we can’t fully automate human insight. SDRs are still vital.

[22:58]
If a podcast was AI-generated with no effort, people wouldn’t want to listen. Same goes for outreach.

[23:22]
With effort—signals, personalization, multi-channel—you have better, warmer conversations.

[24:19]
Videos, voice notes, LinkedIn messages—all improve engagement. AI makes it scalable.

[24:38]
To sum up: outbound is undervalued but effective. Let’s drop the snobbery and do it right.

[25:18]
SDRs can be a marketer’s best friend. A strong SDR function bridges the marketing-sales gap.

[26:15]
Cold calling’s bad rep stems from outdated methods. We need to modernize with data, tech, and collaboration.

[26:47]
Let’s ditch the Yellow Pages mindset. With the right tools, we can make outbound precise, personalized, and effective.