Outbound Squad
Kyle Coleman on AI, multi-threading, and the death of the SDR
Tue Jun 20 2023Description
The episode covers various aspects of the SDR model, personalized messaging, effective email communication, bringing insights to sales, the role of sales professionals and AI, the evolution of the SDR role with AI, leveraging AI tools in sales, and the evolving role of SDRs. It emphasizes the importance of personalization, research, and trust-building in sales. The future of the SDR position is discussed along with the potential impact of AI. AI is seen as a tool to enhance productivity and improve job performance.
Insights
Personalized messaging and research are key
Knowing your customer and tailoring messages never goes out of style. Personalization should be placed at the beginning of emails to increase open rates. Doing research and going the extra mile in prospecting is essential for attention and relevance.
Bringing insights from below the line to above the line
Sales professionals providing insights from below the line contacts to decision makers can save time and provide valuable information. Sharing insights about a person's own team or reaching out to large enterprises can add value. Conversations with RDR managers and surfacing insights are acceptable and helpful.
The evolving role of SDRs and AI
The SDR role is evolving into a truer inside sales function where SDRs manage trials, do more discovery, demos, and gain product knowledge. SDRs should sharpen their sales skills beyond prospecting. Leveraging AI tools and becoming involved in PLG or free trial motions is important. Human interaction is still crucial in software buying decisions.
AI as a tool to enhance sales
AI can replace volume-based approaches used by SDRs and help improve job performance. It can suggest people to include in deals, provide tactics for multi-threading, and increase productivity for individual reps. AI in sales enablement can sift through material and surface relevant information. Leveraging AI in sales engagement software aids email writing and provides quick access to relevant information during sales calls.
Chapters
- The Future of the SDR Model
- Personalized Messaging and Prospecting
- Effective Email Communication and Outreach Strategies
- Bringing Insights and Personalization to Sales
- The Role of Sales Professionals and AI in the Future
- The Role of AI in Sales Enablement
- The Evolution of the SDR Role with AI
- The Evolving Role of SDRs and AI Tools
- Leveraging AI in Sales Engagement
The Future of the SDR Model
00:01 - 06:57
- There's been a lot of talk about the future of the SDR model in tech.
- Many SDRs have been laid off and not replaced, leading to a trend of companies adopting full cycle sales teams.
- Clary has a unique approach where the SDR team rolls up into marketing.
- Sales engagement platforms have benefits but can lead to shortcuts that hinder effectiveness.
Personalized Messaging and Prospecting
06:27 - 13:00
- Personalized approach of knowing your customer and tailoring the messaging never goes out of style
- Sales engagement platforms offer shortcuts that can cannibalize outreach efforts
- Learning from credible sources is important to avoid falling into traps
- Applying principles from door-to-door sales to virtual interactions can be effective
- Building trust is crucial in financial sales and B2B selling
- Doing research and going the extra mile in prospecting is essential for attention and relevance
- Outbound outreach needs personalization to stand out amidst a flood of cold emails
- Highlighting something specific about the person or company in an email makes it more effective
Effective Email Communication and Outreach Strategies
12:36 - 19:04
- Having a reason to reach out is crucial for effective email communication.
- The first line of an email should prove that it is personalized and relevant to the recipient.
- Divide prospects into above the line decision makers and below the line personas for different outreach strategies.
- Creating meaningful and impactful messaging for above the line personas takes extra effort but is worthwhile.
- Sales professionals bringing insights from below the line folks up to above the line can provide valuable information to decision makers.
Bringing Insights and Personalization to Sales
18:45 - 25:13
- Sales professionals bringing insights from Below the line folks up to above the line is valuable because it saves time and provides valuable information.
- Sharing insights about the inner workings of a person's own team is valuable.
- Reaching out to large enterprises allows you to provide insights they may not have time to know.
- Investing time in learning about a buyer and their company shows dedication and adds value.
- When receiving an email with insights from an RDR, it can be forwarded to relevant team members for further action.
- Multi-threading is important in prospecting even after getting the first meeting.
- Having conversations with RDR managers and surfacing insights is acceptable and helpful.
- Not all C-level or VP-level people react the same way, but many trust their team members to do their job effectively.
The Role of Sales Professionals and AI in the Future
24:45 - 31:16
- The speaker's job is to hire the right people and trust them to do their jobs effectively.
- The speaker expects his director of revenue development, Maya, to stay updated on tools, processes, and best practices to improve her team's performance.
- Engaging with Maya and helping her deliver on pipeline goals and opportunities is seen as helpful and not a problem.
- When multi-threading, it's important to communicate with the main decision maker or persona you want to get attention from.
- Multi-threading can be effective when done properly and keeping executives in the loop empowers the team.
- Personalization and going above and beyond are important in outbound efforts.
- The future of the SDR position may change due to economic factors.
The Role of AI in Sales Enablement
30:48 - 37:23
- Curate the advice and processes you hear and separate the signal from the noise.
- To stand out among billions of emails, do things that others aren't doing.
- Be cautious when consuming LinkedIn and sales content; consider the source's experience and track record.
- Look for people with proven success and data points, not just a large following.
- Avoid shortcuts and seek advice that requires effort and learning.
- Quickly consume information but filter out what is good or bad.
- Consider social proof like reps' numbers or clients they've worked with.
- The SDR role won't die due to AI or robots stealing jobs.
The Evolution of the SDR Role with AI
37:11 - 44:08
- AI and robots will replace volume-based approaches and tactics used by SDRs.
- The SDR role will evolve, not die, with the help of AI.
- Leverage AI as a chief of staff to save time and improve job performance.
- AI is more like an Ironman suit than a Terminator, less likely to completely take over roles.
- Sales teams incorporating AI on a mass scale will be the next level of advancement.
- AI can suggest people to include in deals based on past successes.
- The next step is providing tactics and messaging for multi-threading deals.
- Increasing productivity for individual reps through AI technology is crucial.
- SDRs can become more valuable by taking on inside sales functions such as managing trials, discovery, and demos.
The Evolving Role of SDRs and AI Tools
43:39 - 50:18
- The SDR role is evolving into a truer inside sales function
- SDRs are managing trials, doing more discovery, demos, and gaining more product knowledge
- SDRs should sharpen their sales skills beyond prospecting to add more value to the sales process
- Individual contributors should learn how to leverage AI tools and become involved in PLG or free trial motions
- Human interaction is still crucial in software buying decisions
- SDR roles are becoming more like shepherds who help buyers make smart decisions
- Being pretty good in multiple areas is more valuable than being really good at one thing
- Many organizations are moving towards the inside sales rep model
- Incentives for SDRs can be misaligned with account executives' advice due to comp structures
- Using chat GPT can provide immediate benefits for sales teams in prospecting and research
- Clary leverages AI for meeting summaries and smart battle cards
Leveraging AI in Sales Engagement
49:50 - 56:04
- AI technology in sales enablement can sift through enablement material and surface relevant information to respond to comments or objections
- Wingman is a tool that provides quick access to customer stories, talking points, and other relevant information during sales calls
- Chat GPT can be used for persona-based pain point research by asking questions about top-of-mind topics for specific buyer titles in an industry
- AI can help bridge the gap between personalization and value proposition by generating analogies or segues based on personal interests or hobbies
- Leveraging AI in sales engagement software could aggregate recordings and recommend personas' interests based on conversations, aiding email writing
- The challenge in email writing is often knowing what to put in the email rather than the actual writing process
- AI engines like Clary's are designed to make sales professionals more productive and effective if leveraged properly