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Today, I'm joined by Matt Roberts, Head of Sales Development at Mosaic, who shares his journey of building an outbound sales team from scratch.
Btw, this is Matt’s second time on the show, and we used to work together in the SDR team at Chili Piper.
He discusses his approach to understanding the finance space, defining ICP, crafting effective messaging, and scaling to 10 BDRs.
Matt reveals how he managed executive expectations, prioritized accounts, and created systems that led to impressive results. His candid insights about what worked, what didn't, and what he'd do differently provide a masterclass in building high-performing outbound teams.
3 biggest takeaways:
Define your own ICP through customer research
Prioritization of accounts drives rep performance
Phone skills remain critical for career advancement
Who is Matt Roberts?
Head of Sales Development at Mosaic (acquired by HiBob)
More context about the SDR team:
ACV: $32k
Industries: B2B SaaS
Buyer personas: finance leaders
Markets: North America
2024: $2.6m ARR sourced from 7 fully ramped BDRs, $18.1m pipeline generated
From 0 outbound at all to 2,300 meetings booked, and 1,800 opps created 3 years later
Connect with Matt:
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewpaulroberts5/
Some takeaways:
Define your own ICP through customer conversations
Most outbound leaders just take the ICP from marketing or the CEO. Big mistake. Matt spent his first weeks talking to Mosaic’s happiest customers, not the biggest ones, to find out who actually loved the product.
His takeaway? “The CEO’s ICP is way different from what marketing says.”
So, build your own based on real customer conversations, not assumptions.
Account Selection > Everything Else
Matt found the biggest difference in rep performance came from account selection. Same training, same sequences, totally different results, just because one rep picked better accounts. That’s why he built a rigorous account scoring system instead of leaving reps to chase random leads.
Set Realistic Expectations from Day 1
Before even accepting the role, Matt made sure leadership (CEO and boar members) understood pipeline wouldn’t magically appear in month one. Too many CEOs think hiring an outbound leader = instant pipeline. Wrong.
He made it clear: “I don’t want the expectation to be that in month one or two, pipeline is already flowing, because that’s not real.”
Stop Playing “Outbound Whack-a-Mole”
Too many teams try something for a few weeks, don’t see results, and kill it. Matt refused to fall into that trap.
Phone Skills Are Non-Negotiable despite email success
Matt’s team crushed it with email and LinkedIn.
But his biggest regret? Not forcing more cold calls.
Not for pipeline. For career growth.
“Verbal communication is so important, and getting into an AE role is way tougher if you’re just a good email writer.”
This flips the modern SDR playbook on its head.
Most leaders let reps lean into what works best for them. Matt says push them out of their comfort zones, because what makes a great SDR isn’t what makes a great AE.
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Matt Roberts and Mosaic's Success
(00:43) Matt's Initial Priorities at Mosaic
(02:19) Understanding the Market and Customers
(08:52) Defining and Refining ICP
(16:49) Managing Expectations with Leadership
(25:12) Unexpected Hiring Success
(27:56) Onboarding and Training Strategies
(31:56) Scaling the Team: Processes and Systems
(40:48) Leveraging AI in Sales
(45:01) Reflections and Future Improvements
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