OK9: AI in Outbound: Why AI SDR Effectiveness is Overrated

Listen now on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple.

On this episode, we talk about:

• Outbound isn't dead

• AI in outbound, and why AI SDR Effectiveness is Overrated

• How you can start using AI in your outbound strategy

Discover why AI SDRs may not be the silver bullet for outbound sales strategies. Learn how go-to-market AI tools can enhance your sales pipeline optimization without sacrificing the human touch. Perfect for founders and GTM leaders looking to revolutionize their B2B Outbound Sales approach.

Who is Jordan Crawford?

• GTM Strategist, and Founder of Blueprint

Some takeaways:

1. Understanding your market and showing real empathy beats automation in outbound sales.

2. Most AI SDR tools are missing the mark by focusing on the wrong problems. AI SDRs are a bad idea: Jordan believes that AI SDRs are ineffective because they can't excel at all component parts of the sales process.

3. AI can replace about 90% of SDR tasks, but the crucial 10% still requires human insight and empathy.

4. Personalization doesn't equal more pipeline: Contrary to popular belief, more personalization doesn't necessarily lead to better results in outbound sales. Prioritization is more important than personalization in outbound sales.

5. "Spam the TAM" approach is flawed: Jordan argues against the idea of reaching out to the entire Total Addressable Market (TAM) without proper prioritization.

6. The effectiveness of outbound sales often suffers from a lack of understanding of the ideal customer profile (ICP) and market conditions.

---

Connect with Jordan:

• On LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordancrawford/⁠

• Subscribe to his YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@BlueprintGTM

Buy Jordan's course: Agent 7 - Jordan Crawford's Clay AI Agent Finding Course

• ⁠Overview of the course⁠

• ⁠Course payment link⁠

Chapters

00:00 Intro on AI in outbound

00:45 The Outbound is Dead Debate

02:24 Challenges in Outbound

07:47 The Role of AI in Sales

09:08 The Flaws of AI SDRs

15:28 Effective Data Utilization in Outbound

27:26 Finding Hidden Data Sources

32:28 Debating the Future of SDRs and AI

33:09 Human Psychology in Sales Teams

34:44 Rippling's Dual Approach to Sales

35:49 The Role of AI in Sales Research

38:05 Practical Steps to Implement AI Agents

39:26 Building Effective AI Agents

40:05 Tools and Techniques for AI Agents

41:35 Advanced AI Agent Strategies

53:25 The Importance of Cold Calls