Who AI SDRs Work for and Why (Collin Cadmus Insights)

Artificial intelligence is going to play a massive role in the future of sales. That much is undeniable.

But let’s clear something up right away. This isn’t about AI replacing salespeople.

That’s the wrong question.

The right question is: 

This is about hyper-efficiency and smart automation. It’s about taking what works, scaling it, and giving human SDRs the freedom to do what AI can’t, like handling nuance or closing revenue.

AI SDRs aren’t for everyone

I want to bust myths and address misconceptions, especially in a world where LinkedIn is full of rage-bait and hot takes from people who’ve never actually used these tools or weren’t in a position to benefit from one in the first place.

The reality is much simpler: AI SDRs and even AI BDRs do work, but only for the right companies with the right situation.

AI SDRs aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, the best AI SDR companies today are disqualifying more prospects than they’re qualifying.

That might sound counterintuitive, but it’s exactly how it should be.

Here’s when AI SDRs do make sense:

• You’ve already figured out your outbound.
• Your sales process is repeatable and consistently successful.
• You know your buyer, your ICP, and your GTM messaging inside and out.

If this doesn’t describe you, then AI isn’t your shortcut to success. The same is true is you’re still experimenting or building your sales motions.

AI won’t fix:

• Broken outbound
• Your value prop
• Your messaging

But if you have a working system, AI can plug any gaps, scale what you’re doing, and shoulder some of the heavy lifting.

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What AI SDR success looks like: Fortune 500 case study

Here’s what an AI SDR looks like when it works.

There’s a Fortune 500 company that helps enterprise teams build and manage complex data systems. Their demand gen team was struggling with low response rates and scaling manual outreach. Sales pipeline growth just wasn’t where it needed to be.

That’s when they turned to AiSDR.

Over 4.5 months, they sent ~8,000 emails and saw:

• Cold multi-touch campaigns using email, LinkedIn, and social triggers got a 1.67% positive reply rate.
• Event-based campaigns inviting prospects to private events hit 6.19% positive replies.

That’s not magic. That’s what happens when you take a working system and add AI to scale it with precision.

Fixing broken outbound with AI

Too many teams bring an AI SDR into the mix hoping AI will “figure it out” for them.

But if your process isn’t already generating consistent results, AI won’t fix it. Instead, it will help you do the wrong things faster.

Think back to the early days of sales engagement platforms. A lot of people thought they were too robotic and unnatural. But they worked so well that they eventually became standard practice.

AI SDRs are on the same path. 

The only difference is you need a solid foundation to start with.

Without that clarity, there won’t be any lift.

Emotions are getting in the way

Generally speaking, there are two camps leading the AI SDR debate:

1. People who hate the idea of AI SDRs.
2. People who hate the idea of hiring SDRs.

Here’s my hot take.

Both camps are wrong.

The conversation shouldn’t be about what we like or dislike. It should be about what works, and what makes financial sense.

There are many cases where AI SDRs are more cost-effective and scalable than building out a in-house team of human SDRs.

But here’s the nuance that’s frequently missed: There are even more cases where AI SDRs won’t work. Yet.

And that’s what makes this space so exciting. The ICP is narrow right now, but it’s real. And over time, that fit is only going to widen as the technology matures.

Test, tune, & disqualify

That’s why you can’t just jump in and make an AI SDR automate everything.

You’ve got to test the waters. Tune your use case. And disqualify yourself if the timing or motion isn’t right.

While some AI SDR providers will step in and disqualify you, the 11x situation shows that there are also some AI SDR companies that will happily take your money even if they haven’t seen reliable success.

AI SDRs aren’t a silver bullet, but they are a power tool that saves time, builds pipeline, and scales what works.

And if they’re used poorly, they just amplify chaos.

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