If you spend five minutes on LinkedIn right now you’ll see two dominant narratives in sales:
- AI is replacing SDRs
- Every SaaS company thinks they’ve cracked the code on selling
But when you actually talk to operators running revenue teams, the story looks a little different. Sales development is evolving fast. Buyers are harder to convince internally. And the playbooks a lot of sellers still use… honestly haven’t caught up.
Why Is OpenAI Still Hiring SDRs?
AI is supposedly killing SDRs. So why is OpenAI hiring a Head of Sales Development? They’re not replacing it. They’re actually scaling it. Don’t believe me? See for yourself.
So what’s actually going on? Most people are confusing motion with ownership. AI will absolutely kill a lot of the motion SDRs do:
- list building
- research
- first-touch outreach
- follow-ups
- scheduling
That’s the repetitive work. But the function doesn’t disappear, it evolves. Someone still has to:
- design the outbound strategy
- orchestrate humans + AI
- decide where automation works and where it breaks
- own pipeline creation
I’m not seeing great companies hire armies of SDRs anymore. I see them building pipeline machines, where AI runs the motion and humans run the strategy. And I don't know if most people are ready for that.
AI is changing how pipeline gets built. But there’s another problem that’s been around a lot longer, and most sales teams haven’t figured it out.
Why Most Deals Die After the Demo
Calling out SaaS sellers: your buyer enablement sucks. As a CRO armed with a big budget, I'm on a mission to invest in game-changing technology. But, let's get real for a moment, I've got a bone to pick with all you SaaS sellers out there:
YOU HAVE TO ENABLE YOUR BUYERS
You might think your sales process is a breeze:
- Discovery
- Demos
- More Demos
- Contract
- Close
But it's high time we give it a makeover. Here's the reality check:
- Discovery
- Demos
- VALUE ASSESSMENT
- Contract
- Close
Seriously, folks. In today's challenging economy, you honestly think you can just demo your way into my wallet? Do you really believe that after a barrage of demos, I'll just hit "buy now"?
Think again my friend. I've got to sell this stuff internally, and that's where you need to step up your game. Every purchase requires:
- Current State: Help me explain & show how bad things are
- Future State: Help me paint a picture of how amazing things can be
- ROI Model: Project that return on investment, even if it's a bit of an exercise in creative math.
Don’t kid yourself into thinking you’ve enabled the buyer because you:
- Sent over the same generic deck you use for everyone
- Forwarded the Gong recording no one internally will ever watch
- Said “let me know if you need anything” and disappeared
That's lazy stuff. I need custom stuff. You've got to empower the buyer to be an internal superhero and convince their teams that this is THE solution. If you don't, well, you're leaving it all up to the buyer. And trust me, you'll end up hosting a 'Project Cancellation Party.' That's just a fancy way of saying 'YOU SUCK' for not aiding me in selling it internally, despite my HUGE pain.
Look, help your buyers make the switch. You've got a killer product; now, enable us to be the heroes in our organizations.
All of this change happening in sales development is also creating a lot of confusion for people in the role. I had a conversation about this recently that stuck with me.
What the Best SDR Teams Are Doing With AI
A friend told me the other day he’s scared he’s falling behind in the world of SDR.
- It's just changing so fast...
- AI apparently replacing every SDR on earth
- A startup inventing a new brand new sales role
- Another outbound “framework” on LinkedIn
He said he doesn’t even know who to follow anymore or where to start learning. And honestly… I get it. There is a lot going on.
So we decided to do something about it. We’re hosting a virtual event called the AI SDR Summit.
- No paid tickets
- No paid speakers
- No sponsors pitching their software.
Just operators & thought leaders sharing what’s actually working in modern sales development. Now we need the best people in SDR land. Who should we invite to speak? Who are the operators pushing the craft forward right now?
Shoot me a message or comment, so we can make sure the best voices are part of it.
The Most Awkward Moment in Business
The most awkward moment in business has nothing to do with AI. It’s the hug vs handshake decision. You know the moment. Suddenly you're stuck in that weird half-hug where nobody knows where their arms are supposed to go.
For years I was a hug guy. Then the pandemic happened and we all discovered the fist bump, which felt like the safest diplomatic option humanity has ever created.
Now we’re in this strange middle ground. Some people are still hugging. Some are firmly handshake. Others just hover awkwardly waiting for the other person to make the first move. It’s basically a real-time social negotiation.
Personally, I’ve drifted back to the safe zone: Handshake. Fist bump. High probability of avoiding the awkward half-hug. But I’m heading to a few events over the next few weeks, so I’m curious… Where do you land in the great workplace greeting debate?
Handshake, hug, fist bump...or the dangerous “wait and see” strategy.
Sales development is evolving fast. AI is changing how pipeline gets created. Buyers need more help selling internally. And a lot of people in the profession are still figuring out what the future looks like.
That’s exactly why we’re hosting the AI SDR Summit on April 9. If SDR, outbound, or pipeline creation matter to you this year, it’s probably worth showing up.
Don’t half-hug your SDR strategy ;)
