Episode #22: AI, Growth Mindset, and the Evolution of SDRs - Kyle Coleman
SDRs aren't dead just yet.
“…look at the white space in [a] calendar from yesterday and ask people, ‘Hey, what did you do during this white space?’ And they'll say, ‘Oh, I used it to catch up.’
Catch up on what? Control your time.”
Kyle Coleman is the ridiculously charismatic CMO of Copy.Ai, former CMO of Clari, and a long-time sales development leader.
He’s usually all-smiles — but in saying these words, he seems serious.
I’ve just been asking him about the mindsets and routines that enabled his journey from SDR to 2x CMO.
It’s a question I like to ask high-achieving people. Almost universally, the answer boils down to things that are simple to say but difficult to do: clear prioritization and effective control of time.
It’s fascinating to see the specific tactics people use to achieve that level of focus and performance AND what’s possible when you do it consistently.
We also chat about the topic that Kyle is most-frequently associated with: SDRs.
It’s hard to flip through LinkedIn for more than a few screens without finding someone prophesying the imminent demise of SDRs as a business function.
Spoiler alert: Kyle doesn't share that view. But he DOES think that it needs to change.
Kyle’s thesis is simple: if SDRs don’t want to be replaced by robots, then we have to stop expecting them to act like robots. They need to stop churning out lightly-personalized emails and calls by the hundreds, and instead focus on developing true business acumen and relationships.
This is admittedly difficult for a twenty-something to do, but it’s here that AI can actually support by doing a lot of the leg work that a robot is best-suited for.
Thanks to Our Sponsor
Many thanks to the sponsor of this episode - Knak.
Knak is a modern, slick, and beautiful email and landing page builder that integrates directly with your marketing automation platform.
Click below to learn more and get a special offer just for RevOps FM listeners.
About Today's Guest
Kyle Coleman is a sales and Marketing leader with a passion for people development, identifying and solving problems, creating and optimizing processes, and unifying departments across the revenue org. He's currently the CMO at Copy.ai and was previously CMO at Clari.
Take-Aways
Vision of a Strategic SDR
The strategic SDR will be focused on lower volume but higher value activities and act as a true co-pilot to their AE(s).
This is role that would prize people with business acumen and the ability to talk to an executive about meaningful business problems.
(This may sound far-fetched to some, but consider that there are plenty of McKinsey consultants in their 20s who are trained to do precisely this. It’s all about selection and training.)
A key enabler of this role would be a meaningful account plan, which is a document that connects key data points about the prospect (like relevant initiatives in their strategic plan) to the seller’s value prop. This is where AI can provide a huge amount of leverage.
Three qualities for a top SDR
Curiosity: are they always problem-solving and trying to figure things out?
Passion: if they have passion about something, then you just need to get the person excited about your product so they can use their passion to sell it effectively.
Process-oriented: good BDRs develop systems and routines. They don’t rely on taking rabbits out of hats.
Saying yes / Saying no
Kyle attributes much of his success to “running towards the fire” — taking on new challenges and growth opportunities even where he had no experience.
You can try and fail and not be a failure
This also requires being clear about what you’re NOT going to do. Document what you’re doing and not doing and why and get aligned with your boss / executive on a weekly basis.
Confidence is contagious…
…and so is pessimism. Your mindset affects the team.
People like working with happy people
You control your mindset.
Control your time
Each morning, document the three things to do today.
Always budget time to do these things.
Cancel or shift meetings that aren’t important.
Thanks to Our Sponsor
Big thanks goes out UserGems for sponsoring today’s episode.
We all know that outbound is really tough. Now imagine a world where you’re reaching people who know your product, love your product, and are actually happy to hear from you.
UserGems makes that a reality. They identify your customers and champions who change jobs and automatically push new contacts to your CRM so your team can follow up.
If you’re not reaching out to customer job changers, you’re missing opportunities. Click the link below for a special offer just for my listeners.
Key Topics
[00:00] - Introduction
[01:39] - Role of SDRs in B2B GTM
[04:47] - Strategic partnership between SDRs and AEs
[07:43] - How does a junior SDR offer value to an executive?
[11:20] - Qualities and skills of a good SDR
[14:05] - Providing space for SDR autonomy
[16:28] - Replacing SDRs with AI?
[19:25] - Kyle’s mindset for professional success
[24:21] - Importance of documentation
[26:08] - Figuring out what to say “no” to
[28:52] - Keeping calm in the face of big targets
[31:43] - Daily routines and prioritization
[35:32] - Benefits of being a LinkedIn creator
[39:38] - Core job of a marketing leader
[41:35] - Why Kyle joined Copy.ai
[43:19] - Core capabilities of the platform
[49:29] - Kyle’s predictions on the future of AI in GTM
Resources
Copy.Ai - Official site