ai-sdr

Start by defining your ICP with scoring criteria, then build an enrichment waterfall targeting 80%+ email match rates. Follow a 4-week program: signal setup and list building, sequence creation with persona variants, sending infrastructure warmup, then measurement and iteration.

Choose 11x for enterprise budgets above $5K/month needing full autonomy, Artisan for mid-market teams wanting built-in enrichment, and AiSDR for HubSpot-native teams wanting a managed service. For custom workflows, use Clay plus a sending tool like Instantly or Smartlead.

Use AI SDRs for list building, enrichment, sequencing, reply classification, and initial qualification at high volume. Use human SDRs for discovery calls, complex deal navigation, objection negotiation, and closing, since humans win on conversion quality.

Low deliverability usually comes from missing SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records, insufficient domain warmup, or exceeding 50 emails per mailbox daily. Warm domains for 14-28 days, keep bounce rates under 2%, and test inbox placement with GlockApps or mail-tester.

Low reply rates typically stem from weak personalization or poor signal quality. A/B test subject lines and opening lines with at least 100 sends per variant, verify enrichment match rates exceed 80%, and anchor first lines to recent prospect signals like funding or hiring.

AI SDRs should not handle pricing negotiations, contracts, or complex objections, and they convert meetings at lower rates than humans. Over-automating the close and lacking feedback loops cause deployments to decay, so human handoff triggers must be defined before launch.