In today’s newsletter, I will share why I think the traditional SDR model is no longer effective and suggest ways to future-proof your sales development career. By adapting to the changing sales landscape in 2023 and beyond and making well-informed choices, you can save time, earn more money, and have the freedom to live life on your own terms.

Let’s dive in:

Observation #1: SDRs are being fired in droves

2023 was a challenging year for salespeople. According to Layoffs.fyi, 236,835 employees were laid off in the tech sector alone. That’s an average of over 794 people fired per day, and new layoffs continue to occur daily.

These layoffs typically occur when businesses are seeking to achieve profitability or extend their runway. As a result, they let go of employees who are considered non-essential for the operation of the business. When SDR teams underperform, they are among the first to be laid off.

Observation #2: Throwing bodies at growth goals does not work anymore

A few years ago, increasing the number of salespeople in a territory was an effective strategy to acquire new customers and create the impression of growth for investors. It was simple to schedule meetings, generate opportunities, and close deals that ultimately resulted in churn after 12 months.

However, in 2023, CFOs carefully examine every expense, and hiring costly full-time employees is no longer their preferred choice.

Observation #3: Tools and AI make SDRs more efficient = less SDRs needed

Since the beginning of 2023, the sales industry has been greatly impacted by AI and ChatGPT. Initially, there was a belief that AI would replace all salespeople. However, after a few months, it became clear that AI would instead empower salespeople who were able to quickly learn how to use it.

As a result, we are seeing a significant increase in productivity among SDRs, and there is a rapid growth of SDRs as a service agencies and individuals. For businesses aiming to minimize risks, collaborating with an agency is less risky compared to hiring, onboarding, and training a full-time SDR.

These three observations indicate that the traditional model of hiring in-house, full-time SDRs and promoting them to AE within six months is no longer valid.

However, it’s a great opportunity for those who can adapt and find solutions:

Solution #1: Learn the basics of human psychology

If you ask ChatGPT to write a cold email for you, this is what you get:

In today’s issue, I’ll share three concrete ways you can use AI for sales. AI has been a trending topic in sales for a few months. With more experience, we can now understand what AI can do for us and what its limitations are.

But first, let me share a quick story to demonstrate how AI is more of a productivity tool than a superior intelligence that will take your job.

Below is a sticker I created using AI on my iPhone (yes, it’s my son):

In today’s newsletter, I’ll share 3 tactics you can’t afford to ignore if you want to keep your deals moving in 2023. So many salespeople I’m speaking with are getting ignored by prospects, ghosted by customers, and they keep losing momentum in their deals.

Here are 3 tactics that will help you solve that:

Tactic #1: Ask the right questions

When running a discovery call, a majority of salespeople try to get their prospects to go through a qualification framework. But in most cases, buyers feel interrogated, and they end up ghosting sellers. That’s where you can use Skip Miller’s tool:

• Cause – What’s causing your to have a conversation with me?
• Outcomes – What are the outcomes you’re expecting?
• Decision – When can you make a decision?

If you can answer these 3 questions, your deals will gain momentum, and you’ll get ghosted a lot less. However, you may find that a lot less deals are going through in your pipeline, as these questions help you find out who’s serious and who’s not.

Tactic #2: Follow-up with a value-based email

When buyers ghost you, it can be challenging to come up with an email that’s going to get you a reply. If you’re “just checking in” or “bumping this at the top of your inbox”, you will lose momentum.

That’s where I love using the Jobs to be done framework:

In today’s newsletter, I will share how a sales rep used two psychological biases to book a meeting with me. I receive a ton of messages from people trying to book a meeting with me, and in most cases, I ignore them. Here is what this sales rep did differently:

Step 1: The trigger

Here’s a screen capture of the first message the rep sent out.

In today’s newsletter, I’ll be sharing 5 tactical resources to help you get back to prospecting. Over the last 3 weeks, my 15-month-old son has been at home (because daycare was closed), and my prospecting routine was impacted. If you can relate to this situation, the following 5 resources may help you get back on track:

Resource #1: 4 steps to kick start your prospecting

In early 2022, I wrote a quick prospecting restart guide following the Christmas and New Year holiday. This guide covers the following:

• Ways to get motivated to restart prospecting
• A simple sequence to get back into the flow
• Ideas based on my personal prospecting routine

Grab it here.

Resource #2: How many prospects you should contact everyday

If you’re unsure of how many prospects you should contact daily, you risk missing your target or losing motivation. To help you determine that number, I wrote a 4 step guide which covers the following:

• How to break down a big goal into daily activities
• Insights on optimal reply rates and meeting rates
• Bonus: Includes a free sales process calculator

Grab it here.

Resource #3: 3 rules to getting replies with cold email

Getting replies to emails in 2023 can be incredibly challenging. To help with this, I have written a short guide with tactical tips on how to increase your chances of getting replies. In this guide, you will learn:

• How to write effective subject lines (including examples I use)
• The ideal email length
• A few frameworks to help you get started with writing your emails

Grab it here.

Resource #4: The Ultimate guide to AI-powered Outreach

Using AI to become more efficient in prospecting is critical. If you don’t learn how to use AI for sales, you’ll have a hard time being successful. That’s why I have created a simple guide with three concrete use cases of AI for prospecting. Here’s what you’ll learn:

• The truth about AI for salespeople
• What salespeople who understand how to use AI never do
• A simple tactic to catch the attention of your prospects and achieve a reply rate of 38% or higher.

Grab it here.

Resource #5: New Outreach System + AI Outreach System Bundle

There are only four months left in 2023. If you don’t have a prospecting system in place by the end of September, you’ll likely miss Q4. That’s why I created a bundle of my New Outreach System and my AI Outreach System. Here’s what you’ll learn:

• How to define your ideal customer profile and identify their problems
• How to build a prospecting system from scratch, including sequences, messages, and more
• How to use AI, specifically ChatGPT, for prospect research, writing messages, and increasing your efficiency
• And much more tactical knowledge

In addition, I’m offering a 35% discount on this bundle, which is valid until Sunday.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Thibaut Souyris

In today’s newsletter, I’ll share the process I follow for tweaking my messaging when running an outbound sequence. While sticking to a strict outbound sequence is important, adjusting the content of your outbound messages is critical to getting replies.

Here’s how:

Step 1: Build a sequence skeleton

Consistency accounts for 80% of your success when prospecting. To ensure consistency, I recommend building a sequence skeleton that includes the following elements:

• List of touchpoints: The total number of messages you’ll send in your sequence if you receive no replies
• Step title: An explicit description of your step
• Channel for each step: The channel of the step (LinkedIn, Email, Phone, etc.)
• Media for each step: The media of the step (Text, Audio, Video, etc.)
• Cadence between each step: The number of business days you’ll wait between each touchpoint

Below is an example of a sequence skeleton you can find in my AI Outreach System.

In today’s newsletter, I will share three message frameworks that you can use to book meetings more effectively. With layoffs, summer slumps, and budget cuts happening everywhere, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to schedule meetings.

By making these frameworks your own and using them in your outreach, you’ll receive more replies and book more meetings as summer comes to a close.

Here are the three messages:

Framework #1: Question + Teaser + CTA + PS

This framework is incredibly useful because it focuses on a specific problem that a prospect may have and teases a potential solution. Here’s how it’s structured:

• Question: A problem-oriented question to get your prospect to reflect.
• Teaser: An intriguing resource to help your prospect solve a part of the problem you mentioned in your question.
• CTA: A simple question to get the prospect to reply.
• PS: A funny/personal mention to show you prospect you did your research

Example:

• Question: Eric, curious to know how you’re planning on reaching your H2 goals with the RIF that your company went through.
• Teaser: If you’re interested, I can share a short, 7-step playbook to help your AEs go from farmers to hunters, in less than 90 days.
• CTA: Interested?
• PS: Saw you’re into golf. What’s the best part of your game?

Why it works: This framework is effective because it demonstrates to your prospects that you have conducted research. The “Question” refers to a company trigger, while the “PS” refers to a personal detail.

Framework #2: Do the math

With this framework, you can generate interest in a conversation with you using a back-of-napkin calculation.

• Trigger: The reason for reaching out. Better if you have a number.
• Quick pitch: Short explanation of the quantified impact your solution provides.
• Calculation: Back of napkin calculation.
• CTA: Ask for interest

Example:

• Trigger: Mary, saw you acquired your main competitor. Smart move.
• Quick pitch: We help CFOs identify which business units are less profitable, resulting in savings of 3% of your operating costs on average.
• Calculation: With a typical operating cost between €25M – €40M, this would mean saving from €750.000 to €1.200.000.
• CTA: Worth a chat?

Why it works: This framework helps you stand out in the mailbox of your prospect because you identify a problem, quantify it, and then ask for a conversation to discuss in more details. Go check my Cold Message System if you need to find and quantify your prospects’ problems.

Framework #3: Job to be done

This framework is incredibly useful for prospecting with existing accounts or new individuals within an organization with whom you have had contact.

• Memory: A past topic of conversation
• Tool: A tool/resource related to the conversation
• Confirm: A question to confirm it is still a priority
• Teaser: A sentence to get the prospect intrigued about the tool

Example:

• Memory: Lizzie, last time we spoke with the person in your current position, they were trying to build an outbound sales playbook.
• Tool: I stumbled on list of 7 common mistakes when building an outbound playbook.
• Confirm: Am I totally off, or is it a relevant topic?
• Teaser: If yes, just hit reply and I’ll share the list with you.

Why it works: This framework is effective because it piques the curiosity of your prospects by offering a specific resource to help them solve a problem.

You can use these three frameworks on LinkedIn, in emails, and even when making cold calls. Give them a try and let me know how it goes by replying to this email.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,

Thibaut Souyris

In today’s newsletter, I’ll share the exact process I follow during my daily prospecting block.

In today’s newsletter, I will share the system that I use to calculate how many prospects I (or my customers) should contact every day. By following this simple system, you can build the first step of your outreach system and gain a better understanding of your daily activity level.

Here’s the system, step-by-step:

Step 1: Define your goal

Start by defining or reviewing your goal. If you are an Account Executive, your goal may be a booking, MRR, or revenue goal. If you’re an SDR, your goal may be an opportunity or meetings booked. In both cases, having a clear understanding of your monthly, quarterly, or yearly goal is critical to being successful in your job.

You’d be surprised how many reps don’t know this number. Don’t be one of them.

In the example below, the goal is 138 discoveries performed per quarter: