How AI and One Big Bet Can Revolutionize Your SDR Function

Let's be honest: today's buyers are more educated and independent than ever. Clinging to outdated processes isn't just inefficient; it's insulting. Rob Auld, CRO at Readymode, didn't just tweak the traditional SDR (Sales Development Representative) model. He rebuilt it from the ground up.

In a recent episode of The B2B Revenue Executive Experience, Rob joined host Cory Cotten-Potter to share how he leveraged AI to reshape Readymode's sales engine and why focusing on one simple, powerful problem was the catalyst.

Let's dive in.

‍

Learn More About Rob Auld

Rob Auld is the Chief Revenue Officer at Readymode, a leading predictive dialing software company recognized as one of Canada's top-growing companies in 2023. With a vast background in sales leadership at companies like TELUS, Salesforce, and Avaya, Rob has consistently driven exceptional revenue growth, including scaling SOTI to $100M in revenue within three years and doubling revenue at Auvik.

‍

1. From “Sifting and Sorting” to Selling with Purpose

Rod doesn't mince words: "The current SDR role is stupid." He believes the traditional model, tasking SDRs with qualifying leads who have already done their research, is broken. It wastes time, disrespects the buyer's intelligence, and drives up customer acquisition costs (CAC). So what did Readymode do?

They decided that if a prospect is savvy enough to fill out a form, they've already qualified themselves. That realization became the foundation for a bold shift: automating that initial touchpoint with AI and transforming the SDR role into a true outbound sales function.

Instead of having reps chase inbound leads with repetitive qualification scripts, Rob and his team implemented an AI tool that responds to customer queries consistently and intelligently, 25/7. The results? Not only did customer satisfaction go up, but SDR productivity also soared, with outbound efforts doubling their previous best quarter.

‍

2. One Problem at a Time

The AI transformation at Readymode didn't start with lofty visions of replacing staff or boiling the ocean. It started with panic. Rob feared they were falling behind in an AI arms race. But after attending Dreamforce and speaking to other leaders, he realized something critical: most companies were all talk, no action when it came to AI.

So, Rob and his team made a strategic decision: solve one real problem and solve it completely with AI. This singular focus made it manageable, measurable, and meaningful. Rather than overwhelm the team with sweeping changes, this approach showed immediate ROi and built trust.

‍

3. Redefining the SDR Role

Rob’s approach didn’t just improve efficiency. It reshaped careers.

With AI taking over the repetitive sifting and sorting, SDRs are now focused entirely on outbound sales, developing real skills that prepare them for future AE roles. This also significantly improves morale, engagement, and retention.

And yes, Rob acknowledged the anxiety some SDRs felt initially. But he made the case clear: you're not being replaced; you're being empowered. Instead of robotic work, SDRs are now practicing the art of the hunt, sharpening their outbound strategy, and becoming well-rounded sales professionals.

‍

4. Why AI Augmentation > AI Replacement

Despite all the hype around AI replacing humans, Rob remains firmly in the augmentation camp.

AI is incredibly useful for answering common customer questions, routing inquiries, and freeing up reps to do higher-value work. But it still hallucinates. It makes things up. And in sales or support scenarios where trust is everything, that's a huge risk.

That's why Readymode also implemented AI on the support side. But again, only to solve a specific problem: determining whether a customer needs a human, a help doc, or a quick explainer video.

The result? Customer engagement doubled. Instead of replacing conversations, AI enabled more of them, and better ones at that.

‍

5. Sales Methodologies: More Than a One-Day Training

Readymode didn't stop at AI. They also rolled out a value-based selling framework. But, crucially, they didn't treat it like a "check-the-box" training event.

Instead of starting with reps, they trained leadership and marketing first. Why? Because methodology only sticks when it's embedded in the culture when the entire revenue engine speaks the same language.

By shifting messaging toward problem-solving and integrating that approach across channels, Readymode has seen stunning results:

• Lead-to-close win rates over 35%
• AEs closing over 30 deals/month in the SMB space
• Over $1M in ARR per rep, selling in $6K deals

And spammy, low-quality leads? Below 6%. That's what happens when alignment works.

‍

So what does the future hold?

According to Rob, AI will not eliminate humans from sales. But it will radically alter the economics of business. The companies that get it right will see enterprise value per employee. And the window to act is shrinking. If you’re not investing in AI today, you may not exist tomorrow.

Now that you know how to leverage AI to transform your SDR function, discover the full list of episodes at The B2B Revenue Executive Experience. If you enjoy the show, instructions to rate and review it are found here.

‍