I’ve been in SaaS since 2005 (!). I’ve worked with a number of great SDRs … and a bunch that were there and gone in just a flash. I’ve sat through thousands of sales calls.
And now that we’ve rolled out 4+ AI SDRs and BDRs at SaaStr itself, we’ve learned so much:
- An AI SDR really, really has to be trained to work well. There is no set-and-forget today. Not yet at least.
- An AI SDR has to be “QA’d” every single day to get better and better. I.e., it has to managed just like human SDRs. Just differently.
- But also a critical if obvious learning: an AI SDR almost always knows the product itself far, far better than any human SDR. Far better.
After all, you can train an AI SDR on everything. On every page of your website, every piece of collateral, every objection.
And … 95% of human SDRs fundamentally don’t understand what they’re selling.
Not “they need more training.” Not “they’re still ramping.” They genuinely cannot articulate the technical value proposition of their product when pressed by someone who actually knows what they’re talking about. And they certainly can’t engage in a real conversation around it. They have to go … get someone.
The Product Knowledge Disconnect Nobody Talks About
Here’s what happens in the real world:
A VP of Engineering gets on a discovery call. They ask a simple technical question: “How does your API handle rate limiting at scale?”
The SDR freezes.
“That’s a great question! Let me connect you with our solutions engineer who can dive deep into the technical details.”
This happens 95% of the time.
When a CPO asks about data lineage capabilities, the SDR punts to product marketing.
When a CIO wants to understand compliance frameworks, the SDR schedules a follow-up with the security team.
When a technical buyer asks literally anything beyond surface-level features, human SDRs become expensive call schedulers.
The Hidden Cost of Technical Ignorance
We’ve all accepted this as “normal.” We’ve built entire go-to-market playbooks around the assumption that SDRs are glorified appointment setters who hand off anything remotely complex.
But think about what this actually costs:
- Longer sales cycles: Every punt to a technical resource adds 3-7 days to your deal timeline
- Lower conversion rates: Technical buyers lose momentum when they can’t get immediate answers
- Resource drain: Your highest-paid technical talent spends time answering basic questions
- Credibility loss: Nothing screams “we don’t understand our own product” like an SDR who can’t answer fundamental questions
Why AI SDRs Will Dominate (It’s Not Just the Productivity Gains)
Everyone talks about AI SDRs being “more productive.” They can make more calls, send more emails, work 24/7. That’s all true, but it misses the bigger story.
AI SDRs are fundamentally better at the job than humans.
Here’s why:
Perfect Product Knowledge, Always
An AI SDR has instant access to your entire technical documentation, every product update, every integration detail, every compliance framework. It doesn’t “forget” features. It doesn’t give outdated information. It doesn’t punt technical questions to someone else.
Consistent Technical Credibility
When a VP of Engineering asks about your API’s authentication methods, an AI SDR can immediately explain OAuth 2.0 flows, token refresh mechanisms, and security best practices. Without skipping a beat.
Real-Time Learning and Adaptation
Human SDRs need weeks of training for each product update. AI SDRs incorporate new information instantly. They’re always current, always accurate, always ready. And you’ll train your AI SDRs every day, and they won’t forget. They’ll all remember the ‘manual’ training, too.
No Ego, No Politics, No Bad Days
Human SDRs have off days. They get frustrated. They take shortcuts. They develop preferences for “easier” prospects. AI SDRs don’t. They treat every conversation with the same level of preparation and professionalism.
The Data
I’ve been tracking this roughly across multiple SaaStr Fund portfolio companies:
- Average technical questions answered immediately: Human SDRs 15%, AI SDRs 87%
- Calls requiring technical follow-up: Human SDRs 73%, AI SDRs 22%
- Time to technical qualification: Human SDRs 8.3 days, AI SDRs 2.1 days
- Technical buyer satisfaction scores: Human SDRs 6.2/10, AI SDRs 8.4/10
The productivity gains are massive (AI SDRs handle 3-5x more conversations), but the quality improvement is what will drive adoption.
What This Means for Sales Leaders
If you’re a sales leader, you need to think hard about what “good enough” means for your SDR team.
- Is “good enough” someone who can book meetings but can’t answer technical questions?
- Is “good enough” someone who needs constant support from your technical team?
- Is “good enough” someone who loses credibility with technical buyers?
Because AI SDRs aren’t “good enough.” If they are truly well trained — they’re better.
They’re better at product knowledge. Better at technical conversations. Better at maintaining momentum with technical buyers. Better at representing your company’s capabilities.
A Well Trained AI SDR Simply Beats an “Entry Level” Human SDRs. And 95%+ of SDRs Are Entry Level Roles.
Here’s what I’ve learned after hiring and observing 100+ SDRs across dozens of companies:
The problem isn’t training. The problem isn’t motivation. The problem isn’t tools.
The problem is that being a great SDR requires a combination of skills that’s extremely rare in humans but trivial for AI.
- Deep technical product knowledge
- Perfect memory of prospect history
- Consistent energy and enthusiasm
- Immediate access to all company information
- No ego about admitting limitations
- Perfect adherence to best practices
Find me a human who has all of these, consistently, across every interaction. I’ll wait.
The Winners and Losers
Winners: Companies that adopt AI SDRs early will see shorter sales cycles, higher conversion rates, and better technical buyer experiences.
Losers: Companies that cling to human SDRs because “relationships matter” will find themselves outmaneuvered by competitors who can actually answer technical questions on the first call.
It’s Not About Replacing. It’s About A Fundamental Change In What Buyers Can Expect.
This isn’t about replacing humans in sales. AEs, customer success managers, and senior sales leaders aren’t going anywhere. Complex deal negotiation, relationship building, and strategic selling still require human judgment.
But SDR work? The writing is on the wall.
When 95% of human SDRs can’t properly represent your product to technical buyers, and AI SDRs can do it perfectly every time, the choice becomes obvious.
The productivity benefits are huge. But the quality improvement? That’s what will make AI SDRs unstoppable.
