Top-of-funnel is a grind. SDRs burn out. Follow-ups get missed. Speed-to-lead decides who wins. Agents don’t sleep and they don’t forget.
What the agent actually does
- Researches prospects (CRM, firmographics, signals).
- Writes first-touch and multi-step follow-ups that stay on message.
- Responds in under a minute to inbound.
- Books meetings and updates the CRM automatically.
The math
- Cost: AI SDR = $15k–$35k/yr vs $75k–$110k/yr human SDR.
- Throughput: 100–150 leads/day vs 20–30 human.
- Conversion: ~12.5% lead-to-meeting vs ~9.3% manual.
- Speed-to-lead: sub-minute beats hours, every time.
Field notes
- Waiver Group: Website agent qualified leads → +25% booked consults.
- B2B tech (custom agent): Tripled demos without adding headcount.
- SalesLoft example: 5 SDRs + AI system = 10,000 prospects/month (normally ~50 SDRs).
Pain it removes
- Headcount + churn in prospecting.
- Manual research every email.
- Inconsistent follow-up (the drip that dies at step 3).
Where it breaks
- Human touch: Agents open doors; people build relationships. Design the handoff.
- CRM hygiene: Bad data = bad outreach. Fix it first.
- Compliance: Keep governance on sending limits, opt-outs, and logging.
Quick start
1. Define ICP + disqualifiers.
2. Connect CRM + enrichment + email.
3. Launch inbound first-response (under 60s).
4. Ship a 5–7 step follow-up sequence; review booked-meeting rate weekly.