AI vs Human SDRs: Pros and Cons

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What SDRs Do

SDRs spend their days finding and qualifying leads. Here's the kicker: they burn 70% of their time on non-selling activities.

Basic SDR Tasks

Here's what fills an SDR's day:

Let that sink in: SDRs spend MORE time updating spreadsheets than talking to potential buyers.

Current SDR Job Requirements

Today's SDRs need these skills and tools to succeed:

"Active listening saves you time in the long run. If you don't pay attention to what your prospect tells you, you'll reach the end of the call and realize that they were the wrong target for your product all along." - Jennifer Gray, Former Cognism SDR

How We Measure SDR Success

Here are the numbers that count:

These numbers tell us something big: companies need BOTH AI and human SDRs. AI handles the grunt work, while humans focus on what they do best - having smart conversations that close deals.

"Your job is to provide that solution by demonstrating you care about and understand what the prospect is going through." - David Bentham, Cognism's VP of Global Sales Development

Bottom line? SDRs need help with the boring stuff so they can do what matters: building relationships and landing sales.

How AI SDRs Work

Here's what AI SDRs actually do (and how they do it):

Let me break down the main channels AI SDRs use:

Here's the tech stack you'll need:

Getting Started With AI SDRs

1. Pick Your Tools

Your budget options: Basic automation starts at $100/month. Full AI platforms? About $3,000/month.

2. Connect Your Systems

Link everything together: CRM, email, messaging platforms. They need to talk to each other.

3. Set Your Rules

Build these workflows:

• Lead scoring
• Message timing
• Follow-up sequences
• Meeting booking

The Numbers That Matter

Here's what to expect:

And here's what it costs:

"One sales rep with AI can go from 100 to 1,000 prospects a day." - CIENCE Research Data

The proof? McKinsey says 30% of sales tasks can run on today's AI. Look at Razorpay - their AI cut team effort by 70% and shaved a month off their conversion cycles.

How Human SDRs Work

Here's what you need to know about running a human SDR team.

Core SDR Skills

SDRs need specific skills to hit their numbers:

The SDR Training Process

Here's how companies get SDRs up to speed:

What Makes SDRs Successful

These factors make or break SDR results:

• Daily workload (most handle 30 leads/day)
• How often prospects respond
• Lead data quality
• Tech stack
• Team support
• Market timing

The Real Cost of SDRs

Here's what you'll spend on each SDR:

Want a basic team? Budget $300,000/year for two SDRs and a manager.

SDR Career Paths

SDRs can move up in two ways:

Here's the thing: Most SDRs (52%) leave within a year. But companies that show clear paths up keep people longer - 94% of employees stick around when they see their next steps.

Comparing AI and Human SDRs

Let's look at how AI and human SDRs stack up against each other.

Speed and Output

AI SDRs blow human SDRs out of the water when it comes to raw numbers:

How They Talk to Customers

Here's the catch - AI can't match humans in conversation quality:

Lead Quality

XANT's data shows AI-powered lead scoring bumped up SQL conversion rates by 10%. But there's more to it:

Response Speed

AI never sleeps, but does that matter?

Growth Ability

Want to scale up? Here's what you're looking at:

Cost vs Benefit

The bottom line matters:

"The SDR job is very hard. It is nuanced. It is bespoke. It's different at every single company, so no, a single AI SDR cannot possibly do all of the things, the strategy, the thoughtfulness, the execution that needs to be done by a human SDR to create a human sales experience." - Kyle Coleman, CMO of Copy.ai

The numbers tell an interesting story: 83% of sales teams using AI saw revenue growth this year compared to 66% without AI. But look at major players like Salesforce (450 SDRs), IBM (3,200 BDRs), and Google (180 SDRs) - they're still growing their human SDR teams. The message? You need both.

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What AI SDRs Do Best

AI SDRs beat human teams in 5 key areas. Here's exactly how:

Always Performs the Same

Your human SDRs spend 33% of their time on non-revenue tasks (HubSpot data). AI SDRs don't have this problem.

Handles Big Data

AI processes MORE data, FASTER:

Works on Many Channels

Nova's data shows AI SDRs crush multi-channel outreach:

Works 24/7

The numbers speak for themselves:

Easy to Grow

Want to scale? AI makes it simple:

"With AI SDRs, we were able to close 18% more deals with such a high level of accuracy within our customer communication channels." - FloworksAI, Sales Development Insights

Here's the bottom line: AI SDRs cut sales costs by 60-70% AND boost qualified leads by 30-40%. TOPO found it takes 18 calls to reach a buyer. AI SDRs make these touches in hours, not days.

What Human SDRs Do Best

Human SDRs bring specific strengths to sales that AI can't match. Here's what sets them apart:

Understanding Emotions

SDRs catch things in conversations that machines miss. They hear the small changes in voice, pauses, and buying signals that tell the real story.

Solving Hard Problems

When deals hit roadblocks, human SDRs step up. They adapt fast and find solutions that work.

Building Connections

Here's something interesting: The Vendition sales team saw a 47% jump in responses by switching from text to video messages and voice notes. Why? Because people connect with real voices and faces.

Working Across Cultures

SDRs know how to change their approach based on where their prospect is from:

Making Smart Choices

Some decisions need human judgment. SDRs make these calls every day:

"The interaction between a prospect and an SDR should be genuine and helpful — not robotic and forced." - Miguel Guerrero, Sales Director at Vendition

The proof? Warmly's human SDRs get 5.4% email response rates. That's WAY above the 1-2% industry standard. They win by combining AI tools with human skills.

Problems and Limits

AI and human SDRs each come with their own set of problems. Let's look at what's not working.

AI SDR Weaknesses

AI SDRs are fast - but they're not smart about it. Here's the reality:

Human SDR Weaknesses

The numbers tell the story:

Tech Problems

Bad data = bad results. Here's what's going wrong:

"The first place we're looking is around depersonalization... You sent one email to 1,000 people, which is not personalization at scale just because you mail merged their name into it." - Sam Jacobs, Founder of Pavilion

Setup Challenges

Getting AI SDRs up and running isn't easy:

The numbers paint a mixed picture: McKinsey says AI boosts leads by 20%, but 90% of companies hit major snags during setup. Gartner predicts 75% of B2B sales teams will use AI by 2025 - but there's work to do first.

Here's a real example of AI gone wrong: Mary Matton got an AI email trying to sell her something by mentioning her personal loss. Her response? "This is gross." It shows how AI can miss basic human decency that people just get.

Using Both Together

Here's how AI and human SDRs can work as a team to boost your sales:

AI handles the boring stuff. Humans focus on what they do best: building relationships and closing deals.

"Our automation gives your sellers more time for deep customer conversations and finding new opportunities - helping you hit targets in any market." - Jen Allen-Knuth, Copy.ai

The numbers tell the story:

Here's what happens when you combine AI with human skills:

Smart teams split their resources like this:

By 2025, 75% of B2B sales teams will use AI (according to Gartner). But it's HOW you use it that counts.

Take Nova's approach: AI handles first contact and data work, then passes good leads to human SDRs who seal the deal.

Here's why this matters: HubSpot found SDRs waste 33% of their time on non-selling tasks. AI can take these over, so your team can focus on what brings in money: talking to prospects and closing deals.

Different Business Types

Here's how companies mix AI and human SDRs to get results:

Business-to-Business

B2B sales need more touchpoints to close deals. Here's what's working now:

"AI in sales isn't about productivity - it's about building pipelines and making money for less." - Mike Thomas, COO of Track Selling Institute

Business-to-Consumer

B2C moves fast. Buyers make quick, emotional choices. Here's how companies split the work:

Big Companies

Large teams use both AI and human SDRs to scale up:

Small Companies

Small teams can start small with AI:

McKinsey's latest data shows AI handles 30% of sales tasks now. That means small teams can compete with big ones - AI does the routine stuff while humans focus on closing deals.

What's Next

The sales development landscape is changing fast. Here's what's coming:

New Tools

The next wave of sales tech is here:

Changes in SDR Jobs

SDRs won't just book meetings anymore. By 2025, their role will look different:

Industry Changes

The World Economic Forum's data shows how B2B sales is transforming:

Future Mix of AI and Humans

McKinsey's research shows a clear split between AI and human tasks:

Here's what McKinsey says about this shift:

"The pandemic has forced most organizations to experiment and restructure on the fly. Now is the time to think about what changes they want to retain permanently to create more compelling customer and employee value propositions."

The message is clear: AI will handle the routine stuff. Humans will focus on what matters most - building relationships and closing deals.

Wrap-Up

Here's what the data tells us about AI SDRs vs human SDRs:

Want to know how to use AI SDRs? Here's what works for different company sizes:

Here's what you need to do:

1. Look at your tech: Check what sales tools you're using now
2. Pick the right AI: Choose tools that fit your sales process
3. Train your team: Show everyone how to use the new AI tools
4. Watch and adjust: Keep track of what works (and what doesn't)

Let's break down the numbers:

"The pandemic has forced most organizations to experiment and restructure on the fly. Now is the time to think about what changes they want to retain permanently to create more compelling customer and employee value propositions." - McKinsey

Bottom line: Let AI handle your high-volume tasks. Keep your human SDRs focused on building relationships. Companies like Drift and Conversica are already showing this combo gets results.

FAQs

What is the difference between AI SDR and human SDR?

Let's look at how AI and human SDRs stack up against each other:

AI SDRs are machines built for speed and scale. They work non-stop, send hundreds of emails daily, and cost WAY less than human SDRs.

But here's the thing:

Human SDRs bring skills that AI just can't match (yet). They build real connections, handle tricky situations, and read between the lines during conversations.

Think of it like this:

• AI SDRs = Speed, volume, and consistency
• Human SDRs = Relationships, nuance, and judgment

"The real winners are the companies and customers who benefit from this powerful partnership." - Floworks Team

Bottom line: Most companies now use BOTH. They let AI handle the heavy lifting while humans focus on what they do best - making real connections and solving complex problems.