What you'll get
- 1 copy-ready blocks
- 2 tables
- 3 min read
- Questions to send before a demo
How to use it
before you switch on an AI SDR, split your account list into tiers and let the tool send only where a poor message costs you little.
The hack: before you switch on an AI SDR, split your account list into tiers and let the tool send only where a poor message costs you little.
Split the list first
| Tier | Which accounts | What AI does | What a person does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | The accounts that would change your year | Researches and summarises | Writes and sends every message |
| Tier 2 | Look-alikes of your best customers | Drafts from facts you have checked | Approves each message before it goes |
| Tier 3 | The rest of the named list | Sends from templates you have approved | Reads every reply and answers it |
If your list is not tiered yet, do that before you buy anything.
Three guardrails before it sends anything
- An exclusion list. Load every Tier 1 and Tier 2 domain, every customer and every open deal as do-not-contact. Check it works by trying to add one of them.
- Approved facts only. Give the tool a short fact sheet about your company and tell it to claim nothing outside it. Read ten of its drafts against the sheet.
- A person on replies. Every reply goes to a named person the same day. A buyer who answers has earned a human.
Five questions for the vendor
Questions to send before a demo
1. Can I load an exclusion list by company domain, and does it apply to every campaign?
2. Can I require approval before sending for accounts I choose?
3. Where does the tool get the facts it uses about a company, and can I see the source for each line?
4. What does it do when a buyer replies: answer, hand over or book a meeting?
5. Whose domains and mailboxes does it send from, and who keeps them if we stop?A two-week test on your own numbers
Run it on Tier 3 only, and count four things yourself. Do not accept the tool's dashboard as the result.
| What to count | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Messages with a wrong or unsupported fact | Read a sample of 50 sent messages against your fact sheet |
| Replies asking to stop, and complaints | Your inbox, not the tool's summary |
| Replies a person would call a real conversation | Read every reply |
| Tier 1 or Tier 2 accounts touched by mistake | Search the sent log for your exclusion list |
If the last line is anything but zero, stop and fix the exclusion list before you go on.
Three mistakes to avoid
- Pointing it at your best accounts first because that is where the money is. Start where a mistake is cheap.
- Judging it on messages sent. Sending was never the hard part.
- Leaving replies to the tool. The reply is the first moment the buyer is paying attention.
Make it a habit: each time you add accounts to the list, tier them and update the exclusion list before the tool sees them.
Why this works on named accounts
Read next
Related articleDo AI SDRs Work? Where AI Wins and Where You Still Need PeopleRead →More from the Academy
Account Tiering Worksheet (Tier 1, 2, 3)
For teams with a scored account list and no agreement on who gets the most attention.
You leave with tier rules, a capacity sum, a worksheet, a treatment card and one list tiered.
Target Account Selection Scorecard
For founders and sales leaders who have an ICP on a slide and need a ranked list of named accounts.
You leave with a one-page ICP, an 11-point weighted scorecard and three tiers.
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