The SDR Role Isn’t Dead — But “Dialing for Dollars” Should Be

Video may have killed the Radio Star, but AI shouldn’t kill the SDR. 

If your SDRs are still pounding phones, tallying dials, and measuring success by sheer volume, you’re wasting everyone’s time. Offloading those tasks to AI isn’t optional—it’s table stakes. But let’s be clear: eliminating SDRs altogether isn’t leadership, it’s laziness. Flooding the funnel with “more, more, more” cheap, low-quality AI leads only makes the noise louder and the signal weaker.

Yet the SDR role hasn’t evolved much. They’re still pigeonholed as meeting setters while AEs “own” the opportunity, SEs do the demo magic, and CSMs chase the renewal. Cute org chart, but wildly outdated in an AI-native, as-a-service world.

Blurring the Lines
The future of GTM isn’t about siloed roles—it’s about blended impact. 

• SDRs shouldn’t be confined to cold calling—they should be market signal amplifiers.
• AEs shouldn’t be lone hunters—they should be orchestrators. SE's shouldn’t just demo—they should influence upstream.
• CSMs shouldn’t just renew—they should co-create value. 

Better Tools, Just Fewer Tools
This isn’t a call for more tech sprawl. SDR's don’t need ten dashboards and six CRMs to toggle through. They need smarter, streamlined systems that eliminate grunt work and surface market insights in real time. Fewer tools, but better ones.

The Takeaway 
While AI may mean fewer “hands” are needed to generate pipeline, more hands-on collaboration is needed to retain and grow recurring revenue. In an as-a-service economy, nurture is no longer optional—it’s survival.

~ Arielle