About the Session
In this episode of Science of B2B, Kerry Cunningham takes a deep dive into the evolving role of BDRs and SDRs in today’s complex B2B buying journey. With buyers engaging sales late in the process—often after they’ve already chosen a preferred vendor—traditional outreach methods need a major rethink. Kerry discusses how SDRs and BDRs can shift from aggressive outbound prospecting to buyer enablement, ensuring that sales teams are engaging accounts in a way that supports and accelerates their decision-making process.
Topics Covered
Topic 1: How Buyers Engage Sales at 70% of the Buying Journey.
Research shows that buyers don’t reach out to vendors until they are well into their buying process, and they are the ones driving that first interaction.
Topic 2: The 84% Rule: Why the First Vendor Contacted Usually Wins.
Not only do buyers reach out at 70%, they pick their winner at 70%. That’s the trigger to say yes to the meeting. And the vast majority of buyers start with the vendor they ultimately choose.
Topic 3: Why Traditional BDR Outreach Fails.
If you’re simply calling to ask for a meeting, buyers just aren’t going to do it until they are ready. If you haven’t won them over by providing valuable content and experiences, you don’t be first on the list when they do.
Topic 4: A New Approach: Buyer Enablement Instead of Hunting Meetings.
Instead of pushing for meetings, BDRs and SDRs should focus on guiding buyers through their journey by providing valuable content, connecting them with resources, and positioning their company as the preferred vendor.
Takeaways
Takeaway 1: Realize That You Can’t Make Buyers Do Anything They Don’t Want To Do.
If you want them to talk to you, you have to be someone (person and brand) that they want to talk to. That means, it’s about the buyer’s goals, not yous.
Takeaway 2: Stop Treating Every Lead as A Potential Near-term Meeting.
If they haven’t requested contact, they are likely not ready for a meeting. Enable them. Win them over. Don’t just beg for meetings.
Takeaway 3: Shift from Meetings to Enablement.
Rather than pushing for demos or sales calls, BDRs should focus on helping buyers find the right resources and navigate their evaluation process.
Takeaway 4: Use Intent Data to Identify In-Market Accounts.
About 70% of companies in your ICP are not in-market at any given time. Identifying where accounts are in their journey allows for smarter engagement.
Takeaway 5: Play the Long Game.
Buyers aren’t ignoring outreach because they’re uninterested; they’re just not ready yet. Instead of assuming disengagement, BDRs should focus on providing relevant, valuable insights over time.
Insights Surfaced
- Buyers Control the First Interaction: Whether responding to outreach or initiating contact, buyers engage vendors when they are ready, not when vendors push for it.
- Prospecting Too Early is Wasted Effort: Traditional sequences often conclude long before buyers are ready to engage, making aggressive follow-ups ineffective.
- BDRs and SDRs Should Be Strategic Advisors, Not Just Appointment Setters: Helping buyers along their journey ensures that when they’re ready to engage, your company is at the top of their list.
Key Quotes
“Most of the time, your leads aren’t ignoring you—they just aren’t ready. The question isn’t ‘How do I get a meeting now?’ It’s ‘How do I help them make a decision that leads to me?’”
Future Topics
In the next episode, Kerry will explore how marketing and sales teams can collaborate more effectively using AI-driven insights to optimize their engagement strategy. Expect insights into intent-driven sales enablement and account-based outreach strategies.
Resources Mentioned
All resources are free and available without requiring a form fill.
