According to a Harvard study, 71% of qualified leads are never contacted. According to Sirius Decisions, it takes an average of eight attempts to reach a prospect, but the average seller makes just two attempts before moving on.
Chris Dutton, VP of Marketing Ops & Demand Gen at 6sense, recently led a webinar about the power of generative AI to work leads. Chris was joined by Michael Brown, Head of Global Business Development for Reltio, who discussed how using AI with 6sense’s Conversational Email solution effectively doubled the size of his team.
Failed Outreach Isn’t Laziness; It’s Overwork
Chris acknowledged the difficulty of following up with leads and qualified accounts in a timely and personalized way, which leaves some accounts ignored or underworked.
Of course, making multiple outreach attempts is critical, but that’s easier said than achieved when BDRs are juggling:
- Fresh leads
- Leads that have shown interest but aren’t ready to talk, and
- Dormant accounts and contacts
There’s also the reality that teams are being asked to do more without an increased headcount or budget. How can marketing and sales teams keep up? By leveraging AI to create and convert more pipeline.
A Case Study
Michael used his own team at Reltio as a case study. “We’re asking our teams to do more,” he said. “I’m not getting more BDRs, but my responsibilities have increased. My targets for pipeline delivery have increased, also.”
Reltio wanted to increase capacity and productivity without adding headcount.
They saw an opportunity to get more done without increasing BDR workload by having an AI email assistant follow up with older leads — which Michael calls “aged leads.” This category includes webinar leads, event follow-ups, or other leads that showed interest but weren’t sales ready.
This freed BDRs to focus on higher-priority engagements and prospecting.
“It’s not you versus AI email writer. It’s you and the AI. It’s a collaborative approach.”
Michael Brown
Head of Global Business Development, Reltio
Michael BrownThe Results
When Michael’s team began using AI to follow up with aged leads, the results were clear.
- Number of BDRs: Remained flat
- Over 6,000 Al conversations
- Overall pipeline production up 63%
Michael called out some of the advantages of working with 6sense’s AI email assistant, saying that it increased the breadth and depth of Reltio’s reach. The AI works 24/7, provides lightning-fast follow-up, and routes accounts and leads to the owner BDR at the appropriate stage.
More Lessons
Getting started. Michael’s advice for those new to AI conversational email is simple: Start small with a use case that works for you and A/B test it. “You can’t think about this as one and done,” Michael said. “You start with one play. Learn from it. We’re getting smarter about how to leverage the technology.”
Treat It Like a Valued Helper, Not a Total Replacement. The team has started using an AI email writer to test and modify email copy, using the 80/20 rule: The AI writer does about 80% of the work, and the BDR does the other 20%. “It’s awesome. It’s not you versus AI email writer. It’s you and the AI. It’s a collaborative approach,” he says.
Free Your People for More Meaningful Work. The AI email assistant is effective, Michael reports. Reltio’s email open rate averages 28%. By letting AI artfully handle mundane tasks, BDRs can concentrate on the high-value touches that drive engagements. It also lessens the distractions that can eat into a BDR’s workday.
