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- Stop Debating Whether AI Will Replace SDRs: That's the Wrong Question
Stop Debating Whether AI Will Replace SDRs: That's the Wrong Question
The SDR role is just splitting in two...
What's up, it's Zayd
SDRs are either getting laid off in droves, or they're not getting hired in the first place.
Everyone's debating whether AI will kill the SDR role. That's the wrong question.
Really people should be asking what the SDR role looks like in this new reality. I think it's splitting into two completely different jobs.
Here's what's actually happening.
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Zayd’s Picks
My favorite finds of the week:
The Traditional SDR Role Is Dead
The traditional SDR role was:
Build lists of prospects
Research each prospect
Write personalized messages
Send outreach
Handle responses
Book meetings
That entire workflow assumes manual work at every step. It made sense when automation didn't exist.
Now tools can do steps 1-4 better and faster than humans. The only steps that still need humans are 5-6, and even those are getting automated.
So companies are looking at this and thinking: "We don't need SDRs anymore."
Wrong conclusion.
What's Actually Happening
The SDR role is splitting into two distinct jobs:
Job 1: Signal Hunter
Find people showing buying intent. Identify the right accounts. Qualify based on fit. Feed qualified prospects into outbound systems.
This is becoming more analytical. More data-driven. Less about volume, more about precision.
Job 2: Relationship Builder
Take warm responses and turn them into meetings. Handle objections. Build rapport. Actually talk to humans and make them want to buy.
This is becoming more consultative and relationship-focused. It gets rid of the scripts and makes it about understanding business problems.
Most companies are still hiring "SDRs" who are supposed to do both, but these require completely different skill sets.
Why This Split Makes Sense
Think about what actually drives results in modern outbound:
The Signal Hunter side:
Understanding what signals indicate buying intent
Knowing which accounts fit your ICP
Identifying the right stakeholders
Timing outreach when prospects are actually in-market
This requires analytical thinking and market understanding rather than relationship building and people skills.
The Relationship Builder side:
Reading between the lines in responses
Handling objections thoughtfully
Building trust quickly
Turning "not right now" into "tell me more"
This requires empathy and communication skills rather than in depth data analysis and analytical thinking.
They're different jobs. We've just been pretending they're the same job because historically one person had to do both.
The AE Evolution
Here's what's interesting: We're seeing full-cycle AEs take on more pipeline responsibility.
Pipeline generation is getting pushed up to AEs. In some orgs, AEs are now responsible for 80% of their own pipeline because AEs are better at the relationship-building part.
They understand the product deeply.
They know how to have consultative conversations, so the "Relationship Builder" role is increasingly just being part of the AE job.
That leaves the "Signal Hunter" role. Which is either:
A specialized role (smaller teams)
Automated entirely (most companies)
Done by RevOps/Marketing (larger orgs)
What Skills Actually Matter Now
If you're an SDR trying to figure out where you fit in this new world, here's what matters:
For Signal Hunting:
Data analysis and pattern recognition
Understanding of ICPs and buying signals
Technical ability with tools and automation
Market research and competitive intelligence
For Relationship Building:
Genuine curiosity about business problems
Ability to build trust quickly
Consultative selling skills
Objection handling and value articulation
The Tools Changing Everything
The reason this split is happening: tools can now do the signal hunting work.
At Valley, we automate list building from signals, research on prospects, message writing, and follow-up sequences, but we can't automate understanding whether a response is genuinely interested or being polite. We can’t automate building real relationships with prospects or having nuanced conversations about business problems.
The jobs that involve "doing things" are getting automated.
The jobs that involve "understanding people" are getting more important.
What Companies Are Getting Wrong
Most companies see AI tools and think: "We can cut our SDR headcount" then they wonder why their pipeline dries up.
What they should be thinking: "We can redeploy our SDRs to higher-value work."
Use automation for the signal hunting and outreach. Use humans for the relationship building and conversion.
That requires actually training SDRs to be good at relationship building. Which most companies don't do because they've always treated SDRs as message-sending machines.
The Compensation Question
If these are two different jobs, they should have different compensation structures.
Signal Hunters should be paid more like analysts:
Base salary focused
Bonuses tied to pipeline quality metrics
Not commission on closed deals
Relationship Builders should be paid more like sales:
Lower base, higher variable
Commission on meetings booked and deals closed
Rewarded for conversion rates
The next question is what does the career path here look like? I don’t have the one perfect answer for that but here’s what I think:
Traditional SDR career path: SDR → AE → Enterprise AE → Manager
If the role splits, career paths split too:
Signal Hunter path: SDR → RevOps → GTM Strategy → VP Revenue Operations
Relationship Builder path: SDR → AE → Enterprise AE → VP Sales
These are completely different trajectories and companies need to be clear about which path they're offering.
What This Means for Startups
If you're building an early-stage company, here's what you should do:
Don't hire traditional SDRs: The role as it existed is dead.
Do hire for specific outcomes:
Need someone to identify high-intent accounts? Hire a Signal Hunter (or use tools)
Need someone to convert warm leads? Hire a Relationship Builder (or make it part of AE role)
Don't try to find someone who's great at both: They're rare and expensive.
Do be clear about which role you actually need: Most founders think they need the full traditional SDR when they really just need one half of that role.
How I Can Help?
Let me book sales calls for you while you’re hiring two different people. Seriously.
I built Valley to be your automated SDR and empower AEs. Get started today and watch your calendar fill up with qualified leads.
How can we work together 🏔️
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