What's up, it's Zayd.

There's a quiet revolution happening in SaaS go-to-market that nobody's talking about.

Marketing-led companies—the ones that traditionally relied on inbound, content, and paid ads—are suddenly crushing it with outbound, and they're doing it without building traditional SDR teams.

This is transformative.

It breaks the conventional wisdom that you either build a sales-led motion (with SDRs, AEs, and all the associated overhead) or a marketing-led motion (with content, SEO, and lead magnets). The best companies are now doing both, and they're using AI to make it happen without doubling their headcount.

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Why Marketing Teams Are Going Outbound

After talking with dozens of marketing leaders at companies like Front, Miro, and other fast-growing SaaS businesses, I've noticed a clear pattern in why they're adding outbound to their toolkit:

MQLs Are Dying

The traditional MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead) is broken. Companies are spending millions on content, webinars, and downloadable assets, only to generate thousands of "leads" that sales teams consider worthless.

One CMO I spoke with last week shared a brutal stat: only 3% of their MQLs ever converted to revenue. That's a 97% waste rate.

The Direct-to-SQL Revolution

The best marketing teams have realized they can skip the broken MQL stage entirely. Instead of generating leads that might someday convert, they're using AI and intent data to go straight to SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads)—prospects who are ready to talk now.

The best part is that they're doing this without building traditional SDR teams. One person on the demand gen team can leverage AI to generate the output of an entire SDR organization.

The Marketing vs. Sales Budget Reality

Here's the economic reality driving this shift: marketing budgets are often more flexible than sales headcount. Getting approval for 3-4 marketing tools is typically easier than adding 10 SDRs at $85k each.

This creates an arbitrage opportunity. Marketing leaders can use AI tools to generate pipeline that would normally require a much larger investment in sales headcount.

How Marketing Teams Are Implementing Outbound

The companies seeing the best results are following a specific playbook:

1. Signal-Based Targeting

Instead of starting with random lists, they focus exclusively on prospects showing intent signals:

• Website visitors (the highest-converting source by far)

• Content engagers (people who've interacted with their brand)

• Competitor alternative searchers

• Recent funding announcements

• Job changes in relevant roles

This signal-based approach means they're only reaching out to people who've already shown some interest or fit, dramatically improving conversion rates.

2. Research-Driven Personalization

They're using AI to conduct deep research across three dimensions:

• Individual: LinkedIn/Twitter activity, content engagement, career history

• Company: Funding, competitors, strategic initiatives, job postings

• Industry: Trends, challenges, regulatory changes

This research allows them to craft messages that are hyper-relevant to each prospect's specific situation.

3. Approval-Based Workflows

They're not letting AI run wild. They're using approval workflows where AI:

• Identifies high-intent prospects

• Conducts comprehensive research

• Drafts personalized messages

• Suggests optimal outreach timing

Humans still review and approve every message before it goes out which ensures quality while still maintaining efficiency.

4. Channel Diversification

They're leveraging multiple channels:

• LinkedIn (consistently outperforming email by 5-10x)

• Email for specific use cases

• Direct mail for high-value prospects

• Events and dinners for enterprise targets

This multi-channel approach ensures they can reach prospects wherever they're most receptive.

Real Results From Marketing-Led Outbound

The data from our customers is clear—marketing teams implementing this model are seeing exceptional results:

• One $15B+ enterprise software company booked 7 director+ meetings in a single week using Valley for event invitations. They secured meetings with Netflix, Adobe, Oracle, and Salesforce.

• A Series B SaaS company quadrupled their pipeline with just one marketing team member running their outbound program. Their Valley-generated meetings became their cheapest acquisition channel.

• A marketing team that traditionally focused on content and SEO added outbound to their mix and generated $440k in pipeline within 30 days.

These are becoming the new standard. The key commonality is that none of these companies built traditional SDR teams. They simply equipped their existing marketing staff with AI-powered tools.

Why This Model Works Specifically for Marketing Teams

There are several reasons why marketing teams are uniquely positioned to succeed with this model:

Natural Content Leveraging

Marketing teams already create tons of content. They're now using that same content to fuel personalized outreach at scale, creating a virtuous cycle where content drives both inbound and outbound.

Brand Consistency

Marketing has always owned the brand voice. This model allows them to maintain that consistency across all customer touchpoints, including outbound.

Data and Analytics DNA

Marketing teams are typically more data-driven than sales teams. They bring this analytical mindset to outbound, constantly testing and optimizing based on results.

Qualification Expertise

Marketing has always been responsible for lead qualification. This model simply moves that qualification earlier in the process, focusing resources on prospects most likely to convert.

The Future of Marketing-Led Outbound

As this trend continues to evolve, I'm seeing several emerging patterns:

1. Bypassing Traditional MQLs Entirely

The most innovative companies are abandoning the concept of MQLs altogether. They're replacing it with an intent-based qualification system that immediately routes high-intent prospects to direct outreach.

2. Integration of Inbound and Outbound

The artificial wall between inbound and outbound is dissolving. Smart companies are creating unified customer acquisition systems where the same team handles both channels, using the same messaging, data, and tools.

3. Smaller, More Specialized Teams

Instead of large SDR teams, companies are building smaller, more specialized teams equipped with AI. One person can now do the work that previously required 5-10 people.

4. Unified Attribution

Marketing and sales attribution are merging. Companies are moving away from siloed metrics toward unified pipeline and revenue metrics that don't artificially separate channels.

How To Implement This

If you're a marketing leader looking to add outbound to your toolkit, here's how to get started:

1. Start with your website visitors—they're already showing intent and convert at 5-10x the rate of cold prospects.

2. Equip one marketing team member with an AI-powered outbound platform.

3. Focus on sending fewer, more personalized messages rather than high volume.

4. Test different channels, starting with LinkedIn (which consistently outperforms email).

5. Track your cost per meeting and compare it to other acquisition channels—you'll likely find it's your most cost-effective source.

The beauty of this approach is that you can start small, prove the model, and scale based on results. No need to hire an entire SDR team or completely restructure your organization.

How I Can Help?

Let me book sales calls for you while you’re reimagining your marketing-led motion. Seriously.

I built Valley to be your automated SDR and empower AEs. Get started today and watch your calendar fill up with qualified leads.