What is an AI SDR?
An AI SDR (AI Sales Development Representative) is an autonomous software agent that handles outbound prospecting and lead qualification—finding leads, enriching contact data, and initiating or supporting outreach at scale. It is distinct from a chatbot: it runs multi-step workflows (e.g. map scrape → lead enrichment → email verification) and triggers actions in your pipeline, rather than only replying in a conversation.
Why it matters
Human SDRs are expensive and don’t scale linearly. An AI SDR runs on your infrastructure and APIs: you pay for compute and data, not per seat. That typically means large cost savings (e.g. 70%+ vs. a full-time SDR) while keeping control over targeting, messaging, and data. ZeroGTM is built as an open-source AI SDR engine—you own the pipeline and the data.
Key benefits
- Cost: No salary, benefits, or turnover; you pay for APIs and infra.
- Scale: Run the same pipeline across many campaigns and geos without adding headcount.
- Control: Data stays in your database; you choose enrichment sources and sequences (e.g. waterfall enrichment).
- Speed: From lead source to verified contact in one automated flow—see Enrichment pipeline.
Related
- What is lead enrichment? — Core capability of an AI SDR pipeline.
- Features — What ZeroGTM does as an AI SDR engine.
- Compare: ZeroGTM vs human SDR — Unit economics and trade-offs.
- Use cases — Industry-specific applications (med spa, dental, HVAC, real estate).