E33: What It Takes to Be a Revenue Leader in the AI Era with Mike Donohue, CRO of 11x

What happens when a company completely replaces its SDR team with AI? In this episode, Kyle Norton sits down with Mike Donahue, CRO at 11X, to unpack how digital workers—AI agents named Alice and Julian—now generate over 90% of the company’s pipeline.

Mike shares how 11X is pioneering an AI-native go-to-market model, where full-cycle reps are supported by centralized agent orchestration, and where growth marketing owns what used to be outbound sales. You’ll hear how AI is reshaping sales roles, why traditional BDR hiring may soon be obsolete, and what CROs must learn today to stay relevant tomorrow.

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Key Moments:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:56) Current State of AI Adoption in GTM Teams

(04:55) The Importance of AI for CROs

(10:16) The Future of AI in Sales and Marketing

(14:30) Understanding Digital Workers and Their Impact

(18:57) Managing Digital Workers for Sales Efficiency

(22:25) The Role of AI in Outreach

(25:35) Determining AI's Fit for Different Markets

(30:49) Best Practices for AI Adoption in Organizations

(45:54) Learning and Adapting in AI

(48:59) First Principles Thinking in Sales

(01:02:42) The Future of Sales in an AI Era

(01:07:54) Key Traits of Successful Revenue Leaders

(01:11:49) Lessons Learned in Leadership