How Highspot Scaled and Restructured Outbound - A Decade Long Journey for SDR Leader, Austin Hitchcock

More pipeline doesn’t always mean more revenue.

Austin Hitchcock, Senior Director of Account Development at Highspot, joins Todd Busler to reveal how he transformed a global ADR organization from product-market fit to a revenue-driving outbound engine. 

Austin shares the hard truth: more pipeline doesn’t always mean better pipeline. He discusses why conversion rates dropped as the team scaled, the impact of adjusting comp plans to reward qualified opportunities over meetings, and how aligning AE-SDR teams boosted performance on both sides.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why SDR comp plans might be hurting your win rates
• How to fix AE relationships without adding more headcount
• What a modern outbound motion actually looks like in 2025

Things to listen for: 

(00:00) Introduction

(01:48) Staying motivated through every company stage

(03:51) Scaling SDRs fast and what broke

(06:27) Why fewer reps improved outbound results

(11:23) Pipeline quality doubled after redefining success metrics

(14:48) What top ADRs do after booking meetings

(17:10) Why pipeline obsession leads to bad decisions

(22:14) How to spot and fix funnel conversion gaps

(31:56) How internships fuel long-term sales talent

(39:31) Career advice for SDR leaders feeling stuck