Outbound Kitchen - B2B Sales Podcast

Subscribe to the Outbound Kitchen newsletter-Florin Tatulea is GTM Engineer in Residence at ZoomInfo, where he builds the AI agents and workflows behind modern outbound. He was Loopio's first sales hire, on the team that grew revenue 65x in six years, and he built the outbound engine at Common Room, where he 4x'd the SDR team, grew monthly outbound pipeline 20x, and sourced seven figures in outbound revenue. He writes Prospecting from the Trenches, and he treats outbound as a system to design, not a headcount number to fill.We discuss:The top-down headcount math that quietly over-hires outbound teamsTAM vs SAM, and why the real number was 6,000 accounts, not 30,000Why you don't need an SDR before $1M ARR or product-market fitHiring two SDRs at once to separate the person from the processThe four things Florin looks for in a first SDR, and how he vets curiosityBuilding the team like a sports team, with complementary skill setsWhat AI and GTM engineering actually change about the team you buildWhy Anthropic, OpenAI, and Clay are still hiring SDRsReferenced:Prospecting from the Trenches (Florin's newsletter): salesflo.substack.comFlorin Tatulea on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/florintatulea/ZoomInfo: zoominfo.comHyperbound (AI roleplay, Florin is an advisor)When you're readyWant to work with me? Send me a DM -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/elriclegloire/Connect with me[Connect on LinkedIn] -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/elriclegloire/[Subscribe on YouTube] -> https://www.youtube.com/@ElricLegloireOutbound[Connect on X] -> https://x.com/elriclegloireChapters:(00:00) Intro: who is Florin Tatulea(01:29) The episode outline(02:21) Where the scaling math breaks(04:55) TAM vs SAM: 30,000 accounts or 6,000?(09:23) What CROs and CMOs get wrong next(13:06) Why you don't need an SDR before $1M ARR(16:25) Hire two SDRs, not one(19:17) What to look for in your first SDRs(22:00) How to actually vet for curiosity(24:53) The prospecting homework task(28:14) Build the team like a sports team(32:55) A better way to interview for passion(35:43) Vetting coachability on a live cold call(38:46) What changed in 2026: AI and GTM engineering(42:18) Why the best AI companies still hire SDRs(46:13) The best AI use cases for SDR teams(51:45) Automating the deal handoff(53:08) Q&A: trade-show lists with Claude Code(54:44) Where to find Florin

Subscribe to the Outbound Kitchen newsletter -> https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/--Will Rohleder is the SDR director at TeachTown, special education software for school districts, where he took over a 4-person SDR team with $200K in pipeline and, within about a month, had the same four reps building roughly $600K a week. Today he leads 14 SDRs at a 92% show rate and 88% conversion to opportunity. He previously built and led SDR teams across fintech and HR software. He hires almost only former teachers and pays his SDRs to move deals forward, not just book the meeting.We discuss:How he rebuilt a four-person SDR team and 10x'd weekly pipeline in about a monthThe territory design and SDR-to-AE alignment behind the numbersHis show-rate playbook: the blank-calendar-invite accept trick, layered reminders, and letting the prospect talk 70% of the timeWhy half of SDR comp is tied to the opportunity reaching stage 3, not just booking the meetingWho owns moving a deal forward, and the six-point qualification gateWhy he almost only hires former teachers, and the one interview question he swears byWhere he uses AI, and the inbound AI SDR that emailed a lawyerReferenced:Will Rohleder on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/william-rohleder-2aa7a9143/TeachTown: teachtown.comSDR Leaders of USA communityWhen you're ready[Want to work with me? Send me a DM] -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/elriclegloire/Connect with me[Connect on LinkedIn] -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/elriclegloire/[Subscribe on YouTube] -> https://www.youtube.com/@ElricLegloireOutbound[Connect on X] -> https://x.com/elriclegloire-Chapters:(00:00) Smile and Dial Fails(01:04) Meet Will Rohleder(02:35) Career Lessons SDR(04:42) Teachtown Turnaround(06:27) Territory Strategy(07:35) SDR AE Pairing(08:41) Show Rate Playbook(13:04) Handoff and Discovery(15:46) Research Led Outreach(18:02) BANT and Conversion(19:24) Comp Plan Incentives(23:33) Quota Quality Focus(24:55) Quota and Payout Tweaks(25:32) SDR AE Collaboration Systems(28:13) Multi Threading District Deals(29:04) Hiring Former Teachers(30:46) Interview for Curiosity(33:30) First 30 Days Ramp Plan(38:56) AI for Research Only(44:44) Cold Call Openers That Work(46:52) Research Driven Outreach Mindset

Get the 3 prompts (research + classify, gift ideas, note writer) in my paid newsletter here.---In this episode, I break down the 2-step ABM gifting system you can run on your top 200 accounts. How to find the clue. How to classify the prospect into one of four buckets (Identity, Passion, Milestone, or No Gift). How to pick a gift that maps to the specific niche. And how to write the note that proves the research wasn't AI-generated.--If you're new here, I'm Elric Legloire, founder of Outbound Kitchen. I help B2B SaaS companies between $2M and $50M ARR fix and scale their outbound system. My view: in 2026, productivity is the multiplier to scale outbound teams.Menu:- Why a $300 researched gift is cheaper than the cold email sequence you'd run into a $200K to $1M ARR account- The 4-bucket prospect classification: Identity, Passion, Milestone, No Gift (and why ~70% land in No Gift)- The specificity ladder: vague vs. niche vs. Passion vs. Signature clues, and which two qualify for a gift- Where to find Signature clues: LinkedIn About sections, podcast appearances, keynotes, blogs, book forewords- A worked example on Kyle Norton (CRO at Owner.com). From clue ("former MMA gym co-owner, black belt") to gift (personalized oak belt display from Etsy with his "Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast." quote)- The 5-part note template: research proof, rabbit hole, gift bridge, pitch + proof, soft ask- Why Perplexity beat ChatGPT for clue research this round, and why you should keep benchmarking AI modelsReferenced:- Stevie Case (CRO, Vanta), Quake rocket launcher gift, sent by Brennan- Tom (CMO, Incident.io), signed vinyl gift- Newsletter with the 3 prompts (research + classify, gift ideas, note writer): https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/abm-how-to-gift-your-top-200-accountsChapters(00:00) Why Gifting Works(01:37) ABM Outbound Fit(02:41) Step One Find Clues(03:29) Clue Buckets Framework(04:41) Avoid Creepy Research(05:38) Make Clues Specific(06:55) Where To Research(07:17) Kyle Norton Example(09:51) Decision Tree Choices(10:40) Step Two Gift Ideas(11:56) Personalized Gift Build(13:24) Write The Note(14:58) Note Template--When you're ready⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Want to work with me? Send me a DM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ---Connect with me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📌 Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📹 Subscribe on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🐦 Connect on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to the Outbound Kitchen newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---This episode was originally recorded in French for Cognism's Prospect podcast with Laetitia Fall. The English audio you're hearing is an AI-translated dub generated with ElevenLabs. Original French version: https://youtu.be/DMRO_GGp-1A--If you're new here, I'm Elric Legloire, founder of Outbound Kitchen. I help B2B SaaS companies between $2M and $50M ARR boost their outbound results. My view: in 2026, productivity is the multiplier, not headcount. --We discuss:- Why outbound isn't dead, but pipeline got roughly 10x more expensive (1% conversion in 2015 to needing 1,000 emails per opportunity in 2023, source: Winning By Design)- Why global SDR headcount grew over 20% in a year while public layoffs dominated the LinkedIn feed- The Owner.com benchmark: 40 appointments per BDR per month, 25% close rate, $70-80K sourced revenue per BDR per month- When to hire experienced SDRs vs juniors, and the 12-meetings-per-month threshold that signals your playbook is ready- Why ICP work beats tool selection (Tier 1 closes at 25%, Tier 2 at 5%, you need 5x the volume to compensate)- Snowflake's 140 ICP data points and why 10-15 is the realistic target for most teams- Multichannel orchestration when only 30% of your prospects are reachable on LinkedIn- The data-quality test most teams skip: coverage rate per persona, per market- AI in outbound (January 2026): what actually works, why most LinkedIn AI messages fail, and the foundation AI needs (market, CRM, message principles, signals)Referenced:Outbound Kitchen newsletter: https://newsletter.outbound.kitchenElric Legloire on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elriclegloire/Cognism's original French episode: https://youtu.be/DMRO_GGp-1AHost: Laetitia Fall Sources cited in episode: Winning By Design, Insight Partners (Jeremy Donovan's portfolio data), Owner.com BDR benchmarks, Snowflake ICP methodology----When you're ready⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Want to work with me? Send me a DM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---Connect with me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📌 Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📹 Subscribe on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🐦 Connect on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠----Chapters:(00:00) Outbound Crisis 2026(00:11) Podcast Setup and Dub(02:39) Is Outbound Dead(05:46) Why Conversion Fell(09:43) Stop Hiring Juniors First(12:49) SDR Growth vs Layoffs(18:13) When to Hire and Scale(25:02) Who Should Manage SDRs(27:17) Start With ICP First(29:50) How to Define ICP(34:34) Intent Signals vs ICP(35:28) Managing Account Batches(36:43) ICP Evolves With Product(39:14) Who Owns the ICP(41:45) Experimenting New Markets(42:50) Defining ICP Subsegments(44:48) Real Multichannel Outreach(47:18) Orchestrating Channels(49:20) Writing Better Messages(53:02) Data Quality Over Tools(55:55) Testing AI Market Research(59:31) When to Hire RevOps(01:01:40) AI Outbound Workflows

You can read the written version of this episode here: https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/---Q1 recap, Q2 roadmap, and the three systems I'm building for outbound teams right now. Everything I shipped in Q1:March 2026- OK28: How ElevenLabs is Scaling Outbound From 5% to 46% With Human SDRs: https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/how-to-scale-outbound-from-5-to-46- Best AI for Account Research? I Tested 7 AI Models: https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/best-ai-for-account-research-i-testedFebruary 2026- I tracked 232 outbound teams. Here's what I found: https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/the-outbound-paradox-reality-vs-linkedin- OK26: 5 AI Cold Call Training Scenarios Every Outbound SDR Team Should Run: https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/how-to-train-cold-callers-with-ai- ClickUp built THIS before scaling dials: https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/clickup-built-this-before-scaling- 9 ways I use Claude Code for outbound: https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/ive-been-using-claude-code-sinceJanuary 2026- OK25: How to Build a Profitable Outbound SDR Team: https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/how-to-build-a-profitable-outbound- How to prove outbound is working (to your CEO): https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/how-to-prove-outbound-is-working- OK24: How DoorDash Scaled Outbound from $291M to $8.6B: https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/how-doordash-scaled-outbound-from- How to Divide Your Outbound Market Into Territories (7-Step Guide): https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/how-to-divide-your-outbound-market- OK23: How to Build SDR Enablement from Scratch: https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/how-to-build-sdr-enablement-from- 100 emails → 1 meeting (2015). Now it's 1,000+: https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/100-emails-1-meeting-2015-now-its- OK22: How to Cold Call for Higher Connect Rates: https://newsletter.outbound.kitchen/p/how-to-cold-call-for-higher-connect---Who I am? Elric Legloire, founder of Outbound Kitchen. When you're ready⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠👨‍🍳 Want to work with me? Send me a DM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---Connect with me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📌 Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📹 Subscribe on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🐦 Connect on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---Chapters(00:00) Q1 Recap Setup(00:21) March Highlights(01:13) February Highlights(02:36) January Highlights(04:04) Q2 The Pantry Launch(04:57) New Systems and Automations(06:27) Pricing and Subscriber Notes(07:03) Podcast Guest Lineup(07:41) Q2 Newsletter Topics(08:41) Data Benchmark Help

⁠⁠⁠⁠📫 Subscribe to the Outbound Kitchen newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---Jonathan Chemouny is GTM at ElevenLabs, where he scaled outbound from 5% to 46% of pipeline in one year with a small distributed SDR team. He previously built and led SDR teams at Intercom and Lattice. His team operates with no job titles, no standups, and no activity metrics , running on async Slack communication and trust-based autonomy.We discuss:- Why an AI-native company at 95% inbound decided to build a human SDR team instead of automating everything- How ElevenLabs defines outbound (pure cold + PLG-assisted) and why the distinction matters for pipeline math- Why candidates from finance and VC outperform career SDRs -- and the hiring process that screens for it- The operating system: no standups, no pipeline reviews, no job titles, async Slack ("Slack militaire")- How SDRs run demos, travel to meet prospects in person, and attend events solo -- one rep skipped President's Club for CCW Berlin and came back with 60+ SQOs- The AI SDR handling inbound qualification in multiple languages with 78% decisions requiring no human intervention- WhatsApp as a prospecting channel in Europe and why LinkedIn outperforms emailReferenced:- Carles Reina on 20VC (20x Base-to-quota model)- Jonathan Chemouny on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chemouny/- ElevenLabs: elevenlabs.io----When you're ready⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Want to work with me? Send me a DM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---Connect with me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📌 Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📹 Subscribe on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🐦 Connect on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠----Chapters:(00:00) Welcome and Setup(00:25) Why Hire SDRs in AI(01:45) Inbound to Outbound Shift(02:33) Defining Outbound and Pipeline(04:02) Talent Profile and Culture(06:21) No Titles and Global Hiring(07:42) Fast Interview Process(11:32) Testing AI Fluency(13:43) Roleplay and Sequence Review(15:19) Career Paths and SDR Role(18:52) Enabling Non Sales Hires(19:47) Productivity and Outbound Mix(24:42) Full Cycle AE Debate(26:05) Culture Intensity and Remote(28:05) Cutting Meetings with Slack(28:57) Slack Notes Automation(29:27) Coaching On The Road(30:47) Incentives And Outbound Shift(31:42) Modern Qualification And Handoffs(33:50) Pipeline Metrics Dashboard(34:40) SDRs In The Field(38:03) SDRs Running Demos(41:02) AI Outreach Demos(41:22) AI Tools And Inbound Agent(44:44) Iteration And Focus Lessons(46:24) Cold Calling And WhatsApp(49:49) KPIs And Agent SDR Debate

A hands-on benchmark comparing seven AI models for account research, testing instruction-following, accuracy, and business relevance. The host digs into why some models stop searching after finding funding, how false claims differ from hallucinations, and which models suit high-value accounts versus bulk enrichment. Practical takeaways on web app versus API behavior and verification pitfalls.

Troy Johnson, SDR Enablement Program Manager at JumpCloud with ~8–9 years in sales development, explains how AI role-play is used to certify new reps with 100+ practice scenarios. He describes a March-Madness-style qualification competition, monthly talk-track rollouts with live practice, and building an SDR-to-AE progression using AI scenarios and manager-led demos.

Jay Glenn, founder and CEO of Jay Glenn Agency who builds financially sustainable SDR programs. He discusses SDR P&L calculators and the 9-month to 18-month payback reality. Topics include efficiency benchmarks, the $50K ACV threshold, when to hire SDRs versus invest in product, headcount gap modeling, and separate conversion rates for inbound vs outbound.

⁠⁠⁠⁠📫 Subscribe to the Outbound Kitchen newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ask: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your questions here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (anonymous)Diane Ring led B2B strategy and operations at DoorDash from 2018 to 2023, joining when the company had ~500 employees and $291M in revenue, and leaving post-IPO with 15,000+ employees and $8.6B in revenue. She was on the leadership team for Merchant Strategy & Operations, where she helped scale the sales team from ~200 reps to thousands across North America and international markets. Most recently, she was Sr. Director of Sales Ops at TouchBistro, leading strategy and ops for a 100+ person GTM organization. We discuss:Why DoorDash used full-cycle field reps with no SDRs — and the 4 reasons handoffs killed velocityThe General Manager model: how city-level ownership created a "general manager of revenue" mindsetThe 3 pillars for scaling outbound infrastructure: data, tooling, and cultureAccount scoring when your data isn't perfect: why "just start somewhere" beats waiting for accuracyHow to adapt outbound playbooks for international expansion (and why US vendors often fail in Canada)AI coaching in practice: real-time monologue alerts, post-call scorecards, and AI roleplay bots for onboardingBuilding rep-centric infrastructure: minimizing CRM fields and reducing tool sprawlConnect with Diane:https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-ring/When you're ready⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠👨‍🍳 Want to work with me? Send me a DM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---Connect with me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📌 Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📹 Subscribe on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🐦 Connect on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(00:52) Joining DoorDash: The Early Days(03:18) Growth and Expansion(04:38) Outbound Sales Strategy(06:05) Field Reps and General Managers(11:32) Data and Tooling for Sales(17:00) Strategy and Operations(23:01) Account Scoring and Market Segmentation(28:12) Evolving Outbound Team Structure(31:13) Navigating International Expansion(32:33) Challenges in Different Markets(36:26) Empathy in Sales Leadership(40:07) Leveraging AI in Sales(44:48) AI Tools for Sales Efficiency(51:09) Consolidating Tech Stacks(57:23) Future of AI in Sales