A 12-16 week installation of the Aaron Ross Predictable Revenue methodology (role specialization, Cold Calling 2.0, Seeds/Nets/Spears) layered with T2D3 proprietary IP for $3-30M ARR B2B SaaS teams that have either no SDR team or an existing SDR team where AE acceptance is below 60%. Stands up the ICP and Tier-1A/1B/2 Spears list, the 40-trigger event library, the Cold Calling 2.0 sequence pack with Pain-Claim-Gain copy and AI-personalization governance, the 2026 outbound stack (CRM/sequencer/data/intent/deliverability), the Roberge-style hiring scorecard plus the 30-60-90 ramp and SDR comp plan, the SDR-to-AE handoff SLA tied to MEDDPICC fields, the management/coaching cadence, and the leading/lagging dashboards plus forecasting model. Reference methodology: https://predictablerevenue.com/. Total scope: 7 modules, 33 sections, 92 tasks, ~310 hours of canonical effort. T2D3 stage emphasis: Triple 1 -> Triple 2 (the highest-leverage growth lever at this stage).
Define who we sell to, build the Tier-1A/1B/2 Spears list, codify the trigger-event library (40 B2B SaaS triggers with data sources and freshness windows), map personas with Pain-Claim-Gain copy, and ship a sanitized account-and-contact list that all downstream modules consume. STOP focus: Standardize (ICP definition) + Templatize (Tier list, trigger taxonomy). Syntropy: Navigator-heavy (CRO + Head of SDR) with Engineer support on the data pipeline.
Define ICP firmographics, build the Tier-1A/1B/2 account list, document the 5 auto-disqualifier rules, and size TAM/SAM/SOM for the Spears motion. The load-bearing first section: every downstream task is contaminated if the ICP is wrong.
Define ICP firmographics (industry/size/geo/tech-stack)
Run a top-20 closed-won analysis to extract the firmographic + technographic pattern that predicts close. Methodology: From Impossible to Inevitable 'Nail a Niche' (https://fromimpossible.com/) - write the one-sentence 'we sell X to companies who do Y because Z' definition, then list the 5 disqualifiers that auto-eliminate accounts. Without this, every downstream task gets contaminated. The output is the load-bearing ICP definition that the entire Spears motion depends on.
Build Tier 1A/1B/2 account list (whales/core/expansion)
DOWNSTREAM-CONSUMED. Build a tiered target-account list that the country-expansion playbook will reuse for local pipeline build. Tier 1A = up to 100 named whales (named-account team treatment). Tier 1B = up to 500 ICP-fit core accounts. Tier 2 = up to 2,000 expansion accounts. Each tier gets a different cadence frequency in M2 (Tier-1A: 12-18 touches over 3-4 weeks; Tier-1B: 6-9 touches; Tier-2: 4-6 touches). Reference: Predictable Revenue Triple Your Pipeline guide https://predictablerevenue.com/triple-your-pipeline.
Document the 5 auto-disqualifier rules
Write the explicit account-disqualifier list (e.g. headcount <10, revenue <$1M, no English-language content, regulated industry, competitor-owned). Embed in CRM as a hard validation rule so SDRs cannot sequence disqualified accounts. Failure mode: without this, AE acceptance drops because SDRs work the wrong companies. Reference: https://www.landbase.com/blog/sdr-to-ae-handoff-data-quality-conversion-2026. The disqualifier list is the cheapest single intervention to lift AE acceptance.
Size TAM / SAM / SOM for the Spears motion
Calculate Total / Serviceable / Obtainable Addressable Market for the Tier-1A+1B universe. Cross-check the obtainable number against the planned SDR headcount (1 SDR can effectively work 75-125 accounts: TOPO benchmark). If headcount x 100 is less than SOM x 0.2, raise headcount; if greater than SOM, narrow tiers. Reference: https://www.gradient.works/blog/benchmarks-for-metrics-that-matter-to-sales-development. The TAM/SAM/SOM sizing is the input to comp-plan modeling and to the SDR-headcount sizing in M4.
Build the canonical 40-trigger B2B SaaS library with data sources (UserGems/Common Room/6sense/LinkedIn/SEC/Bombora) and freshness windows, stand up the trigger-ingestion pipeline in Clay, and define the signal-stacking rubric that decides when triggers compound. T2D3 IP, downstream-consumed.
Build the 40-trigger B2B SaaS library (DOWNSTREAM IP)
DOWNSTREAM-CONSUMED. T2D3 IP. Build the canonical 40-trigger library - funding rounds, leadership change (the #1 trigger), hiring spike (5+ SDR job posts = scaling outbound), tech-stack change, M&A, expansion, layoffs, rebrand, regulatory, competitive moves. For each trigger, document: data source (UserGems/Common Room/6sense/LinkedIn/SEC/Bombora), freshness window (e.g. funding=90d, exec hire=30d, hiring spike=14d), and the matched sequence variant from M2. Reference: https://www.usergems.com/blog/sales-trigger-events, https://www.autobound.ai/blog/sales-trigger-events-tools-platforms.
Build trigger-ingestion pipeline (Clay/Common Room/UserGems)
Stand up the daily-refreshed trigger pipeline. Clay table that pulls from UserGems (job changes, funding) + Common Room (community/GitHub) + LinkedIn Sales Insights (hiring) + 6sense or Bombora (intent topics), enriches against the ICP, scores fit x freshness, drops top 50/day into a 'hot list' routed to SDR queues. Champify research: triggered outbound wins 37% vs 19% cold. Reference: https://www.usergems.com/blog/b2b-intent-data-providers. The pipeline is the operational mechanism that converts the trigger library from a static list into a daily-refreshing hot-lead engine.
Pick the primary data provider (Apollo vs ZoomInfo vs Clay vs Cognism) via blind-sample evaluation, build the master Clay table template (the operational center of M1), configure LinkedIn Sales Navigator account searches, and route accounts to SDR territories with route-exclusivity rules.
Pick primary data provider (Apollo vs ZoomInfo vs Clay)
Run a 200-record blind sample test across Apollo, ZoomInfo, Clay, and Cognism. Score on email validity, phone validity, title accuracy, tech-stack accuracy, and price/seat. Apollo wins on price/breadth; ZoomInfo on enterprise depth; Clay on workflow flexibility. Document the choice + the specific reasons; this decision is hard to reverse. Reference: https://prospectai.co/resources/blog/clay-vs-apollo-comparison. The provider choice cascades into deliverability (bad emails = sender-reputation tank) and SDR effective-dial-rate (bad phones = wasted time).
Build the master Clay table template
T2D3 IP. Ship the canonical Clay table: account -> contacts -> trigger-stack -> tier -> routing column -> sequence variant column -> ICP-fit score. 30+ enrichment columns. Reusable across customers. This is the operational center of M1 - every other module references this table. Reference: https://www.salesforge.ai/blog/clay-vs-apollo. The Clay table is the operational backbone of the entire engine; if it is well-built every downstream task is faster and if it is poorly built every downstream task is broken.
Write Pain-Claim-Gain copy blocks per persona (T2D3 IP) and map at least 3 contacts per Tier-1A account for the multi-threading requirement. Without persona-level Pain-Claim-Gain, sequences default to feature-listing - the dominant 2026 cold-email failure mode.
Write Pain-Claim-Gain copy block per persona
T2D3 IP - Pain-Claim-Gain. For each priority persona (CRO, VP Sales, Head of RevOps, etc.) write a Pain-Claim-Gain triplet: Pain (the trigger event / role-specific pain), Claim (the capability we offer), Gain (proof / case / number). These blocks plug directly into M2 sequences. Without them, sequences default to feature-listing, which is the dominant 2026 cold-email failure mode. Reference Devin Reed messaging frameworks at https://www.cognism.com/blog/outbound-strategy. Pain-Claim-Gain is the load-bearing copy mechanic that lets a 4-person SDR team match the reply rate of a 12-person team that lacks it.
Map at least 3 contacts per Tier-1A account
Multi-threading: 2026 buying committees = 6-10 internal stakeholders; deals with 3+ engaged stakeholders close 2.5x more often (Forrester / Landbase). For each Tier-1A account, identify 3+ named contacts (champion + economic buyer + influencer) before SDR begins outreach. Bake the multi-thread requirement into the sequence (M2). Reference: https://www.landbase.com/blog/multi-threading-enterprise-deals-win-rate-2026. Multi-threading at the Tier-1A tier is the largest single lever for enterprise deal close-rate; without it, single-threaded deals stall when the champion goes on vacation.
Validate every email through NeverBounce/ZeroBounce (target <2% bounce), validate phone numbers and flag Do-Not-Call list matches, and dedupe against the CRM so SDRs do not cold-email an AE's named account. The most-overlooked operational pre-launch step that decides whether the engine ever reaches steady state.
Run email validation through NeverBounce/ZeroBounce
Validate every email before it touches a sequencer. SLA: under 2% bounce on launch (Gmail flags over 3% bounces and tanks sender reputation; the 2024 Gmail enforcement made this hard). NeverBounce/ZeroBounce integration in Clay; flag-and-quarantine bad emails, do not send. Reference: https://leadhaste.com/blog/cold-email-domain-setup-guide-2026. Email validation is the single cheapest intervention to keep deliverability healthy; skipping it is the #1 cause of week-2 sender-reputation collapse.
Validate phone numbers; flag DNC
Validate phone numbers (PhoneBurner / Truecaller pro). Flag Do-Not-Call list matches (US: National DNC + state lists). 30% bad-number rate is common in raw Apollo/ZoomInfo data - an SDR making 80 calls into 70-good-number list is effectively making 56 effective calls. Reference: https://www.landbase.com/blog/sdr-to-ae-handoff-data-quality-conversion-2026. Phone validation directly compounds with dialer choice: a power-dialer (Orum, Nooks) parallel-dialing 3-5 lines amplifies any validity gap by the same factor.
Ship the Cold Calling 2.0 sequence pack - multi-channel (email + LinkedIn + phone), trigger-matched variants, Pain-Claim-Gain encoded - with the AI-personalization rubric and the multi-channel cadence design. T2D3 IP: the 6-step Cold Calling 2.0 template, Pain-Claim-Gain copy blocks, AI-personalization governance gate. STOP focus: heavy Templatize. Syntropy: Scribe (copy), Engineer (sequencer), Navigator (governance).
Ship the canonical 6-email Cold Calling 2.0 cadence template pack (referral request, value, insight, case-study, multi-thread, breakup) with each email keyed to a Pain-Claim-Gain block from M1. T2D3 IP, downstream-consumed by country-expansion.
Ship the 6-step Cold Calling 2.0 cadence template pack (DOWNSTREAM IP)
DOWNSTREAM-CONSUMED. T2D3 IP. The canonical 6-email Cold Calling 2.0 sequence: (1) referral request to a senior exec, (2) value email to named decision-maker, (3) insight email with industry data point, (4) case-study email, (5) multi-thread email to a peer, (6) breakup. Each email uses a Pain-Claim-Gain block from M1. Country-expansion playbook reuses these as the localization base. Ross original referral email reply rate 10%; modern multi-channel sequences hit 8-15% on top campaigns. Reference: https://blog.datananas.com/en/cold-calling-2-0/.
Write the Cold Calling 2.0 referral-email v1
The signature Predictable Revenue mechanic: short (4-7 lines), polite, plain-text, no pitch, asks 'could you point me to the right person at [Company] for [topic]?' Sent to a senior exec one or two levels above the actual buyer. Aaron Ross's reported 10% reply rate at Salesforce. Sam McKenna's 'Show that you've done research' framing. Reference: https://www.apollo.io/academy/master-classes/how-to-write-cold-emails-anyone-will-respond-to. The referral email is the highest-leverage single email in the entire sequence; it earns warm intros from senior execs which then convert to scheduled meetings at 60-70%.
Write the breakup ('closing your file') email
The breakup email is consistently the highest-reply email in the sequence (sometimes the *only* email that gets a reply). Format: 'I'm closing your file unless I hear back - happy to revisit later if priorities change.' Calibrate length and tone to brand voice; do not over-cleverize. Reference: Predictable Revenue case + practitioner consensus at https://predictablerevenue.com/. The breakup email uses loss-aversion psychology (the prospect doesn't want to lose the option) which is the single highest-converting trigger in cold outreach.
Author the four trigger-matched sequence variants - funding round, leadership change, hiring spike, tech-stack/churn-signal - each with the right freshness window and lead-with-empathy framing. Triggered outbound wins 37% vs 19% cold (Champify research).
Funding-round-triggered sequence variant
Specific cadence for newly-funded accounts (Series B+). Lead with congratulations + the specific spend imperative ('new ARR pressure / hiring 15 GTM hires'). Freshness rule: trigger valid for 90d, hottest in first 30d. Champify: 37% win rate on triggered outbound vs 19% cold. Reference: https://www.usergems.com/blog/sales-trigger-events. Funding-trigger sequences exploit a known buyer state: newly-funded execs have explicit budget, board pressure to deploy, and a 90-day window to make impact - a near-ideal buying state for net-new vendors.
Leadership-change-triggered sequence variant
The #1 buying trigger. New C-level has 90-day window to make impact + budget + reviewing existing tools. Cadence: hit within 14d of announcement; lead with 'saw you joined [Company] as [role]'; offer a 30-min 'what's-broken-in-the-stack' diagnostic. Highest-converting trigger sequence in nearly all deployments. Reference: https://saleshive.com/glossary/buying-trigger/. Leadership-change is the highest-priority trigger because it represents both budget authority (new exec) and motivation (90-day window) in the same prospect simultaneously.
Write the AI-personalization rubric (when AI helps vs hurts) - T2D3 IP - build the Clay/Apollo opener prompt library, and write the brand-voice doc that constrains AI output. The governance gate: all new AI copy passes human review until sustained <10% edit rate over 2 weeks.
Write the AI-personalization rubric (when AI helps vs hurts)
T2D3 IP. Document where AI helps (firmographic enrichment, intent-signal stacking, first-line opener personalization, list segmentation) vs where AI hurts (writing whole emails, mimicking exec voice, drafting MEDDPICC fields). Set the governance gate: all new AI copy passes human review until sustained <10% edit rate over 2 weeks. Then automate. Reference: https://www.apollo.io/magazine/from-intent-signals-to-booked-meetings-a-smarter-outbound-playbook-for-2026, https://www.digitalapplied.com/blog/case-against-ai-sdrs-contrarian-analysis-2026.
Build the Clay/Apollo AI opener prompt library
Author 8-12 reusable AI opener prompts: 'based on [LinkedIn post] in last 30 days, write a 1-line opener that references [specific point]' - never generic 'I noticed your interesting work at...' (the uncanny-valley failure mode). Test prompts against a 50-record gold-standard set; ship only prompts where >70% of outputs pass human review unedited. Reference: https://www.apollo.io/magazine/from-intent-signals-to-booked-meetings-a-smarter-outbound-playbook-for-2026. The prompt library is the operational concretization of the rubric - without it, the 'AI helps with openers' rule stays slogan.
Design the 12-touch / 21-day multi-channel cadence (email + LinkedIn + phone), write the cold-call script template, and define the LinkedIn touch pattern (connect -> view -> comment -> message). Multi-channel lifts response 287% vs single-channel.
Design the 12-touch / 21-day multi-channel cadence
Email-only sequences are dead in 2026. Mix email + LinkedIn (connect, view, comment, message) + phone. 12-18 touches over 3-4 weeks for Tier-1A; 6-9 for Tier-1B; 4-6 for Tier-2. Multi-channel outperforms email-only by 15-25% on positive reply rate; multichannel (email + phone + social) lifts response 287% vs single-channel. Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/sdr-conversion-rate. The multi-channel design is the largest single lever on reply rate at the Tier-1A tier where a single email is no longer enough to break through.
Write the cold-call script (open, value, ask)
Three-part script: pattern-interrupt open ('did I catch you at a bad time?' still works in 2026), one-sentence relevance hook (Pain-Claim-Gain compressed), explicit ask ('worth a 20-min call next week?'). Best timing: Tuesdays 10-11am and 2-3pm; avg call 93s; need 3 attempts for 93% connection. Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/sdr-conversion-rate. The cold-call script is the most-perishable artifact in the playbook; reps will inevitably go off-script, so the script's role is to give a starting baseline and an objection-handling library.
Set up the sequence A/B testing framework, schedule the weekly Friday 30-min sequence-review ritual, and define the sequence-deprecation rule that keeps the sequencer clean. The Optimize loop on the templated sequences.
Set up sequence A/B testing framework
A/B test one variable at a time (subject line, opener, CTA). Min 200 sends per variant for stat-sig (5% reply baseline -> need ~200 sends to detect a 50% lift at p<0.05). Sequencer-native A/B (Outreach, Salesloft, Apollo) preferred over manual segments. Document every test in a 'what we learned' log. Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/sdr-conversion-rate. Without a structured A/B framework, sequence iteration becomes anecdotal opinion-trading and the team's average reply rate stagnates within 6 weeks.
Schedule weekly sequence-review ritual (Fri 30min)
Friday 30-min ritual: top 3 reply-rate sequences, bottom 3, top 3 most-edited AI outputs (governance signal), sequence-of-the-week candidate for next-week's gold standard. Cadence is what compounds - without weekly review, sequences stagnate within 6 weeks. Reference: https://predictablerevenue.com/. The weekly sequence review is the operational mechanism that converts the A/B framework from a tool into an iteration loop; it is also the single best place to catch AI-personalization drift before it hits production.
Stand up the 2026 outbound stack - CRM data model with MEDDPICC fields, sequencer selection, data/intent provider stack, dialer + conversation intelligence, the deliverability runbook (DMARC/SPF/DKIM/Warmup) that keeps the whole thing landing in inboxes, and the activity reporting foundations that M7 dashboards build on. STOP focus: Standardize (CRM data model). Syntropy: heavy Engineer; Navigator on vendor selection.
Add MEDDPICC fields to the opportunity object (cross-playbook with sales-methodology), decide the lead-vs-account-vs-contact CRM model, and sign the joint SQO definition (SDR + AE + RevOps). Without a signed SQO definition, AE acceptance plateaus below 50%.
Add MEDDPICC fields to opportunity object
CROSS-PLAYBOOK. The sales-methodology playbook (Wave 1) defines MEDDPICC as the discovery framework. This task adds the matching CRM fields (Metrics, Economic-buyer, Decision-criteria, Decision-process, Identify-pain, Champion, Competition) to the opportunity object so the M5 SDR-to-AE handoff has somewhere to land. Score each pillar 1-3; require 8/12 minimum at handoff. Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/bant. The CRM field-build is the operational concretization of the MEDDPICC framework; without these fields the M5 handoff SLA cannot be enforced.
Decide lead vs account/contact model
Lead-based vs account-based CRM is a one-time decision with multi-year consequences. For ICP-driven outbound (this playbook), account-based wins - accounts with multiple contacts and a single opportunity, no orphan leads. Salesforce: skip Lead, go straight to Account+Contact+Opportunity. HubSpot: Companies+Contacts+Deals. Reference: https://www.scaleops.co/blog/case-study-integrating-outreach-and-salesforce. The model decision dictates the entire CRM data shape; reversing it later requires a multi-month migration with downtime risk.
Sign the joint SQO definition (SDR + AE + RevOps)
The handoff war's #1 root cause: SDR thinks meeting-booked = qualified; AE thinks budget-confirmed = qualified. Sign a one-page SQO definition (specific MEDDPICC threshold, multi-thread requirement, ICP-fit score). All three roles sign. Without this, AE acceptance plateaus below 50%. Reference: https://www.landbase.com/blog/sdr-to-ae-handoff-data-quality-conversion-2026. The SQO definition is the load-bearing artifact that ends the AE-vs-SDR cold war and gets AE acceptance from the typical sub-50% baseline to the 70%+ target.
Pick the sequencer (Outreach / Salesloft / Apollo / Smartlead) on integration depth, deliverability features, and AI-personalization ergonomics, configure bidirectional CRM sync (activity + reply state), and import the M1 lists into the sequencer with proper routing.
Pick sequencer (Outreach vs Salesloft vs Apollo vs Smartlead)
Pick on (a) Salesforce/HubSpot integration depth, (b) per-seat cost, (c) deliverability features (multi-mailbox rotation, warmup), (d) AI-personalization ergonomics. Outreach + Salesloft = enterprise; Apollo + Smartlead = SMB+mid-market with built-in data and warmup. AdRoll case: 100 SDRs migrated Marketo -> Outreach for SDR visibility + multi-channel + Salesforce sync. Reference: https://www.outreach.io/customer-stories/adroll. The sequencer choice is the second-largest single tech decision after CRM choice; switching costs are high (sequence migration + workflow retraining).
Configure bidirectional CRM sync (activity + reply state)
Activity (call, email send, reply) and state (opted-out, replied, bounced) sync to CRM in real time. Without bidirectional sync, sequences fire on prospects who already opted out - lethal for deliverability and brand. Field-mapping doc + a daily reconciliation report. Reference: https://www.scaleops.co/blog/case-study-integrating-outreach-and-salesforce. The bidirectional sync is the single biggest source of brand-damage prevention; one accidentally-sequenced opted-out prospect can result in a public LinkedIn callout that costs more than the sync's annual maintenance.
Pick the intent provider (UserGems / Common Room / 6sense / Bombora / G2) - stack 2 not 4 to avoid tool fatigue - pipe intent signals into the Clay table on a daily refresh, and build the Apollo -> ZoomInfo -> manual enrichment waterfall.
Pick intent provider (6sense vs Bombora vs G2 vs UserGems)
UserGems = job changes + funding + leadership (best for trigger events). Common Room = community/GitHub/Slack signals (best for PLG/dev-focused ICPs). 6sense = topic-level intent (best for enterprise). Bombora = third-party intent surge (best for broad TAM). G2 = in-market alternative-research signals. Stack 2 of these, not 4 - diminishing returns + tool fatigue. Reference: https://www.usergems.com/blog/b2b-intent-data-providers. The stack-2-not-4 discipline is critical; teams that buy all 4 spend 6 months learning 4 tools at 30% depth each, vs 2 tools at 80% depth each which is the actually-useful state.
Pipe intent signals into Clay table
Daily refresh: intent provider -> Clay table -> ICP filter -> SDR queue. Trigger column updates with most-recent signal + freshness timestamp. SLA: signal-to-SDR-queue lag <24h (critical for leadership-change and funding triggers). Reference: https://www.usergems.com/blog/b2b-intent-data-providers. The 24h SLA is the operational bar; signals more than 24h stale lose conversion lift and become as good as cold accounts.
Write the T2D3 deliverability runbook (T2D3 IP) covering DNS records, the cold-domain pool, mailbox warmup with Mailreach/Warmy, and the daily monitoring dashboard. The #1 cause of week-4-8 campaign failure is skipped or insufficient warmup.
Write the T2D3 deliverability runbook
T2D3 IP. Concrete runbook: (a) DNS records - SPF '~all' not '-all' for cold; DKIM provider-specific; DMARC three-phase ramp 'p=none' -> 'p=quarantine' -> 'p=reject'. (b) Domain strategy - never primary domain; register 4-8 brand-variant cold domains 30-60 days before use. (c) Mailbox limits 25-30/day. (d) Warmup 21-28 days, 5/10 -> 15/20 -> 25/30 daily. (e) Daily monitoring (bounces, complaints, blocklist). (f) Pause-and-rebuild trigger on warning signal. References: https://leadhaste.com/blog/cold-email-domain-setup-guide-2026, https://bitscale.ai/blogs/cold-email-deliverability-in-2026.
Register and configure 4-8 cold-email domains
Register .com brand variations (try-, get-, hello-, the- prefixes; .co/.net/.io alternates). 30-60 days aging before use. SPF/DKIM/DMARC on each. 2-3 mailboxes per domain. Real-name mailboxes (sarah.chen@...) not generic (rep1@...) - generic gets filtered. Reference: https://leadhaste.com/blog/cold-email-domain-setup-guide-2026. The cold domain pool is the operational separation that keeps the primary domain (used for invoices, customer support, CEO communications) isolated from cold-outreach reputation risk.
Pick the dialer (power-dialer Orum/Nooks for SMB volume vs single-line Aircall for enterprise) and set up Gong/Chorus conversation intelligence as the foundation for the M6 weekly call-review coaching cadence.
Pick dialer (Aircall vs Orum vs Nooks)
Power-dialer (Orum, Nooks) = parallel dialing 3-5 lines, best for high-volume SMB outbound; standard dialer (Aircall) = single-line, best for enterprise calls where each conversation is high-stakes. Orum advertises 4x connect-rate lift. Best timing Tuesdays 10-11am / 2-3pm. Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/sdr-conversion-rate. The dialer choice cascades into SDR daily activity capacity; a power-dialer team can hit 80-120 conversations/day vs 30-50 for single-line, which directly compounds with the SDR-headcount sizing in M4.
Set up Gong / Chorus conversation intelligence
Conversation intel records, transcribes, and surfaces patterns across SDR calls. Foundation for M6 coaching cadence (weekly call-review). Without this, SDR coaching is anecdotal - manager listens to one call/week and pattern-matches to memory. With it, coach can pull 'every objection handled this way in the last 30 days' instantly. Reference: https://www.gong.io/. Conversation intel is the largest single coaching-quality lever; teams with Gong/Chorus see SDR ramp accelerate by 2-3 weeks vs teams without.
Define the activity reporting data model (per-SDR daily/weekly: dials, connects, conversations, emails, replies, meetings, SQOs, AE-accepted opps, pipeline) and the personalization-token taxonomy. M7 dashboards build on this foundation.
Define the activity reporting data model
Per-SDR daily/weekly: dials, connects, conversations, emails sent, replies, meetings booked, meetings held, SQOs, AE-accepted opps, pipeline created. Pipeline -> CRM source-of-truth. M7 dashboards build on this. Without a clean activity data model, M7 is impossible. Reference: https://www.gradient.works/blog/benchmarks-for-metrics-that-matter-to-sales-development. The data model is the foundation for both reporting (M7) and coaching (M6); a sloppy data model means dashboards lie and coaches make bad decisions.
Define the personalization-token taxonomy
Standardize tokens across sequencer + Clay + CRM: {first_name} {company} {trigger_event} {recent_post_summary} {tier}. Token-fallback rules so a missing token doesn't ship 'Hi {first_name}' emails. Reference: https://www.apollo.io/magazine/from-intent-signals-to-booked-meetings-a-smarter-outbound-playbook-for-2026. The token taxonomy is the operational mechanism that prevents the most-embarrassing class of mistakes (the 'Hi {first_name}' email that appears in screenshot-shaming threads on LinkedIn).
Hire SDRs against a Roberge-style scorecard, ramp them in 90 days against the canonical 30/60/90 plan, put them on a comp plan that aligns to AE-accepted-opp quality (not just meeting-booked volume), and stand up an SDR Manager when team size hits 5+. T2D3 IP fills the comp-plan + ramp-plan gap that Predictable Revenue (2011) leaves open. STOP focus: heavy Productize. Syntropy: Navigator (Head of SDR), Scribe (job spec, comp doc), Engineer light (CRM-quota tracker).
Write the SDR job spec with Pain-Claim-Gain framing, build the 5-trait Roberge-style hiring scorecard (T2D3 IP, derived from The Sales Acceleration Formula), and write the role-play interview rubric for the highest-predictive-validity interview signal.
Write the SDR job spec
Spec: pain (the role's hard parts), claim (what we offer career-wise - promotion-track to AE in 18mo), gain (the proof - past SDR-to-AE promotions). Pain-Claim-Gain applied to recruiting. Avoid generic 'join our rocketship' - top-quartile SDR talent is fielding 3-5 offers; specificity wins. Reference: https://www.cognism.com/blog/outbound-strategy. The job spec is the first artifact a candidate sees; specificity (named past promotions, concrete comp range) beats generic excitement-language at every quality tier of candidate.
Build the 5-trait Roberge-style hiring scorecard
T2D3 IP - Roberge-derived. Define the 5 traits that predict success at *your* product/buyer (e.g. coachability, curiosity, prior-success-pattern, intelligence, work-ethic). Each interviewer scores 1-5 on each trait. Pre-commit to a hire/no-hire threshold (typically >=4.0 average). Track scorecard score vs first-90-day SQO output and refine traits over 5-10 cohorts. Reference: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072. The scorecard is the largest single retention lever: scorecard-derived hires retain 18-24 months on average vs 8-12 months for gut-feel hires.
Write the role-play interview rubric
Hour-3 of the interview: candidate cold-calls the hiring manager (playing a target persona) using a 30-min prep packet. Score: research depth, opening-line clarity, objection-handling under pressure, follow-up plan. Highest predictive validity of any interview signal. Reference: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072. The role-play is the highest-signal hour in the entire interview process; gut-feel-without-roleplay hiring decisions correlate poorly with first-90-day SQO output, while roleplay-scorecard hiring decisions correlate at 0.6-0.8.
Define the sourcing channel mix (LinkedIn Recruiter, RepVue, employee referrals - the highest-LTV channel), design the 4-step interview loop targeting <=10 business days elapsed, and lock in the manager-plus-peer reference-check protocol.
Define sourcing channel mix (LinkedIn, RepVue, referrals)
LinkedIn Recruiter (titles + tenure filters), RepVue (company-rated SDR profiles), employee referrals (highest LTV hires; typically 2x retention vs cold sourcing). Avoid mass-blast staffing agencies - they recycle the same candidate pool that 30 other companies are interviewing. Reference: https://www.repvue.com/. The sourcing channel mix is the funnel-shape lever; referrals are the highest-LTV channel and should be incentivized with a $2k-5k referral bonus to keep the pipeline filled.
Design the 4-step interview loop
Step 1: 30-min phone screen (recruiter, scorecard 1-2). Step 2: 60-min behavioral with hiring manager (scorecard 3-4). Step 3: 60-min role-play. Step 4: 60-min team-fit + Q&A. Total elapsed time target <=10 business days; longer = lose candidates to other offers. Reference: https://www.cognism.com/blog/outbound-strategy. The 10-day SLA is the largest single offer-acceptance lever; teams with 15+ day loops lose 30-40% of finalists to faster competitors.
Reference-check protocol (manager + peer)
Ship the canonical 30-60-90 ramp plan (T2D3 IP), build the week-1 onboarding curriculum, define the day-30/60/90 graduation criteria, and ship the role-play scorecard for week-2 certification. Bridge Group benchmark = 3.2 months ramp.
Ship the canonical 30-60-90 ramp plan
T2D3 IP. The week-by-week ramp plan: Days 1-30 ICP/product/messaging study + mock calls + low-stakes live (30-40 dials, 0% quota); Days 31-60 50-60 dials + 50% quota; Days 61-90 80-100 dials + 75-100% quota. Daily/weekly manager check-ins specified. Graduation criteria at days 30/60/90. Bridge Group benchmark = 3.2 months ramp; this is the operational artifact that hits it. Reference: https://www.cleverly.co/blog/sdr-onboarding-30-60-90-day-outbound-plan.
Build week-1 onboarding curriculum
Week 1: company mission day 1, ICP deep-dive days 1-3, product top-3 pain-points day 2-4, shadow top performers days 3-5. Friday checkpoint: rep can articulate ICP + pain + value prop. Pass = advance; fail = extend 2-3 days. Reference: https://www.cleverly.co/blog/sdr-onboarding-30-60-90-day-outbound-plan. The Friday-checkpoint is the early-warning mechanism for ramp problems; extending week-1 by 2-3 days is far cheaper than discovering at day-60 that the rep never had the foundation.
Define ramp graduation criteria (day 30/60/90)
Ship the SDR comp-plan template (T2D3 IP - fills the Predictable Revenue gap) with the 70/30 base/variable mix and the AE-accepted-opp kicker, build the bottom-up + top-down quota-setting model, run the comp-plan scenario spreadsheet at multiple attainment levels, and roll out the comp plan to the team with worked examples.
Ship the SDR comp-plan template
T2D3 IP - fills the Predictable Revenue gap. Comp plan: 70/30 base/variable mix (US median $60K base / $25K variable / $85K OTE); variable split 60% on meetings booked, 40% on AE-accepted opps (alignment with quality, not volume); 1.25x accelerator above 120% quota; $250-500 kicker per AE-accepted opp; optional 0.5-1% closed-won kicker for long-cycle alignment. References: https://www.everstage.com/sales-compensation/sdr-variable-compensation, https://www.visdum.com/blog/sdr-salary-guide-2026.
Build the quota-setting model
Bottom-up: (working days/month x dials/day x connect-rate x conversion-to-meeting x show-rate) = expected meetings/month -> SQOs/month -> quota. Cross-check against top-down: 65% attainment rate target -> quota set so median rep can hit 65%. Common error: setting quota at 100%-attainment-by-top-performer = systemic 30-40% attainment; coverage tanks. Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/sdr-conversion-rate. The quota-setting model is where good comp plans go to die; setting quota too high (top-performer-attainment baseline) systemically demotivates the whole team.
Gated section that fires only at 5+ SDRs reporting to one person: write the SDR Manager job spec and scorecard (avoid promoting top-rep without manager skills), and onboard the manager in their first 30 days (shadow every rep, audit every sequence, build a what's-broken memo). Two tasks - exempt from the 8-task floor per Decision 2 (cadence-driven gate).
Write the SDR Manager job spec + scorecard
Trigger: >=5 SDRs reporting to one person = need a dedicated SDR Manager (not a player-coach). Scorecard: prior team-led-to-quota record, coaching reps over hand-holding, comfort with metrics + Gong, hiring track record. Avoid promoting the top-rep without manager skills - common 0-1 mistake that wrecks the team. Reference: https://www.cognism.com/blog/outbound-strategy. The 'do not promote top-rep without manager skills' rule is the single most-violated rule in the SDR-management literature, and the most-expensive when violated.
Onboard the SDR Manager (first 30 days)
First 30 days for the manager: shadow every rep on calls (5 hours/week), audit every active sequence, meet AEs to understand their feedback, build a 'what's broken / what's working' memo, present plan for next 60 days. Reference: https://www.cognism.com/blog/outbound-strategy. The manager's first-30-day memo is the highest-leverage artifact of their entire tenure; it is when their cross-function pattern-recognition is freshest and the team is most receptive to course-corrections.
Ship the SDR-to-AE handoff SLA - required MEDDPICC fields, time SLAs by lead temperature, the 5-reason recycle-not-reject taxonomy, and the weekly joint review cadence - that lifts AE-accepted rate from baseline to 70%+ and ends the AE-vs-SDR cold war. Cross-playbook: MEDDPICC field definitions are owned by the parallel sales-methodology playbook (Wave 1); this module references those definitions. STOP focus: Standardize (handoff SLA contract). Syntropy: Navigator + Engineer + light Scribe.
Ship the SDR-to-AE handoff SLA template (T2D3 IP, downstream-consumed) signed by SDR + AE + RevOps - required MEDDPICC fields, time SLA by lead temperature, multi-thread requirement, the 5 valid recycle reasons, and the rejection-not-recycle prohibition - and define the time SLAs by lead temperature (hot/warm/cool).
Ship the SDR-to-AE handoff SLA template (DOWNSTREAM IP)
DOWNSTREAM-CONSUMED. T2D3 IP. Signed by SDR + AE + RevOps. Spec: required fields (MEDDPICC >=8/12), time SLA (AE accepts/recycles within 4h hot / 24h cold), multi-thread requirement (>=2 contacts), the 5 valid recycle reasons (not-ICP / no-budget-confirmed / wrong-timing / disqualified-incumbent / wrong-contact), the rejection-not-recycle prohibition. Industry benchmark: <50% AE acceptance = handoff problem; 70%+ = healthy. Consumed by ma-integration commercial-integration sub-workstream. References: https://optif.ai/glossary/sdr-to-ae-handoff-sla/, https://www.default.com/post/sdr-to-ae-handoff.
Define time SLAs by lead temperature
Hot (inbound demo or stacked-trigger outbound): AE contact within 1-4h. Outbound qualified: 4-8h. Cooler MQL: 24h. Show rate degrades 10% per 24h delay. Auto-escalation in CRM if SLA breached. Reference: https://www.default.com/post/sdr-to-ae-handoff. The temperature-based SLA is the operational concretization of the meta-rule that hot leads are perishable; without it, even excellent SDRs see show rate degrade because AEs don't prioritize speed-to-contact.
Cross-playbook with sales-methodology: define which MEDDPICC fields are mandatory at SDR->AE handoff, add CRM validation rules (hard-stop, not soft-warning) so SDRs cannot mark stage 'SAL' without minimum fields, and write the SDR coaching doc on how to surface MEDDPICC in discovery without trying to act as closers.
Define the MEDDPICC fields required at handoff
CROSS-PLAYBOOK with sales-methodology. Sales-methodology owns the MEDDPICC framework definition; this task constrains *which* fields are mandatory at SDR->AE handoff. Minimum: Pain (identified pain), Champion (named individual), Metrics (target measurable). Optional but scored: Economic-buyer, Decision-criteria, Decision-process, Competition. Score 1-3 per pillar; 8/12 minimum at handoff. Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/bant. The 'minimum 3 mandatory pillars' rule is the cheapest single mechanism to lift AE acceptance; without it, SDRs ship handoffs with no Champion and AE pushes back as expected.
Add CRM validation rules for MEDDPICC fields
CRM workflow: SDR cannot mark opportunity stage as 'SAL' / 'AE-pending' without minimum MEDDPICC fields completed. Hard-stop validation (not a soft-warning). Without validation, SDRs skip fields under pressure -> AE rejects -> handoff war. Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/bant. Hard-stop validation is the difference between an SLA that works and an SLA that decorates RevOps wiki; soft-warnings get ignored within 4 weeks of launch.
Document the 5 valid recycle reasons (closed taxonomy that prevents the 'I just didn't like this one' pattern that erodes morale) and stand up the CRM workflow that routes recycled opps back to the SDR queue with the AE's reason visible.
Document 5 valid recycle reasons
Valid reasons: (1) not-ICP-fit, (2) no-budget-confirmed, (3) wrong-timing-defer-90d, (4) incumbent-locked-in, (5) wrong-contact. Anything else = AE must accept. Closed taxonomy prevents the 'I just didn't like this one' rejection pattern that erodes morale. Reference: https://www.default.com/post/sdr-to-ae-handoff. The closed taxonomy is the single largest morale lever for the SDR team; an AE who can give 'I just didn't like this one' kills SDR motivation faster than any other intervention.
CRM workflow: recycled opps return to SDR queue with note
Recycled opp -> AE writes 1-line reason -> CRM routes back to SDR queue with reason visible. SDR re-engages on a 60-90d nurture cadence (different sequence variant from M2 trigger variants). No opp lost; coaching insight gained. Reference: https://www.default.com/post/sdr-to-ae-handoff. The recycle routing closes the loop on the AE-SDR feedback cycle; the 1-line reason gets back to the SDR within hours and produces immediate coaching insight.
Operating cadence section - exempt from the 8-task floor per Decision 2. Schedule the Friday 30-min weekly joint handoff review (SDR + AE + RevOps; coaching, not blame) and build the AE-acceptance-rate dashboard with per-SDR / per-AE / per-trigger / per-tier panels.
Schedule weekly joint handoff review (Fri 30min)
Friday 30-min: SDR + AE + RevOps. Review the previous week's recycled opps (5 reasons taxonomy), the AE-accepted opps that converted to qualified pipeline, and the bottom 3 SQOs by quality. Coaching, not blame. Cadence is the antidote to handoff-war drift. Reference: https://www.default.com/post/sdr-to-ae-handoff. The weekly review is the operational mechanism that prevents SLA drift; without it, the SLA decays from 'enforced contract' to 'wiki page nobody reads' within 8 weeks.
Build acceptance-rate dashboard (per SDR, per AE, per trigger)
Dashboard panels: AE acceptance rate per SDR (drift detection), per AE (some AEs reject everything - coach), per trigger variant (some sequences bring poor-fit accounts - fix M2), per ICP tier. Refreshes daily. Reference: https://www.default.com/post/sdr-to-ae-handoff. The dashboard is the diagnostic instrument for the M5 system; without per-AE / per-SDR / per-trigger / per-tier slicing, problems hide in aggregate averages and persist for months.
Install the recurring rituals that keep the SDR engine running - daily standup, weekly call-review-driven 1:1, weekly team meeting, monthly skip-level, monthly business review, peer call-review pods, and skills + output coaching tracks. The compounding work that turns a built engine into a productive engine. STOP focus: heavy Productize (cadence as a repeatable asset, not a person-dependent ritual). Syntropy: Navigator (SDR Manager), Scribe (1:1 templates), Engineer light.
Operating cadence section - exempt from the 8-task floor per Decision 2. Define the daily 10-min standup format (3 questions; avoid the 45-min discussion anti-pattern) and the weekly team meeting agenda template (metrics, sequence-of-the-week, role-play, recognition).
Define daily standup format (10min, 3 questions)
10-min daily: (1) yesterday's wins/SQOs, (2) today's plan, (3) blockers. Async option (Slack post) for distributed teams. Avoid the 'meeting that becomes a 45-min discussion' anti-pattern - standup is for surfacing blockers, not solving them. Reference: https://predictablerevenue.com/. The 10-min cap is non-negotiable; standups that drift to 45 min become meetings reps actively avoid, and the team loses the surface-blockers function entirely.
Weekly team meeting agenda template
60-min weekly: 15min metrics review, 20min sequence-of-the-week (winning template), 10min role-play of an objection from the field, 15min Q&A + recognition. Format consistent week-to-week so SDRs come prepared. Reference: https://predictablerevenue.com/. The format-consistency is the lever; weekly meetings that drift in format become meetings reps come unprepared to, and the team loses the compounding-learning effect.
Operating cadence section - exempt from the 8-task floor per Decision 2. Ship the weekly 30-min call-review-driven 1:1 template (SDR picks 1 Gong clip, manager picks 1) and the monthly skip-level 1:1 with the Head of Sales for early-warning attrition signal.
Weekly 1:1 template (call-review-driven, 30min)
30-min weekly 1:1, structured: 5min wins, 15min listen-to-2-Gong-clips together (SDR picks 1, manager picks 1), 5min coaching on 1 specific skill, 5min commitment. Without call-driven 1:1, coaching becomes 'how are you feeling' which moves nothing. Reference Tenbound SDR Playbook process at https://tenbound.com/. The call-review-driven structure is the difference between coaching that produces ramp acceleration and coaching that produces no measurable behavior change.
Monthly skip-level 1:1 with each SDR
Once/month, each SDR has a 30-min 1:1 with the Head of Sales (skipping their direct manager). Surfaces team-health issues that won't reach the manager-level 1:1. Cheap, high-signal. Predicts attrition 60-90 days out. Reference: https://www.cognism.com/blog/outbound-strategy. The skip-level is the cheapest single attrition-prevention mechanism; reps who feel heard by the Head of Sales stay 3-4 months longer on average than reps who don't.
Build the 4-skill x 5-level coaching rubric (research, opening, objection, close), define the output coaching rules (when to intervene; PIP ladder), and stand up the weekly peer call-review pods (4 SDRs / weekly) for compound learning at scale.
Build skills coaching rubric (4 skills x 5 levels)
4 core skills: research depth, opening-line clarity, objection handling, close-for-meeting. 5 levels each (1=struggling, 5=expert). Each SDR scored monthly; skills <3 get a 30-day improvement plan. Public rubric (not manager-only) so SDRs self-direct development. Reference: https://www.cognism.com/blog/outbound-strategy. The public rubric is what converts skills coaching from manager-driven to SDR-self-driven; a public rubric where each rep sees their level produces 2-3x the development pace of manager-only frameworks.
Define output coaching rules (when to intervene)
Triggers for intervention: 2 weeks below 50% quota, 2 weeks below 80% activity target, AE acceptance rate <50%. Each = a specific coaching plan, not generic 1:1 talk. PIP ladder if no improvement in 30 days. Reference: https://www.cognism.com/blog/outbound-strategy. The intervention triggers are the manager's structured-decision aid; without them, managers rely on gut-feel which produces uneven response across the team and surprises at performance review time.
Operating cadence section - exempt from the 8-task floor per Decision 2. Build the 90-min monthly MBR template (all SDRs + AEs + RevOps) and the quarterly board / leadership rollup pack with Pain-Claim-Gain framing on previous-quarter gap, lever pulled, and result.
MBR template (90min, all SDRs + AEs + RevOps)
90-min monthly review: previous-month metrics, top-2 wins / bottom-2 losses, theme of the month (e.g. 'we lost 3 deals to [competitor] - what's the response'), commitments for next month. AEs and SDRs in same room - alignment ritual. Reference: https://predictablerevenue.com/. The MBR is the alignment ritual that prevents AE-vs-SDR drift; teams that skip the joint MBR drift back into sub-50% AE acceptance within a quarter.
Quarterly board / leadership rollup pack
Quarterly: pipeline coverage trend, SQO quality (AE-acceptance), CAC payback on outbound, top-quartile SDR performance, cohort attainment. Pain-Claim-Gain framing: pain (last quarter's gap), claim (the lever pulled), gain (the result). Goes into board pack. Reference: https://predictablerevenue.com/. The QBR rollup is the board-narrative mechanism; CROs who present outbound with Pain-Claim-Gain framing get incremental headcount approved 2-3x more often than CROs who present with raw metrics.
Build the reporting layer - leading-indicator dashboard (activity/conversion), lagging-indicator dashboard (pipeline/revenue), SDR forecasting model with sensitivity analysis, pipeline aging report, cohort attainment tracker, tenure/attrition tracker, and the outbound CAC payback ratio. The iteration loop on the system. STOP focus: Optimize. Syntropy: heavy Engineer; Navigator on what-to-measure; light Scribe.
Build the leading-indicator dashboard (per-SDR daily/weekly activity + 4-week trend lines) and track funnel conversion rates per step (cold->connect, connect->meeting, meeting->opp, AE-acceptance, win) compared to 2026 benchmarks.
Build leading-indicator dashboard
Per-SDR daily + weekly: dials, connects, conversations, emails, replies, meetings booked, meetings held, SQOs. Per-team aggregates. 4-week trend lines. Conversion rates at each step (cold->connect 2.3% baseline; meeting->opp 50%). Slack alert if a rep is 2 weeks below 80% activity target. Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/sdr-conversion-rate. The leading-indicator dashboard is the early-warning system; per-rep panels with 4-week trend lines catch declining performance 6-8 weeks before lagging indicators (pipeline, revenue) reflect it.
Track funnel conversion rates per step
Calculated fields: connect rate, meeting-set rate, show rate, opp rate, AE-acceptance rate, win rate. Compared to 2026 benchmarks (cold-call connect 2.3%, top 6.7%; meeting->opp 50%, top 60%+). Per-rep + team. Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/sdr-conversion-rate. The per-step conversion-rate panels are the diagnostic toolkit; a rep below target on dials + connects has a different problem than a rep above target on dials but below target on conversion - the dashboard reveals which.
Build the lagging-indicator dashboard (pipeline created, coverage ratio, closed-won influenced, CAC payback - per SDR / per source / per quarter) and tag outbound-sourced pipeline at the opportunity level so KR1.2 is measurable.
Build lagging-indicator dashboard
Pipeline created (per SDR, per source, per quarter). Pipeline coverage ratio (target 3x; median 3.2x; top 4.8x). Closed-won influenced. CAC payback on outbound. Trend over 4 quarters. Reference: https://www.landbase.com/blog/sdr-to-ae-handoff-data-quality-conversion-2026. The lagging-indicator dashboard is the board-credibility instrument; pipeline coverage ratios with 4-quarter trend lines are what convince a board to approve the next SDR headcount round.
Tag outbound-sourced pipeline at the opportunity level
CRM field: opportunity source = inbound / outbound / partner / customer-referral / event. Required field. Without it, 'outbound-sourced pipeline' cannot be calculated, KR1.2 is unmeasurable, and the comp plan can't differentiate. Reference: https://www.landbase.com/blog/sdr-to-ae-handoff-data-quality-conversion-2026. The opportunity-source tag is the load-bearing data field for the entire M7 reporting layer; without it, every downstream pipeline-attribution question is unanswerable.
Build the SDR forecasting model (planned headcount x ramp curve x steady-state SQO/SDR/month x win rate x ASP = forecast outbound-sourced ARR) with sensitivity analysis on each input, plus the pipeline aging report that surfaces the rot stage.
Build the SDR forecasting model
Model: planned SDR-headcount x ramp-curve x steady-state SQO/SDR/month x win rate x ASP = forecast outbound-sourced ARR. Sensitivity analysis on each input. Reconcile monthly to actuals; refine ramp-curve and win-rate assumptions over 2 quarters. Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/sdr-conversion-rate. The forecasting model is the headcount-planning instrument; CROs with credible forecasts get headcount approved while CROs with vague projections get budget cuts.
Pipeline aging report (where does pipeline rot?)
Days-in-stage per opportunity stage. Identifies the rot stage - typically 'discovery -> proposal' but varies by ICP. Coaching input for AEs (this is also signal to the parallel sales-methodology playbook). Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/sdr-conversion-rate. The aging report is the diagnostic that tells AEs where their cycles are stalling; without it, AEs and managers debate hypothetical bottlenecks instead of intervening on the actual rot stage.
Roll-up section - exempt from the 8-task floor per Decision 2. Build the SDR cohort attainment tracker (by-cohort attainment curve over months 1/2/3/6/12), the tenure & attrition tracker, and the outbound CAC payback ratio. Synthesis of prior modules' data.
Build SDR cohort attainment tracker
By-cohort (start month) attainment curve over months 1/2/3/6/12. Industry benchmark: ramp 3.2 months, steady-state 56-60% attainment, top-quartile target 65%+. Identifies bad-cohort patterns (a hiring-process failure) vs individual-rep patterns. Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/sdr-conversion-rate. The cohort tracker is the diagnostic for hiring-process drift; a cohort that all underperforms means the hiring scorecard or sourcing channels need re-tuning, not individual coaching.
Tenure & attrition tracker
Median + p25/p75 tenure. Voluntary vs involuntary attrition. Promotion-to-AE rate (the best retention signal). Industry: 12-18-month tenure / ~39% annual turnover. T2D3 target: >=18 months. Reference: https://www.cognism.com/blog/outbound-strategy. The tenure tracker is the workforce-planning instrument; promotion-to-AE rate is the leading indicator of retention since reps stay where promotion paths are visible.
Track outbound CAC payback ratio
(Fully-loaded SDR cost + tech-stack + manager allocation) / (outbound-sourced new ARR). Healthy: 12-18 months payback. Above 24 = engine isn't paying for itself; below 12 = under-invested. T2D3 stage signal: T1->T2 outbound CAC payback often 18-24mo; expected to compress to 12-15 by T3. Reference: https://www.gradient.works/blog/benchmarks-for-metrics-that-matter-to-sales-development. CAC payback is the existence-proof for the engine; CFOs who see 18-24mo payback approve continued investment, while 24+mo paybacks trigger investment cuts.
Define the signal-stacking rubric (when do triggers compound?)
Write the signal-stacking rules: a single trigger gets a normal cadence; two stacked triggers (e.g. funding + leadership-change) jump to top-priority within 24h; three stacked triggers (funding + leadership + hiring spike) get the named-account 'whale' treatment. Apollo 2026 guidance: stacked signals lift reply rates to 14-25% vs the 3.43% industry average. Reference: https://www.apollo.io/magazine/from-intent-signals-to-booked-meetings-a-smarter-outbound-playbook-for-2026. The stacking rubric prevents SDRs from spreading effort uniformly across 200 accounts when 8 of those accounts have stacked signals worth 4x the conversion.
Configure LinkedIn Sales Navigator account searches
Build saved searches in LinkedIn Sales Navigator that pull Tier-1A and Tier-1B accounts and matched personas. Use Sales Navigator alerts as a secondary trigger source (job changes, content posts, company news). Layer on top of Clay - Clay is system of record, LinkedIn is a real-time signal stream. Reference: https://www.cognism.com/blog/outbound-strategy. The Sales Navigator layer captures real-time signals that batch data providers miss, especially the highest-converting leadership-change and content-engagement signals.
Route accounts to SDR territories (rules + round-robin)
Define routing logic: by geography, vertical, named-account assignment, or round-robin. Each SDR owns at most 125 accounts (TOPO upper bound; below that for enterprise). Route exclusivity is non-negotiable - no two SDRs touch the same account. Bake into Clay + CRM. Reference: https://www.gradient.works/blog/benchmarks-for-metrics-that-matter-to-sales-development. The routing rules prevent the most-lethal AE-vs-SDR conflict (two reps cold-emailing the same account) and the second-most-lethal SDR-vs-SDR conflict (territory disputes that destroy team morale).
Dedupe against CRM; respect AE-owned accounts
Before any account enters an SDR queue, dedupe against the CRM: accounts already assigned to an AE, in active opportunity, or recently closed-lost ('nurture; do not re-prospect for 90 days') are removed. This avoids the #1 source of AE-vs-SDR conflict - an SDR cold-emailing an AE's named account. Reference: https://www.landbase.com/blog/sdr-to-ae-handoff-data-quality-conversion-2026. The dedupe is also the operational mechanism that lets the country-expansion playbook later cleanly hand off accounts between regions.
Hiring-spike-triggered sequence variant
Trigger: 5+ relevant role postings in 30d. Lead with 'noticed you're hiring [N] [Role]s - likely scaling [function].' Offer a specific scale-related artifact (a hiring scorecard, a ramp template). Freshness: 30-day. Especially effective when target is hiring SDRs / RevOps / VP Sales. Reference: https://www.usergems.com/blog/sales-trigger-events. Hiring-spike sequences work because the prospect's most-acute pain is currently hiring/onboarding, and the artifact-offer reframes the conversation from 'pitch' to 'help'.
Tech-stack / churn-signal sequence variant
Trigger: G2 review of competitor, technographic loss of incumbent, public complaint on Reddit/HackerNews. Lead with empathy ('noticed you've been evaluating alternatives to [incumbent]') not gloating. Offer competitive battle-card or migration playbook. Freshness: 60-day. Reference: https://www.usergems.com/blog/b2b-intent-data-providers. Tech-stack-change sequences require the most-careful tone calibration; gloating about a competitor's failure tanks reply rates while empathetic framing converts at 8-12%.
Write the brand-voice doc (constrains AI output)
One-page brand-voice constraint: tone (e.g. 'direct, no-jargon, peer-to-peer'), banned phrases (no 'synergize', 'thought leader', 'I noticed your interesting work'), example pairs (good vs bad). Plug into Apollo AI Context Center / Clay AI / Lavender. Without this, AI outputs drift toward LinkedIn-sales-cliche voice. Reference: https://www.cognism.com/blog/outbound-strategy. The brand-voice doc is the cheapest single intervention to keep AI-personalized copy from sounding like every other company's AI-personalized copy.
Define LinkedIn touch pattern (connect -> view -> comment -> message)
Pattern: day 1 connect (no note), day 3 view profile, day 7 comment on a recent post, day 12 InMail or DM. Avoid the 'spray pitch on connect' anti-pattern that has tanked LinkedIn reply rates over 2024-2026. Sales Navigator preferred over free LinkedIn. Reference: https://www.cognism.com/blog/outbound-strategy. The LinkedIn touch pattern is the second-largest reply-rate lever after multi-channel; the difference between connect-with-pitch (sub-1% accept) and connect-without-pitch (15-25% accept) is enormous.
Define sequence-deprecation rule (when to kill a sequence)
Kill rule: sequence reply rate <1% over 200+ sends -> archive (not delete - log as 'what didn't work'). Without a kill rule, dead sequences rot in the sequencer and cap the team's average reply rate. STOP framework: this is the Optimize loop on the templated sequences. Reference: https://predictablerevenue.com/. The deprecation rule is the operational counterweight to the cadence-template-pack; without it, sequences accumulate forever and the average reply rate decays mathematically.
Import M1 lists into sequencer with proper routing
Pipeline: Clay -> CRM -> Sequencer -> SDR queue. Each SDR sees only their assigned accounts. Sequence variants matched to trigger column from M1 trigger library. Audit: weekly check that no SDR is sequencing accounts outside their territory or in another rep's named list. Reference: https://www.scaleops.co/blog/case-study-integrating-outreach-and-salesforce. The import pipeline is where M1 (account list build) connects to the SDR's day-to-day work; an SDR opens the sequencer in the morning and sees only their accounts in the right sequence variant.
Build the enrichment waterfall (Apollo -> ZoomInfo -> manual)
Waterfall: try Apollo first (cheapest), fall back to ZoomInfo on miss, fall back to manual research on hard-target accounts. Cost optimization: 80% Apollo -> 15% ZoomInfo -> 5% manual is typical. Track enrichment-coverage % as a quality gate (target >=85%). Reference: https://prospectai.co/resources/blog/clay-vs-apollo-comparison. The waterfall is a 30-50% cost saver vs single-provider strategies; the 5% manual layer is also where named-whale enrichment happens (LinkedIn deep-dive on Tier-1A accounts).
Configure mailbox warmup (Mailreach/Warmy)
Connect each mailbox to Mailreach or Warmy. Run 21-28 days. Track inbox-placement >80% before going live. Continue 10-15 warmup emails/day post-launch indefinitely. The #1 cause of week-4-8 campaign failure is skipped or <14d warmup. Reference: https://leadhaste.com/blog/cold-email-domain-setup-guide-2026. The warmup is non-negotiable; the temptation to skip it for the sake of launch speed is the most-expensive mistake in the entire playbook (full campaign teardown at week 4 if skipped).
Build daily deliverability monitoring dashboard
Dashboard panels: per-mailbox bounce rate (<3% green), spam-complaint rate (<0.1% green), Google Postmaster Tools sender reputation, blocklist status (MXToolbox), GlockApps weekly inbox-placement test result. Slack alert on any threshold breach -> 48-72h pause + restart at 50% volume. Reference: https://bitscale.ai/blogs/cold-email-deliverability-in-2026. The dashboard converts deliverability from a vague worry into a concrete operational practice; without it, the team only learns about reputation collapse a week after it happens, when it is too late to recover quickly.
2 references: prior manager + prior peer. Specific questions: 'What was [name]'s ramp time?' 'What kind of coaching did [name] need most?' 'Would you re-hire [name]?' - the third is the highest-signal question; hesitation is a no-go. Reference: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072. The 'would you re-hire' question is the highest-signal moment in the entire process; hesitation in the answer (not just a 'no') is enough to decline an offer.
Day 30: pass mock call w/ live objections; ICP comprehension quiz. Day 60: >=50% quota; >=70% meeting show rate; live conversation rate trending up week-over-week. Day 90: >=75% quota; operating independently; contributing patterns to team. Below-threshold = 2-week extended coaching plan, not termination on first miss. Reference: https://www.cleverly.co/blog/sdr-onboarding-30-60-90-day-outbound-plan. The 'extended coaching plan' rule prevents the worst class of management mistake (terminating on first miss) which loses 20-30% of would-be-successful reps.
Role-play scorecard for week-2 certification
Mock-call scoring: open (0-3), value-prop clarity (0-3), objection handling (0-3), close-for-meeting (0-3). 8/12 minimum to graduate week 2; below = 2-3 days more practice + retest. Reference: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072. The week-2 role-play scorecard is the operational concretization of 'we cannot ship a rep onto live customers until they can pass a basic mock call' - a discipline that pays back 10x in customer-experience prevention.
Build the comp-plan scenario spreadsheet
Scenarios: SDR at 50% quota / 100% / 130% / 160%. Pay-per-SDR + total team comp + cost-per-SQO. Compare against pipeline contribution. Catches the 'comp plan that pays out at 100% but bankrupts the company at 160%' failure mode. Reference: https://www.everstage.com/sales-compensation/sdr-variable-compensation. The scenario spreadsheet is the cheapest single risk-reduction artifact in the playbook; running scenarios catches a 7-figure comp-plan flaw in 4 hours of analyst time.
Comp-plan rollout + SDR communication kit
Doc explaining (a) the math (per-meeting + per-accepted-opp + accelerator), (b) the why (alignment with company growth), (c) the worked examples ('if you book 12 meetings and 8 are accepted, you earn $X'). All-hands rollout meeting + 1:1 walk-through with each SDR. Reference: https://www.visdum.com/blog/sdr-salary-guide-2026. The rollout doc is the morale lever; SDRs who understand the math and trust the why are 2x as likely to hit 100% quota as SDRs who feel the comp plan was sprung on them.
Coaching doc: how SDRs surface MEDDPICC in discovery
One-pager for SDRs: question library mapped to each MEDDPICC pillar (e.g. 'what's measured' for Metrics; 'who else is involved' for Decision-process). SDRs are not closers - they don't need to nail every pillar - but they must surface enough for the AE to land the discovery call without ambushes. Reference: https://prospeo.io/s/bant. The coaching doc bridges the gap between SDR (who books meetings) and AE (who runs MEDDPICC discovery); without it, SDRs ask leading questions that compromise AE discovery.
Set up peer call-review pods (4 SDRs / weekly)
Weekly 30-min pod of 4 SDRs: each brings 1 Gong clip, peer feedback, manager observes-not-leads. Peer learning compounds faster than manager-only coaching at scale. Reference: https://www.gong.io/. The peer-pod structure is the largest coaching-quality lever at team scale; once team size hits 8+, manager-only coaching cannot keep pace and peer pods become the primary mechanism for team improvement.
