11
Building an AI SDR for automating research NOT outreach - feedback appreciated
r/SaaS
6/26/2025
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo | Not specified | Lead Generation/Enrichment | Basic firmographics, lead list building |
| Clay | Not specified | Data Enrichment | Prospect enrichment |
| Bigmind AI | Not specified | Revenue Intelligence | Using AI to understand buyer needs |
| Amplemarket | Not specified | Sales Automation | Automated outreach (as comparison) |
| Trigify | Not specified | Sales Automation | Similar to Amplemarket (as comparison) |
| Crustdata | Not specified | Data Monitoring | Social media posts, company news, signals with webhook alerts |
| TheirStack | Not specified | Tech Stack Analysis | Hiring signals, tech stack identification |
| BuiltWith | Not specified | Tech Stack Analysis | Identifying technologies used by companies |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- High churn in AI SDR tools due to poor reply rates
- Existing tools focus too much on volume rather than understanding prospects
- Difficulty piecing together data from multiple sources into actionable insights
- Generic outreach emails lacking personalization triggers
- Reps having to monitor multiple dashboards for signals
Problems to Solve:
- Automating prospect research to understand their needs
- Gathering comprehensive prospect data (firmographics, social posts, news, signals)
- Creating personalized outreach based on actual pain points
- Consolidating data sources into unified insights
- Providing timely alerts for relevant prospect signals
Potential Solutions:
- AI SDR focused on research rather than outreach
- Combining firmographic data with live signals (hiring spikes, exec posts, funding)
- Summarizing signals into actionable insights
- Delivering alerts via Slack/webhooks instead of dashboards
- Using a mix of data tools (Apollo, Clay, Crustdata, etc.) with integration capabilities
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Focusing on research over outreach to reduce churn
- Differentiating from competitors by solving the root cause of poor reply rates
- Integrating multiple data sources for comprehensive insights
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Targeting B2B sales professionals frustrated with existing tools
- Highlighting differentiation: understanding prospects rather than volume outreach
Monetization & Product:
- Pricing around $100 per seat/month if signal accuracy is maintained
- Avoiding automated outreach to maintain quality differentiation
- Prioritizing signal quality and actionable insights as core features
User Engagement:
- Providing timely alerts via Slack/webhooks to reduce dashboard fatigue
- Community feedback loops (like this Reddit post) to validate demand and gather feature ideas