AI Transformed Our SDR Team: 35% Close Rates & $1M ARR per AE with Rob Auld, CRO at Readymode

GUEST: Rob Auld, CRO at Readymode
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In this episode of The B2B Revenue Executive Experience, host Cory Cotten-Potter speaks with Rob Auld, CRO at Readymode, to share how Readymode transformed their sales approach by reimagining the traditional SDR role and leveraging AI.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to transform the traditional SDR role from basic qualification to high-value outbound sales
- Why implementing AI should focus on solving one specific problem at a time rather than wholesale transformation
- How to successfully implement sales methodologies across marketing, sales, and leadership teams
- Why AI augmentation, not replacement, is the key to driving better customer experiences
- The critical importance of marketing-sales alignment in achieving exceptional conversion rates
- How to balance AI automation with human interaction to improve customer engagement
Rob Auld is the Chief Revenue Officer at Readymode, a leading predictive dialing software company recognized as one of Canada's top-growing companies in 2023. With a vast background in sales leadership at companies like TELUS, Salesforce, and Avaya, Rob has consistently driven exceptional revenue growth, including scaling SOTI to $100M in revenue within three years and doubling revenue at Auvik.
How Rob Reimagined SDRs with AI
Rob's AI journey didn't start with excitement; it started with panic. Convinced his company was behind, he dove into AI out of fear of being left behind, only to discover at Dreamforce that most companies were just talking about AI, not doing it. That gave him a lightbulb moment: being early could unlock massive competitive advantages. So, he and his team picked one problem, inefficient SDRs, and solved it using AI. The result? Happier customers, a leaner SDR team, and a 2x boost in outbound sales.
“Solve one problem. Just solve one problem at a time.”
AI Won’t Replace Your SDRs, But It Will Make Them Better
AI is here to elevate them. Rob shares how automating the repetitive "sift and sort" tasks freed his SDRs to develop real sales skills and focus on meaningful customer interactions. Rather than threatening their jobs, AI gave them a clearer career path and more fulfilling work. The transition wasn’t without anxiety, but with intentional coaching and clear communication, it became a win-win. Rob also cautions against overhyping AI as a human replacement. Instead, the goal should be augmentation, not automation.
“It's not about replacing humans. AI should be about giving your customers what they want and when they want it.”
Why Most Sales Methodologies Fail and How to Fix It
If you want a sales transformation that actually sticks, don't start with your reps; start with leadership and marketing. Rob's approach at Readymode flips the script: train leadership and marketing in a common value-based language first, build the infrastructure and processes to support it and then bring in the sales team. The result? A 35% lead-to-close rate, a million-dollar ARR per SMB AE, and a team that’s aligned, inspired, and built to scale.
“Start with marketing and leadership. If they’re not aligned, nothing will stick.”
Now that you know how to leverage AI to transform your SDR function, discover the full list of episodes at The B2B Revenue Executive Experience. If you enjoy the show, instructions to rate and review it are found here.
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