The role of BDRs and SDRs is evolving, shaped by advances in AI, buyer behavior, and the need for more strategic engagement.
In “The 2025 Science of B2B BDR Benchmark: Succeeding in a Changing Landscape” report, 6sense found AI has introduced automation for tasks such as email writing and initial prospect outreach that is designed to enhance rather than replace BDR functions. For example, the report found that 60% of BDRs are using AI tools and most see these technologies as valuable aids that improve efficiency without eliminating the role of human interaction.
The report examines how success in 2025 will rely on strategic engagement strategies, including BDRs who multi-thread effectively (engaging multiple stakeholders within an account) outperform those who don’t. At the same time, buyers continue to delay direct interactions, reinforcing the importance of value-led outreach over aggressive meeting requests.
We talked with Kerry Cunningham, Head of Research and Thought Leadership at 6sense, about the report’s findings, including the effects of multi-threading, how evolving buyer expectations are shaping the BDR role, and best practices that drive success in today’s sales environment.
Demand Gen Report (DGR): “The State of the BDR” report aims to offer comprehensive insights into how the BDR role has evolved. How would you define and distill this evolution over the past year or even five years?
Kerry Cunningham: It has become substantially more outbound-focused. The majority of BDRs are using AI, while Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is ubiquitous but declining. BDRs have gone fully in on multi-threading—working multiple contacts inside an account, rather than just one.
DGR: AI is a major influencer, but what other priorities, challenges, and measures of success are driving the daily lives of BDRs?
Cunningham: The decline in the importance of MQLs/lead follow-up. Most BDRs now say that they are all or mostly outbound. The availability of intent data and predictive analytics for identifying the best and in-market accounts has made outbound a more effective approach than lead follow-up.
Plus, multi-threading requires that BDRs concentrate their efforts on a smaller number of prospects.
DGR: A major takeaway is that AI is augmenting, not replacing BDRs, with 70% actively using AI tools. What are some of the key use cases and applications for BDRs? In what areas could AI support these teams effectively?
Cunningham: The most prevalent use of AI is in email writing, making BDRs more efficient and producing better emails to prospects. Coaching to identify areas for improvement is a case that continues to gain more widespread use.
While not strongly adopted yet, sequence execution in the near term will grow and AI Agents will obviate the need for BDRs to execute email outreach at all.
DGR: A substantial pool of BDR teams have either grown or maintained their size. What would you contribute to this state, especially given the debate surrounding whether AI will impact team size/investment in people?
Cunningham: Team sizes happen in response to expectations of the market. When companies raise their outlooks for pipeline and revenue, they increase or at least maintain their BDR teams. The actual value that AI will provide is still unknown, so companies are using and experimenting without really knowing what they are going to get. So, real efficiency/effectiveness gains are not built in to how they are sizing teams. That will come.
Companies are getting smarter about aiming their BDRs at high-fit, in-market accounts, which is how to make them more productive.
DGR: With 90% of BDRs employing multi-threading strategies when engaging prospects, what tactics are most effective in identifying and engaging the broader buying committee effectively?
Cunningham: Understand from product marketing and other SMEs who the key buyer personas are. That includes acquiring contact information for them.
Additionally, delivering value-added content. Non-target personas have different information needs than the primary target. It won’t be possible to develop perfect content for every persona, but organizations need to deliver messages and experiences that non-targets would find value in, and which bolster the position of the brand, apart from product functioning details.
DGR: What tools and tech (even AI tools specifically) support these efforts?
Cunningham: For content development, the first-mile creation of content that helps non-target personas trust the brand.
AI can be deployed to predict buyer buying stages. Understanding which buyers are in-market and at what stage is the key to unlocking the benefits of multi-threading. When you know which accounts are in market, you can confidently focus efforts on that small set of accounts, rather than spreading investment across the much larger set of accounts that are not in market.
DGR: How are BDRs effectively using more value-led approaches to drive buyer engagement, such as tailored content? Who should they collaborate with internally to support these more consultative and value-led strategies?
Cunningham: Product marketing teams can help provide more value-added contact. Field marketing and Account-Based Experience (ABX) teams can offer experiences to which in-market prospects can be invited. Sellers can help BDRs understand the day-in-the-life of the individuals they are trying to reach.
But human contact is still essential and actually talking to customers to better understand their jobs and pressures from their perspective can go a long way to make BDRs better at their jobs.
DGR: Are there any results/insights from the research that point to BDR challenges or opportunities for improvement? What do you think is key for BDRs to tackle in 2025?
Cunningham: One key finding from our BDR Support Index is the need for company leadership to continue to provide BDRs with the tools they need and the sense that what they are doing in the moment is important to the company.
To me more effective, it is best to limit degree of multi-tasking and contact attempts to each persona.
Our buyer experience study research makes the case that buyers will not engage until they are ready, no matter how many times you call or email. So, continually hitting people with emails and calls doesn’t change when or if they talk to you. Instead, be thoughtful, add value, and focus on relationship building rather than pitching. And conduct fewer, higher quality contact attempts.
DGR: What learnings or takeaways would you share with BDRs reading this piece to help them elevate and optimize their approaches? Are there any “new keys” to success that you and the 6sense team would note?
Cunningham: Tie multitasking to the size of the potential deal and its buying group. There’s no need to multitask to more than about half the size of the buying group itself.
Limit volume of messages to a buyer in each week to one or two but extend the length of sequences from two to as many as six months. These should be tied to buying stage, but absent that information, continue to provide content and nurture.
