Ryan Harnedy

Managers keep telling SDRs to do more. The data says that’s the wrong move. 🤖 72% of companies added new tech this year, yet over a third of SDRs still spend 11+ hours a week on non-selling work 📉 SDR quota attainment has dropped into the 40 to 60% range, while AE attainment holds steady at 70 to 90% 😲 Pipeline is more fragmented than ever. 53% of companies say Account Management or Customer Success now generates the most pipeline, not SDRs And yet… Calling still wins. 🤳 64.3% of revenue leaders say calling is an effective driver of pipeline 💰 44.6% of companies generate more than half their pipeline from calls 💴 70% generate at least 30% of pipeline from calls Cold calling isn’t dying. Undirected activity is. The teams winning right now aren’t chasing volume. They’re engineering who gets called, when calls happen, and how fast reps get to real conversations. Pipeline isn’t built on effort. It’s built on conversation yield. If your SDRs are exhausted and your pipeline is thin, it’s not a hustle problem. It’s a design problem. ***All data from Orum’s upcoming 2026 State of Sales Development and 2025 State of Cold Calling reports.***

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INTERACTION > INTERROGATION 🧠 Top sellers ask 15–16 questions per call. ❌ Losing sellers ask ~20. It’s not about how many questions you ask – it’s about how *good* they are. Swap “Do you use automation?” for “How does your team handle automation?” More conversation. Less interrogation.

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Your pipeline is full. Your conversion rate isn't. You're running discovery calls with prospects who aren't ready to buy. Meanwhile, firms half your size close deals in half the time because their leads come warm—already vetted by someone the buyer trusts. Qualification isn't a sales skill problem. It's a sourcing problem. Cold outreach forces you to filter; warm introductions come pre-filtered. One referral source replaces six months of prospecting noise. The buyer's already made a decision about credibility before you speak. Ready to shift from hunting to being introduced?

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💥🔥 Sellers Brag Book 💥🔥 Every seller needs a sales brag book heading into 2026. Not optional. At Arkham Talent, we tell every candidate the same thing: Build your fucking brag book. Here’s why: 1. Resumes are don’t provide context They don’t capture nuance, context, or the actual story. Your brag book shows the receipts. 2. Send it directly to hiring managers. Yes apply through usual avenues but send this directly to hiring team. 3. Show your work: Deal specifics, your methodology, the wins, AND the losses.Owning mistakes + showing how you fixed them = confidence. 4. You’re interviewing them tooIf their approach doesn’t align with yours, you’ll know before you waste 6 rounds. Test for methodology fit early. 5. Control the narrative Don’t let someone else interpret your numbers. Show exactly how you hit quota, navigated a territory change, or salvaged a deal. 6. Proof of performance Screenshots, emails, dashboard metrics. Make it impossible to doubt you. 7. You’ll be memorable99% of candidates don’t have one. You’ll stand out immediately. 8. Shortens sales cycles (ironically)The brag book IS your sales process. If you can’t sell yourself effectively, why would they trust you to sell their product?

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