Your Biggest Sales Questions, Answered. With Michael Kurson

This episode of The Revenue Room was a bit different, no guest, just me answering some of the most common questions I’ve been getting in my DMs. There’s been a ton of curiosity around pipeline generation, outbound strategies, and leveraging AI in sales, so I wanted to take some time to break it all down. Let’s dive in.

Q1: Should I hire a BDR or leverage AI to help my reps build more pipeline?

This is one of the most frequent questions I get, and the answer depends on a few factors. If you're selling to large enterprise accounts with a small, highly targeted total addressable market (TAM), hiring a BDR makes sense. You need a human in the loop to do deep research, build relationships, and navigate complex deals.

But if you’re in the mid-market or SMB space, where there’s a higher volume of activity and reps are already stretched thin, AI can help augment. Instead of hiring another person, you can use AI to help prioritize leads, surface intent signals, and automate some of the early outreach, allowing your AEs to spend more time selling.

For startups with small sales teams, bandwidth is always an issue. AI gives you the ability to extend your team’s capacity without adding headcount. So before you hire, ask yourself:

• How big is my TAM?
• Do I need hyper-personalized outreach or higher volume?
• Can AI help my reps be more efficient before adding another hire?

The takeaway? BDRs make sense for super-targeted enterprise plays, but AI can help lean teams scale efficiently in mid-market and SMB.

Q2: We’re using intent signals, but reps aren’t acting on them. What should we do?

This is something I’ve been hearing a lot recently, companies invest in intent data, but it just ends up sitting in Slack or a CRM without being used. The issue is too much noise and no clear action plan.

Here’s how to fix it:

1. Filter aggressively. Not all intent signals are created equal. If you flood your team with every site visit or social mention, they’ll tune it out. Get super tight on filtering so that only high-intent, relevant accounts show up.
2. Create a structured process. Once you have good data, you need a clear playbook for acting on it. That could mean:
   • Calling hot accounts immediately
   • Sending a LinkedIn connection request before emailing
   • Engaging with their recent LinkedIn posts before reaching out

If you’re investing in intent data, make sure your team knows exactly how and when to act on it. Otherwise, it’s just expensive noise.

Q3: Is email still a viable pipeline channel?

This has been a hot topic lately, especially with the rise of AI-generated outreach. The short answer? Email is still valuable, but it’s changed.

Here’s what’s happening:

• AI-powered outreach is flooding inboxes with mass “personalized” emails that aren’t actually personal.
• Email deliverability tools are making it easier to land in inboxes, meaning buyers are getting more emails than ever before.
• The quality of cold email sequences has dropped, making it harder to stand out.

So, does email still work? Yes, but you have to shift your mindset.

• Think of email as an awareness channel rather than a direct conversion tool.
• Focus on delivering value instead of just pitching.
• Pair it with other channels like LinkedIn and warm outbound to create a multi-touch strategy.

If you’re still sending cold emails the way you did two years ago, it’s time to adapt.

Q4: How should I be leveraging LinkedIn for pipeline generation?

LinkedIn has become one of the most powerful channels for startups, especially in the last year. Here’s the playbook:

1. Create content. You don’t have to be a thought leader, just share insights, learnings, and experiences. The goal is to get your audience familiar with what you do.
2. Track engagement. The people who like, comment, and engage with your content are warm leads. If someone is engaging consistently, there’s a good chance they’d be open to meeting with you.
3. Start conversations. Instead of sending cold InMails, engage with prospects organically. If they’ve interacted with your posts multiple times, send a simple message: “Hey, saw you’ve been engaging with my posts, interested in chatting?”

At First Touch, LinkedIn has been one of our biggest pipeline generators, not just for inbound leads but for relationship building that leads to sales down the line.

Q5: How do I engage with de-anonymized website visitors?

First, let’s define what this means. De-anonymized website tracking lets you see not just which company visited your site, but the actual individual (~30% capture rate). Sounds great in theory, but the devils in the details. Nobody wants to get an email that says, “Hey, I saw you on our site.”

Instead, here’s how to handle it:

1. Engage on LinkedIn first. Send a connection request, no pitch.
2. Let them see your content. If they accept, they’ll start seeing your posts and potentially engage.
3. Only reach out once there’s engagement. If they start liking or commenting on your posts, that’s your cue to reach out naturally.

This approach is less creepy, more organic, and actually works.

Q6: What channels are working best for pipeline generation?

There’s no single silver bullet channel. The key is orchestration.

Think of it like this:

1. Email creates awareness. A well-crafted email gets someone to check out your site.
2. Website tracking identifies warm visitors. Now you know they’re interested.
3. LinkedIn builds engagement. They see your posts, interact, and get familiar with you.
4. Cold calls and DMs close the loop. Once engagement is high, you reach out directly.

It’s not about hitting every channel randomly. It’s about using each one strategically based on engagement.

Final Thoughts

I just want to say thank you to everyone who’s been engaging with the pod, sending in questions, and sharing feedback. We’re going to keep doing these Q&A sessions, so keep the questions coming!

If you found this valuable, shoot me a DM or drop a comment. And if you’re struggling with pipeline generation, let’s chat, this is what we’re building First Touch for

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