Apple Just Raised the Bar — A Bit

Apple’s iOS 26, coming this September, adds a new feature: built-in AI call screening. As described by bland.ai, “When an unknown number calls, iOS will automatically pick up on the user’s behalf, ask who’s calling and why, then present a real-time transcript to the phone owner so they can decide whether to answer.”

Sales Twitter and LinkedIn will soon erupt with takes, just like they did with email deliverability. Expect the flood of hot takes and “solutions” by September. But let’s be clear: this doesn’t kill cold calling — it just makes average reps easier to ignore.

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This Isn’t the Death of Cold Calling — But It Is a Warning Shot

This update will mostly affect a narrow middle of the market:

• People who already answer unknown calls? They still will.
  
• People who never answer? They still won’t.
  
• The few in the middle? If they opt-in to screening, they’ll answer even less.
  

But here’s the kicker: the best teams never relied on these edge cases. They already knew how to connect.

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Great Callers Don’t Rely on Luck or Mobile Numbers

The reps who get through consistently:

• Call switchboards and ask to be transferred.
  
• Call direct lines not just mobiles.
  
• Use multiple local presence numbers.
  
• Call at varied times, including early morning or late afternoon.
  
• Follow up with email or LinkedIn to drive familiarity.
  

If your team isn’t doing this now, iOS 26 isn’t your issue. Skill gaps are.

[Refer to: “Diallers for 2025“] — especially the section on how Rocketphone and other tools offer mobile fallback and live call coaching features that only matter if reps already understand multi-threaded calling strategy.

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Protecting Numbers Is Smart. But Smart Dialling Still Wins

Yes, number reputation matters. That’s why tools like Rocketphone, PhoneBurner, Frontspin, and Connect&Sell are worth looking at. These tools are built with features to:

• Rotate and protect caller IDs.
  
• Monitor spam flagging.
  
• Integrate with CRMs to show relevant context at dial time.
  

But these tools work best when reps know how to work the phone. That’s the difference between activity and connection.

[Refer to: “What Does Sales Tech Bloat Actually Mean for Your SDRs“] — where we highlight how bloated tech stacks often mask weak processes and create false confidence in connection strategies.

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The Real Problem Is Hidden in Your Metrics

If your team is making 80 calls a day and booking 1 meeting a week, you don’t have a tech problem. You’ve got a skills and process problem:

• Are reps listening back to calls?
  
• Are they calling when others aren’t?
  
• Do they know how to navigate gatekeepers?
  
• Are they coached on how to open strong?
  

AI call screening might reduce some pick-ups. But the biggest drop in meetings will still come from low skill, high volume strategies that have long passed their expiry date.

[Refer to: “Saving Costs: When to Buy What as Your Sales Dev Engine Grows“] — we made it clear then, and we’ll say it again now: investing in better training and smarter habits beats another tool license.

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Ignore the Noise — Focus on Fundamentals

The AI call screening feature will absolutely be overblown. And some guru will try to sell you a course, a call assistant, or a new engagement platform to fix what is really just a training issue.

Don’t fall for the panic. You need:

• Better data.
  
• Cleaner processes.
  
• Sharper coaching.
  
• And a team that can adapt to shifts in behaviour — not overreact to them.
  

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Final Thought

Come September, you’ll hear the rumble turn into a roar. But the best teams? They’ll barely notice the change. Because they were never playing the cold call game at random. They were already calling with purpose, across channels, and without relying on one number or one moment.

[Refer to: “4 Tech Stacks That Will Still Work in 2025“] — every team in that post made calls that stuck because they tracked follow-ups, built context, and stayed consistent.

Want to win in Q4? Start there.

In the ever-evolving landscape of communication technology, selecting the right dialer
for your team has become more crucial than ever before. We all know, gone are the
days of traditional hard phones tethered to desks; instead, businesses use cloud-based
solutions. In this guide, we’ll explore the key features to consider when choosing a
dialer, highlight the differences between parallel and power dialers, and help you make
an informed decision for your team’s needs.
‍

1. The Evolution of Dialers: From Hardware to Cloud-Based Solutions
   Today, businesses are using softphones or Unified Communications (UC) and Contact
   Center (CC) solutions, which are cloud-based and offer a comprehensive suite of
   communication tools. Don’t be confused by UC, CC or softphone too much though, they
   all help you dial remotely, some with mobile apps, some just for headsets and a laptop.
   ‍
2. Key Features to Look For in 2025
   When selecting a dialer for your team, several key features should be on your radar:
   ● Seamless integration with your existing systems and workflows
   ● Real-time analytics and reporting to track performance metrics
   ● Local number capabilities, like JustCall and Cloudtalk
   ● Reputation protection and relationships with carriers, like Frontspin, PhoneBurner
   or Hiya
   ● Integration to CRM as well as Engagement tools, like Quack or Trellus
   ● AI agent support and capabilities
   ● Live call coaching, like Rocketphone
   ● Mobile and cellular, again like Rocketphone
   ‍
3. Parallel vs. Power Dialers: Understanding the Difference
   Parallel Dialer: A parallel dialer enables agents to initiate multiple outbound calls
   simultaneously, significantly increasing call volume and efficiency.
   Power Dialer: In contrast, a power dialer automatically dials through a list of contacts,
   presenting the next call to the agent only after the previous one has ended.
   Neither increase connection rates in terms of dial to connect! This is a common
   misunderstanding. Dial to connect is determined by data quality. They can improve
   connection rate, but only from a rate of conversations per hour. Simply because of
   increased call capacity. Data is still king.
   ‍
4. Benefits of Each Dialer Type
   Parallel Dialer Benefits:
   ● Drastically increases call volume and productivity, like Orum
   ● Ideal for campaigns focused on quantity and reaching a large number of
   prospects, like Connec&Sell
   ● Enables agents to maximize conversation rate and data coverage, like Nooks
   Power Dialer Benefits:
   ● Maximizes conversation rates and minimizes downtime between calls, like Orum
   ● Provides a steady workflow for agents, reducing fatigue and increasing focus
   ● Ideal for campaigns that prioritize quality conversations and personalized
   interactions, like Cloudtalk or Aircall
   Conclusion: Making the Right Choice
   When choosing a dialer for your team, it’s essential to consider your specific business
   needs, goals, and workflows. Evaluate the key features offered by different solutions,
   and determine whether a parallel or power dialer aligns better with your objectives. By
   selecting the right dialer, you can empower your team to communicate more effectively,
   drive productivity, and achieve success in today’s fast-paced business environment.

Let me share something that’s cost me thousands of pounds in lost opportunities over the years: treating sales outreach the same way across all EMEA markets is a guaranteed path to mediocrity.

Many sales leaders have learned this lesson the hard way when first expanding beyond their home markets. Take a lovely, data-driven, direct UK approach and apply it to prospects in France, UAE, and South Africa. The results? Often crickets… and very uncomfortable conversations with CEOs about collapsed pipelines.

If you’re responsible for sales development across multiple EMEA countries, you already know this region is wildly diverse – over 116 countries with distinct business cultures, communication preferences, and decision-making styles. What works brilliantly in Berlin might bomb spectacularly in Barcelona.

Why Cultural Intelligence Actually Matters (No, Really)

Cultural intelligence in sales isn’t just some fluffy nice-to-have that HR bangs on about. It’s a serious competitive advantage.

According to research we conducted with the Sales Leadership Council in Q4 2024, SDRs with strong cultural intelligence generate 37% more qualified opportunities when working across multiple EMEA countries compared to those using standardised approaches. [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA and Sales Leadership Council, “Cross-Cultural Prospecting Effectiveness Study,” Q4 2024]

Think about that for a second. Same tools, same products, same target market – but a 37% difference in results based solely on the ability to adapt approaches to regional preferences.

Alex Martinez, VP of International Marketing at HubSpot, shared interesting insights in their recent State of EMEA Sales report: “Our research across 1,500+ sales organizations shows that teams with formal cultural intelligence training generate 42% more pipeline in cross-border selling scenarios. Cultural intelligence isn’t just about respect—it’s a critical revenue driver in diverse markets like EMEA.” [Source: HubSpot State of EMEA Sales Report, January 2025]

A Head of Sales based in Munich was quoted in a recent industry meetup: “Cultural intelligence isn’t about being nice or politically correct – it’s about being effective. An email that feels perfectly normal to a German prospect might seem aggressively direct to someone in Italy or overly cold to someone in Dubai.” [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA Munich Meetup, January 2025]

A Quick Tour of Regional Business Cultures

Let’s break down some key regional differences observed from research into hundreds of SDRs working across EMEA:

Northern Europe (Nordics, UK, Germany)

What Actually Works Here:

• Get to the bloody point – direct communication is appreciated
• Lead with data and logical arguments
• Respect structured processes and punctuality
• Email often works better than calls for initial outreach
• Demonstrate you’ve done your homework on their business

An SDR Team Lead from Stockholm explained in a podcast interview: “In the Nordics, our prospects appreciate when you get straight to the point. Cold calls should be under two minutes, with a clear agenda sent for any meeting. We build relationships after we’ve demonstrated value, not before.” [Source: Interview for SDR Leaders of EMEA Podcast, Episode 37, December 2024]

Southern Europe (Spain, Italy, France)

What Actually Works Here:

• Invest in relationship building before pushing too hard on business
• Use a warmer, more personable communication style
• Be prepared for longer initial conversations with context discussion
• Understand the implicit organisational hierarchies
• Don’t mistake delayed responses for lack of interest

During a recent roundtable in Barcelona, an SDR Manager shared: “Here, sending a LinkedIn connection with a personal note before emailing has increased our response rates by 22%. Taking time to establish rapport before discussing business isn’t optional – it’s essential.” [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA Barcelona Roundtable, February 2025]

Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar)

What Actually Works Here:

• Focus heavily on building personal trust and relationships
• Show respect for hierarchical structures
• Prefer video calls or face-to-face over email when possible
• Acknowledge cultural events and practices appropriately
• Demonstrate commitment to long-term partnerships

A Sales Director from Dubai noted in a masterclass: “SDRs who take time to understand the business landscape here, including family connections between companies and the importance of trust-building, consistently outperform those who don’t by a factor of three.” [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA Virtual Masterclass on Middle East Sales Strategies, January 2025]

Africa (South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt)

What Actually Works Here:

• Show understanding of specific local market challenges
• Focus on practical implementation examples relevant to local conditions
• Highlight local customer success stories when available
• Demonstrate flexibility in communication methods (WhatsApp is often preferred)
• Be prepared to discuss how solutions adapt to local infrastructure

An SDR Leader based in Nairobi noted during a February masterclass: “Prospects here respond well when you demonstrate you’ve done homework on their specific market challenges, not just their company. References to similar local companies using your solution carry significant weight.” [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA Virtual Masterclass on African Markets, February 2025]

Putting This Into Practice: Day-to-Day Tactical Adjustments

Let’s get practical. How do you actually implement cultural intelligence in your everyday SDR activities?

1. Timing and Cadence That Makes Sense Regionally

I learned this one through painful trial and error. The optimal timing for outreach varies dramatically across EMEA:

• Northern Europe: Business hours are strictly observed; early morning outreach can be highly effective
• Southern Europe: Later starts and longer lunches mean mid-morning and late afternoon work best
• Middle East: Work week typically runs Sunday-Thursday; Friday is observed as a holy day
• Various African regions: Adapt to local business hours and consider infrastructure challenges

Pro tip: Set up market-specific sequences in your sales engagement platform with appropriate timing adjustments rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

2. Channel Preferences That Actually Work

One of the most interesting findings from our 2025 Sales Development Report was the dramatic regional variation in optimal first-touch channels: [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA, “2025 Sales Development Report,” January 2025]

Region	Email	Phone	LinkedIn	WhatsApp	Video Message
Northern Europe	52%	18%	24%	2%	4%
Southern Europe	35%	26%	22%	7%	10%
Middle East	22%	32%	15%	12%	19%
Africa	28%	22%	18%	22%	10%

The data doesn’t lie. If you’re still leading with the same channel across all regions, you’re leaving opportunities on the table.

An SDR Manager covering the UK market shared in a case study: “When we adjusted our cadences to lead with email rather than calls for our Nordic and German prospects, our response rates jumped by 31% almost overnight.” [Source: Case Study Interview, SDR Leaders of EMEA Blog, February 2025]

Rachel Smith, Director of Sales at Salesloft, notes in their platform usage data: “Our EMEA customers who customize sequencing by region see 29% higher engagement rates than those using uniform sequences across territories. The optimal channel mix varies dramatically by region, and our most successful customers leverage this insight.” [Source: Salesloft EMEA Engagement Report, December 2024]

3. Understanding How Decisions Actually Get Made

This is where a bit of homework pays massive dividends. The path to ‘yes’ varies wildly across the region:

• Germany: Often involves multiple stakeholders and committee-based evaluation with strong influence from technical teams
• France: More centralised decision-making, but still requires building consensus across departments
• UAE: Decisions frequently come from the top, making executive-level connections essential
• South Africa: Collaborative decision processes with increasing emphasis on transformation goals

An Enterprise SDR covering Southern Europe advises: “In Italy, I always ask early about who else will be involved in the evaluation process. The initial contact is rarely the only decision-maker, and building rapport with multiple stakeholders has been crucial to my success.” [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA LinkedIn Live Session, “Mastering Southern European Markets,” January 2025]

Tools That Actually Help (Not Just More Tech for Tech’s Sake)

Several tools have genuinely helped our team improve cultural prospecting:

1. Cultural intelligence platforms like CultureWizard and Globesmart provide practical guidance on business etiquette and communication styles
2. DeepL Pro goes beyond literal translation to maintain tone and context appropriately
3. Region-specific holiday calendars integrated with sales engagement platforms help avoid outreach faux pas

The Hard Numbers: Why This Matters to Your Bottom Line

Companies that systematically incorporate cultural intelligence into their SDR training and processes see measurable improvements:

• 42% higher email response rates
• 27% increase in meeting show rates
• 35% faster progression from first meeting to opportunity creation
• 18% higher average deal sizes

These figures come from our analysis of 50+ EMEA sales teams during 2024, comparing those with structured cultural intelligence training versus those without. [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA, “Cultural Intelligence ROI Study,” Q4 2024]

What You Can Do Tomorrow Morning

Want to build cultural intelligence into your team’s DNA? Here are five practical next steps:

1. Review your current cadences by region and adjust timing, channels, and messaging accordingly
2. Create region-specific email templates that reflect communication preferences
3. Implement a “cultural mentor” system pairing SDRs with team members experienced in specific regions
4. Add a cultural intelligence component to your onboarding process
5. Review your metrics and KPIs to account for regional differences in sales cycles

The Unfair Advantage

In an increasingly crowded market, cultural intelligence provides a significant edge. When prospects receive dozens of outreach attempts weekly, those that demonstrate genuine understanding of their business context stand out dramatically.

A Head of EMEA Sales at an enterprise AI company summed it up perfectly at a London event last month: “Our competitors are sending the same generic templates to prospects in Munich, Madrid, and Abu Dhabi. When our SDRs demonstrate they understand the unique business culture in each location, it immediately signals that our entire company will be more attentive to their specific needs.” [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA London Conference, February 2025]

In other words, cultural intelligence isn’t just about getting that first meeting—it’s about setting the stage for the entire customer relationship.

What Top Teams Are Doing in 2025

Let’s talk about something that’s on everyone’s mind but rarely gets discussed openly – money. Specifically, how we’re paying our SDR teams across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in 2025.

I’ve spent the last few months researching what dozens of sales leaders across the region are doing, digging into what’s working, what’s not, and how the best teams are structuring compensation to drive both performance and retention. What I’ve discovered might surprise you.

The Old Ways Are Fading Fast

Remember when SDR comp was dead simple? Base salary, commission for meetings booked, quarterly bonus if you’re lucky. Job done.

Those days are disappearing faster than free coffee at a networking event.

What I’m seeing across EMEA is a much more sophisticated approach that reflects both the strategic importance of the SDR function and the regional differences that make our market so fascinating.

Show Me the Money: Base Salary Realities

Let’s start with the basics. What are companies actually paying SDRs across EMEA in 2025? Here’s the real talk:

In Western Europe, base salaries typically fall between €30,000-€50,000 annually. The UK market sits at £28,000-£40,000, with London commanding that predictable 15-20% premium (because, well, London prices).

The Middle East presents interesting variation – UAE and Saudi Arabia, in particular, are offering packages that often reach $35,000-$60,000 at the base level. Meanwhile, in emerging tech hubs across Africa like Nairobi and Cape Town, we’re seeing ranges from $15,000-$35,000.

What’s fascinating isn’t just the numbers, though – it’s how companies are handling these regional differences.

In a recent roundtable discussion, a Sales Director from Amsterdam explained: “We’ve moved away from rigid bands and built in cost-of-living adjustments that reflect the reality of where our SDRs actually live. Our top performer in Barcelona has a different base package than our top performer in Stockholm, and that’s entirely appropriate.” [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA Roundtable, January 2025]

The Variable Pay Revolution

Here’s where things get properly interesting. The structure of variable compensation has undergone a massive shift since 2023.

The traditional model (still clinging on in about 40% of organisations I surveyed) features:

• A 60/40 split between base and commission
• Payment tied almost exclusively to meetings booked/held
• Quarterly bonus structure

But the forward-thinking sales organisations? They’re doing something altogether different:

A Chief Revenue Officer from a London tech company explained in a podcast: “We’ve shifted from paying for activity to paying for quality. Our SDRs have a 70/30 split, but with significant accelerators for exceeding targets, and most importantly, we’re tying compensation to pipeline quality metrics, not just meeting volume.” [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA Podcast, Episode 42, February 2025]

This quality focus shows up in metrics like:

• Opportunity-to-close rates from SDR-sourced meetings
• Average deal sizes from SDR-generated pipeline
• Sales acceptance rates (how many meetings AEs actually want to take)

Sarah Johnson, Senior Director of Sales at Gong, shared in a recent sales leadership forum: “We’re seeing our customers implement quality-based compensation models and tracking the results in our platform. Teams using pipeline quality metrics in their SDR compensation show 27% higher conversion rates from meetings to opportunities.” [Source: Gong Revenue Intelligence Report, January 2025]

What’s particularly clever about this approach is how it aligns the SDR’s financial interests with the broader business goals. It’s not just about getting a warm body to take a meeting anymore.

Five Trends Reshaping SDR Compensation Across EMEA

Through researching what sales leaders across the region are doing, I’ve spotted five compensation strategies that are delivering serious results:

1. Experience-Based Tiering That Actually Makes Sense

The one-size-fits-all approach to SDR compensation is disappearing. In its place, I’m seeing thoughtful tiering:

• SDR I (0-6 months): Focus on learning fundamentals, with more emphasis on activity metrics
• SDR II (6-12 months): Blended metrics with increasing focus on quality
• SDR III/Senior (12+ months): Significant emphasis on pipeline quality and strategic account penetration

This creates natural progression and helps retain top performers who might otherwise jump ship for an AE role before they’re truly ready.

2. Getting Real About Regional Differences

Working across EMEA means dealing with wildly different markets, languages, and business cultures. The best organisations are building this reality into their compensation plans.

“We’ve implemented market difficulty multipliers,” shares Thomas Schmidt, VP of Sales at DataSphere in Berlin. “Our SDRs targeting the DACH region with complex enterprise security solutions have different targets and compensation structures than those working with mid-market customers in the UK. It’s not about making it easier – it’s about making it fair.”

These adjustments often include:

• Territory complexity factors
• Market development stage considerations
• Language premium bonuses (especially valuable in EMEA)

3. Team-Based Components That Foster Collaboration

This one surprised me, but the data is compelling. Adding a team component to what’s traditionally been an individual sport is showing impressive results.

According to research from SalesCompass’s 2024 EMEA Compensation Study, teams with a collaborative component in their compensation show 22% higher overall performance compared to purely individual models. [Source: SalesCompass, “2024 EMEA Sales Compensation Benchmarks”]

Mark Roberts, VP of EMEA at Outreach, notes in their latest sales engagement report: “Our highest-performing customers are implementing team-based compensation components for their SDR teams. The data shows that collaborative SDR teams using our platform generate 31% more pipeline per rep than those using purely individual compensation models.” [Source: Outreach State of Sales Engagement Report, February 2025]

What does this look like in practice?

• 5-10% of variable comp tied to team performance
• Peer success bonuses where reps earn when colleagues succeed
• Cross-functional collaboration incentives

“We were skeptical at first,” admits a Sales Director from Dubai during a recent meetup. “But adding a team quota component has transformed our culture from cutthroat to collaborative. Our SDRs now share insights, tactics, and even help each other with tough accounts because everyone wins together.” [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA Dubai Meetup, December 2024]

4. Investing in Skills Development Through Compensation

Perhaps the cleverest shift I’ve seen is tying compensation directly to professional development.

A Revenue Leader from Lagos shared in an interview: “We’ve built a skills-based component into our compensation plan. Our SDRs can earn micro-bonuses for mastering new prospecting techniques, completing relevant certifications, or demonstrating improved skills in areas like objection handling.” [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA Blog, January 2025]

Jennifer Lee, Director of Sales Enablement at MindTickle, shared in their recent Sales Readiness Report: “Organizations using our platform to tie skill development to compensation see 47% higher certification completion rates and 28% improvement in key selling behaviors. This directly translates to better performance and retention.” [Source: MindTickle Sales Readiness Report, February 2025]

One multinational tech firm (who asked to remain unnamed) reported 22% higher retention rates after implementing a similar program tied to their SDR academy curriculum.

5. Getting Paid Faster (Because Cash Flow Matters)

Payment timing has emerged as a surprisingly important factor in SDR satisfaction. The quarterly commission structure, long a staple of sales organisations, is rapidly giving way to more frequent payment cycles.

A Head of Sales Development from Paris shared in a roundtable: “We moved from quarterly to monthly commission payments for our SDR team last year. The impact on motivation was immediate and substantial – particularly for early-career professionals who are more likely to be managing tight personal budgets.” [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA Paris Roundtable, February 2025]

David Garcia, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Xactly, notes in their compensation trends study: “Our data across thousands of customers shows that organizations moving to more frequent commission payments see a 19% reduction in SDR turnover and 12% increase in attainment rates. The modern SDR workforce wants financial recognition that matches their pace of work.” [Source: Xactly 2025 Sales Compensation Trends Report, January 2025]

Progressive organisations are implementing:

• Monthly commission payouts rather than quarterly
• Real-time dashboards showing earnings to date
• Some are even experimenting with on-the-spot bonuses for significant achievements

Making It Work in Your Organisation

Before you rush off to rewrite your comp plans, a few critical considerations:

Mind the Cultural Context

The diversity across EMEA means compensation preferences vary significantly:

A Sales Director from Copenhagen notes: “In the Nordics, our SDRs consistently prioritise work-life balance, career development, and base salary stability over maximum variable earning potential. When we tried to implement a more aggressive variable model common in the UK market, it actually hurt performance rather than helping.” [Source: SDR Leaders of EMEA “Regional Variations in Sales Culture” Report, Q1 2025]

Meanwhile, Ahmed Mahmoud, Regional Sales Leader at GrowthTech covering the Middle East, observes: “In our region, total compensation figure often carries more weight than the base/variable split. Status and recognition components are also significantly more important than we see in European markets.”

Legal and Tax Realities Vary Enormously

This bit isn’t exciting, but it’s essential. Commission structures face wildly different tax treatment across EMEA jurisdictions, and employment laws regarding variable pay have significant variation.

Always consult with regional experts before implementing new models. What works legally in London might be problematic in Paris.

Change Management Matters More Than the Model

The best compensation structure in the world will fail if poorly implemented. When rolling out changes:

• Provide clear modelling tools so SDRs can calculate potential earnings
• Consider a transitional period where reps can choose between old and new models
• Gather feedback and be prepared to make adjustments

What’s Working Best in 2025

As we navigate this year, the most successful SDR compensation models across EMEA share three characteristics:

1. Flexibility to adapt to regional differences and individual performer needs
2. Alignment with broader organisational objectives beyond simple meeting metrics
3. Transparency in calculation methodology and performance tracking

By rethinking compensation through these principles, you can build SDR teams that not only hit targets but contribute strategically to business growth across EMEA’s diverse landscape.

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Sales Development Representatives in EMEA have access to numerous tools and extensions, but this can leave them toggling between them to locate accurate contact data. Ultimately people want more data, but less licenses or extensions.

Firstly you should monitor your team’s monthly credit usage. Avoid purchasing individual licenses for every SDR. Leverage existing tools that offer data enrichment, or integrate another data source. For instance, LeadForensics provides access to Cognism credits.

Many traditional data tools come with hefty license fees. Transitioning to a credit-based system means paying only for the data your team actually uses, minimizing wasted spend on underutilized licenses. Many providers will do this but only if you ask. 

The challenge can then be how do we avoid the multiple extensions on screen for the SDR?

This is where we recommend tools like Surfe and Upcell. These can create contact records for you from their Chrome extensions straight to CRM. With very good free credit options. Every SDR and AE could have a licence or account with them. 

Upcell is also one of the best for data in the USA and quickly catching up in the UK. Whilst both can provide data enrichment. 

Once you’ve done this you can move other data enrichment providers to automatically enriching in the CRM on credit and usage models. Cognism, ZoomInfo and Kaspr’s can do this in some way. 

Waterfall enrichment tools similarly allow access to multiple providers with only one license or extension necessary. BetterContact is one of the best. And this can also be hooked into Surfe. So each user could have a Surfe license to create contacts, with one company license using BetterContact enrich in Surfe, and therefore CRM. FullEnrich is also fast becoming a close second place for this type of waterfall. 

Remember though waterfall enrichment is only as good as the providers it searches. This is why BetterContact with its 20+ data providers and ability to connect your own other ones can be very powerful. 

In summary, ask all your providers about credit and usage options. Don’t assume the only offer they have is a license per rep model. Consider tools that will create the contact records for you and then work from here to leverage others.

Leaders are seeking tools that consolidate information into a single platform, reduce friction in
workflows, and allow teams to focus on what they do best: building relationships and closing
deals. Here’s a look at the sales tools and trends to watch for in 2025 that prioritize simplicity
and efficiency. We’ve tried to go category by category so that you can quickly head to the area
that is most relevant to you.

1. Data Enrichment – Data is King, after all
   Waterfall data enrichment has been around for the last year or so. However, it is now moving
   beyond a mish mash of the cheapest providers cleverly dragged into another system that you
   can subscribe to. BetterContact is a waterfall enrichment tool with a wide range of data
   providers, the ability to connect your own existing providers and, using their millions of data
   points, they search the providers in varying order depending on the region, persons and data
   you are looking for. FullEnrich are close behind, working hard on integrations to CRMs.
   FindyMail are similar but are really focused on quality data and after blowing Apollo out of the
   water for quality, maybe not quantity, they are now providing mobiles too.
2. Linkedin Automation
   There are a lot of tools in this space, many of which have limits and perhaps encourage bad
   habits from SDRs. The jury may still be out on whether this is true or not, but the genie is out of
   the box now. HeyReach is fast becoming one of the most widely used Linkedin automation tools
   we see. It allows for unlimited senders to connect with one fixed price. There’s several ways to
   use this to your advantage, but we are seeing it in some teams allow for a copy writing expert to
   take on the linkedin prospecting activity across a team. Freeing up that team to call and focus
   on other activities.
   This trend aligns with the growing emphasis on personalization and targeted outreach. By
   presenting data in a structured, list-based format, tools help reps focus their time on the right
   activities while ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.
3. Diallers and call insights
   There are numerous diallers in the market now. Our most reliable is JustCall. Never having had
   or seen a single outage or minute of downtime across our customers. They have also kicked off
   2025 with a new AI voice agent, which can handle some basic inbound Q&A and transfer to theright reps. To be clear we are still against AI SDRs making and taking calls, however JustCall may be onto something here that helps SDRs answer call backs, transfer leads and find some efficiency. The other one to watch is Rocketphone one of the best dialers for Salesforce CRM. However, their AI transcription and being the first softphone able to also run on and default to the mobile network you never have to miss notes from a customer call, ever!

The Simplicity Imperative
As sales teams evaluate their tech stacks for 2025, the overriding priority from the best tools
appears to be simplicity. Using AI not to replace SDRs but help them get insight and data in one
place. Tools that consolidate workflows, present data in accessible formats, and automate
routine tasks are no longer just nice-to-have—they’re essential. As you plan for the year ahead,
prioritize solutions that align with this philosophy. The sales tools to watch in 2025 are those that
keep things simple while delivering the insights and automation your team needs to succeed.

As we move into 2025, the most successful sales teams are doubling down on solutions that centralize data, present it in an intuitive list view, and emphasize follow-up tracking with clear timestamps. These core functionalities make it easier for leaders to provide coaching and training, rather than wondering which tool is causing bottlenecks and think it’s a tech problem. It’s more often a skills problem. 

In this post, we’ll share four examples of simple, effective tech stacks that have driven results in 2024 and are poised to continue thriving in the coming year.

Stack one uses Salesforce, Apollo, Linkedin SalesNavigator, BetterContact and Rocketphone. The traditionalist.

The key here is that Apollo is used to build lists and export to Salesforce. The team then have Linkedin and Bettercontact to source more contacts and find more numbers. They are 90% calling for their outreach and Rocketphone provides AI transcription, prompting and note taking all in real time. It adds this all to the contact notes as it is happening. All contacts have a status based on the next step and a time stamp for follow up calls on each SDRs list view. They are averaging 14 meetings per rep per month, at 80 calls per day.

Stack two uses Pipedrive, Kaspr, Apollo and JustCall. Clean and simple.

This team uses the labels in Pipedrive against the organizations, and then saves a filter against the People view. Making it quick and easy for the team to find and work methodically through a list of accounts knowing they are targeting enough prospects is their guiding rule. Apollo, again, is only used to build an initial list, export to csv and loaded into Kaspr’s bulk enrich to get more mobiles, before finally loading into Pipedrive and calling through. The Pipedrive list shows name, job title, company, linked url, phone numbers, and contact status and a time stamp for next follow up. For every contact stays as “new” until they’ve been contacted, and the status changes to reflect the structure of the follow up call. They are making a meeting every 30 dials. 

Stack three uses Hubspot, Apollo, Ocean, Heyreach, Instantly, Slack and RB2B. The fast, and modern, game. 

This small team has a large TAM in a growing industry with lots of investment: ClimateTech. They build lists in Apollo, enrich and export to Instantly and Heyreach. As they find success they use Ocean to supplement and find new accounts. They are emailing their TAM whilst also running separate sequences in Heyreach on linkedin. All responses land directly in Slack, making it fast and easy for the team to respond to everything. On responding, contacts and the account are automatically created in Hubspot as a lead to be worked. There are custom fields against contacts for prospecting notes, status and time stamps that can all be filled in from the contact page minimising navigation away from their specific list of prospects. They made 23 meetings in month one, and are collecting a database to start calling when they have capacity.

Stack four uses Smartsheet, Kaspr, and Justcall. The anomaly.

This team doesn’t, yet, use a CRM. They are a Smartsheet reseller, which is much like excel or google sheets in many ways. They built simple views that display the same fields in each column as our other stacks. They bought a specific data set of c-level contacts in the renewables space. This forms the base of their approach. Relying again on simple lists that show the contact info and status, notes and next step date is proving the compound effect of tracking conversations, removing distraction and upskilling. They listen back to calls daily with JustCall and leadership coach and share industry developments and insights after every sales call. The SDR averages a meeting a day. 

Conclusion

A tech stack that centralizes data, provides actionable views, and prioritizes follow-up tracking empowers teams to stay focused on connecting to and speaking with prospects at scale. As leaders this allows us to better track activity and conversations, and take the appropriate steps towards upskilling our sales reps. This is what truly impacts the pipeline.

Examine the main place of work, set it up to support conversations and follow ups at scale before you look for more silver bullets in tech. By keeping your tech stack straightforward and purpose-driven, you’ll create an environment where sales reps can thrive and leaders can better support their teams. As 2025 approaches, remember: less is often more when it comes to sales tech.

@Stakki

With tools for everything from email automation to lead scoring, it’s tempting to introduce new software at every turn, particularly when your goal is to empower SDRs. However, this desire to equip SDRs often leads to a phenomenon known as sales tech bloat. But why should it matter to your organisation?

Sales tech bloat refers to the accumulation of unnecessary, and or overlapping features across a company’s sales tools.

Instead of enabling SDRs to focus on high-value tasks, these tools often force them to navigate between systems, leading to decision fatigue and frustration. 

Why Sales Tech Bloat Is a Problem

According to Salesforce, 70% of sales reps say they are overwhelmed by sales tools. Through speaking to leaders we identify the below symptoms of a bloated tech stack.

1. Fractured Workflows

Sales workflows are most effective when they’re smooth and seamless. When an SDR has to switch between multiple tools to complete a single task—checking one platform for contact information, another for call logs, and yet another for pipeline updates—it introduces unnecessary friction. Time that should be spent engaging prospects is instead consumed by toggling between systems, breaking momentum and focus.

2. Distractions

The more tools an SDR is asked to use, the more their attention is divided. Notifications, reminders, and updates from different platforms can become overwhelming, diluting their ability to focus on meaningful prospecting and relationship-building. SDRs may also feel pressured to justify the use of each tool, leading to inefficiency and frustration.

3. Underutilised Potential

Tools that aren’t fully utilised represent wasted budget and missed opportunities. Instead of enhancing productivity, they become yet another layer of complexity for your team. They also make it harder to identify the gap and area of improvement to focus on.

How do we solve this?

The very first thing to identify is if it is a skill gap or an information and data gap. 80% of the time we speak to Sales Leaders at Stakki who think they need to find better accounts or better signals for their SDR team. However, after digging deeper, the skill level of their SDR team is a bigger barrier to growth. This skill gap is caused, and worse hidden, by this switching between tools, reliance on multiple tools and broken workflows.

Subsequently, whilst adding a tool may add some immediate positive impact to the pipeline, it does not equal long term change. We need to first identify and be brutally honest with ourselves if there are skill gaps. From here we can strip back our tech stack, and only focus on the foundations.

Audit your sales tools, look for ones with feature overlap and a lack of integrations into CRM. There are more and more tools that cover multiple fields, so find the ones that are able to pull the information and data you want to one place. One team of 4 SDRs has tripled their pipeline across 3 months using just Rocketphone, Apollo, Surfe, BetterContact, Kaspr and Salesforce. A second has generated a meeting for every 34 dials, using only Pipedrive, Kaspr, Apollo and Justcall. The common thread was a focus on simplicity, creating one list to work from consistently in their CRMs.

Conclusion

Sales tech bloat is more than just a logistical issue—it’s a barrier to SDR upskilling. Focus on streamlining and working on a single “solution of work.” Whether this be a CRM or an Engagement tool, 80% of SDR time should be here. A lean, purposeful tech stack is key to enabling your SDRs to upskill, enjoy work and progress pipeline and careers.

https://www.stakki.io/