AI adoption among BDRs skyrocketed from 53% to 99% in just two years. Consequently, outreach volume has nearly doubled

Yet, the most common AI use cases, robocalls, automated spam emails, and generic content generation, show zero correlation with higher quota attainment

Turns out, blasting more spam messages, faster, isn't the silver bullet everyone assumed it would be

So, what does correlate with high performance? AI used to build trust and relationships

AI shouldn't be used to automate us out of the conversation; it should be used to scale our humanity. After all, people buy from people. The real win happens when AI makes us more interesting, more authentic, and more trustworthy to our buyers, all while stripping away the administrative burden

But technology is only half the equation

According to the data, the single strongest predictor of BDR quota attainment has nothing to do with tech at all. It’s whether reps feel genuinely supported by their leadership. Supported BDRs hit their quota at nearly 100%. Those who don't? Just 77%

But who says we have to choose between a supported team and cutting-edge tech? In the world of AI, we can absolutely have our cake and eat it too. The winning formula is simple: give your BDRs the human support they need to thrive, and equip them with the AI tools that make them highly efficient

Check out azpertilo.ai each sales person using it, is already getting 3 x high quality meetings a week. No spam, no robocalls, just high quality meetings at scale

The Data: This insight comes from 6sense’s 2026 State of the BDR Report—compiled from five years of data tracking over 870 revenue professionals.