I have an AI and data science consulting firm and I always lack the marketing and promotions. I was wondering if it is turn off for business' decision maker if I do outreach via some human looking name (ofc mentioning in note its AI employee) and customise emails for their needs. What you think is it worth it?
(I was writing this script form a while and not it seems to be working really well so it generates same way what my last b2b outreach specialist was doing)
Is it ok to do B2B outreach via AI sales agent?
byu/Short_Kitchen_2391 inEntrepreneur
Posted by Short_Kitchen_2391
10 Comments
I think it is okay
Using an AI sales agent isn’t bad, but generic outreach is. Most decision-makers care far more about relevance than who technically sent the email. Be transparent, keep the messaging genuinely specific to their business, and treat AI as a scale tool for a proven playbook, not a shortcut to avoid thinking.
It can be okay, but only if you are careful with how far you automate it. Using AI to help draft or personalize outreach is pretty common now, especially for research, first drafts, and tailoring messaging. Most decision makers care more about relevance and value than whether a human typed every word.
Where it goes wrong is full automation. Fully automated sequences tend to get sloppy fast, miss context, and burn your domain reputation. AI should assist your process, not replace judgment. You still want a human reviewing, approving, and jumping in when someone responds.
Also be transparent but subtle. You do not need to lead with “this was written by AI,” but do not pretend it is a dedicated human rep either. Keep the emails concise, specific to their business, and focused on starting a conversation, not pitching hard. Think of AI as a productivity multiplier, not an autopilot. That balance usually gets the best results.
This will depend on the person and the company. There is a vast difference between mom and pop B2B and billion dollar company B2B. For this I’m assuming you’ll be targeting SME, so Ai agents do the most part will work. Now, it should be said that an Ai email can be an immediate turn off for lots of people, I myself wouldn’t respond to an AI business inquiry, nor will lots of companies over that 50 million mark, if we are big enough to hire a full time sales division, then human interaction takes a bigger role.
AI outreach has gotten so annoying and pervasive that I built a SaaS to keep it out of people’s inbox. I was getting over 100 emails a day, people trying every hack they can to try and get it out of spam folders.
So the more you send the better for me! Go for it! 😁
If it’s already replicating what your previous SDR did, that tells me the execution layer is largely solved. And in setups like this, the biggest leverage is not in changing the sender name to human looking one, but in pressure-testing the messaging against how buyers actually respond once the script “works.” That’s where AI still benefits from human judgment.
Curious, how you’re thinking about handling replies and follow-ups once conversations move off-script?
Short answer: yes, it’s okay, if you do it the right way.
What works:
* AI assisted outreach (research, personalization, drafts)
* Clear, relevant messages focused on *their* problem
* Honest transparency if asked (or in footer): it’s AI-assisted
What turns people off:
* Fake “human” personas pretending to be real employees
* Over-personalized messages that feel creepy or automated
* High volume + low relevance
Best practice most teams land on:
* Use AI to prepare the outreach
* Keep sending from a real founder or consultant name
* Manual or semi-manual sending, low volume, high intent
Decision makers don’t hate AI.
They hate spam.
If your AI emails read like what a strong human BDR would send, concise, specific, respectful, you’re fine.
If you want a rule of thumb:
If you’d be comfortable receiving that email yourself, send it.
I’ve been building AI automation systems for years and transparency is absolutely critical, you’re smart to mention it’s an AI employee upfront. the key is making sure your AI can handle follow-up conversations authentically, because nothing kills a deal faster than a prospect realizing mid-conversation they’re talking to a bot that can’t adapt. I’d suggest testing it on a small segment first and having a clear handoff process to humans when things get technical or nuanced
I totally get the frustration with current ways of handling B2B outreach – it’s one of those things that sounds simple but gets messy fast when you’re actually doing it consistently.
Here’s what’s worked for me: instead of trying to automate the whole process, focus on automating just the research and initial contact identification part. You still craft personalized messages, but you’re not spending hours figuring out who to reach out to. The key is building a systematic approach where you batch the research, then batch the writing, then batch the sending.
Let me know if you want the details on how this works.
Thanks for sharing!