IntoLeads AI SDRs Software Aren’t Magic – But They’re a Powerful Start: What We’ve Learned from 85% Open Rates and 0 Replies

Posted on August 6, 2025

At IntoLeads, we’ve been heads down building an AI-native Sales Development Representative (SDR) that can help teams reach out to prospects at scale with contextual, personalized messaging. Our goal is to bridge the gap between data, insights, and outreach—so sales teams can focus more on selling, not just prospecting.

And the results? Encouraging, yet humbling.

We recently ran a targeted campaign using our AI SDR. The emails had an impressive 85% open rate—a number that any marketer or SDR would be proud of.

But here’s the catch: we got zero replies.

It’s important we talk about that.

Why We’re Sharing This

We could talk only about our open rates, the automation capabilities, or how much faster our AI SDR Software works compared to humans. But that would be only half the story.

We’re choosing to be transparent, because AI in sales is often surrounded by hype. At IntoLeads, we’re not in the business of selling magic—we’re building real tools for real sales challenges. And sometimes, reality looks like high opens and no conversions.

That’s a story worth understanding.

What Worked: Awareness, Personalization, and Context

Our AI SDR is designed to learn from your CRM, sales notes, and ICP definitions to generate personalized outreach at scale. It’s incredibly good at:

  • Understanding industry and persona-specific context

  • Writing thoughtful and tailored emails

  • Avoiding the generic “spray and pray” outreach

  • Analyzing open patterns, timing, and engagement metrics

In this case, it clearly succeeded in one of the toughest aspects: getting attention. When 85% of recipients open your email, you’re cutting through noise. That’s hard, and we’re proud our AI SDR accomplished that.

What Didn’t Work (Yet): Triggering Action

Here’s where the learning begins.

Getting someone to open your email is only step one. Earning a reply—or triggering meaningful action—still depends on:

  • Offer relevance

  • Timing and urgency

  • Credibility and trust

  • Emotional resonance

AI is great at processing inputs and generating intelligent outputs. But it’s still not as emotionally intuitive as a seasoned SDR who knows when to follow up, how to tweak the message mid-campaign, or how to handle objections in real-time.

That’s the gap—and it's a human gap.

What This Means for Sales Teams

We see IntoLeads’ AI SDR not as a replacement, but as a force multiplier.

  • It helps build awareness.

  • It takes on the repetitive, research-heavy tasks.

  • It gives your sales team a head start—at scale.

But it does not replace human interaction, relationship-building, or nuanced selling. You still need people to qualify, follow up, and close.

We want our users to treat AI like a new teammate in training: full of potential, eager to help, but still learning.

Where We Go From Here

We’re taking these learnings seriously. We’re now:

  • Enhancing follow-up logic based on opens and time windows

  • Improving the CTA personalization model

  • Testing hybrid models with human + AI outreach sequences

  • Giving users more control over message tone and structure

AI in sales isn’t a “set it and forget it” solution. But with the right expectations—and the right human support—it can change how teams approach pipeline generation.

Final Thoughts: Hope, Hype, and Honesty

At IntoLeads, we’re building with honesty at the core. Our AI SDR Software isn’t perfect, but it’s learning. And so are we.

The future of sales is not about replacing people—it’s about elevating them. If our AI SDR can take 50% of the load off your SDRs’ shoulders, they can spend more time on what humans do best: listening, adapting, and closing.

If you're exploring how AI can play a role in your sales motion, we’d love to chat. No hype, just a real conversation.