Early reflections on my SDR journey
Guest blogger: Walla Ng Ong - 5 min read - Jun 23, 2025
Six months ago, I walked into my first SDR role with more enthusiasm than experience. Like most new sales development reps, I was handed a phone, a laptop, and told to “start dialing.” It’s a relatively small, chaotic, but well-funded tech company and I knew that going in, so no complains. What followed was a crash course in the reality of modern sales automation and let me tell you, not all tools are created equal.
The Learning Curve: Why Tool Selection Matters
Starting as a fresh SDR, I quickly learned that the average SDR uses way too many tools, and frankly, it was overwhelming. My manager introduced me to several platforms over my first few weeks, and I’ve now had hands-on experience with four major sales automation tools. Here’s what I actually experienced using each one.
ZingReach: The Game-Changer for Research-Heavy Outreach
When I first tried ZingReach, I was skeptical. Another AI tool promising to revolutionize my outreach? But within my first week using it, something clicked. The platform’s one-click company analysis feature became my secret weapon.
I started tracking my performance metrics after implementing ZingReach, and the numbers spoke for themselves. My meeting booking rate jumped from 2% to 4% within the first month. More importantly, prospects started commenting on how well-prepared I sounded during calls, something that had never happened before.
The platform’s generous free tier meant I could test it extensively without budget constraints. What impressed me most was how it auto-composed call scripts that didn’t sound robotic. Instead of generic templates, I was referencing specific company challenges and developments in my conversations. I got a “HOW did you know that?” more than once. Feels great Every. Single. Time!
Before ZingReach, I was spending about 30 minutes researching each prospect manually. Now, I click once and get comprehensive company insights, pain points, and even suggested conversation starters. This freed up roughly 3 hours daily that I could redirect toward actual conversations. The strangest/most surprising thing I can say about it is it seriously increased my level of job satisfaction because I learnt a bit about the person I was talking to and the place they worked at, with every single call I made!
Apollo: The Database Powerhouse with Mixed Results
Apollo was the first major platform I used extensively. The promise of millions of contacts (picture Dr Evil) was appealing, and the Chrome extension made prospecting feel seamless.
Apollo’s strength lies in its massive database and intuitive interface. I could build prospect lists quickly, and the LinkedIn integration saved me countless clicks. However, I encountered the bounce rate issues that other users have reported. My email bounce rate averaged 28%, significantly higher than official claims.
The platform’s 65+ filters helped me narrow down prospects effectively, but data accuracy became a persistent problem. I’d estimate about 30% of the mobile numbers I pulled were either outdated or incorrect.
Outreach: The Enterprise Learning Experience
My company upgraded to Outreach three months into my tenure. The platform promised sophisticated automation, but the learning curve was steep.
Outreach requires significant time and training to maximize its advanced features, and that was my exact experience. It took me nearly six weeks to feel comfortable with the platform’s cadence builder and another month to optimize my sequences effectively.
The email tracking capabilities were impressive. I could see opens, clicks, and engagement patterns. But the complexity meant I spent more time configuring workflows than I did with simpler tools like ZingReach.
Once I mastered Outreach, my activity metrics improved. I could manage more sequences simultaneously and track engagement more granularly. However, the personalization felt limited compared to ZingReach’s AI-driven insights.
Instantly.ai: High Volume, Mixed Reliability
I tested Instantly.ai for two months as a side project to evaluate Apollo replacements. This was before we decided on Outreach. Despite Instantly’s built-in warm-up features, I experienced the deliverability issues that many users have complained about on Reddit. My emails were landing in spam folders more frequently than expected, and some campaigns failed to send without warning.
Volume vs. Quality Trade-off
Instantly and eventually Outreach excelled at high-volume campaigns, and I could send thousands of personalized emails daily. However, the quality of interactions suffered. Response rates were lower compared to my ZingReach campaigns, and fewer responses converted to meetings. In our current stack, we ended up integrating ZingReach as the personalization step of larger Outreach sequences.
The Numbers: My Comparative Performance
After six months of testing, here’s how my key metrics compared across platforms:
The Reality Check: What Actually Matters for New SDRs
As someone who started with zero sales experience, I learned that tool selection significantly impacts early success. Choosing the right platform isn’t just about features it’s about results.
Key Insights for New SDRs
Personalization beats volume: My highest-performing campaigns came from ZingReach’s deep research capabilities, not a high-volume approach. Quality conversations matter more than quantity.
Learning curves vary dramatically: While ZingReach got me productive in minutes, platforms like Outreach required weeks of training. As a new SDR, time to productivity is crucial. There is a conflict of interest between the individual (SDR) whose main concern is to achieve quota vs the company whose main concern is to impose a sales execution framework.
Data quality impacts everything: Apollo’s massive database seemed impressive until bounce rates started affecting my sender reputation. Clean, verified contacts are worth more than large quantities of questionable data.
My Recommendation for New SDRs
For SDRs just starting out, I’d recommend:
Start with ZingReach for its research capabilities and immediate impact on personalization. That’s the least you need to get your first few wins
Add Apollo for database access once you’ve mastered the fundamentals
Consider enterprise solutions like Outreach only if you have a larger organization to support all the moving parts that come with
The sales automation landscape is crowded, but as a new SDR, your success depends on choosing tools that accelerate learning rather than add complexity. Six months in, I’m hitting 110% of quota and feeling confident in my role. The tools didn’t do the work for me, but choosing the right ones certainly made the difference between struggling and succeeding as a new SDR. Good luck and much love to any reader in the same boat as me!