Kyle Coleman, CMO of Copy AI, joins The Proof Point to share his refreshing take on the future of the SDR role and the impact of AI on go-to-market teams. Kyle, who began his career as an SDR, shares why so many companies get the SDR model wrong and how AI can be integrated without compromising the authenticity of customer evidence.

From "SDR AI sandwiches" to avoiding “spam cannons,” this episode shows how AI can enhance—not replace—the SDR role by providing actionable insights and trustworthy customer evidence that supports meaningful sales conversations.

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Learn more about the customer evidence platform that B2B teams at Gong, HackerOne, Sendoso, and more trust at userevidence.com.

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:28) Why proof, not opinions, drives go-to-market success

(02:20) Kyle’s role at Copy AI – redefining sales tools

(04:33) Copy AI’s workflow magic: podcasts to blog posts

(05:33) Tackling “go-to-market bloat” with streamlined solutions

(07:17) Bridging SDR skill gaps with AI efficiency

(09:39) Kyle’s wildest SDR fail – lessons learned

(10:05) AI SDRs? Why buyers want human connections

(11:27) The future SDR: more strategy, less spamming

(13:08) How Copy AI helps execs meet strategic goals

Bitly’s CMO, Tara Robertson, shares her customer-centric playbook for transforming Bitly from a link shortener to a full connections platform. From leveraging QR codes to merging physical and digital experiences to using customer evidence, Tara explains how Bitly’s retention-focused marketing impacts every user touchpoint. This episode shares insights on building authentic customer connections while highlighting the metrics that matter in the B2B landscape.

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:15) Tara’s journey from Sprout Social to Bitly

(03:02) Building a customer marketing playbook at Sprout

(04:27) Measuring retention and adoption with sub-KPIs

(06:37) Bitly’s new direction

(07:54) QR codes to 2D barcodes

(09:39) Expanding Bitly’s target market - SMBs to enterprise

(11:29) Showcasing use cases to support varied customers

(13:24) Using customer stories to build trust

(17:02) Overcoming challenges in gathering authentic evidence

Subscribe to Mark’s newsletter, Evidently: https://evidently.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Learn more about the customer evidence platform that B2B teams at Gong, HackerOne, Sendoso, and more trust at userevidence.com

The TL;DR

Are you struggling to build trust with your buyers? Allyson Havener (TrustRadius) and Mark Huber (UserEvidence) break down the B2B buying disconnect between buyers and marketing and sales efforts—including some helpful tips to apply to your own marketing strategy to help close that gap.

What’s working in B2B marketing:
DATA-BACKED PROOF
Original research and transparent data are key to building credibility and trust with skeptical buyers who are demanding upfront pricing and product claims before purchasing.

What’s not working in B2B marketing:
SUGAR-COATED "PROOF"
Focusing too much on traditional bottom-funnel tactics without addressing what buyers genuinely want reduces trust and transparency. Pushing overly optimistic marketing narratives without real proof causes buyer mistrust. (And can ultimately lead to decision-making paralysis.)

Grab TrustRadius’ original research report
Grab UserEvidence’s original research report The Evidence Gap

Key Takeaways:

• Address the disconnect between B2B buyers and sellers: There’s a significant gap between what buyers want and how sellers and marketers approach them. Buyers prioritize upfront pricing, peer reviews, and minimal sales pressure, while vendors often overlook these preferences.
• Trust is critical in the sales process: B2B buyers are skeptical, especially with the influx of tech options. Transparent communication, real customer evidence, and accurate ROI data is crucial to overcoming buyer hesitation.
• Original research fuels effective marketing strategies: Both TrustRadius and UserEvidence used their research reports as the cornerstone for content creation, social proof, and marketing messaging—illustrating how data-driven insights can shape a year’s worth of marketing materials.
• Brand trust is key in narrowing choices: Buyers typically start their search with 2-3 potential vendors and often stick with their original choice, underscoring the importance of establishing brand trust early in the buyer’s journey.
• Align marketing and sales for deal acceleration: In complex B2B sales, particularly with large enterprises, aligning sales and marketing strategies is essential to shorten the sales cycle and ensure consistent messaging across all touchpoints.

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Welcome to the show
(01:20) How data fuels marketing strategies
(06:22) The B2B brand trust crisis
(07:57) Disconnect between buyer expectations and vendors
(10:33) Buyers, sellers, marketers are not on same page
(12:20) Buyers’ demand for upfront pricing, not secrecy
(13:29) Buyer preference: Peer reviews over pushy sales
(23:13) Why do buyers stick with original vendor choice?