One post tagged with "cold calling"

Here's the reality of cold calling in 2026: the call itself is maybe 20% of the work. The other 80% is everything that wraps around it — researching the prospect, prepping talking points, logging notes, updating the CRM, drafting follow-up emails, and figuring out who to call next.

That 80% is exactly what AI should be doing.

OpenClaw is an AI coding and automation agent that can handle tasks like web research, data processing, CRM updates, and content generation autonomously. MarketBetter's smart dialer prioritizes calls based on buying signals and gives SDRs a streamlined calling workflow.

Put them together, and you get something powerful: the AI SDR co-pilot. The human makes the call. AI does everything around it.

This guide shows you exactly how to set up that workflow.

The Problem: The 80/20 of Cold Calling​

Ask any SDR how they spend their day. The answer is usually something like:

• 30 minutes researching prospects before calls (LinkedIn, company website, recent news)
• 15 minutes writing notes after each call
• 20 minutes updating CRM fields and deal stages
• 25 minutes drafting follow-up emails
• 10 minutes figuring out who to call next
• 60 minutes actually on the phone

That's 100 minutes of admin work for every 60 minutes of actual selling. And most of the admin work follows a predictable pattern — which means it can be automated.

MarketBetter's smart dialer already solves the "who to call next" problem by prioritizing leads based on buying signals and website visitor activity. OpenClaw can handle the rest: pre-call research, post-call processing, and follow-up automation.

What OpenClaw Can Do for Sales Teams​

OpenClaw runs as an AI agent that can:

• Search the web and pull data from any public source
• Read and write files — process CSVs, generate reports, draft emails
• Call APIs — interact with your CRM, pull data from enrichment tools, update records
• Execute code — run scripts to automate data processing
• Monitor and react — watch for triggers and take action

For SDRs, this translates into five core workflows around the smart dialer.

Workflow 1: Pre-Call Research Automation​

The Manual Way​

Before each call, the SDR opens LinkedIn, the prospect's company website, Crunchbase, and recent Google News results. They scan for talking points: recent funding, product launches, job postings, industry trends. This takes 5–10 minutes per prospect.

The OpenClaw Way​

When MarketBetter's smart dialer queues up the next call, OpenClaw automatically generates a prospect briefing. Here's what the workflow looks like:

Step 1: Trigger on dialer queue OpenClaw monitors the MarketBetter dialer queue. When a new prospect moves to the top, it kicks off research.

Step 2: Pull prospect data OpenClaw gathers information from multiple sources:

• Company website — What they do, recent blog posts, product updates
• LinkedIn — Prospect's role, tenure, recent posts, shared connections
• News — Recent press releases, funding announcements, executive changes
• Job postings — What roles they're hiring for (reveals priorities and pain points)
• Tech stack — What tools they use (via public data sources)
• MarketBetter signals — Which pages they visited, how many times, what content they engaged with

Step 3: Generate the briefing OpenClaw synthesizes everything into a one-page brief:

═══════════════════════════════════════
PROSPECT BRIEFING: Sarah Chen, VP Sales
Acme Software | Series B | 150 employees
═══════════════════════════════════════

🏢 COMPANY SNAPSHOT
- Cloud-based project management for construction
- Raised $28M Series B (Nov 2025)
- Hiring: 3 SDRs, 1 Sales Manager, 2 AEs
- Tech stack: Salesforce, Outreach, Gong

📊 BUYING SIGNALS (MarketBetter)
- Visited pricing page 3x this week
- Downloaded "AI Sales Tools" whitepaper
- Viewed case study: "Mid-Market SaaS"

🎯 TALKING POINTS
1. They're scaling sales team (3 SDR openings) — 
   ask about current prospecting workflow pain
2. Series B = growth pressure, need pipeline efficiency
3. Using Outreach but visited our dialer page — 
   possible dissatisfaction with current stack
4. Construction vertical = long sales cycles, 
   reference how AI helps prioritize

⚠️ WATCH OUT
- Competitor Warmly listed on their careers page 
  as current vendor
- CEO posted about "tool consolidation" on LinkedIn 
  last week — lean into all-in-one angle

📝 SUGGESTED OPENER
"Sarah, I noticed Acme is scaling the sales team — 
congrats on the Series B. Quick question: as you're 
adding SDRs, how are you thinking about the tools 
they'll use for prospecting?"
═══════════════════════════════════════

This briefing appears before the SDR even picks up the phone. What used to take 10 minutes of manual research is now automatic.

Workflow 2: Real-Time Call Intelligence​

During the Call​

While the SDR is on the phone, OpenClaw can provide real-time support by monitoring the conversation context and surfacing relevant information.

Objection handling: If the prospect mentions a competitor, OpenClaw can instantly pull up comparison points and differentiators. If they mention a specific pain point, it can surface relevant case studies or data points.

Dynamic talking points: Based on what the prospect says (captured through MarketBetter's call recording), OpenClaw can suggest follow-up questions or pivot points. "They mentioned struggling with data quality — ask about their current enrichment process."

Pricing and packaging: If the call moves toward commercial discussion, OpenClaw can pull up the relevant pricing tier, suggest appropriate packages based on company size, and flag any existing discount policies.

This isn't science fiction — it's a natural extension of the AI sales co-pilot concept that teams are already building with OpenClaw.

Workflow 3: Post-Call Summary Generation​

The Manual Way​

After each call, the SDR opens their CRM, tries to remember everything discussed, types fragmented notes, updates deal stages, and flags next steps. This takes 10–15 minutes. By the fifth call of the day, the notes are getting sparse.

The OpenClaw Way​

MarketBetter records every call. After the call ends, OpenClaw processes the recording and generates:

Structured call summary:

CALL SUMMARY: Sarah Chen, Acme Software
Date: Feb 14, 2026 | Duration: 12:34
Outcome: Interested — Demo scheduled

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS:
• Currently using Outreach + ZoomInfo + manual research
• Pain: SDRs spending 2hrs/day on research, not calling
• Interested in smart dialer + visitor ID combo
• Budget: Reports to CRO, has discretionary budget for tools
• Timeline: Evaluating in Q1, decision by end of March

OBJECTIONS RAISED:
• "We just renewed Outreach for another year"
  → Discussed complementary positioning, not replacement
• "How is this different from Warmly?"
  → Covered dialer + email + full platform vs chatbot

NEXT STEPS:
1. Demo scheduled: Feb 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM CT
2. Send case study: Mid-market SaaS (similar company size)
3. Loop in CRO (James Liu) for demo
4. Send pricing for Growth tier (150 employees)

SENTIMENT: Positive — strong pain match, 
active evaluation window

CRM update fields:

• Deal stage: Demo Scheduled
• Next activity: Demo — Feb 19
• Lead score: Hot
• Competitors mentioned: Outreach, Warmly, ZoomInfo
• Decision timeline: Q1 2026
• Champion: Sarah Chen (VP Sales)
• Economic buyer: James Liu (CRO)

All of this happens automatically within minutes of hanging up.

Workflow 4: Automated CRM Updates​

This deserves its own section because CRM hygiene is where most sales processes break down.

What OpenClaw Updates After Every Call​

Contact record:

• Last contact date
• Call outcome (connected, voicemail, no answer)
• Notes from the conversation
• Updated job title or role (if corrected during call)

Deal/opportunity record:

• Stage progression
• Updated close date based on stated timeline
• Amount (if discussed)
• Competitors in the deal
• Key stakeholders identified

Company record:

• Updated employee count (if mentioned)
• Technology stack updates
• Budget cycle information
• Key initiatives or projects mentioned

Task creation:

• Follow-up email (drafted and queued — see Workflow 5)
• Demo prep tasks
• Internal handoff notifications
• Calendar holds for next meetings

This integrates directly with HubSpot CRM automation workflows that many teams are already running with OpenClaw. The dialer context just makes the updates richer and more accurate.

Workflow 5: Follow-Up Email Drafting​

The Manual Way​

SDR finishes a call, switches to email, tries to remember the key points, writes a generic follow-up, attaches some standard collateral, and hits send. Time: 10–15 minutes per email. Quality: mediocre.

The OpenClaw Way​

Within minutes of the call ending, OpenClaw drafts a personalized follow-up email based on the actual conversation:

Subject: Acme × MarketBetter — Demo Details + Case Study

Hi Sarah,

Great speaking with you today. I appreciate you walking me 
through how the team is currently handling prospecting — 
the 2 hours/day of manual research is exactly the problem 
we built MarketBetter to solve.

As promised, here's what I'm sending over:

1. Demo confirmation: Feb 19 at 2:00 PM CT. I'll send a 
   calendar invite shortly. Would it make sense to include 
   James as well?

2. Case study: Attached is the mid-market SaaS case study 
   we discussed — similar team size to Acme, and they saw 
   a 3x increase in connected calls within the first month.

3. Quick comparison: Since you mentioned evaluating alongside 
   Warmly, here's a brief overview of how we differ — 
   particularly around the smart dialer and full-platform 
   approach vs. chatbot-only.

Looking forward to showing you the platform on the 19th. 
In the meantime, feel free to reply with any questions or 
if James has specific areas he'd like us to cover.

Best,
[SDR Name]

The SDR reviews, tweaks if needed, and sends. Total time: 2 minutes instead of 15.

Setting Up the OpenClaw + MarketBetter Integration​

Here's a practical overview of how to connect these systems:

Step 1: Connect OpenClaw to Your CRM​

OpenClaw can interact with HubSpot, Salesforce, and other CRMs via their APIs. Set up the connection so OpenClaw can read and write contact, company, and deal records. If you need a walkthrough, see the OpenClaw HubSpot CRM automation guide.

Step 2: Configure Pre-Call Research Sources​

Tell OpenClaw which sources to check for prospect research:

• Company website (always)
• LinkedIn (via public profiles)
• Recent news (Google News, press releases)
• Job postings (LinkedIn, company careers page)
• MarketBetter buying signals (via API)

Step 3: Set Up Call Processing​

Connect OpenClaw to MarketBetter's call recordings. After each call, OpenClaw:

1. Processes the recording/transcript
2. Generates the structured summary
3. Updates CRM fields
4. Drafts the follow-up email
5. Creates any necessary tasks

Step 4: Configure Email Templates​

Give OpenClaw your email templates and brand guidelines so follow-ups match your tone. The AI adapts the template based on call content, but stays within your brand voice.

Step 5: Test with a Small Team​

Start with 2–3 SDRs. Run the workflow for a week. Gather feedback on briefing quality, summary accuracy, and email draft usefulness. Iterate before rolling out to the full team.

The Impact: What Teams Are Seeing​

Teams running this OpenClaw + MarketBetter workflow typically report:

• 40–60% reduction in admin time per SDR per day
• More calls per day — when you eliminate 90 minutes of research and admin, those minutes become call time
• Better call quality — SDRs go into every call prepared, with relevant talking points and prospect context
• Faster follow-ups — follow-up emails go out within minutes of the call, not hours
• Cleaner CRM data — automated updates are more consistent and detailed than manual entries
• Better coaching data — structured call summaries give managers visibility into what's happening on calls without listening to every recording

The math is simple. If an SDR currently makes 40 calls/day and spends 2 hours on admin, cutting admin time in half gives them an extra hour for calls. That's 15–20 more dials per day. Over a month, that's 300–400 additional conversations. Even at a modest connect rate, that's a meaningful pipeline impact.

The AI SDR Co-Pilot Vision​

This isn't about replacing SDRs with AI. It's about giving every SDR a co-pilot that handles the work humans shouldn't be doing.

The best analogy: a surgeon doesn't prep the operating room, sterilize the instruments, or write the post-op notes. A team handles all of that so the surgeon can focus on the procedure — the part that requires human skill and judgment.

Cold calling works the same way. The call itself — reading the prospect's tone, adapting the pitch, handling objections, building rapport — is a deeply human skill. Everything around it is logistics. AI handles logistics beautifully.

OpenClaw is the prep team. MarketBetter's smart dialer is the operating room. The SDR is the surgeon.

Getting Started​

If you're already using MarketBetter's smart dialer, adding OpenClaw to the workflow is straightforward:

1. Set up OpenClaw — Visit openclaw.com and configure your agent
2. Connect your CRM — Follow the OpenClaw setup guide for GTM teams
3. Configure the pre-call briefing — Define your research sources and briefing format
4. Enable post-call processing — Connect to MarketBetter's call recordings
5. Start with one SDR — Validate the workflow, then scale

If you're not yet using MarketBetter, book a demo to see the smart dialer in action. We'll show you how the buying signal prioritization works and how the full platform — chatbot, dialer, email, playbook — creates a unified SDR workflow.

The future of cold calling isn't more calls. It's smarter calls, with AI handling everything except the conversation itself.

Related reading:

• How to Build an AI SDR with OpenClaw
• Build a Sales Co-Pilot with OpenClaw
• OpenClaw HubSpot CRM Automation
• Best Sales Dialers for SDR Teams 2026
• Signal-Based Selling Guide
• AI Cold Call Script Optimizer