Sponsored By RevyOps (The #1 GTM Data Management Platform): https://tinyurl.com/revyops-justin-kroeger

Episode Summary:

In this episode of the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast, Ben Reed sits down with Justin Kroeger, Founder of HiveSight, to unpack why outbound is breaking in the age of AI. Justin shares why trust, not scale is the real GTM bottleneck, how fake personalization has eroded buyer confidence, and why familiarity and third-party credibility outperform automation. Together, they explore when LinkedIn content actually works, why early-stage founders should avoid scaling too early, and how doing things that don’t scale still drives real B2B traction.

What You’ll Learn:

- Why outbound reply rates are declining despite better AI tools

- Why trust and believability matter more than personalization

- How familiarity and third-party credibility accelerate sales

- When LinkedIn content helps and when it hurts GTM efforts

- Why early-stage founders should avoid automation and scale manually

- How to validate offers through design partnerships

- Why niche credibility beats virality in B2B markets

- The hidden risks of scaling the wrong message

Featured Guest:

Justin Kroeger - Founder, HiveSight

Host:

Ben Reed, Host of the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast

Episode Highlights:

[00:01:00] Why AI-driven outbound is increasing noise and modern buyer skepticism

[00:04:36] Founder bias and the power of third-party credibility

[00:14:17] Why viral LinkedIn content doesn’t convert in B2B

[36:00:00] When founders should not invest in content marketing

[47:05:00] Doing things that don’t scale to reach first revenue

[59:40:00] Design partnerships and early GTM validation

[01:04:22] The cost of scaling unproven messaging

[01:06:00] Justin’s final advice on trust and GTM discipline

Connect with Justin:

LinkedIn: https:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkroeger123/

Website: https://hivesight.so/

Follow Ben on Social:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-aaron-reed/

Love this episode? Subscribe to the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast for expert insights on B2B sales, GTM strategy, and leadership. If you found value in today’s episode, please leave us a review.

Join our B2B GTM & RevOps Entrepreneur Community: https://www.skool.com/outbound-b2b-sales/about?ref=07a56393b2d2435d9366f2e6151e2600

Sponsored By RevyOps (The #1 GTM Data Management Platform): https://tinyurl.com/revyops-justin-kroeger

(Sponsored By RevyOps – The #1 GTM Data Management Platform): https://tinyurl.com/revyops-soheil-saeidmehr

Episode Summary:

In this episode of the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast, Ben Reed is joined by Soheil Saeidmehr, Head of Service Delivery at ColdIQ, for a deep dive into the reality behind AI, GTM engineering, and modern outbound sales.

Sohail breaks down how ColdIQ scaled from roughly $70k to $800k in monthly recurring revenue, why the SDR role is changing (but not disappearing), and how AI should be used as leverage not a replacement for human judgment. The conversation covers real-world AI workflows, multi-LLM outbound systems, persona-based copy, LinkedIn distribution, and what it actually takes to win in today’s crowded GTM environment.

Featured Guest:

Soheil Saeidmehr – Head of Service Delivery, ColdIQ

Host:

Ben Reed – Host of the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast

What you’ll learn:

- Why GTM engineers and SDRs still matter in an AI-driven sales world

- Where AI truly excels in outbound and where humans are still essential

- How ColdIQ uses multiple LLMs across research, enrichment, and copy

- A modular approach to outbound copy by persona and function

- How to think about AB testing when AI generates dynamic variants

- Why judgment, taste, and context can’t be automated

- How LinkedIn content compounds outbound performance

- Practical advice for agencies scaling without burning cash

- The importance of community and consistency in sales careers

Episode Highlights:

[00:02:57] Why Humans Still Need to Stay in the Loop

[00:09:38] AI's Real Capabilities vs. The Hype

[00:10:11] Breaking Down Copy with Multi-LLM Workflows

[00:14:07] The ColdIQ Agentic Flow System

[00:17:28] Modular, Persona-Based Campaign Design

[00:20:17] A/B Testing When AI Generates the Variants

[00:23:59] Data Stack: Airtable, Dashboards, and Limitations

[00:27:55] Scaling from 70K to 800K MRR: The ColdIQ Flywheel

Connect with Sohail:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soheil-saeidmehr/

Website: coldiq.com

Follow Ben on Social:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-aaron-reed/

Love this episode? Subscribe to the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast for expert insights on B2B sales, GTM strategy, RevOps, and SaaS leadership. If you found value in today’s conversation, please leave us a review.

Join our B2B GTM & RevOps Entrepreneur Community: https://www.skool.com/outbound-b2b-sales/about?ref=07a56393b2d2435d9366f2e6151e2600

Sponsored By RevyOps (The #1 GTM Data Management Platform): https://tinyurl.com/revyops-soheil-saeidmehr

Sponsored By RevyOps (The #1 GTM Data Management Platform): https://tinyurl.com/revyops-hugo-m-d

Episode Summary:

In this episode of the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast, Ben Reed sits down with Hugo Millington Drake, Founder of Trigify, to unpack the real journey of building a SaaS company in today’s crowded GTM landscape. Hugo shares how Trigify evolved from an accidental automation agency into a social intent platform, why interest-based signals outperform traditional triggers, and the hidden challenges of selling software to cost-sensitive agencies. The conversation dives deep into PLG vs. sales-led growth, churn, pricing pressure, LinkedIn outbound, the rise of GTM engineers, and why most founders underestimate how hard software really is.

What you’ll learn:

• How Trigify pivoted from an agency into a SaaS product
• Why social engagement data beats traditional trigger-based signals
• The real differences between selling services vs. selling software
• Why PLG is harder than it looks in complex GTM tools
• The challenges of churn when selling to agencies
• LinkedIn outbound vs. cold email at scale
• Influencers, micro-creators, and early SaaS distribution strategies
• The truth about “GTM engineers” and no-code/AI hype
• Why founder stress is often self-inflicted and how to manage it

Episode Highlights:

[00:00:48] What Trigify does and how it evolved

[00:04:43] Interest-based targeting vs. traditional triggers

[00:07:27] From automation agency to SaaS, selling $149 software vs. $3k retainers

[00:18:41] Churn, pricing pressure, and agency customers

[00:27:17] PLG, onboarding, and customer confusion

[00:40:00] GTM engineers, Clay, and AI tool hype

[00:54:13] LinkedIn outbound, fake accounts, and scale limits

[01:11:10] Founder stress, perspective, and long-term thinking

Featured Guest:

Hugo Millington Drake – Founder, Trigify

Host:

Ben Reed, Host of the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast

Connect with Hugo:

Website: https://www.trigify.io/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugomdrake/

Follow Ben on Social:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-aaron-reed/

Love this episode? Subscribe to the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast for expert insights on B2B sales, GTM strategy, RevOps, and SaaS leadership. If you found value in today’s conversation, please leave us a review.

Join our B2B GTM & RevOps Entrepreneur Community: https://www.skool.com/outbound-b2b-sales/about?ref=07a56393b2d2435d9366f2e6151e2600

Sponsored By RevyOps (The #1 GTM Data Management Platform): https://tinyurl.com/revyops-hugo-m-d