Free playbook
The outbound SDR playbook to adapt and test.
12 min readLast reviewed 10 August 2026
Cold-call scripts, email frameworks, LinkedIn tactics and a 14-day sample cadence to adapt within an employer’s approved process.
The truth about outbound
No universal benchmark. Start with relevance and evidence.
No single reply-rate figure can describe every audience, offer, channel and measurement method. Define the metric before comparing results, including how automated and negative replies are counted.
More volume does not correct an irrelevant list or an unlawful process. Start with a defensible audience and reason for contact, then use your own recorded results to decide what to change.
The SDRs who miss target aren’t the ones with bad voices, awkward openers, or weak emails. They’re the ones with bad lists, no cadence, and no system. The mechanics are simple. Most people just don’t run them.
What follows is a QuotaClub editorial system with scripts and a 14-day sample cadence. It is not presented as a representative Australian benchmark. If you’re here from the SDR interview questions guide, this is the prep for the cold-call roleplay you’ll do in Round 3.
Written by Isobel Hardwick, a current SDR at one of APAC’s fastest-growing SaaS companies.
The outbound math
The numbers most SDRs never get told.
Define
Specify the audience, trigger and metric before outreach
QuotaClub workflow principle
Approve
Use the employer's legal and channel process
QuotaClub workflow principle
Test
Change one material variable at a time
QuotaClub workflow principle
Review
Count positive, negative and opt-out outcomes
QuotaClub workflow principle
Step 1
The list. Most outbound dies here.
60% of the work·The goal: Build a target list good enough that the rest of the playbook has a chance.
What to review in your own process: They flip the SDR ratio. Most SDRs spend 80% of their time on the call and the email and 20% on the list. Top performers spend 60% on the list, 40% on activity. Bad list, no playbook saves you.
Before you write a single email or pick up the phone, your list needs to clear three filters. The ICP filter, the persona filter, and the trigger filter. If an account doesn’t pass all three, drop it. It’s noise.
The three filters
01
The ICP filter
Industry, company size, geography, tech stack. Most companies have a published ICP, find it. If they don't, build it from your top 5 closed-won accounts. Ask: who are these companies, what do they look like, what's true about them.
02
The persona stack
Three people per account: the champion (will use the product), the decision-maker (will sign), the blocker (will say no for political reasons). Map all three before you reach out. You'll work all three.
03
Trigger events
Recent funding, leadership change, hiring spree, public earnings call, product launch, expansion to a new market. A trigger is what makes a cold call warm. No trigger, no real reason for the call.
Issy’s prep cheat code
Spend Friday afternoons rebuilding next week's list.
Preparing the next approved account list can reduce Monday context switching. Adapt the block to your employer's workflow.
Step 2
The cold call. The fear and the leverage.
60 seconds to earn 5 minutes·The goal: Get permission to keep talking. Not pitch. Not close. Permission.
What to review in your own process: They know the first 15 seconds is the only thing that matters, and they pause after the opener instead of stuffing the silence with words.
Build your own call funnel
QuotaClub does not publish a universal conversion funnel. Track these stages for a consistent audience and period, including negative outcomes, before deciding whether the list, message or channel changed.
The 4-step opener
01
Transparency
“Cold call, but a well-researched one.” Honest, pattern-interrupting, disarming.
02
Reason
One-line trigger or hypothesis. Why you're calling, in 8 words.
03
Problem
What most people in their seat are dealing with right now. One sentence.
04
Tie-in
Why you think it might matter to them specifically. Based on what you saw.
An editorial opener script to practise
The transparency line is a pattern interrupt. Most prospects brace for a pitch the second they hear “cold call”. Saying it out loud, while showing you’ve done the work, disarms them. The pause is non-negotiable. Then you tie a real problem to a real reason you thought it might matter to them specifically.
How to test calling windows
There is no universal best hour. First restrict the test to calling times permitted by ACMA rules and the employer’s policy. Then compare equally defined windows for the same audience and a meaningful period.
The 5 objections SDRs hear every week
“I'm busy.”
“Totally fair, I'll be quick. The reason for the call is [trigger]. Worth me booking 15 minutes next week or should I close the loop?”
“Send me an email.”
“Happy to. So I send the right thing, can I ask one question first: are you the person who'd own [problem area] over there?”
“Not interested.”
“No problem. Out of curiosity, is that because [problem area] isn't a priority right now, or is it solved already?”
“We already use [competitor].”
“Got it. Most of the teams I speak to who use [competitor] still struggle with [specific gap]. Is that a fair read for you, or is it actually working?”
“How did you get my number?”
“Public profile. I won't keep you. The reason for the call is [trigger]. 30 seconds and I'll let you decide if it's worth a follow-up.”
Issy’s prep cheat code
Record three of your own cold calls every Friday.
Listen back on Sunday. The first time will make you wince. Do it anyway. You will improve more in three weeks of recording than three months of just calling.
Mid-way check-in
Want me to roleplay your cold calls with you, live?
Reading the script is one thing. Saying it out loud while someone plays a hostile prospect is another. That’s the work we do together.
Step 3
The cold email. Three lines, one job.
60 seconds to write, but rewrite it 5 times·The goal: Earn a reply. Not a meeting. A reply.
What to review in your own process: They write emails that sound like a colleague who happens to know about a problem. Not a salesperson. The 3-line cold email beats 90% of the templates you'll see online.
Subject lines that actually get opened
- [Trigger event] at [Company]?
- Quick question about [team / process]
- [Mutual connection] suggested I reach out
- Saw your [post / podcast / article]
- 30 seconds about [problem area]?
The 3-line cold email
A real example, filled in
Five things to never do
- Open with “I hope this finds you well”.
- Mention your company before the trigger.
- Send a paragraph longer than 3 sentences.
- Sign off with “Let me know your thoughts”.
- Follow up with “Just bumping this up”.
Issy’s prep cheat code
A follow-up should add a relevant reason, not pressure.
There is no universal reply lift. If the employer's approved process permits a follow-up, add new context, identify the sender and honour any opt-out.
Step 4
LinkedIn. Where the deal is actually built.
Long-game channel·The goal: Be visible to your buyer 5 times before you ever DM them.
What to review in your own process: They never DM cold. They engage with the prospect's content for a week, then send a connection request with no message, then DM with a value-first opener once accepted.
LinkedIn is where modern outbound separates from old-school outbound. It is a channel where a prospect can review your profile before replying. An incomplete or inconsistent profile can create questions. If your headline says “BDR | Hunting prospects | DM me!” your DM doesn’t work either. LinkedIn is a four-step play, in order: profile, presence, connection, DM.
The 4-step LinkedIn play
01
Profile
Headline that says what you help teams do (not your job title). Banner with one line of value. About section in the first person. Featured section with your best content or a customer story.
02
Presence
Comment thoughtfully on 3 posts from your prospect over a week. Not “great post”. Real, specific responses to what they said. They will notice your name before they ever see your DM.
03
Connection
A connection request may be sent with or without a note. Test the format honestly and do not treat acceptance as consent to an unrelated pitch.
04
DM
Open with the post you commented on. Mention the trigger event. Make a 30-second ask, not a meeting ask. “Worth me sending a 2-min Loom on how teams like yours handle [problem]?”
A DM structure to test
Issy’s prep cheat code
Engage only when you can add something genuine.
Prior interaction can provide context, but QuotaClub does not promise an acceptance or reply lift. Treat the person as a person, not an inbox.
Step 5
The cadence. Where it all comes together.
14 days, 7 touchpoints·The goal: Be in front of your prospect just often enough to be unforgettable, gently enough to not be annoying.
What to review in your own process: They can explain why each approved channel is relevant, how outcomes are measured and when the cadence stops.
The 14-day cadence
- 01LinkedInConnect request, no message.
- 02EmailCold email 1: trigger + one-line value.
- 04PhoneCold call + voicemail (60-second value pitch).
- 06EmailCold email 2: different angle, no “bumping”.
- 09LinkedInDM that gives value before asking for time.
- 11PhoneCold call, no voicemail.
- 14EmailBreakup email: “I'll close the loop”.
Seven touchpoints across three channels in two weeks. Multichannel cadences drive up to 4.7× more engagement than email-only (SalesLoft research). After 14 days, close the loop and move on.
The breakup email
A concise closing email makes the end of this editorial sequence clear. It should not rely on guilt or manufactured scarcity.
The operator's scripts
The scripts I actually use, every day.
The framework above is the structure. These are the words. Cold-call openers, cold-email templates, LinkedIn DMs, and the weekly cadence I'm running right now in 2026.
The 5 mistakes
Process mistakes to avoid in an early SDR role.
01
Spraying without researching
A generic template can be irrelevant or inaccurate. Research the account enough to establish a real reason for contact, without inventing familiarity or collecting unnecessary personal data.
02
Giving up after one or two touches
One unanswered touch does not establish interest or disinterest. Use a proportionate, approved sequence and stop immediately when the recipient opts out.
03
Pitching in the first 15 seconds
Your only job in the opener is to earn the next 30 seconds. Not pitch, not close, not “find pain”. Permission first, value after.
04
Following up with “just bumping this up”
The laziest possible follow-up. A new angle, a new trigger, a new piece of value. Never a reminder.
05
Treating LinkedIn as just another inbox
DMing strangers without a profile or a presence is worse than not DMing at all. LinkedIn is profile, then engagement, then connection, then DM. In that order.
Daily routine
What a top performer’s day actually looks like.
Eight hours, two call blocks, one LinkedIn engagement window, no aimless context-switching.
- 08:30–09:00
Prep
Yesterday's data, today's call list.
- 09:00–10:00
List building
Refresh accounts, find triggers.
- 10:00–11:30
Call block 1
Illustrative call block; test your own permitted window.
- 11:30–12:30
Email block
Write, send, work the inbox.
- 12:30–13:30
Lunch + LinkedIn
Comment on prospect content. No DMs.
- 13:30–15:00
Admin + research
Notes, CRM, tomorrow's prep.
- 15:00–16:30
Call block 2
Illustrative second block; adapt to the territory.
- 16:30–17:00
Wrap
Log everything. Plan tomorrow.
Common questions
About SDR outbound in Australia.
- How many cold calls should I make per day?
- There is no representative Australian daily-dial average. Use the target approved by your employer and assess it alongside territory, list quality, research time, conversations and outcomes.
- What's a good reply rate for cold emails?
- There is no universal good reply rate. Define whether the metric includes automated replies and negative responses, then compare a consistent audience and period against your own baseline.
- How long until I hit quota in a new SDR role?
- Ramp length and quota expectations are employer-specific. Ask for the written ramp schedule, training plan, quota, crediting rules and any guaranteed variable payment before accepting an offer.
- Do cold calls still work in 2026?
- Cold calling remains one channel used in current SDR vacancies, but QuotaClub does not have a representative Australian connect-rate benchmark. Its suitability depends on the audience, legal process and employer's sales motion.
- Should I leave a voicemail?
- Follow the employer's approved process. If voicemail is permitted, identify yourself and the organisation accurately, give a relevant reason for calling and keep the message concise.
- What's the difference between a cadence and a sequence?
- Teams use these terms differently. A sequence often means an ordered set of scheduled actions; a cadence may describe the broader timing and channel mix. Ask how the employer defines each term rather than assuming one format performs better.
Prepping for an interview right now? The SDR interview questions guide covers the Round 3 cold-call roleplay verbatim.
What to read next
Three more from the outbound playbook.
Cold calling
Cold calling in 2026
The opener, the pause, the objection patterns, and the talk-ratio data nobody talks about. Written by someone still picking up the phone every week.
10 min read
LinkedIn for SDRs
Profile, presence, connection, DM. The four-step play that doubles connection acceptance and triples reply rate.
9 min read
Cold email
Cold email teardowns
Real cold emails marked up line by line. Subject lines, openers, value pivots, and the breakup template that gets the highest reply rate.
11 min read
Written by
Isobel Hardwick
Practising SDR and founder of QuotaClub. Isobel writes from direct experience in outbound sales and works 1:1 with career changers preparing for their first SDR role.
Reading scripts is one thing. Copying ones that work is another.
Every cold call, cold email, and LinkedIn DM in this playbook in copy-paste form, on the QuotaClub templates page.
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