For years, sales engagement strategies leaned heavily on volume—more calls, more emails, more touches. But in 2025, that math no longer works. AI SDRs are flooding inboxes with generic messages, engagement platforms are multiplying, and buying committees are larger and harder to reach.
The result?
Chaos.
For this session we sat down with Michael Lasco, VP Sales Operations at Mavenoid and Mark Bedard, CEO and Co-Founder at upcell, to unpack the “new rules” of sales engagement. Their focus wasn’t just on how to cut through the noise, but on how to operationalize repeatable systems that turn prospecting from an unpredictable scramble into a reliable engine for pipeline creation.
Why the Old Playbook Doesn’t Cut It Anymore
Traditional prospecting models—high-volume outreach, one-size-fits-all cadences, siloed team responsibilities—simply don’t match how modern buyers behave.
- Bigger buying committees: It often takes 8–10 stakeholders to move a deal forward, meaning sellers must orchestrate multi-threaded outreach instead of relying on a single champion.
- Noisy digital channels: With AI-generated messages everywhere, prospects are more skilled at filtering out generic outreach. They respond to authenticity and relevance, not spam.
- Misaligned teams: SDRs, AEs and marketing often work from different definitions of a “qualified lead,” creating friction and wasted effort.
As the panelists summarized:
“More activity doesn’t equal more pipeline. Relevance and orchestration are what drive results now.”
Be sure to also check out this article on Are you paying too much for your sales stack?
Diagnosing Workflow Breakdowns Before They Kill Pipeline
The panel stressed that prospecting chaos often points to deeper process failures. Instead of simply pushing reps to “do more,” operators should start by mapping the end-to-end workflow:
- Lead capture and routing: Are leads enriched, scored, and routed to the right rep quickly? A slow handoff kills momentum.
- Qualification definitions: Does everyone agree on what counts as a qualified lead? Misalignment here cascades through the funnel.
- Follow-up discipline: Are SLAs for speed-to-lead being met? Even a two-hour delay can slash conversion odds.
- Data visibility: Do managers have clear dashboards to spot stalls or dropped handoffs?
These diagnostics often reveal simple, high-impact fixes. For example, one company automated lead enrichment so SDRs weren’t wasting time Googling accounts—improving time-to-first-touch by 60% and boosting meeting conversion rates.
Multichannel Engagement That Actually Works
Modern buyers don’t live in one channel. That’s why the panel emphasized orchestration across email, phone, social, and sometimes direct mail. But multichannel doesn’t mean “spray everywhere.” It means sequencing with intent:
- Orchestrate touchpoints: A phone call after a LinkedIn connect request feels personal. An email referencing a webinar attendance signal feels timely. Stack these deliberately.
- Leverage signals: Use buying triggers—funding rounds, job changes, technology installs—to prioritize accounts and personalize outreach. Intent data should drive timing.
- Coach for consistency: Reps must follow through on their own cadences. Automation tools like Outreach or Salesloft can surface reminders, but managers need visibility to enforce adherence.
As the panel noted:
“When 75% of your deals are stuck because a prospect went cold after stage 1, it’s not a volume issue. It’s a misalignment of channel, timing and message.”
Be sure to also check out this article on Why referrals work better than cold outreach in B2B.
The Data Layer: Turning Guesswork Into Confidence
RevOps’ role is no longer just “keeping the tech stack running.” It’s about surfacing the right data at the right time to help sellers prioritize and improve.
Key metrics to track include:
- Lead-to-meeting conversion: Are outreach efforts translating into real conversations?
- Channel effectiveness: Compare conversion rates across email, LinkedIn, and phone to identify what’s really working.
- Time-to-first-touch: Measure the gap between lead creation and first outreach; faster response equals higher conversion.
- Meeting-to-opportunity conversion: A strong engagement motion should reliably progress prospects into pipeline.
- Stage-level progression: Identify where deals consistently stall and coach reps on how to move opportunities forward.
The panel urged RevOps pros to build reporting that doesn’t just show numbers—it creates coaching moments. If one rep has high activity but low conversions, that’s a signal for skill coaching. If an entire team is missing SLAs, that’s a process issue RevOps can solve.
Be sure to also check out this article from upcell on The Real Guide to ZoomInfo Alternatives (2025 edition).
Building Engagement Systems That Scale
Ultimately, the “new rules” of sales engagement aren’t about one silver-bullet tool or tactic. They’re about building systems that can scale predictably:
- Design workflows that prevent leaks: Automate lead enrichment, scoring, and routing so reps don’t waste cycles.
- Operationalize multi-threading: Give reps the tools and training to engage whole buying committees, not just one champion.
- Measure what matters: Move beyond activity metrics and track conversion, velocity, and progression.
- Create feedback loops: Regularly review engagement data with sales leadership to refine cadences and channels.
When executed well, these systems transform prospecting from a noisy, chaotic grind into a predictable pipeline machine—and give both reps and operators the confidence that their effort will pay off.
Check out this article from upcell on the Top 11 prospecting tools for modern B2B sales teams.
Looking for more great content? Check out the upcell resource hub, our blog and join the RevOps Co-op community to connect with 17,000+ revenue operators sharing best practices, templates and lessons learned every day.
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