Overview
You're Founding BDR #1 for a US AI company that just landed in the UK. Your job is to figure out what works in the UK market - which titles respond, what messaging resonates, which industries care. You'll spend most of your day cold calling and emailing UK prospects, trying to book qualified demos for AEs who are likely based in the US (at least initially).
Role Snapshot
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Role Type | Outbound BDR (market entry/founding role) |
| Sales Motion | Outbound-heavy (90%+ - no established UK brand yet) |
| Deal Complexity | Unknown - AI product, likely consultative |
| Sales Cycle | N/A (you're booking meetings, not closing) |
| Deal Size | N/A for BDR role |
| Quota (est.) | Likely 15-25 qualified meetings/month (will evolve) |
Company Context
Stage: Likely Series A/B (can afford £70K OTE + equity for first UK hire)
Size: Unknown, but has US operations
Growth: Actively expanding to UK market, recruiting through external firm
Market Position: Unknown in UK - you're building awareness from zero
GTM Reality
Pipeline Sources:
- 90%+ Outbound - Cold calls, LinkedIn, email sequences to UK companies
- 10% Inbound - Maybe some spillover from US marketing, but don't count on it
- Partners/Referrals - None yet
SDR/AE Structure: You're the first BDR. AEs are probably in the US or remote. You'll be booking meetings across time zones.
SE Support: Unknown - likely limited initially as company figures out UK GTM
Competitive Landscape
Main Competitors: Unknown (AI is broad - could be competing against anything from Jasper to enterprise AI platforms)
How They Differentiate: Unknown - you'll be testing this
Common Objections:
- "We're already using [AI tool X]"
- "What's different about your approach?"
- "Are you GDPR compliant for UK data?"
- "Do you have UK case studies?" (Answer: not yet)
Win Themes: You'll be discovering these in real-time
What You'll Actually Do
Time Breakdown
Cold Calling (50%) | Email/LinkedIn (25%) | Research (15%) | Internal Sync (10%)
Key Activities
- Cold calling UK prospects: 60-80 calls/day to figure out who actually picks up in the UK market. Testing different times, different titles, different industries. Most calls go to voicemail. You're aiming for 5-8 conversations per day.
- Building target lists: Researching UK companies that might need AI solutions. LinkedIn Sales Nav, ZoomInfo, whatever tools they give you. Creating ICPs from scratch since there's no UK customer base yet.
- Writing and testing sequences: Crafting email copy that works for British audiences (US messaging often falls flat). A/B testing subject lines, value props, call-to-action language.
- Syncing with US AEs: Daily standup (probably 4-5pm your time to catch US mornings). Explaining UK market dynamics, prospect feedback, why certain approaches aren't working. Some friction is inevitable as they learn the UK market.
- Qualifying meetings: When you do book something, making sure it's actually qualified so AEs don't waste time on 3am calls with tire-kickers.
The Honest Reality
What's Hard
- You're building from zero: No UK case studies, no brand awareness, no one's heard of you. Every conversation starts with "Who are you and why are you calling?"
- 5 days in office is intense: Most BDRs at this level get hybrid at least. You'll be grinding in the office every day while the US team is remote.
- Time zone pain: US team will want syncs outside your normal hours. Early morning or late evening calls are likely weekly.
- High rejection volume: You're cold calling about AI to a market that's saturated with AI pitches. Expect 95%+ rejection rate early on.
- Playbook ambiguity: There is no playbook. You're writing it. Some people love this. Most find it stressful, especially if you're used to proven systems.
- Founding role pressure: If you don't figure this out, there might not be a BDR #2 in the UK. The company is testing the market through you.
What Success Looks Like
- Booking 15-20+ qualified meetings per month within 90 days
- Building a repeatable outbound motion (sequences, call scripts, ICP) that another BDR could follow
- Show rate above 60% on meetings you book (proves your qualification is solid)
- Identifying 2-3 UK verticals/segments where messaging resonates
Who You're Selling To
Primary Buyers:
- Unknown - likely VP/Director level in Revenue, Operations, or Product depending on the AI use case
- Could be technical (CTO, Head of Engineering) or business (COO, Chief Revenue Officer)
What They Care About:
- ROI and speed to value (AI projects often overpromise)
- UK data residency and GDPR compliance
- Integration with existing tech stack
- Proof it works (case studies, references - which you don't have yet)
- Whether this is real AI or just hype
Requirements
- 1+ years of outbound BDR/SDR experience (ideally in SaaS or tech)
- Comfortable making 60-80 cold calls per day
- Experience building lists and writing sequences from scratch
- Can handle ambiguity - no one will hand you a working playbook
- Willing to commute to London office 5 days/week
- Comfortable working with US-based team (some off-hours syncs expected)
- Not easily discouraged by rejection (you'll hear "no" a lot initially)