Changing the motion when the default
Five ways teams changed outbound once it hit a limit: data to reps, people on top of email, commit then warm, specialist overlay and start at the reply.
We study what the best GTM teams do and build it into Unify, so you can set up the same motion and make your best rep’s approach repeatable.
By
October 2026
Five ways to change the motion
| Step | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What stopped working | Automated outbound stopped paying | Email still worked, but couldn’t carry the plan | Marketing and sales on separate lists | Engineer champions couldn’t close CISOs | Reps spent the day chasing prospects |
| What they changed | Shut its AI SDR, gave reps the data | Added SDRs on the same accounts | Sales commits to one list first | Added security specialists on the same accounts | Software sends the first email |
| What a rep does now | Works a ranked list, approves each draft | Calls 4 to 7 people per account | Calls once marketing warms the account | A specialist joins the AE for security | Starts at the reply (2023 design) |
Ramp shut off its AI SDR and handed the data to its reps.
~30%
of pipeline came from its AI SDR for years, before Ramp shut it down
- How it works
- Its in-house AI SDR drove about 30% of pipeline for years. By late 2025 competitors had similar tools, buyers were tired of cold outbound, and with about 500 people in sales and several products, the sale had grown more complex. In December 2025 Ramp shut it down and gave reps a ranked list instead.
- Takeaway
- When automated outbound stops paying, put your own data in front of your reps.
- In Unify
- A ranked Book of Business, AI Research, and drafts reps approve.
Unify
Chat
A version of Ramp’s approach in Unify. Example data.
Ramp shut off its AI SDR and handed the data to its reps.
~30% of pipeline came from its AI SDR for years, before Ramp shut it down
Gene Lee, co-founder, on LinkedIn, Dec 2025
Its in-house AI SDR drove about 30% of pipeline for years. By late 2025 competitors had similar tools, buyers were tired of cold outbound, and with about 500 people in sales and several products, the sale had grown more complex. In December 2025 Ramp shut it down and gave reps a ranked list instead.
TakeawayWhen automated outbound stops paying, put your own data in front of your reps.
Read the full Ramp teardown: unifygtm.com/the-jump/ramp-teardown
Rippling’s email still worked, but couldn’t carry the next growth plan.
5 to 10 vs 30 to 70 demos per 1,000 accounts, automated email against SDRs on the same accounts, from different periods; self-reported
Matt Plank, CRO, SaaStr Annual, Sep 2024
Rippling put SDRs on the accounts its email already reached, calling four to seven people per account, and kept the email running.
TakeawayBefore you buy more accounts, put people on the ones your email already reaches.
Read the full Rippling teardown: unifygtm.com/the-jump/rippling-teardown
Snowflake got sales to commit to one list first.
75% quarter-over-quarter rise in SDR-booked meetings in ABM accounts, June 2021
An ABM vendor’s case study, Jun 2021
Sales names the accounts for the quarter, marketing warms them with one message per industry and persona, and SDRs call once they’re warm. Meetings rose, but by 2024 too few were becoming opportunities, so the team started measuring opportunity conversion instead.
TakeawayGet sales to commit before marketing warms an account, and measure all the way to the opportunity.
Read the full Snowflake teardown: unifygtm.com/the-jump/snowflake-teardown
Datadog kept its champions and added security specialists on the same accounts.
Under 2 yrs from the CEO saying no to a specialist sales overlay (March 2024) to hiring a director to build one (November 2025)
Morgan Stanley TMT conference, Mar 2024; Keith Peckman on LinkedIn, Oct 2025
Once its security product could win the CISO’s deal, Datadog added security sales engineers, partners and specialist salespeople on the accounts its engineers already used.
TakeawayKeep the AE on the account, and bring in a specialist for the new buyer.
Read the full Datadog teardown: unifygtm.com/the-jump/datadog-teardown
In 2023 Verkada automated the first touch and started reps at the reply.
1.5 vs 6 qualified leads or meetings a day, an SDR against a rep who starts at the reply, in the 2023 design; self-reported
Idan Koren, CMO, Verkada blog, Apr 2023
In the original 2023 design, software sends the first email and a rep starts only when the prospect replies. A 2025 MDR job post also lists daily cold calling.
TakeawayEvery reply needs a named person; software can handle the first touch.
Read the full Verkada teardown: unifygtm.com/the-jump/verkada-teardown
Three patterns
- How they select accounts
- None bought a new list. Each changed who works the accounts it already targeted.
- Where people spend their time
- Software or marketing does the high-volume reach. People step in once a buyer engages.
- How they measure it
- Most saw the limit in a number first, like Rippling’s demos per 1,000 accounts.
Which one is you?
- Your automated outbound has stopped payingRead the Ramp teardown
- Your email can’t hit the plan on its ownRead the Rippling teardown
- Marketing and sales work different listsRead the Snowflake teardown
- Your new product has a different buyerRead the Datadog teardown
- Your reps chase people who never answerRead the Verkada teardown
What teams get with Unify
Frequently asked questions
How do I know my outbound motion has hit a limit?
Each team saw it in a different place. At Ramp, competitors ran the same automation, buyers were tired of cold outbound and the sale had grown more complex. Rippling’s email still worked but couldn’t book enough demos for its plan. At Snowflake, accounts marketing had warmed went uncalled. Datadog’s engineer champions couldn’t close a CISO, and Verkada’s SDRs spent most of the day trying to reach people.
Should we replace the old motion?
Usually not. Rippling kept its email, Datadog its engineer champions, Snowflake its ABM, Verkada its SDRs and Ramp the data behind its AI SDR. Each changed only the step that fell short.
Can automation and reps work the same accounts in Unify?
Yes. An If / Else step in a Play can send some accounts to an automated Sequence and give the rest to a rep. When someone replies, Unify ends their Sequence and can make the reply a task for a named rep.