I started my career as an SDR. Out of university my only job offer was an SDR role at Hired, and I almost didn't get that one: they turned me down, then called a week later when the person they picked went somewhere else. I went all in, and I was number one out of 16 on the team for 14 months straight.
That job taught me that outbound is a craft. It also showed me what was broken about how most companies run it. I started BizDev Labs in Toronto in 2020 to fix those problems. The name comes from how I like to work: test, measure, then scale what works.
Every part of how we run BizDev Labs today is an answer to a specific problem. Here they are.
Problem 1: One person is expected to do everything
Most companies hire one SDR and expect them to research accounts, build lists, write emails, run LinkedIn, make calls and follow up. Agencies often do the same. Those are five different skills. In practice, the rep leans on the one they're best at and everything else slips.
What we built: five specialists on every account. A strategy lead, a GTM engineer who builds and checks your lists, and a specialist each for cold calling, email and LinkedIn. Each one is responsible for their own channel, and they work the same accounts as one team.
We used to sell single-channel programs. Clients told us it wasn't enough, and they were right. Today we only run the full team.
Problem 2: Good SDRs leave
SDRs usually last a year and a half to two years before moving on, often into an AE role. Every time one leaves, the company loses what that person learned and starts again.
What we built: a place where outbound is the career, not a stepping stone. My goal when I started was to become the most tenured, experienced BDR in the market. Now it's to bring others along as career BDRs. Specialists who stay get better every year, and that experience shows up on your calls.
Problem 3: Agencies get paid for meetings, not the right meetings
When an agency is paid per meeting or judged only on meeting count, it has every reason to book easy meetings and skip the accounts that matter.
What we built: a fixed monthly fee. We guarantee the work, including call volume, not a meeting count. Before we start, we agree a realistic meeting range and a written definition of a qualified meeting. That keeps everyone focused on meetings that turn into pipeline.
Problem 4: Clients can't see what's happening
The most common way agency relationships end is with the client saying, "We don't know what's going on."
What we built: you see everything. Every call is recorded. Every booked meeting comes with notes. A report lands every Friday with phone, email and LinkedIn results side by side, and you have one 30-minute review call a week with your team.
Problem 5: The wrong people get contacted
Nothing damages trust faster than outreach to the wrong companies, under your name.
What we built: sign-off before launch. Your ideal customer profile, lists, scripts and messaging are approved in writing in the first 14 days. Our GTM engineer builds and checks the lists. Nothing goes out until you've said yes.
Problem 6: Founders end up managing the reps
Most of the leaders who come to us don't have time to manage another team. They hired help so outbound would stop landing on them.
What we built: clear ownership on our side. Whoever books a meeting owns the no-show and the reschedule. If a specialist is behind target two weeks in a row, they agree a written fix with me and we check it again two weeks later. Any delay gets escalated within 24 hours. It's organized, it runs on a set process, and it stays off your plate.
Problem 7: Every program starts from zero
A new SDR or a new agency usually starts with a blank page and learns your market on your budget.
What we built: shared learning. We've run outbound for more than 250 B2B companies. What we learn on one account goes back into every playbook, and we compare your results with similar campaigns we've run, so you know what good looks like.
Problem 8: Hiring takes months
Recruiting, onboarding and ramping an SDR takes months before you know if it's working.
What we built: a 14-day launch. That's 10 business days from signature to all three channels live together, with no one for you to hire or manage.
What this adds up to
You subscribe to an outbound team instead of building one: top-performing specialists on calling, email and LinkedIn, working as one connected team to book higher-quality meetings.
It isn't for everyone. If you want to pay per meeting, or you need closed deals in month one, we're probably not the right fit. If you want outbound done properly, by people who've made it their career, let's talk.
Roy Itzhaki, Founder, BizDev Labs
