The latest articles on DEV Community by Eric Kerr (@dealflowme). https://dev.to/dealflowme https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3871699%2F653a729c-a9e1-4ab6-987e-468f7e2a4155.png https://dev.to/dealflowme en Eric Kerr Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:38:54 +0000 https://dev.to/dealflowme/i-built-an-ai-sdr-in-30-days-heres-what-0-replies-and-5-waitlist-signups-taught-me-547i https://dev.to/dealflowme/i-built-an-ai-sdr-in-30-days-heres-what-0-replies-and-5-waitlist-signups-taught-me-547i <p>30 days ago I decided to build an AI-powered sales agent. Not a template. Not a Chrome extension. A full autonomous SDR that finds prospects, writes personalized emails, runs sequences, and books meetings.</p> <p>Price: $99/mo. No seats, no credits, no sales calls.</p> <p>Here's where I am today:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>5 waitlist signups</strong> (all organic)</li> <li> <strong>332 pageviews</strong> from zero paid spend</li> <li><strong>$0 revenue</strong></li> <li><strong>0 paying customers</strong></li> </ul> <p>And I'm sharing this because the internet has enough "I hit $10K MRR in 2 weeks" posts. Here's what actually building something looks like.</p> <h2> Why I built it </h2> <p>Every enterprise sales tool costs $2K–$5K/month. If you're a freelancer, a small agency, or an early-stage founder, you can't touch them. You're stuck with basic email tools or doing everything manually.</p> <p>I wanted to build the sales team that every small business deserves but can't afford.</p> <h2> What it does (today) </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>ICP Creator</strong> — define your ideal customer profile</li> <li> <strong>AI Research Engine</strong> — finds prospects that match</li> <li> <strong>AI Email Writer</strong> — writes personalized outreach (not "Hi {first_name}" garbage)</li> <li> <strong>Sequence Builder</strong> — multi-step campaigns with smart delays</li> <li> <strong>Smart Stop</strong> — automatically pauses when someone replies</li> <li> <strong>Analytics Dashboard</strong> — track opens, clicks, replies</li> </ul> <p>It's live at <a href="https://dealflow-14.polsia.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">dealflow-14.polsia.app</a>.</p> <h2> What I learned </h2> <p><strong>1. Building the product is 20% of the work.</strong><br> Getting someone to care about it is the other 80%. I spent weeks on the sequence engine. The signup form was broken for 5 days and I didn't notice.</p> <p><strong>2. Five conversations &gt; 5,000 pageviews.</strong><br> My 5 waitlist signups taught me more than any analytics dashboard. Talk to every single person who shows interest.</p> <p><strong>3. Transparent pricing is a positioning weapon.</strong><br> Every competitor hides pricing behind "Book a demo." Putting $99/mo on the homepage isn't just honest — it's a filter. The right people self-select in.</p> <p><strong>4. Zero is a number, not a verdict.</strong><br> Zero revenue at day 30 feels terrible. But I have a working product, real traffic growth, and actual humans on a waitlist. That's more than most ideas ever get.</p> <h2> What's next </h2> <p>Ship the conversion fix. Email every waitlist signup personally. Keep building in public.</p> <p>If you're a founder doing outbound manually and spending hours on it, I built this for you. Would love your feedback.</p> <p><em>Building in public. Ask me anything in the comments.</em></p> startup ai saas buildinpublic