In today’s hyper-competitive SaaS landscape, the old rules of sales no longer apply. Hiring more salespeople doesn’t automatically lead to more revenue, and outbound sales efforts are becoming increasingly complex and expensive. Frank Sondors, founder and CEO of Salesforge, offers a fresh perspective on how AI-powered tools and a modular approach to sales technology are transforming outbound sales. Drawing from his decade-plus experience at Google, SimilarWeb, and machine learning startups, Frank shares his journey of building a multi-product startup that reached $3M ARR in just 12 months - without burning through VC cash.
This article dives deep into Frank’s insights on why traditional sales models are broken, how AI agents like Agent Frank are reshaping pipeline generation, and why lean, efficient GTM motions are the future for SaaS companies.
One of the biggest myths in sales is that simply hiring more sales reps will drive growth. Frank challenges this notion based on his extensive experience leading sales teams and scaling startups.
“For every ten salespeople that you hire, one is natural, two or three can be trained, and the rest - about sixty percent - are typically deadwood.”
This means most companies waste significant resources employing people who aren’t suited for sales roles. Frank observed that many businesses default to "grow at all costs" strategies - hiring more heads to increase pipeline and revenue. But in reality, this approach is broken and inefficient.
Instead, Frank advocates for increasing the output of the top 40% sales performers while reducing the ineffective 60%. The focus should be on lean, mean teams empowered by technology, not on expanding headcount indiscriminately.
Outbound sales today is more challenging due to increased competition and rising costs of customer acquisition. It’s easier than ever to build software, resulting in crowded markets and fierce competition - even when you believe you’re in a “blue ocean.”
Frank points out that often, the biggest competitor is not another SaaS product but Excel or Google Sheets - simple tools that many companies still rely on for pipeline management.
Moreover, reaching prospects effectively requires relevance and personalization. Cold outreach is no longer about quantity but quality.
“It’s not about finding leads; it’s about finding leads that are aligned with what you’re offering.”
When building sales technology, companies generally follow one of two approaches:
Frank and his team at Salesforge chose the modular approach, building six interconnected products within 22 months. Each “Forge” targets a distinct sales problem, yet all share a unified login system called Forge ID, providing users a smooth, integrated experience.
This strategy mirrors ecosystems like Apple or Microsoft, where multiple products work together harmoniously but can also stand alone.
Why modular? Because customers today often buy multiple point solutions from different vendors, leading to a fragmented, “Android-like” experience. Salesforge aims to deliver an “Apple-like” unified experience - one invoice, one support team, one ecosystem.
The crown jewel of Salesforge’s ecosystem is Agent Frank, an AI-powered sales agent designed to automate outbound pipeline generation. Here’s how it works:
This level of automation was not feasible just a year ago. Agent Frank represents a new frontier in outbound sales by combining machine learning, natural language processing, and seamless integration with existing sales infrastructure.
Agent Frank can handle thousands of leads simultaneously, scaling across multiple email accounts and infrastructures. Typical customers process about 1,000 leads at a time, but scaling to 10,000 or more is possible.
However, the focus remains on delivering relevant, personalized messaging rather than “spraying and praying.” The quality of outreach is what drives results, not just volume.
Will AI replace human SDRs? Frank believes the future is collaboration, not replacement.
Certain sales activities will always require a human touch, such as:
On the other hand, AI agents excel at:
Frank also highlights the rise of sales development engineers (GTM engineers) - technical sales professionals who leverage APIs, automation, and AI tools to efficiently generate pipeline.
Salesforge integrates natively with popular CRMs such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive, plus communication tools like Slack. This enables bidirectional syncing of contacts, replies, and pipeline data, keeping sales teams aligned and informed in real-time.
The platform also supports automation tools like n8n and revenue operations roles to eliminate repetitive manual tasks, further reducing the need to expand sales headcount.
While most competitors focus on saturated US and European markets, Salesforge is strategically entering underserved regions like Japan. This involves localizing products and websites, translating content, and adapting outreach to cultural preferences.
Japan represents a high-potential market where AI sales technologies and automation are increasingly embraced, offering a competitive advantage for early movers.
Frank’s top advice for early-stage founders is simple but powerful:
“Just go and speak to your customers or users every single day - five to ten meetings daily if you can. By gathering that much feedback, it’s very hard to get things wrong.”
Before even writing a line of code, Frank and his co-founders conducted 40 user interviews and secured four paying preorders, validating their product-market fit early.
Founders should embrace continuous customer discovery and leverage modern AI tools or hire a CTO to build solutions that solve real pain points.
To sustain success, Frank emphasizes the importance of constant learning and networking:
Frank practices what he preaches by speaking to 10-20 customers daily and optimizing his personal learning environment relentlessly.
Salesforge combines human sales expertise with cutting-edge AI personalization and autonomous agents to maximize pipeline efficiency and reduce customer acquisition costs. Unlike traditional tools that charge per seat, Salesforge uses a consumption-based pricing model, making it accessible for lean, profit-driven teams.
Key features include:
By building a modular ecosystem rather than a monolithic super-app, Salesforge empowers companies to streamline their sales outreach with flexibility and power.
Salesforge plans to continue expanding its product ecosystem, adding new channels like LinkedIn to complement email outreach. Upcoming tools will focus on improving conversion rates deeper in the funnel.
With AI augmentation tools like Cursor helping engineers build faster, the pace of innovation will only accelerate. Frank envisions a future where humans and AI agents work side-by-side to deliver superior sales outcomes at a fraction of the traditional cost.
Outbound sales is evolving rapidly. The old playbook of “hire more reps” no longer works. Instead, intelligent automation, modular software ecosystems, and AI agents like Agent Frank are redefining the game.
Founders and sales leaders who embrace lean GTM motions, invest in customer conversations, and combine human creativity with AI efficiency will thrive in today’s competitive SaaS landscape.
To explore how Salesforge can transform your outbound sales efforts with AI-powered personalization and automation, visit Salesforge.ai and see why we’re the future of cold email outreach.
