Why pay-per-outcome AI SDRs don't work

January 27, 2025

Pay per outcome AI agents won’t work across every vertical.

Sure, they sound great in theory—pay for meetings booked, deals closed, or leads converted. But in practice? The reality is far messier.

And it’s not because the model doesn’t work well. Or that the jobs to be done can’t be well-replicated.

It’s because we can’t measure attribution.

Take an AI prospecting agent.

In theory, it makes sense to price based on meetings booked. 

But what if:

  • Marketing paid $8,000 in ads that primed the lead months before?
  • Sales bumped into the lead at a tradeshow, setting the stage for the AI agent’s outreach 4 months later?
  • The AI agent books a meeting, but the lead no-shows – only for an AE to call back and reschedule?
  • The meeting is booked, but the lead hands off the invite to a non-decision maker?
  • The lead converts into a customer and refers 10 other leads
  • The lead gets a cold email from the AI, but goes to the website to sign up for a demo?
  • Or what if the meeting is booked, but the lead is part of a recent round of layoffs?

When we can’t fully measure attribution, outcome-based pricing becomes a guessing game. Are you over or underpaying in an outcomes based pricing model? 🙃