You’ve seen the demos. You’ve read the posts. Now it’s your turn to build an AI sales agent. Whether you’re a solo founder or a head of growth at a small startup, you don’t need a dev team or a giant stack. Just a clear goal, the right tool, and some initial data. Here’s your guide to launching your first AI-powered SDR in one afternoon.

Step 1: Choose the Right Tool
There are two routes you can go:

• No-Code Tools: Platforms like Valet (shameless plug), Smartlead, Instantly, and Clay offer ready-to-go AI workflows with built-in messaging, inbox rotation, and analytics.
• Custom GPT Agent: Use OpenAI, LangChain, or another framework to build a more customized agent. This requires light coding and more setup.

For most startups, we recommend starting with a no-code option.

Step 2: Define the Goal
What do you want the AI agent to do?

• Book demos?
• Qualify inbound leads?
• Revive cold pipeline?
• Send LinkedIn messages or emails?

Clarity here determines the prompts, outreach strategy, and data you need.

Step 3: Write Your Prompts and Sequences

• Initial Message: This is your “cold open.” Keep it short, specific, and relevant to the recipient.
• Follow-Up Cadence: Write 3–5 messages that escalate gently (reminders, value adds, case studies, breakup).
• Objection Handling: Train your agent with rebuttals for common pushbacks like “Not interested” or “We already use a tool.”
• Handoff Logic: At what point should the AI loop in a human rep?

Step 4: Add Your Data

• You can upload a list of leads (with name, role, company, etc.)
• Or you can connect to a scraper or enrichment tool (e.g., LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Apollo, Clearbit)

Step 5: Test Internally‍

Send messages to yourself or teammates. Check for:

• Tone (Does it sound human?)
• Logic (Are replies being interpreted correctly?)
• Personalization (Are variables pulling correctly?)

Step 6: Launch and Monitor

• Start with a small batch of 100–200 leads
• Track opens, replies, and meetings booked
• Refine sequences based on reply sentiment

Build Your First AI Agent in Minutes with Opps

Why overthink it? Opps AI gives you a plug-and-play platform to launch your first AI-powered sales assistant.

Valet pulls fresh leads from a massive contact database, crafts hyper-targeted outreach, and helps book meetings on autopilot.

If you want to skip the setup and get straight to results, this is for you.

🛠️ Launch Your Agent with Opps Now

Extra Tips for a Successful Launch

• Give your agent a name (e.g., Alex from Growth) — it makes them more believable
• Use AI to generate social proof (e.g., case studies or testimonial snippets)
• Rotate inboxes if you’re sending high volume

What Happens After Launch?The job’s not done. Your agent should improve over time. Collect feedback:

• Which replies turn into meetings?
• Which parts of the sequence fall flat?
• Are humans picking up the handoff effectively?

AI sales agents get smarter with usage. Think of it like training a junior rep: first you give it a script, then you refine, then you start to trust it to improvise.