
Cold Calling Isn't Dead: David Wilkins on What Actually Works in 2026
He lasted five days in his first sales role. Now David Wilkins runs a 13,000 strong global community for SDR leaders. In this episode, Kyle sits down with David Wilkins, founder of SDR Leaders of EMEA, USA & APAC. They talk about his winding path into sales, starting with a brutal five-day stint in a job straight out of Wolf of Wall Street, through leading global SDR teams at Palo Alto Networks and Snowflake, to building a 13,000 person community that started on a New Year's Eve dog walk. They cover why managing up might be the most underrated skill in sales, the debate over whether SDRs should report into sales or marketing, why cold calling never actually went away, and what the SDR role will look like in 2030. A must listen for anyone in sales development.





