Jason Dent, VP of Marketing at Litmus, sits down with Dan Darcy in the Qualified studio to discuss how AI SDRs are transforming the traditional marketing funnel. Dent reflects on the inefficiencies of the old funnel—SDR bandwidth, slow lead response, and wasted effort on unqualified MQLs—and explains how Piper, rebranded as “LitMoose,” has become an integral part of Litmus’ demand generation strategy. He shares early results from LitMoose’s first 40 days on the team, including a 65% increase in monthly pipeline, and discusses how AI empowers both SDRs and marketers by ensuring consistent, personalized engagement across the buyer’s journey.

Key Takeaways

• Traditional funnel inefficiencies: SDR bandwidth, slow follow-up, and inconsistent lead quality lead to missed opportunities and pipeline leakage.
• Promise of AI SDRs: Piper provides instant, around-the-clock engagement, eliminates bottlenecks, and prevents hot leads from slipping through the cracks.
• Persona-driven adoption: Litmus branded Piper as “LitMoose,” leveraging a beloved mascot to create team buy-in and delight customers.
• Early results: In the first 40 days, LitMoose booked 44 meetings, generated 13 opportunities, and drove over $220K in pipeline—a 65% increase in monthly pipeline.
• Full-funnel impact: Piper not only books meetings but also educates and nurtures prospects in research phases, freeing SDRs to focus on high-value opportunities.
• Future outlook: With Piper expanding to email and other channels, Litmus plans to use AI for personalization, data hygiene, and consistent messaging across the buyer journey.
• Advice to marketers: AI is about efficiency, not replacement. Use it to remove friction, empower marketing and sales alignment, and deliver consistent brand experiences.

TRANSCRIPTION

Dan Darcy:
I’m joined today by an incredible marketing leader at Litmus, Jason Dent. What I love about Jason’s background is that he started on the sales side but built deep expertise in demand generation for companies like Aperio, Campaign Monitor, and Zendesk. Jason, thanks for joining.

Jason Dent:
Absolutely—excited to be here.

Dan Darcy:
You heard Kraig talk about how AI is disrupting the traditional marketing funnel. What’s your perspective on the promise of Piper, the AI SDR, and this new funnel?

Jason Dent:
The traditional funnel is inefficient. SDR bandwidth, working hours, MQL handoffs—those all create bottlenecks. SDRs are overloaded and often inexperienced, so marketers have to send lots of MQLs just to get a handful of conversions. Leads also sit untouched, even hot inbound ones. That leaves pipeline on the table.

Piper changes that. She engages instantly, around the clock, without bandwidth or headcount constraints. She scales pipeline generation while also filtering out tire-kickers. Only about 5% of the market is in a buying cycle at any time—the other 95% are researching. Piper can engage those leads without wasting SDR time, while still driving bottom-of-funnel results.

Dan Darcy:
You recently branded Piper as “LitMoose.” How did you land on that persona?

Jason Dent:
Our CEO, Eric, actually grew up with a pet moose. Over time, “LitMoose” became a fun play on our name and a beloved mascot at events—people love our moose swag. When we adopted Piper, we decided to personify her as LitMoose. Customers know she’s AI, but they enjoy the experience, and it hasn’t deterred engagement at all.

Dan Darcy:
Now that LitMoose has been on your team for 40 days, what’s your strategy for the AI SDR?

Jason Dent:
We start with the premise that every lead should go through Piper first. She acts as gatekeeper and qualification engine, pulling from our entire website and help center to answer questions instantly. Our SDRs are knowledgeable, but they can’t always match the level of detail Piper provides. She educates, warms up, and qualifies leads so SDRs can focus on creating opportunities.

Dan Darcy:
What results have you seen so far?

Jason Dent:
In 40 days, LitMoose booked 44 meetings. Thirteen have already converted into opportunities, generating over $220K in pipeline. That’s nearly double our previous monthly meetings and more than double the piped opportunities—overall a 65% increase in monthly pipeline. Beyond the numbers, prospects use Piper almost like a search engine, surfacing relevant content and educating themselves, which builds long-term pipeline value.

Dan Darcy:
Today we announced Piper 2025 with expanded email capabilities. What’s your reaction?

Jason Dent:
It’s amazing. Piper’s only getting smarter. As an email marketing company, personalization is key for us. With Piper, we’ll be able to tailor journeys based on Salesforce segments, verticals, or strategic accounts. She’ll also help normalize and clean our first-party data.

Dan Darcy:
Now Piper can work both on the website and in the inbox. How does that change the game?

Jason Dent:
Not everyone buys the same way. Some want chat, some want email, others want forms. Piper adapts to the buyer’s preference. It also ensures consistent brand messaging across every channel—something that’s hard to manage with human SDRs alone.

Dan Darcy:
Final thoughts: what advice do you have for demand gen marketers planning for the year ahead?

Jason Dent:
AI is about efficiency, not replacement. Use it to remove inefficiencies, free up SDR time, and let them focus on higher-value work. It also gives marketers control over brand consistency across sales and marketing touchpoints. Piper ensures prospects always experience the value we’ve built into our brand.

Dan Darcy:
That’s fantastic. Jason, I really enjoyed our conversation. Thank you for being a great customer and partner.

Jason Dent:
Absolutely—my pleasure.