#201: Outbound Is Breaking – Here’s the Network-Led Playbook for 2026 (Scott Leese)

Outbound is breaking — and most teams don’t even realise it yet.In this episode, Scott Leese joins George Coudounaris and Adem Manderovic to unpack why the Predictable Revenue model is collapsing — and how to rebuild outbound around networks, trust, and real timing.We break down how the SDR→AE split eroded skills and alignment, how “meetings booked” became the wrong KPI, and what today’s best sellers are doing differently: validating markets, leveraging relationships, and comping on actual revenue.Scott shares what he’s seeing across 160 + companies and 12 unicorns, from collapsing cold-call pickup rates to the rebirth of in-person plays. We tie it back to CRO School’s Closed Circuit Selling™ — a system that gets sales, marketing, and product working in sync again.Tune in and learn:+ Why outbound is breaking — and what replaces it+ How to comp on held meetings or revenue, not vanity KPIs+ How to validate and catalogue your market for smarter timing+ The new edge: AI + network + unscalable playsIf you’re a small-team B2B marketer or sales leader sick of empty pipelines and spam tactics, this episode gives you the modern framework to fix it.-----------------------------------------------------🔗 Links + CTAs-----------------------------------------------------🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course-----------------------------------------------------🧑‍🎓ACCESS our B2B COURSES: https://theb2bplaybook.com/courses📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook📩 Newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter/📚 Latest content: https://theb2bplaybook.com/-----------------------------------------------------00:00 The Volume Game Is Dead01:00 Why Scott Leese Ditched Outdated Playbooks02:20 “Hobbyists with Pitch Decks”04:40 Funding ≠ Success07:18 Founders Must Sell First10:50 What Great Sellers Do Differently13:40 Validate the Market Before You Sell16:04 How Predictable Revenue Broke Sales19:40 Lost Coaching & Skill Decay23:58 AI + Network + Unscalable Grit26:50 Fix Your Sales Technical Debt29:21 Stop Paying for Meetings Booked32:00 The MQL Hamster Wheel35:00 Rebuilding Sales–Marketing Handoffs41:10 Cold Calls Are Dying45:10 Referral Math That Opens Doors46:20 In-Person Plays That Win49:20 Deepfakes & IRL Trust55:10 Scott’s 3 Bets for the Future-----------------------------------------------------👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team??💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??)Get the:🔹 strategy🔹 templates🔹 toolsSo you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand.See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubatorhttps://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-courseS07 E201 - The B2B Playbook#b2b #b2bmarketing #digitalmarketing #demandgeneration #outboundsales