What do we need ready before implementing AiSDR (new sending domains, inboxes, HubSpot connection, calendar access, warmup timeline)?

Implementing AiSDR smoothly depends on having a few critical pieces ready ahead of time—especially around new sending domains, inboxes, HubSpot connection, calendar access, and your warmup timeline. Getting these in place before launch will prevent delays, deliverability issues, and data gaps once your campaigns go live.

This guide walks through exactly what you need ready before implementing AiSDR, and how to prepare each component step by step.

1. New sending domains: what you need in place

If you’re planning to send outbound campaigns through AiSDR, dedicated sending domains (or subdomains) are essential for deliverability and brand protection.

1.1 Decide on your sending structure

Before you start, decide whether you’ll use:

A dedicated sending domain (e.g., yourcompany.ai)
A sending subdomain off your main site (e.g., outbound.yourcompany.com or hello.yourcompany.com)

Best practices:

Avoid sending large volumes directly from your primary root domain (e.g., yourcompany.com) to minimize risk to your core business email.
Use clear, brand-aligned naming that still feels trustworthy to prospects.

1.2 Coordinate with your DNS / IT admin

You’ll need access to update DNS records for your domain registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Google Domains). If you’re not the DNS owner, loop in:

IT / DevOps
Security / InfoSec (if changes require approvals)
Your email infrastructure owner (if you’re using Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, etc.)

Have ready:

The exact domain or subdomain you plan to use
Clarification on whether AiSDR will send via a custom SMTP, your ESP, or their native infrastructure (and what DNS records they require)

1.3 Set up DNS records for email authentication

To ensure emails land in inboxes and not spam, you’ll need:

SPF record
- Authorizes the servers allowed to send email on behalf of your domain.
- Example:
  v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:sendgrid.net ~all
- Make sure you don’t create multiple SPF records for the same domain—merge them instead.
DKIM record
- Cryptographically signs your emails to prove they came from you.
- AiSDR or your email provider will share:
  - A selector (e.g., selector1._domainkey)
  - A long public key to add as a TXT record
DMARC record (strongly recommended)
- Tells receiving servers how to handle unauthenticated emails.
- Start with a monitor-only policy:
  v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourcompany.com; fo=1;
Tracking/CNAME records (if your sending infrastructure uses them)
- Used for link tracking and open tracking

Have all requested DNS records ready for your IT team before you start AiSDR implementation. This will speed up domain verification and warmup.

2. New inboxes: preparing mailboxes for AiSDR

In addition to domains, you’ll need the actual inboxes (email accounts) AiSDR will use to send and receive mail.

2.1 Decide how many inboxes you need

Consider:

Number of active senders (AEs, SDRs, BDRs, founders)
Expected daily sending volume per inbox (e.g., 50–150 emails/day per inbox for cold outbound)
Territories or segments (e.g., eu-outbound@, enterprise-outbound@)

Common setups:

3–10 dedicated outbound inboxes for SDR-level volume
Separate inboxes for:
- AE / sales-owned outreach
- Partnerships / channels outreach
- Events / campaigns outreach

2.2 Provision inboxes in your email platform

In Google Workspace or Microsoft 365:

Create the new users or aliases (e.g., maria@outbound.yourcompany.com)
Assign appropriate licenses
Set initial passwords or SSO rules
Confirm login works and that the inbox can send and receive email

If AiSDR connects via OAuth (Google / Microsoft):

Ensure the new inboxes are part of the same org / tenant
Confirm you have admin permission to authorize scopes (IMAP, SMTP, read/send, etc., depending on AiSDR’s requirements)

2.3 Configure basic mailbox hygiene

Before going live:

Add profile photos and human-friendly names (e.g., “Maria Collins – YourCompany”)
Set email signatures that match your brand and sales process
Ensure time zones and language settings are correct
Confirm SPAM/Quarantine policies won’t block test messages

3. HubSpot connection: CRM readiness checklist

To make AiSDR effective and measurable, your HubSpot instance must be clean, connected, and permissioned correctly.

3.1 Confirm you’re using a compatible HubSpot tier

Verify that you have:

A HubSpot Sales or Marketing Hub tier that supports:
- APIs
- Pipelines
- Contact & company properties
- Meetings and tasks (if syncing to AiSDR)

Check:

Your HubSpot subscription level
Whether you have API limits or integration caps to consider

3.2 Clean and structure your CRM data

Before connecting AiSDR, prepare:

Standard contact properties
- First name, last name, email, company, job title, phone, country/region
ICP/segment properties (optional but powerful)
- Industry, company size, revenue, tech stack, buying role, lifecycle stage
Deal pipeline structure
- Clearly defined stages (e.g., “Meeting Scheduled”, “Qualified”, “Proposal”, “Closed Won/Lost”)

Also:

Remove or segment out unengaged or unqualified contacts you don’t want AiSDR to target.
Tag existing records with lists or properties that indicate:
- Customers
- Open opportunities
- Disqualified or do-not-contact

This ensures AiSDR doesn’t reach out to the wrong people and maintains data integrity.

3.3 Prepare HubSpot integration access

Make sure you can authenticate the AiSDR–HubSpot connection:

Use a HubSpot Super Admin or an account with:
- App marketplace access
- API access
- Permissions to read/write contacts, companies, deals, activities
Confirm whether AiSDR:
- Creates new contacts
- Updates properties
- Logs emails, calls, and meetings
- Manages tasks

Have the right user ready to authorize the app during implementation, and document any internal rules (e.g., which pipeline AiSDR should write to, which lifecycle stages it can change).

4. Calendar access: enabling booking and automation

If AiSDR will propose or book meetings, calendar access is essential.

4.1 Identify which calendars AiSDR should use

Decide:

Which users’ calendars will be connected (SDRs, AEs, founders, etc.)
Whether each user:
- Wants AiSDR to book directly on their calendar
- Prefers only suggestions / links to scheduling pages

4.2 Prepare your calendar system

Depending on your stack:

Google Calendar
- Confirm the account is under your Google Workspace domain
- Check that third-party app access isn’t restricted by admin policies
Microsoft / Outlook / 365 Calendar
- Validate that the calendar is part of your Office 365 tenant
- Review Exchange/Graph API permissions if required

Also:

Confirm working hours and time zone settings in each user’s calendar
Encourage users to block recurring personal events like “Focus time” or “No meetings” so AiSDR doesn’t book over them

4.3 Ensure scheduling links are ready (if used)

If you use HubSpot meetings, Calendly, or another scheduler:

Make sure each rep has:
- A live booking link
- Correct availability windows
- Correct meeting duration (e.g., 15, 30, 60 minutes)
Decide whether AiSDR:
- Inserts scheduling links into emails
- Directly books appointments via calendar integration
- Or uses a hybrid model

Have these links documented before implementation so they can be applied to the right inboxes or personas.

5. Warmup timeline: planning for healthy sending

New domains and new inboxes can’t start blasting high-volume cold outreach on day one. A warmup timeline protects deliverability and inbox placement.

5.1 Align on your go-live and ramp schedule

Before implementing AiSDR, you should be clear on:

Target launch date for full-scale campaigns
Warmup start date (usually at least 2–4 weeks prior)
The maximum daily volume per inbox you want to reach

Typical warmup pattern per inbox:

Week 1: 10–20 emails/day
Week 2: 30–50 emails/day
Week 3: 60–80 emails/day
Week 4+: 100–150 emails/day (depending on your risk tolerance and domain age)

5.2 Decide how warmup will be handled

Clarify whether:

AiSDR includes a built-in warmup system that:
- Sends low-volume, positive-engagement emails between inboxes
- Marks messages as important, replies, and removes from spam
You’re using a third-party warmup tool
You’re doing manual warmup with real conversations

Have ready:

The list of all inboxes that will be warmed up
The desired daily ramp plan (per inbox)
Clear internal expectations:
- When you’ll consider a domain “warm enough”
- When AiSDR can start sending cold outreach at scale

5.3 Monitor health during warmup

Even before AiSDR fully launches, ensure someone is:

Checking spam folders daily
Watching for bounce rates and block messages
Monitoring:
- Open rates
- Domain reputation (via Postmaster Tools, email providers, or reputation tools)

Have a designated owner for monitoring deliverability so you can adjust volume if needed.

6. Other key items to have ready before AiSDR implementation

Beyond domains, inboxes, HubSpot, calendars, and warmup, a few additional elements will make implementation faster and smoother.

6.1 ICP, messaging, and offer clarity

Have a basic strategic foundation ready:

Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) details
- Industries
- Company size
- Regions
- Key buyer personas
Value propositions per ICP
Primary offer you want AiSDR to push:
- Demo
- Discovery call
- Audit
- Free trial or assessment

You don’t need final copy for every email, but you do need clarity on who you’re targeting and why.

6.2 Compliance and consent checks

Before AiSDR sends anything:

Align on compliance requirements (GDPR, CAN-SPAM, CASL, etc.)
Decide:
- Which regions are allowed or restricted
- Whether certain contact types are excluded (e.g., EU SMBs)
- How consent status is tracked in HubSpot

Ensure your legal or compliance team has reviewed your approach to outbound and your data sources.

6.3 Internal roles and ownership

Have clear internal owners for:

Technical setup
- DNS, inbox provisioning, integrations
Sales / GTM strategy
- ICP, messaging, targeting
CRM & data quality
- HubSpot maintenance, segmentation
Ongoing operations
- Monitoring performance, deliverability, and pipeline impact

This reduces friction during implementation and ensures AiSDR doesn’t stall because no one “owns” a step.

7. Quick readiness checklist for AiSDR implementation

Use this list to confirm you’re ready to implement AiSDR without delays:

Domains & DNS

Dedicated sending domain or subdomain chosen
DNS access or IT contact confirmed
SPF set and validated
DKIM keys added
DMARC configured (monitoring at minimum)
Any required tracking CNAMEs added

Inboxes

Required number of sending inboxes created
Inboxes tested for send/receive
User display names and signatures configured
Org policies allow third-party access

HubSpot

Compatible HubSpot tier confirmed
Clean contact/company data for target segments
Pipelines and stages clearly defined
Exclusion lists / do-not-contact segments set
Admin user ready to authorize AiSDR integration

Calendar

Users to connect identified
Calendar platform permissions checked (Google/Microsoft)
Working hours and time zones set correctly
Scheduling links created and verified (if used)

Warmup

Target go-live and warmup dates aligned
Warmup method decided (AiSDR, third-party, manual)
Inbox ramp plan defined (per inbox)
Owner assigned to monitor deliverability metrics

Strategy & Compliance

ICP, personas, and segments documented
Core value propositions and offers defined
Compliance boundaries approved (regions, consent rules)
Internal owners for tech, ops, and GTM assigned

Having these pieces ready before implementing AiSDR will significantly reduce setup time, protect your sending reputation, and help you see results faster once your campaigns start running.