Cold outbound, engineered.
Signal-based prospecting on Clay + AI that books qualified meetings from decision-makers at the companies you actually want to sell to. Not spray-and-pray.
- Target performance is one interested reply per 200 to 350 contacts reached, once the message is dialled in.
- One documented month produced 449 interested replies.
- Reply rates are measured against contacts reached, not emails sent.
Every number above comes from live campaigns. The dashboards are on the homepage, zoomable and unedited, and the methodology says exactly what each figure counts. Two of those campaigns are written up in full: Passionfruit's 449 interested replies in one month and Tracerrr's 78 positive replies across three countries.
What makes cold outbound work? Signal, not volume.
We build outbound systems around four engineered layers, and they're the difference between "please unsubscribe" and "send me times."
Why does list quality decide cold email results?
We rebuild your ICP from win/loss data. Then we engineer a list that filters by firmographic, technographic, and behavioral signals.
- Win/loss interviews (12 minimum)
- Real ICP doc your team will quote
- List engineering on Clay (10k–100k seed)
- Layered enrichment with 100+ providers
What are buying signals in cold outbound?
We monitor real-time intent signals, funding rounds, job changes, tech installs, news mentions, and trigger sequenced outreach within minutes of the trigger event.
- Job-change detection (CRO, VPS, Director)
- Funding & IPO event triggers
- Tech install / churn monitoring
- News, hiring & product launch signals
How should a cold email sequence be structured?
AI-personalized email + LinkedIn touches written from real signal. Tested weekly, classified on reply, escalated on intent.
- Multi-channel: email + LinkedIn + (optional) calls
- AI-personalized openers from real signal
- Reply classification: positive / neutral / OOO / refer
- Auto-handoff to sales rep on positive reply
What infrastructure keeps cold email out of spam?
Most "outbound problems" are deliverability problems in disguise. We warm domains, rotate inboxes, monitor reputation daily, and keep your primary domain clean.
- Domain & mailbox warmup (4–6 weeks)
- Secondary sending domains (never the primary)
- SPF / DKIM / DMARC configured properly
- Daily reputation monitoring & auto-pause
Outbound agency vs an SDR hire vs a cheap tool
Volume without signal.
Mass-mailing tools blast generic copy to bad lists. SDRs spend their day on data entry. Either way, your brand burns and your domain goes to spam.
- Same copy to 50k people
- Buys a list from 2021, hopes for the best
- Burns the primary domain in 60 days
- Reply rate < 1% · CRO won't read
Signal + system + sequence.
Engineered list. Real-time intent triggers. AI copy grounded in actual signal. Domains warmed, monitored, kept green. Replies classified and routed.
- 287 high-signal accounts > 50k spray
- Triggers within minutes of a hiring/funding event
- Sending infra separate from your primary
- 1 interested reply per 200–350 contacts · CRO actually replies
Cold outbound, answered straight.
How is this different from hiring an SDR?
An SDR works a bought list with the same copy for everyone, usually from your primary domain. We engineer the list from win/loss data, trigger sequences off real events like funding rounds and job changes, and send from separate warmed domains. The comparison above is the short version: 287 high-signal accounts beats 50,000 of spray.
For what this costs and what moves the price, see cold email agency pricing. For the full cost and speed comparison, see cold email agency vs in-house SDR.
What reply rate should I expect?
One interested reply per 200 to 350 contacts once the message is dialled in. The full breakdown, including how that compares with total reply rate and why opens are not tracked, is on the GrowthPal reply rate calculator.
What sending infrastructure do you use?
Secondary sending domains, never your primary. Each one is warmed for four to six weeks, carries SPF, DKIM and DMARC before its first send, and is monitored daily with an automatic pause if reputation slips. Domain health across campaigns runs at 98%.
How long until the first booked meeting?
Two to four weeks from kickoff, which includes warmup before any campaign volume goes out. First replies land within days of the first sends. Anyone promising faster has skipped warmup, which is how domains that took two months to build get burned in a week.
We'll diagnose your current outbound, score your ICP, and tell you honestly if a system can outperform the next hire. If you would rather see the mechanics first, the nine steps from kickoff to booked meetings are written out in full.