Founder of Galadon.io | Sell More With AI

I built a 7-figure agency, successfully scaled 5+ SaaS companies, authored a bestselling book on cold emailing, and grew a YouTube channel to over 100K subscribers. Married with 1 son (and counting).

Cold email only works if you have enough leads to test markets fast. I use ScraperCity's B2B database - millions of contacts, filter by title, industry, location, company size, unlimited downloads for $149/month flat.

If you're ready to stop overpaying for leads and start scaling your outreach, try ScraperCity today. Free trial. Hit that link in my bio 🤫

Alex Berman

Alex Berman®

I almost signed up for this other lead provider:

They hooked me in with a big promise.

All I had to do is respond YES and I could book a demo with them

I was hyped. I've seen this provider advertised everywhere and this was a no brainer....

EXCEPT

The demo wasn't with support...

it was a sales rep...

And to book the demo I had to fill out a huge qualification form...

I also was required to watch two separate videos that sold me on their enterprise features...

And on the call I was pressured to pay fifteen thousand dollars per year right then and there to "lock me in" or the pricing would disappear forever...

They said if I didn't commit I wasn't serious about scaling.

Now... I'm not saying this provider is a scam

They're a very successful company in the space

And the offer wasn't bad, I mean -

Decent data quality

Access to some filters and search features

Maybe phone support? (that part wasn't super clear)

But I passed on it

Because - what these providers don't understand is that the market has changed.

There's no reason to get locked into an annual contract

Or pay $15k/year for per-contact pricing on top

Instead, I'll tell you what to do:

Try ScraperCity

Because not only will you NOT have to book a demo and talk to a sales rep (though we can help you - if you want)

But you also get unlimited downloads

Not 1,000 contacts for $500

Not 10,000 contacts with annual minimums

Just unlimited B2B leads for $149/month

So I'm not giving you marketing or hype BS 

This is actually unlimited

Download 1,000 or 1,000,000 - same price

AND you get access to all our scrapers: Maps, People Finder, Email Validator, Skip Trace, and more.

On top of that, you can cancel anytime (no contracts, no commitments, no annual lock-in)

Month-to-month.

So, what are you waiting for?

Are you going to sign up with those other guys and pay $15k/year for limited contacts...

Or are you going to use ScraperCity for $149/month and get unlimited downloads with no contracts?

I thought so.

Get it here.
-Alex

When I first started cold emailing I could send 20 cold emails a WEEK and book 18 meetings... Just sit down, no fancy tools, no lead generation methods, no hyper focused AI driven content, no infrastructure. Just a boy and his gmail account... And we would PRINT

We took our first lead generation company to a million dollars a month this way

And generated almost a million in annual revenue for our marketing agency just a couple months later

Now, it's different - the State of Cold Email in 2026 is wild

We're talking about custom SMTP sending 2 emails per day per inbox and playing it super safe...

All to get the same results we used to get back with just a couple well crafted emails

And it's necessary:

The game is more complicated than ever before and the thing that we fought against FOREVER (the rise of the spammers) has happened

So now you're not just competing against some Nigerian prince scammers blasting everyone on Earth...

But also the latest funded startup using the same tactics.

It's wild and unprecedented

This is exactly why the data matters more than ever

When you can only send 2 emails per inbox per day, every single one has to land

You can't afford to waste a send on a bounced email or a contact who left that company 3 years ago

That's what the  ScraperCity Lead Database is built for - 3 million+ verified B2B contacts so every email you send actually reaches a real person.

Are you ready to win? Try it now.

-Alex

P.S. This reminds me so much of what happened in SEO in 2010 and afterward with Google. We're fighting a cold email war now, and without clean data, you will get lost to the spambox and forgotten forever. Start now.

For a while I fell into this ego trap of thinking that we needed to charge more and more for our services. This is the feedback that got me - let me know if you've seen the same thing: "Alex this is too valuable, you should raise your prices!!" The OLD me would have heard that and then actually listened (lol). What happens then is:

If you raise your prices less people buy

Then you raise your prices more and an even smaller number of people buy

The theory being that you will make more from each person...

And so that makes it worth it

What I missed is this:

YOU DO NOT NEED TO RAISE YOUR PRICE

Sure, if you're charging multibillion dollar brands 2k a month for technology implementation sure, go to 25k

But if you're running an offer like ours?

It's an opportunity

Instead of RAISING prices - you want to add to the offer

Because when your customers are begging you to increase your prices...

That is your opportunity to STUN them with value

(Assuming you can do it profitably of course)

That's why we keep adding to ScraperCity...

Because before, it was just one scraper

Now it's a full Lead Database with 4 million+ contacts, plus email verification, plus people finder, plus everything else you need to fill a pipeline

Same price. Way more value.

And now our deal is undefeated

Literally - hold us next to anybody offering similar:

* We'll beat any data provider on contact quality

* Any lead gen tool on pricing and freshness

* And any scraping platform on ease of use

And we beat EVERYONE on the "do they care?" factor

So if you're not on the ScraperCity Lead Database yet, try it right now because you'd be crazy not to

And think about your offer -

If customers have been begging you to raise prices...

before you do that...

Think about how you can create an even crazier offer instead.

I'll talk to you soon,
-Alex

It's interesting to watch how different people build their businesses... Some still doing everything manually and others automating every step and something tells me that the best approach is somewhere in between (at least I hope so) because the goal is a peaceful, calm life. At the same time, I'm answering support tickets in between family dinner and watching ScraperCity signups roll in like crazy...

Staying up late to ship features and PUSHING.

Then getting up at 6am to write.

And around all of that is this sense of peace and magic.

The biggest issue with corporates or wannabe entrepreneurs who have been trying for YEARS with no success

Is that they see the life I have (working from anywhere, happy family that spends 24 hours together and just has fun)

And they think that they can get that by hiring some marketing agency

or "Done For You" service pitched by the entrepreneur of the week

You hear the line that you need to "invest in yourself"

And then you buy courses and event tickets

You try to level up

Thinking "if I just make one connection it will be worth it"

But has it been?

For a LOOONG time I've been making money

and spending every dollar as fast as it could come in

When it came in too fast to spend, we'd find a way to increase spending:

Hiring people to manage ads, outsourcing jobs we don't want, paying for mentorship

But you know when we made the most money (and kept it)?

When we just quietly and unsexily made sales ourselves, sold something that was easy to fulfill and profit, and put the money in an index fund far from our main bank

(or even into an irrevocable trust where it doesn't even legally exist for us anymore).

THAT is when you start really stacking it up.

And sure, you can't talk about headcount anymore or that nice rolex that you'll end up losing in some hotel in France...

But you can sleep easy, you can avoid medical problems, and you can wake up without client complaints flooding your inbox every morning

Do you want a life like that? Step one is filling your pipeline with leads you can trust.

The ScraperCity Lead Database - 4 million+ verified B2B contacts. Pull a list, start sending, and build the quiet money machine.

Try it now.

I'll talk to you soon-
-Alex

P.S. If your first instinct is to outsource everything instead of getting to work... you might want to readjust that mindset ;-)

Co-Founder at Otter PR & Otter Leads

In the last decade I've built a Inc 5000 fastest-growing company & a 7-figure marketing agency.

My mission is to help entrepreneurs create their ideal business & life with cold email and B2B lead gen.

Lead Generation Expert | Founder of Otter Leads | #1 Agency in G2, UpCity, & Clutch in the USA

If you want to learn how to profitably generate leads with cold email:

→ GO HERE:  https://leadgenjay.com/8m-leads?utm_source=sleek

If you want LIVE coaching with me & Done-For-You email systems:

→ GO HERE: https://leadgenjay.com/insiders-x?utm_source=sleekbio

YouTube: @leadgenjay
Twitter: @leadgenjay
Instagram: @leadgen

🔧 The Problem I Solve:
In today's fiercely competitive marketplace, maintaining a steady flow of qualified leads is paramount for businesses looking to thrive. Yet, many organizations find themselves grappling with the challenge of keeping their sales pipeline consistently full. This is where I come in. I have made it my mission to alleviate this pain point for businesses across various industries.

💡 How I Help:
As an experienced Lead Generation Expert, I leverage my extensive knowledge and expertise to deliver tailored lead generation strategies that produce tangible results. By utilizing cutting-edge tools, data-driven insights, and a deep understanding of the B2B landscape, I help companies identify and engage with their ideal target audience.

🚀 What Sets Me Apart:
At Otter Leads, we take a holistic approach to lead generation. We understand that every business is unique, which is why we craft customized solutions that align with your specific goals, target market, and industry dynamics. Whether you're a startup looking to gain traction or an established enterprise seeking to expand your customer base, I have the skills and strategies to fuel your growth.

🏆 Results That Matter:
Over the years, I have had the privilege of partnering with numerous organizations, guiding them towards achieving exceptional results. Through our collaborative efforts, my clients have experienced accelerated lead generation, increased conversion rates, and ultimately, greater revenue generation. I take immense pride in witnessing the transformative impact my work has on the success of businesses like yours.

Dr. Jay Feldman

I spent $8,500 on a supercomputer. It now generates $50K/month and replaced over $1,200/month in cloud bills.

Here's exactly how I did it.

My situation: I was bleeding money on cloud servers, AI API fees, and third-party tools. Email verification alone was costing a fortune. Every automation I added meant another monthly bill stacking on top of the last one.

So I built Zeus.

My process:

1. Specced out the hardware that actually handles enterprise AI workloads. AMD Ryzen 9 with 16 cores, 128GB RAM, 14TB storage, and an Nvidia RTX 5090. One-time cost. No monthly invoice.

2. Installed Unraid as the operating system. Think of it like a Mac OS but for servers. Handles everything through a clean browser-based interface. No technical background needed.

3. Spun up Docker containers for every tool I needed. N8N for automation, Reacher for email verification, PostgreSQL for storing millions of leads, Coolify to host websites and SaaS apps. All running simultaneously on one machine.

4. Deployed local AI models through Ollama. Text summarization, personalization, image generation, all running with zero API fees. This alone cut my AI costs by 80%.

5. Set up automated lead scraping workflows. Google Maps data pulled every 15 minutes. Crunchbase, YouTube, and website tech stack scrapers all running in the background around the clock.

6. Configured remote access through SSH and a browser. Zeus runs 24/7 with no monitor or keyboard attached. I manage everything from anywhere in my home.

7. Used Claude Code and Claudebot to automate remote commands so I am not manually touching the server for routine tasks.

The results: Hundreds of thousands of emails verified daily. Tens of millions of N8N automation executions per month. Multiple client sites hosted with zero hosting fees. Data stays private, speed is unmatched, and my infrastructure cost went from $1,200 per month to nearly nothing ongoing.

This build took time to set up but now it runs my entire business without me thinking about it.

The Mac Mini crowd is going to get left behind as AI models get heavier and more resource-intensive. Serious founders need serious hardware.

Have you thought about moving your business infrastructure off the cloud?

Watch the full breakdown here: https://lnkd.in/eE4CaSxb

#LeadGeneration #AIAutomation #B2BMarketing #LocalAI #BusinessAutomation

YouTube's #1 Expert in B2B Lead Generation & Cold Email Outreach. Helping business owners install AI lead gen machines to get clients on autopilot. Founder @ Otter PR

No alternative text description for this image

I just replaced a $15,000 developer with $100/month AI:

And I don't know how to code.

Here's exactly what I built in 2 weeks using Claude Code.

My situation: I was spending thousands on developers for simple automations and tools my business needed. Every change took days. Every bug cost extra. I was stuck waiting on other people to build MY vision.

Then I found Claude Code.

My process:

1. Signed up for Claude AI ($100/month plan) and installed it locally on my computer through terminal commands. Took 15 minutes.

2. Downloaded Cursor (free desktop app) to manage my projects visually instead of staring at a black terminal screen all day.

3. Connected three key tools: GitHub for storing my code, Vercel for hosting live apps, and Superbase for backend databases. All have free plans.

4. Created a claude.md file that acts as my project blueprint. I just write what I want in plain English and Claude Code builds it.

5. Started with slash commands (/brainstorm, /ship, /help) to plan and build. No coding knowledge required. Just natural language.

6. Enabled "danger mode" after gaining confidence. Now Claude Code builds autonomously while I work on other tasks.

7. Built my first lead generation tool, then a Chrome extension, then automated email workflows. Each project took days, not months.

The results: I've now built 6 different tools for my business. Cut my development costs by 90%. Launch new features same-day instead of waiting weeks. Complete control over my tech stack.

This approach took me 2 weeks to learn but now I'm building faster than hiring developers.

The crazy part? MCP servers let Claude Code connect to any API. Playwright for browser automation. Resend for emails. The possibilities are endless.

Most business owners are still paying developers $10K+ for simple tools. Meanwhile, I'm shipping products weekly.

What's been your biggest frustration with hiring developers or building tech for your business?

Watch the full free course where I break down every step, command, and tool:
https://lnkd.in/eHsntCRE

#LeadGeneration #AIAutomation #NoCode #Entrepreneurship #AITools

There was a time not too long ago when everything felt… normal.

Wake up. Work. Try to grow the business. Repeat.

But one decision quietly changed the trajectory of everything:

I decided I wasn’t going to play a short-term game anymore.

No more building things that depend on me being “on” every day.

I started investing in myself more aggressively than ever.
I doubled down on building systems that compound.
And I got serious about the people I let into my circle and into my team.

That’s when things started to shift.

One of the biggest moments for me…

I was able to retire my mother from a job she genuinely hated, a cubicle in the back of a medical office.
Now she’s preparing to move to Belize and start a completely new chapter of her life on her own terms.

That alone made everything worth it.

Around the same time…

I bought my first investment property in Miami.

Our team grew from 4 people to 21.
Not just more people - better systems, stronger operators, real structure.

I moved into a penthouse I used to only imagine living in.

And most importantly…
we built engines inside the business that generate revenue whether I’m at my desk or not.

It all came from stacking the same principles over and over again:

→ invest in yourself
→ build assets that compound
→ design systems that remove you from the bottleneck
→ surround yourself with people playing the long-term game

That combination is powerful.

And if you’re in the middle of building right now, feeling like progress is slow or invisible…

keep going.

The shift doesn’t happen all at once.

But when it does… it changes everything.

Cold Email Is Dead… If You’re Still Writing Essays

Most cold emails fail for one simple reason.

They take too long to read.

If your prospect can’t understand your email in 15 seconds on their phone, it’s getting archived. No matter how “personalized” it is.

What changed things for us was simplifying everything into a 15-second cold email formula.

Subject line: 5 words or less. No clickbait.

Body: 4-6 lines max.

Structure it like this:

Line 1 - Observation
Something specific about them. Not you.

Line 2 - Problem
The pain they’re likely dealing with.

Line 3 - Outcome
What you’ve done for someone similar.

Line 4 - CTA
One simple question. No calendar link.

That’s the entire email.

A few rules that make this work:

1️⃣ No links in the first email

Links increase spam risk and instantly make the email feel like marketing. The first message should feel like something a human typed quickly.

2️⃣ No images. No HTML.

Logos, banners, and heavy formatting scream “mass email.” Plain text feels natural and lands better.

3️⃣ Don’t ask for 30 minutes

Lower commitment = higher reply rates.

The simple sending sequence we use:

Day 1: Send the 15-second email
Day 3: Follow-up with a new angle (3–4 lines)
Day 7: Another angle, same offer, different pain point
Day 12: Breakup email
“Looks like this isn’t a priority right now - totally understand. If [problem] comes up again, happy to help.”

That’s the whole sequence.

No 12-step nurture.
No “just bumping this up.”

Why this works today:

Everyone’s inbox is flooded with long AI-generated emails pretending to be personalized.

Three paragraphs. Four paragraphs. All saying the same thing.

The counterintuitive move is going shorter.

When every other email is a wall of text, the one that respects someone’s time stands out.

Curious - what do you think kills most cold email reply rates today?

Length, CTA, targeting… or something else?

The AI divide is happening right now. In 12 months, businesses will split into two groups.

Those who automated and scaled. And those who watched from the sidelines while their competitors ate their lunch.

I've helped 1,500+ businesses scale to 6 and 7 figures using AI automation systems. Built an 8-figure business doing the same. Here's what I know for certain:

Watching YouTube tutorials alone will never move the needle.

Installing proven, pre-built systems that run 24/7? That's what actually changes your revenue.

Here's what separates the businesses winning right now:

They stopped learning and started deploying.

One-click workflow imports. No coding. No guesswork. Just plug-in automations that scrape leads, enrich contact data, book appointments, update CRMs, and manage millions in pipeline without a single human touching it.

They replaced expensive overhead with AI.

Voice agents handling inbound calls. Chatbots qualifying leads around the clock. An AI executive assistant managing emails, Slack, and task delegation for roughly $200 a month instead of hiring 3 to 5 employees.

They own their systems instead of renting them.

No endless SaaS subscriptions bleeding your margins. Your automations. Your infrastructure. Your competitive advantage.

They built content and lead gen machines that never sleep.

Social media workflows that grew accounts to 77,000 followers in 12 months. AI avatars and video systems producing content at scale without a production team.

Elon Musk put a 3 to 5 year window on meaningful career advancement without AI skills. That window is already shrinking.

The businesses moving now are locking in advantages that will be nearly impossible to close later.

The question isn't whether AI will reshape your industry. It already is.

The question is whether you're the one wielding it or the one being replaced by it.

What's the biggest bottleneck in your business right now that automation could solve?

Watch the full breakdown here and see exactly what's inside the system: https://lnkd.in/e8QuqRzN

#LeadGeneration #AIAutomation #B2BMarketing #BusinessGrowth #Automation

Is cold email still working in 2026?

Short answer: Yes. But not the way most people are doing it.

95% of people doing cold email are doing it wrong. The other 5% are printing money.

The gap between good and bad has never been wider.

Here's what changed:
Cold email isn't dead - YOUR cold email is dead.

If you're still blasting 10,000 emails a day with a generic pitch and praying for replies… yeah, it's dead for you.

But the people who figured out what actually matters right now? They're seeing 8-12% reply rates consistently.

Here's the difference:
1. Infrastructure first, copy second.

Everyone obsesses over subject lines and "personalization."
Meanwhile their emails are landing in spam.

The real unlock? Fix your deliverability BEFORE you write a single word of copy.

→ Proper domain warm-up
→ DNS authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
→ Inbox rotation
→ Volume management

If your infrastructure is broken, the best copy in the world won't save you.

2. Signal-based targeting over spray-and-pray.

The old playbook: Buy a list. Blast everyone. Hope for the best.
The new playbook: Only reach out to people showing buying signals RIGHT NOW.

→ Job postings that match your service
→ Tech stack changes
→ Funding announcements
→ Hiring patterns
→ Content engagement signals

When you email someone at the exact moment they have the problem you solve - your reply rates go through the roof.

3. Multi-touch beats email-only. Every time.

Email-only sequences are getting crushed by multi-channel.

The data is clear: combining cold email + LinkedIn touches + strategic phone calls outperforms email-only by 3x.

Not 10%. Not 50%. Three times the results.

Because when someone sees your name in their inbox, then on LinkedIn, then gets a quick call - you go from "random stranger" to "this person is everywhere."

The bottom line:
Cold email in 2026 works better than ever - IF you treat it like a real channel and not a slot machine.

Fix your infrastructure. Target with intent signals. Layer in multiple touches.

Do that and you'll be in the 5% printing money while everyone else says "cold email is dead."
What's working for you right now? Drop it below 👇

Most founders bring in an agency hoping to “take marketing off their plate.”

The smarter ones do the opposite.

They treat the agency like a learning engine.

They ask:

- What are you doing?
- Why are you doing it?
- What’s working?
- What’s not?
- What’s the process behind this?

They stay involved.

Because they know something most people miss:

You can outsource execution.
You can’t outsource understanding.

A model I really like (and have seen work multiple times):

1. Hire a strong agency
2. Learn their processes deeply
3. Train someone in-house alongside them
4. Eventually transition execution internally

Now you don’t just have marketing running…

You have marketing capability built inside your company.

“But what if that trained person leaves and starts their own agency?”

They might.

And honestly… that’s a sign you did a great job building talent.

Great marketers become valuable.
Valuable people create opportunities.

That’s not a risk.
That’s the game.

At the end of the day:

Marketing always sits with the founder.

Even if you have:

- an agency
- a team
- a CMO

The founder is still the one who sets direction, messaging, and standards.

If the founder doesn’t understand marketing,
growth will always feel inconsistent and dependent.

The goal isn’t to avoid marketing.
It’s to understand it well enough to lead it.

Most cold emails fail before the open.

Because their subject line screams:
“I’m about to sell you something.”

And the brain deletes those instantly.

Think about the usual ones:
• “Quick question about your business”
• “Interested in growing your revenue?”

You already know it’s a pitch.
So you never even open it.

What actually works?

Subject lines that feel normal.
Like they could come from a colleague, partner, or someone you already know.

Examples:

• “Thoughts on this?”
• “Saw your post about this”
• “Chicago next week”
• “Is this your competitor?”

Nothing salesy.
Just curiosity + relevance.

And one thing most people miss 👇

Your first line matters just as much as the subject line.

Those two lines together are the entire preview.

If they feel generic → ignored
If they feel human → opened

The goal is simple:
Make your email feel like a conversation

Not a campaign
If it could pass as a message from someone they already know…

You’ve already won half the battle.

Comment “Copy” and I’ll share the prompt I use to generate subject lines that actually get opened.

Most people don’t realize how much money they lose to impulse.

I’ve got a simple rule that saved me over $50,000 last year… and it takes about 10 seconds to apply.

Anytime I’m about to buy something over $100, I don’t buy it.

I wait 24 hours.

That’s it.

Day one → it feels urgent
Day two → it usually doesn’t

And suddenly you realize… you didn’t actually need it.

What this does is break the pressure cycle.

Because most purchases don’t come from logic.
They come from urgency, emotion, and clever sales tactics.

Flash sales.
Limited-time offers.
“Only 2 left.”

All of it is designed to make you act now, not think.

The 24-hour rule flips that.

It gives your brain time to slow down and ask:
“Do I actually need this… or was I just sold the idea of it?”

Sometimes you’ll still buy it.

But most of the time… you won’t.

And that difference quietly stacks up over time.

Try it for the next 30 days.

Every purchase over ~$100… just wait one day.

You’ll be surprised how much money you keep without changing your income at all.

I run a $1M/month business using both Claude Code AND n8n.

Here's why the "one or the other" debate completely misses the point.

My situation: I was drowning in clickbait videos claiming "n8n is dead" or "Claude Code replaces everything." Meanwhile, my actual business operations require both tools running 24/7.

The hybrid framework I use:

1. Ask: Does it need to fire automatically based on an event? (email received, form submitted, webhook triggered, scheduled time)
→ That's n8n territory

2. Ask: Does it need custom UI, user login, or complex logic that requires design freedom?
→ That's Claude Code territory

3. Connect them with webhooks
→ Claude Code builds the front-end app, n8n runs the backend automation, webhooks bridge them

Real examples from my business:

• Creative Director App: Claude Code handles the front-end interface, n8n scrapes YouTube channels and generates SEO-optimized script ideas in the background

• Lead magnet delivery: Custom landing page built in Claude Code, form submission triggers n8n workflow that verifies leads, researches prospects, writes personalized copy, updates CRM, and sends follow-ups

• Consulty AI: n8n processes large-scale email verification and lead scraping daily (operations n8n handles better than code)

The results: Reliable, maintainable systems my team can actually debug and fix without being developers. n8n's visual execution logs mean anyone can troubleshoot workflows in minutes, not hours.

This hybrid approach took me months of painful trial and error to figure out, but now I can build enterprise-level automations AND custom software without choosing sides.

What's been your experience with no-code automation versus building custom code solutions?

Want the full breakdown of when to use each tool? Watch the complete framework here: https://lnkd.in/ebr9waet

#LeadGeneration #AIAutomation #NoCode

You don’t need a big budget to build a serious lead engine.

Most people assume you need thousands in ad spend, fancy funnels, and a full team just to get consistent leads.

Not true.

The same style of cold email machine that’s generated millions in revenue can be started for under $200/month.

Here’s the actual breakdown 👇

1) Sending platform

You need a tool to actually send emails at scale.

Something like Instantly.ai works perfectly.

Cost: ~$37/month

That’s your engine.

2) Lead data

You need real people with real emails.

You can pull 10,000 verified contacts from sources like Apollo or similar providers for around $50.

That's enough to last you months.

3) Mailbox infrastructure

You don’t send from one inbox.

You spread your volume across multiple Google mailboxes to protect deliverability.

Roughly $3 per mailbox per month.

Start with ~30 inboxes = about $90/month

Total monthly cost to run a real outbound machine:

≈ $177/month

That’s it.

No ad creatives.
No media buying.
No waiting months for SEO to “maybe” work.

Just a simple system that lets you:

• reach your exact ICP
• control your volume
• test messaging quickly
• and start conversations on demand

And the best part?

You can go live fast.

Give yourself a couple of weeks to set up your domains, warm your inboxes, and clean your list…

…and you’re ready to start sending.

Most people lose deals because they reply too late.

A prospect finally replies… shows interest…
and then waits 2-4 hours for a response.

By the time you get back to them, they’ve:

• forgotten your email
• or mentally moved on

Speed to lead is everything.
But if you’re running a business + doing lead gen… you don’t have time to babysit inboxes all day.

So here’s the exact system I set up to reply to every prospect in under 60 seconds 👇

Step 1 - Capture every reply instantly

Inside Instantly, I connected a V2 webhook → n8n

• Create a webhook node in n8n
• Copy the webhook URL
• Paste it in Instantly → Settings → Integrations → Webhooks
• Trigger = New Reply

Now every reply hits your automation in real-time.

Step 2 - Let AI qualify the lead for you

N8N allows you to create AI Agents which will automatically:

- Research the lead using Perplexity AI (pulls company info, LinkedIn, recent news)
- Categorize the reply (interested, soft no, hard no, or custom paths)

Step 3 - Generate the perfect reply using OpenAI and a knowledge base

The AI Agent generates a response using:

• your knowledge base (FAQs, objections, past replies)
• your tone of voice
• context from the conversation

I store every KB work in Supabase.

End result → a fully personalized reply ready to send.

Step 4 - Human checkpoint (10 seconds max)

Instead of sending blindly, it drops into Notion with:

- Lead info & conversation summary
- AI-generated reply (fully formatted with hyperlinks)
- One-click approval buttons (Good, Skip, Send Revised)

The result

We went from:

3-4 hours/day replying manually
→ to 15 minutes of approvals

And more importantly…

Hot leads now get replies in seconds, not hours.

That alone increased booked calls.

If you’re serious about outbound, you can’t afford slow follow-ups.

Set this up once… and every reply gets handled instantly while you focus on closing deals.

Let me tell you the fastest way most people kill their cold email results…
They try to save a few dollars on the setup.

Cheap sending tools.
Random mailbox providers.
Unverified data.

Everything looks fine on the surface… until you realise nothing is actually landing in the inbox.

I see this play out all the time:
Campaign goes live
Hundreds of emails sent
Replies = zero

And then people start blaming:
• the offer
• the copy
• the market

But in reality, the issue is usually much simpler 👇
The infrastructure is broken.

Cold email isn’t just about writing good messages.
It’s a system.

You need:
- clean, verified leads
- reliable mailboxes with proper setup
- a sending platform that protects deliverability

Break any one of these… and everything collapses.

But when you fix the foundation, something interesting happens:
• emails actually land in inbox
• people read them
• conversations start
• meetings get booked

Same offer. Same copy.
Different infrastructure.

For anyone building outbound right now, this is a simple stack that consistently works:

→ Pull leads from Apollo.io
→ Clean them with MillionVerifier
→ Use properly configured mailboxes
→ Send through Instantly.ai

You don’t need a complex setup.
You just need the right foundation.

Btw, want the inbox set up done for you the right way?
Comment “Inbox”.

Your problem isn’t networking.
It’s that you’re not good enough yet.

Harsh? Maybe.
But it’s the truth most people avoid.

Everyone says:
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

No.

If your work is average…
No “who” will save you.

People don’t refer potential.
They refer results.

I see this all the time:

→ People jumping into events
→ collecting business cards
→ adding random LinkedIn connections

…while their actual skill is still weak.

That’s backwards.

Real growth looks like this:

1. Get dangerously good at what you do
2. Build proof of work (case studies, results, outcomes)
3. Learn how to show your work publicly
4. Let the right people come to you

That’s how real leverage is built.

Networking is not useless.

But it’s an accelerator 
not a foundation.

If there’s nothing strong underneath,
it accelerates nothing.

I've been doing something weird with recruiter emails.

And it's working.

You know those messages that hit your inbox every week?

"Hi [NAME], I came across your profile and thought you'd be a great fit for..."

Most people:
→ Delete immediately
→ Mark as spam
→ Send a polite "not interested"

I started doing something different.

I reply. But not the way they expect.

I call it the Recruiter Flip Framework.

Instead of saying "no thanks," I treat every recruiter message as a potential business opportunity.

Think about it:

• Recruiters are PAID to find decision-makers
• They've already researched the company
• They work in HR - they know everyone
• They reached out to YOU first

That's a warm intro sitting in your spam folder.

Here's exactly how I respond:

1. Acknowledge their message
"Thanks for reaching out - I appreciate you thinking of me."

2. Redirect the conversation
"I'm not looking right now, but I noticed [Company] might be dealing with [problem you solve]."

3. Offer Value
"We help companies like yours [your result]. Might be worth a conversation."

4. Easy next step
"Would it make sense to connect you with our team?"

Why this works:

- Pattern interrupt - nobody responds like this
- Zero resistance - they reached out first
- Built-in trust - you're being helpful, not salesy
- Internal champion - recruiters talk to execs daily
- Infinite supply - new emails hit your inbox constantly

This isn't really about recruiters.

It's about training yourself to see opportunity where everyone else sees interruption.

Your inbox is full of people trying to start conversations with you.

LinkedIn DMs. Cold emails. Partnership requests.

Most people swat these away like flies.

Start looking at "spam" differently.

You might be surprised what opens up.

I’ve seen too many entrepreneurs lose years of momentum chasing “good deals.”

Money gets locked up, returns never show up, and all their energy ends up tied to things they don’t control.

When you’re early in your journey, your biggest advantage is focus and control.

The highest-ROI investment at that stage isn’t a random deal, a side bet, or someone else’s project.

It’s you and your business.

If something directly:
• helps you acquire more customers
• improves your skills
• strengthens your systems
• or increases your earning capacity

…it’s almost always a better bet than parking money in something you barely influence.

Because when you invest in your own business, you control the inputs, you see feedback quickly, you can adjust fast, and the upside compounds directly with your effort.

External deals can work later, when you have capital, stability, and a margin for mistakes.

But early on?

Reinvesting into yourself is what builds the engine that funds everything else.

Build that engine first.

Most people think they’re A/B testing their cold emails.

In reality… they’re just running random experiments and hoping something works.

Testing without structure doesn’t give you insights.
It just burns time and good leads.

If you want A/B testing to actually move your results, here’s the simple framework that works 👇

1) Start with the audience - not the copy

Most people jump straight to subject lines.

Wrong move.

Clone your campaign and split it by:

- industry
- company size
- geography
- role

You’ll very quickly see who actually cares about your offer.

2) Then test your copy + offer

Once you know the right audience, start testing:

- subject lines
- body copy
- CTA
- and most importantly… your offer

If you’re just getting started, pick one variable (like the offer) and test that first.

Keep it clean.

3) Change ONE thing at a time

Every cold email has 3 core parts:

- Lead → subject line + preview + first sentence (gets the open)
- Body → context + value + offer (builds interest)
- CTA → what they should do next

Change one section at a time so you know exactly what moved the needle.

4) Track the right signals

Replies feel good.
But sales are what matter.

One version can get more replies… and worse leads.

So always track:

- positive replies
- booked calls
- closed deals

That’s how you find the real winner.

5) Test in the right order

If you want faster wins, follow this sequence:

1. Audience
2. Offer
3. Copy tweaks

If your subject line is already decent, fixing audience + offer alone can 2–3x your results.

A/B testing isn’t about running more tests.

It’s about running the right tests, in the right order, and learning something useful every time.

Do that consistently… and your cold email starts becoming a predictable growth channel.

Most cold outreach fails before the first line is even written.

Not because of bad copy.
Because the problem isn’t strong enough.

If the pain isn’t clear, personal, and urgent…
the message won’t land.

The best outreach is built on a problem the prospect is already aware of internally.

Here’s how to find that 👇

1) Look for money leaks

Where is revenue quietly slipping away?

• Missed calls
• Unconverted leads
• Low LTV
• High churn

If you can tie your message directly to lost revenue, you already have a strong hook.

2) Look for operational bottlenecks

What breaks when they try to grow?

• Hiring constraints
• Lead follow-up delays
• Limited sales capacity
• Fulfillment issues

If growth is blocked, leadership feels it every day.

3) Check urgency

Ask yourself:

“If they ignore this for 90 days… what happens?”

If the answer is “not much” → weak angle
If the answer is “we lose revenue or slow growth” → strong angle

4) Use their language

Don’t invent phrasing.

Go where they’re already talking:

• Reviews
• Reddit threads
• Interviews
• Job descriptions
• LinkedIn posts

Use their words.
That’s what makes your message feel specific and relevant.

The strongest outreach angles always have 3 things:

✔ Clear financial consequence
✔ Clear urgency
✔ Clear ownership

If you can’t tie your message to lost money or stalled growth, it’s probably not strong enough.

Clarity of problem → clarity of message → higher replies.

Most people skip the first step.

I keep hearing the same thing from so many people:
“Getting replies… but no booked calls.”

Which means something in the system is breaking between interest → action.

In most cases, the real issue usually sits in one of these areas below.
Curious to hear what you think 👇

When a campaign gets replies but no booked calls, what’s most likely wrong?

“Did you just plagiarize the entire essay, Jay?!”

That text hit me while I was working one of my first jobs… writing medical reports at a hospital for $9/hour.

At the same time, a friend of mine was building a video production company and absolutely crushing it.
That’s what pushed me to try building something of my own.

So I turned my medical writing skills into a small business.

I started writing papers for my then-girlfriend’s sorority friends.
Soon, word spread. Demand exploded.

“Essay Chief LLC” was born.

And like most people starting out… I made the classic mistake:

I outsourced too early…
without building any quality control.

I hired a freelancer to help handle the workload.
But as demand increased, I kept piling more work on her… without checking the output closely.

Until one day…

A recurring client messaged me saying he almost got expelled from med school because his paper was plagiarized.

Turns out the freelancer had copy-pasted content from an online report.

I fixed the situation and made it right.
But that experience taught me a lesson I’ve carried into every business since:

👉 You can’t scale what you don’t control.

Whether you’re:

- running cold email campaigns
- building an agency
- selling services
- or launching any kind of system…

put quality control + SOPs at every step.

For me, that means systems for:
• domains
• copy
• lists
• sending

So the work runs without me and without disasters.

If you’re planning to scale anything in your business soon,
ask yourself:

Where are the quality checkpoints in your process?

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Dr. Jay Feldman

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The Battle

Alex Berman

Dr. Jay Feldman

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Alex Berman's LinkedIn Performance

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