Bill Stathopoulos

Founder

👋 I'm Bill, and here's my story:

1. Building SalesCaptain, an Outbound & AI GTM agency for B2B SaaS to $3M+ ARR, while being a digital nomad for 4 years.
2. Authored a book - "Cold Email Secrets"
3. Scaled a Growth Marketing Agency to $1M ARR at the age of 28. Grew the team from 7 to 25+ employees in 3 years. Closed clients like Nestle, Revolut, GE, and the Singapore Airport.
4. Helped multiple startups go from zero to $5M+ revenue in 18 months since 2015
5. Trained 2,500+ Growth Marketers in the last 5 years
6. Built the speakers lineup for Ad World, with 50k+ attendees and 100+ speakers, making it the largest advertising conference in the world
7. Interviewed Seth Godin, Scott Galloway, Arianna Huffington, Rory Sutherland, the CMO of Samsung, the CMO of Hubspot, and 30+ world-class Marketing executives.
8. Published the book “Cold Email Secrets”, the bible of modern Outbound & GTM. 
9. Named “Top Lead Generation Voice” on LinkedIn in 2024
10. Became the Clay Club Host in London, leading a team of 15+ GTM Engineers

What you'll get working with me:
🧲 Your Go-To-Market (aka GTM) Strategy
🏀 Optimize your Marketing channels; make the most of your budget
🏆 Build systems for User Acquisition, Activation, Retention, and Revenue

Peace, love & growth ✌️

Bill

Co-Founder

We build and scale Outbound Sales systems that include multi-channel prospecting, lead response, and our cutting-edge processes to help you build your business.

If I asked you right now:
Who owns pipeline end-to-end in your GTM motion?

If the answer isn’t crystal clear,
that’s a problem.

In many teams, GTM looks like this:

- Marketing runs inbound
- Sales runs outbound
- RevOps fills the gaps

Everyone cares about pipeline.
But nobody owns the full motion.

Does this work? No.

What actually works in 2026 (in practice)

After seeing hundreds of GTM motions up close, one pattern keeps winning:
Inbound, outbound, and signals treated as one system.
Not three separate plays.

Here’s how we make that work 👇

1️⃣ Outbound isn’t just top-of-funnel

Outbound should exist across the entire funnel:
Top: ICP-based awareness (relevant, not clever)
Middle: Signal-triggered follow-ups (timing > volume)
Bottom: Direct offers when buyers are already close

2️⃣ Inbound is not “wait and hope”

Inbound-led outbound means this:
Someone visits your site, attends a webinar, or signs up → you act, instead of letting the lead sit untouched.

Inbound creates interest.
Outbound creates momentum.

3️⃣ Signals don’t create pipeline, ownership does.

Signals only matter if someone is accountable for:
- who acts
- when they act
- and through which channel

No owner = dead signal.

4️⃣ Judge the system by pipeline, not activity

If your dashboards celebrate:
- emails sent
- sequences launched
- campaigns shipped
You’re measuring effort, not outcomes.

The only question that matters:
Is this system producing pipeline predictably?

Between SalesCaptain, HeyReach.io, and Zapmail.ai,
this exact system helped generate ~$25M in revenue.

This is exactly what we’re breaking down live in an upcoming GTM Roundtable, with operators from the 3 companies building these systems every day. I will be speaking with:

Ilija Stojkovski (CRO, HeyReach.io)
Kaustubh Wadhwa (Product & Growth, Zapmail.ai)
Bojana Petkovic (Ecosystem Lead, HeyReach.io)

This isn’t an inbound vs outbound debate.
It’s about how teams are using both to build one coherent revenue motion.

We're meeting live on Zoom, next Tuesday, Jan 27, at 19:00–20:00 EET.
Link to register: https://luma.com/udv8tm4q

If pipeline predictability matters to you this year,
this session will be worth your time.
(come with all your questions).

CEO, SalesCaptain | Clay London Club Lead 👑 | Top lemlist Partner 📬 | Investor | GTM Advisor for $10M+ B2B SaaS

No, your GTM engineer can’t fix your outbound.
Read this before you hire a GTME.

(This is part 1/5 GTM mistakes you shouldn’t carry with you into 2026.)

I was on a sales call this week with a founder who said:
"We hired a GTM Engineer 6 months ago… but our pipeline growth is minimal."
I asked: “What’s your team structure?”
She said: “I have a GTME.”
....

One of the most common GTM mistakes I see:
Founders hire a technical expert, 
and expect them to drive both pipeline and revenue.

It doesn’t work that way.

Here’s what actually works (and how we structure GTM at SalesCaptain):

You need these 3 roles
1️⃣ GTM Strategist: owns strategy (ICPs, messaging, cross-channel orchestration)
2️⃣ GTM Engineer: builds AI/data workflows, connects APIs, scales infra
3️⃣ Full-Stack AEs: convert pipeline, leverage infra, feed insights back

We learned this the hard way:
One person can’t own both strategy and execution.
This is too much switching between contexts, which leads to too many dropped balls.

So we tested different structures till we got it right.

→ We launched campaigns twice as fast
→ Our messaging started resonating better
→ It became easier to see what was actually driving revenue

We’ve helped clients implement the same structure, and the numbers keep proving it right.

So let me ask you this 👇 
How’s your GTM team structured?
How is it working for you?

From my conversation with Milan Savov, on Leaders of Growth podcast (I will add the link in the comments).

When it comes to GTM data, which pill are you taking? 💊

Every GTM team wants the same thing:
A growing pipeline that makes the best use out of your reps' time.

But there are two very different ways to get there.

1. 🟦 Blue Pill GTM:
Buy more lists → Get more leads.

In this path you:
- Buy a CSV from Apollo, ZoomInfo, Cognism,... take your pick.
- Filter by title
- Send 1,000 cold emails.
- Wait for someone to book.
- If replies drop… buy a bigger list.

This path feels productive (more rows, more potential.)
But practically, you get bloated CRMs, irrelevant messaging, and reps spending their time chasing leads.

2. 🟥 Red Pill GTM:
Build a signal-driven pipeline: ICP first → Signals second → Messaging last.

In this path, you:

- Define ICP beyond job titles (think tech stack, hiring motion, headcount trends).
- Layer real-time signals like funding, exec changes, tool adoption, website shifts.
- Enrich with context: How does this company make decisions? What’s likely top of mind this quarter?
- Write emails that answer: Why me? Why now?

When you do this, your first touch feels like a warm intro,
because it is the right message, to the right person, at the right moment.

I don’t know which pill you’ll choose.

What I know is the best GTM operators in 2026 are building living, breathing pipelines.
Ones that update daily, prioritize based on intent, and let you engage buyers before your competitors even realize they’re in-market.

The tools exist.
The data exists.
The process is teachable.
The only question is:

🟦 Keep buying lists?
🟥 Or build a modern GTM system that prioritizes relevance over volume?

#GTM #Outbound #SalesCaptain

GTM Engineering job postings went up 205% in 2025 vs 2024.
Why?

Because revenue teams have reached a breaking point.

They’re not short on tools, AI pilots, or headcount.
They’re short on people who own the system end to end.
That’s what GTM Engineers solve.

They build the infrastructure that makes revenue repeatable, in ways like:

* Turning messy signals into structured actions
* Making outbound workflows scalable across reps
* Connecting tools and data so AI can actually drive outcomes
* Designing systems where pipeline grows instead of resets

How do you know if your team needs a GTME? 🤔 

Here’s what it looks like when the GTM system has no clear owner:

- Each rep runs a different version of the playbook
- “Integrated” tools constantly break handoffs
- CRM updates happen manually (if at all)
- AI experiments never make it into live workflows
- Weekly pipeline reviews feel more like firefighting instead of optimization

If 2 or more of these sound familiar, you need a GTME.

And if you’re thinking,
"That sounds like the kind of impact I want to have..."

GTM Engineering is one of the few roles growing fast, even in a tough market.
This role sits at the center of AI, systems, and revenue.
And it will only become more and more foundational.

We put everything into the visual below:
The 2026 GTM Engineer Playbook
What the role is, what skills it needs, expected salary and how to prepare for it.

Save it.
Share it with someone who wants to grow into this role.
Tag them below, this could be their next move.👇

Not all GTM partnerships are built the same.
Many get announced, logos get swapped, and nothing changes in how pipeline is built.

The successful ones have one thing in common:
Both sides are building real GTM, not just pitching it.

We’ve worked with lemlist for years, since the early partner program.
What made it work was a shared worldview: 
Outbound isn’t a sales play anymore.
It’s part of the GTM infrastructure, just like your CRM or analytics stack.

Then last year I sat down with Charles Tenot, CEO of lemlist (now a $35M ARR company). 
We shared a deep alignment on where outbound is breaking, and how real operators are rebuilding it.
You can feel that when a team runs their own GTM at the same pressure and pace their customers do.

The note and small award we received recently were a byproduct of that kind of partnership, one where feedback loops, shared pain, and long-term bets matter more than metrics.

Big thanks to Julia Guenier, and the whole lemlist team for operating with that mindset.

Excited for what's coming!
Let’s keep building 🔥

Do you ever stop and ask "Why do people actually buy from us?"
That's the key to finding the best signals.
 
Instead, I get these questions a lot 👇 
"Is hiring a good signal?"
"What intent data should we buy?"
"Which tool has the best triggers?"

Wrong questions.
 
The real insight doesn't come from external signals. It comes from your own closing history.
 
So, before you add another tool, do this:

→ Pull your last 10–20 closed deals and ask one question:
What changed inside the company before they bought?
 
For example, at SalesCaptain, we analyzed our closed deals over the past 4 years.
The pattern that kept appearing: companies who changed their CRO in the last 6 months.
(Within 1–6 months of a CRO change, that's when they're ready to rebuild GTM infrastructure.)
 
What we see across mature GTM teams:

- New CRO/CMO hired → mandate to "fix pipeline"
- Ownership of revenue changes hands
- Shift from founder-led sales to systems
- Pressure to scale without hiring more reps
 
These moments create forced action.
And forced action beats generic "interest" every single time.
 
Here's something GTM teams need to remember:
Signals are hypotheses, not truths.
 
A signal only becomes valuable when you:
1️⃣ Tie it back to why people actually buy from you
2️⃣ Test it across months, not days
3️⃣ See it repeat consistently, not once
 
This is why signal-led GTM isn't about finding the signal.
It's about building a system that:

-> Tests signals continuously
-> Scores them against real revenue outcomes
-> Routes action based on impact, not noise
 
This is how pipeline becomes predictable.
 
This is from the amazing conversation I had yesterday with Ilija Stojkovski (CRO, HeyReach.io) Kaustubh Wadhwa (Product & Growth, Zapmail.ai) and Bojana Petkovic (Ecosystem Lead, HeyReach.io).
 
Here's the link to the full webinar: ﻿https://lnkd.in/dyTbkVyT

P.S. if you want the slides I shared in the webinar, DM me.

What if you treated outbound like a marketing channel?

That’s how we run it at SalesCaptain.
And for GTM teams with a finite TAM, it’s literally a cheat code.

Here’s how you can operationalize it:

✅ Quarterly touchpoints

If your ICP is 5,000 companies, your goal isn't just to "get replies", it’s to stay top-of-mind.
We run outbound like marketing campaigns: built around themes, refreshed quarterly, and optimized for relevance.

Orchestrated with: Clay, and delivered via lemlist and HeyReach.io.

What you can track:
- % of accounts touched this quarter
- Re-engagement from dormant accounts
- Reply trends by persona/topic

✅ Email signals are real-time intent

Opens, clicks, site visits... these are all triggers.
If someone engages, you need to follow up fast.
Sub-60 second replies consistently lead to 2-3X more meetings booked.

Tools: Instantly.ai, Midbound, Clay, n8n, plus Lemlist and Heyreach for outreach.

What you can track:
- Speed-to-lead (How fast you respond after a lead shows intent)
- Signal-to-meeting conversion (% of intent signals that actually turn into booked meetings)
- Channel effectiveness

✅ Outbound needs distribution of insight

We’re not here to “check in.”
Our highest-performing messages offer something useful like frameworks, benchmarks, or patterns the buyer hasn’t seen before.

Research & Personalization via: Claygent, Twain and/or Octave.

What you can track:
- Response rate to insight-led messages
- “This was helpful” kind of replies

Video below from my conversation with Stefan Conic 🙌

Outbound trying to be smart -> Stupid.
Outbound trying to be relevant -> Smart.

Part 2/5 of mistakes you can’t afford in 2026

Your outbound messages fail because you're trying to impress.
Instead of trying to help.
When in reality, winning campaigns are useful, not clever!

Here are some examples of useful messages:

- Lead magnets that are genuinely valuable 
- Insights specific to the buyer’s market, role, or stack 
- Strong offers (often free implementation or teardown) 
- FOMO through hyper-relevance “We’re already working with your top 2 competitors” 

But none of that works if your data’s trash.
You can’t fake context, nor can’t prompt your way to get trust.

When the data’s real, the message writes itself.
Short, relevant, to the point.
And that’s what wins.

Why US companies are winning the GTM execution race, 
and everyone else is playing catch-up

Over the past couple of years, while working with GTM teams across the US and Europe, I kept noticing the same pattern:

Same conferences.
Same tools.
Same markets.
But very different questions.

US teams asked:
“How do we optimize our 30+ Clay workflows?”

Most European teams asked:
“How do we get more leads?”

Clay calls this GTM Alpha; the velocity at which a company can execute go-to-market.
And GTM Alpha is quietly splitting B2B into two camps.

Here’s where people get confused:
→ US leads global AI investment with $109.1B, nearly 12× China and 24× the UK.
→ 95% of businesses globally already use or plan to adopt AI by 2025.

On paper, it seems like everyone’s on equal footing, but they’re not.

Europe often reports higher AI usage:
→ 13.5% of EU enterprises in 2024 vs. ~8.7% of US firms in 2025.

So why is the US still pulling ahead?

Because adoption is not depth!

It’s not whether companies use AI, but how deeply it’s embedded in their GTM system.

-> In the US, organizational AI adoption is ~82%, with 99% of Fortune 500 already onboard.

Most teams start the same way:
AI for writing emails and summarizing calls.

The best teams go further. 
They run GTM with AI:
– Data enrichment
– Intent-based segmentation
– Multi-channel orchestration
– Real-time routing to reps
(Same tools, different outcomes.)

So how do you catch up? ⚠️ 

Start with the foundation.
You don’t need 30 workflows. Just the right ones, in the right order.

Phase 1️⃣: Clean your data
CRM enrichment
Lead routing
Basic scoring
(Most teams skip this, and fail later.)

Phase 2️⃣: Broad ICP outreach
List building from LinkedIn, Google Maps, etc.
AI-powered personalization
Email + LinkedIn sequencing

Phase 3️⃣: Add intent signals
Job changes
Hiring spikes
Competitor followers
Event attendees

Phase 4️⃣: Activate inbound
Visitor ID
Form enrichment
LinkedIn engagement
Pricing page workflows

Phase 5️⃣: Build your ABM stack
Account tracking
Committee mapping
Tool change detection
Expansion workflows

Here's something you need to keep in mind:
-> Despite 78% of orgs using AI in some function,
70–85% of AI projects still fail.

Why?
Because teams jump to Phase 5, without fixing Phase 1.

AI-led GTM drives:
– 3× more site visits
– ~50% larger deals
– 30% faster launches and ~25% workflow gains

Some teams are still debating tools.
Others are optimizing conversion by segment, time-to-MQL, and cost per account.

Stop asking:
“How do we get more leads?”
Start asking:
“How do we orchestrate GTM?”

Thoughts? 👇

You tracked the signal.
You did what you were supposed to do.

Website visit.
Job change.
Engagement spike.
...
So you reached out.
And nothing happened.
No reply, no pipeline!
 
This is where most GTM teams get confused.
Because the problem isn’t that you missed the signal.
It’s that the signal didn’t answer the most important question:

👉 Why now?
 
Your GTM team already has the signals:
Website visits, job changes, social engagement, product usage, and hiring signals.
 
The issue isn’t lack of data.
It’s that signals don’t tell a story on their own.

- A website visit doesn’t mean interest.
- A job change doesn’t mean intent.
- Engagement doesn’t mean readiness.

On their own, these are contextless events.
And what usually happens next is predictable:

- Signals get pushed into Slack.
- Logged in the CRM.
- Tagged inside GTM tools.
But no one defines:
1. what changes because the signal happened
2. who should act
3. how the message should adapt
4. or when not to act at all
So teams react instead of orchestrate.

What the best GTM systems do differently is simple (but not easy):

1️⃣ They combine signals, they don’t chase them
One signal rarely means anything.
Multiple signals, across time, start to explain intent.

2️⃣ They score accounts, not activities
Fit × Engagement × Potential Value.
Not “someone clicked,” but “this account is worth time now.”

3️⃣ They design actions before automation
Signals are inputs, not instructions.
The action depends on where the account actually is.

4️⃣ They protect human effort
Sales and marketing only engage when the system says timing is right.

Everything else gets deprioritized automatically.
That’s when outreach stops feeling random.
and pipeline flows.

I’ll be breaking this down live with Erwan Gauthier VP of Growth at lemlist, including how the team at Lemlist are building signal-led GTM motions going into 2026.

Link to register: https://luma.com/zn8wfvy6

This session will change how you think about signals.

Your next 50 best customers will look a lot like your last 5.
 
We had a client burning $5K/month on cold outbound trying to "expand TAM."
1% reply rate, zero pipeline, team demoralized.
 
I asked them one question: 
"Who are your 10 favorite customers? The ones who get it, move fast, and actually implement?"
 
They sent me the list, we spent 2 days analyzing them.
Then we killed every other campaign they were running.
 
What we did instead:
- Pulled their best 15 customers from Salesforce
- Imported them into Clay
- Used Ocean.io to find 200 companies with the same industry, size, tech stack, and buying triggers
- Built automated outreach mentioning the customers they mirror via lemlist
- Let it run
 
The results:
- 15% reply rate (vs. 1% before)
- $400K pipeline in 90 days
- 4 deals closed in the first 90 days

Same team, same budget.
 
So what changed?
When you target lookalikes, you have an advantage:
- You already know the exact problem they have
- You already know what messaging lands
- You already have proof in their language
- You already know who makes the buying decision
- You already know how long the sales cycle is
 
The mistake most teams make is that they chase "new markets" way too early.

They see their core ICP starting to saturate (or think they do) and immediately pivot to adjacent segments, new verticals, or "enterprise" just because the board asked about it.

Meanwhile, there are 50+ companies exactly like your best customers who haven't heard from you yet.
 
The fastest pipeline growth comes from doubling down on what already works.
 
Here's the exact workflow we run:
Step 1: Export your best 10-15 customers (the ones you'd clone if you could)
Step 2: Import them into Clay
Step 3: Use Ocean.io, Apollo, or Findymail to find lookalikes based on:
Industry
Company size
Tech stack
Growth signals
Location (if relevant)
Step 4: Enrich with decision-makers using Clay's waterfall (Datagma → Apollo → Findymail)
Step 5: Build sequences in lemlist/HeyReach.io mentioning the customer they mirror:
"We recently helped [similar company] in [their industry] solve [specific problem]. Saw you're in a similar space and thought this might be relevant."
Step 6: Let it run, measure, and scale what converts
 
Average result: 3x more pipeline in 60 days, targeting companies they already know how to close.

If you haven't exhausted your core ICP, don't go chasing new markets.
 
If you know your top 10 accounts and want help applying this playbook, DM and I will be happy to help you.

We scraped Google Maps photos of 2,000 bakeries
and used AI to detect bread-making machines 🥖 
Sounds insane, right?
 
But this is exactly the kind of custom signal that’s replacing generic intent data in 2026.
 
Everyone’s buying the same intent data.
Which means everyone’s reaching out to the same prospects,
at the same time,
with the same “personalized” message.
 
Which means you are always standing in the same line with your competition.
 
Here’s what changed our entire GTM approach at SalesCaptain:

We stopped relying on off-the-shelf signals.
and started building our own.
 
Not:
– Hiring intent from ZoomInfo
– Funding announcements from Crunchbase
– Sales Navigator filters everyone else is using
 
Instead, we built signals only we had access to.

Here are some real-life examples from our client work:
 
1. Wellness and self-care software company 💇‍♀️ 

- Scraped Google Maps + websites for salons/spas
- Detected multiple locations or recent expansions
- Identified operators outgrowing spreadsheets/manual tools
- Triggered outreach during operational scaling

Result: 400+ positive replies in 5 months

2. Cybersecurity company 🥷 

– Monitored public breach reports in real time
– Identified relevant security teams
– Reached out while the problem was active

Result: $200K+ ACV meetings in a single quarter

3. Recruitment platform 💼

– Scraped job listings across multiple sources
– Identified companies actively hiring
– Matched HR decision-makers to real demand

Result: 710+ demo calls in 10 months

These aren’t signals you can buy from a vendor.
They’re competitive advantages built from:

– Custom data sources
– AI enrichment of unstructured data
– Community, ecosystem, and event signals

The pattern I see across every high-performing GTM team:
They don’t ask,
“Which intent tool should we buy?”
They ask,
“What data would give us an unfair advantage competitors can’t access?”

Then they build it!

If you want to design custom signals for your market and orchestrate them across sales, marketing, and ops, you know where to find me. 😎

Clay just unlocked super-multichannel with ads.

Not just email + LinkedIn.
The same audience can now be targeted across email, LinkedIn, and ads (LinkedIn, Meta, Google) in a unified way.

Why you should care:

1️⃣  One audience, one system, not separate targeting logic per channel
2️⃣ Prospects see you programmatically across channels, not randomly
3️⃣ You can increase spend and message frequency as signals increase
4️⃣ Website visits, product views, demo signups → more spend
5️⃣ ICP-fit accounts with weaker signals → lighter spend
6️⃣ Outreach and ads are sequenced based on warmth

Instead of managing multiple audiences across multiple platforms,
you control exposure, intensity, and timing from one place.

The warmer the prospect, the more they see you.
The colder the prospect, the less you spend.

This is huge 🔥

ADS IN CLAY. The most exciting new feature of everything Clay has been working on in my opinion is Ads.

We are seeing customers get ~much~ higher match rates than they have today against their audiences on LinkedIn, Meta and Google which is a massive win for performance marketing teams.

Ads platforms as a new export destination in Clay also enables very interesting campaigns. For example now you can:

1. Setup website intent in Clay to deanonymize web traffic
2. Search in Find People for your ICP contacts
3 Enrich them to find their hashed advertising IDs using our ads ID waterfall
4. Create audiences in Ads to run ABM campaigns
5. Convert them deeper into the funnel where you can message them via the various messaging tools in Clay

This is in open beta today for enterprise customers and we are looking for lots of feedback from performance marketers to make this best in class. 

DM me or comment for more.

Founders ask me all the time:
“Which channel should we double down on?”
 
SEO?
Google Ads?
LinkedIn Ads?
Social?
Cold Email?
 
After working with 60+ B2B teams at SalesCaptain, here’s the reality:
👉 Most channels work.
👉 Not all channels work for your stage, deal size, and urgency.
 
So instead of opinions, let’s benchmark 👇
Cost • Targeting Precision • Scalability • ROI • Time to Results
 
📬 Cold Email / Outbound
• Very low cost (tools + time)
• Extremely precise targeting
• Highly scalable
• Very high ROI when done right
• Fast results (1–2 weeks, if you have warmed up inboxes)
 
💰 Google Ads (Search)
• High CPCs
• Great for bottom-funnel intent
• Moderate scalability
• Fast if demand already exists
 
📈 SEO / Content
• High upfront investment
• Long-term scalability
• Massive ROI over time
• Slow to impact (3–6+ months)
 
🎯 LinkedIn Ads
• Surgical B2B targeting
• Expensive
• Moderate scalability
• Strong for awareness + nurture
 
🎥 Social Ads (Meta / TikTok)
• Scalable
• Interest-based targeting
• Better for DTC than niche B2B
 
🤝 Referrals / Partnerships
• Highest conversion rates
• Hard to scale
• Not predictable on their own
 
Cold Outreach wins when:
✅ You know your ICP
✅ Your offer is clear
✅ You want speed and control
✅ You’re building a repeatable engine, not betting on algorithms
 
📊 Save this. Share it with your Marketing Lead.
 
Use it to decide where your next $$$ actually goes.
 
And if you want help designing an Outbound system
that scales without burning cash,
you know where to find me.
 
#coldemail #outbound #b2bsales #gtm #demandgeneration #saasgrowth #revenuegrowth

Closed-lost isn’t a graveyard,
It’s a dataset.

Most teams lose a deal and move on.
We do the opposite:

We turn every closed-lost deal into a future meeting… using the exact reason they said “no”.

Here’s the 8-step workflow we built (we used this with a fintech client last week, and reactivated 3 deals in 8 days).

1) Pull closed-lost from HubSpot
Deal name, close date, close-lost reason, notes, decision maker.

2) Pull the actual buyer context from Gong
First + last call transcript.
Not “AI personalization”… the real objections, timelines, and blockers.

3) Enrich with real signals
Funding, acquisitions, new hires, restructuring, product launches.

4) Generate a reactivation recommendation
Why they said no
What changed
When to re-engage
What angle will land now
What to avoid

5) Turn that into a short email (4-part structure)
Intro → original blocker → why now (signal) → 15-min CTA.

The point is to send the one email that makes the buyer think:
“Yeah… this is actually relevant now.”

Imagine if you’re sitting on 200+ closed-lost deals, how much pipeline you could be generating with this workflow.
If you want a workflow like this built for your team, you know where to find me. 😉

Outbound Sales Specialist | SDR/AE for SMB and MidMarket SaaS in marketing, finance, and IT

Great sales expertise in software sales, mostly in marketing and financial tech. Been working with different industries including retail, construction, furniture, agriculture, and horeca.

Building exceptional knowledge and relationships in those industries.

Well-versed in managing the full sales cycle. Most frequent persona: C-level, VP, Directors, and managers.

Great listening skills, empathic and a natural problem solver. Customer obsessed.
10+ years of experience in building relationships with cross-functional colleagues on internal or external teams

Alex Baldovin

People think you need a team to scale an agency.

I just hit $460K in revenue with zero employees.

No hiring headaches. No payroll stress. No management overhead.

Just a solid partner network and the right tech stack.

Here's exactly how I did it:

1. Partner Network Over Payroll

I built relationships with specialists instead of hiring full-time staff.

→ Designers
→ GTM engineers
→ Content creators
→ Technology partners

They handle their expertise. I handle the client relationship.

Everyone wins, and I'm not stuck managing people.

2. Project Management Tools

Google Drive keeps everything organized:

→ Client briefs
→ Project timelines
→ Deliverable tracking
→ Partner assignments

One source of truth means nothing falls through the cracks.

3. Communication Stack

Slack for partners. Loom for client updates.

I record quick videos instead of writing long emails.

Clients love the personal touch. Partners get clear direction.

Everything's documented without endless meetings.

4. Automation Layer

n8n connects my entire workflow:

→ New client? Auto-creates a project in Google Drive
→ Invoice paid? Triggers partner payments
→ Project complete? Sends feedback form

I spend time on strategy, not admin work.

5. GTM tools

Data tools:
→ CompanyEnrich, Ocean.io, and Prospeo.io
Email infrastructure:
→ Luella, Maildoso, Mailforge - Cold Email Infrastructure 📈

Sequencers:
→ Instantly.ai, Smartlead, Woodpecker.co

CRM:
→ HubSpot (the one and only)

LLMs:
→ Anthropic, OpenAI, Perplexity, Grok

The secret sauce:
→ n8n, Serper, Apify, Trigify.io, Warmly, OutboundSync, RevyOps

And Clay for data orchestration

I know exactly what's coming in and going out.

No surprises. No cash flow issues.

The math is simple: $460K revenue, 30% to partners, 70% profit.

That's $322K in my pocket without managing a single employee.

You don't need a team to scale.

You need the right people in your corner and systems that work while you sleep.

Lead generation for B2B with cold email | Clay [Club] lead in Bucharest | GTM advisor

2 years ago, Hugo from Prospeo.io asked me a question that changed everything.

"If there were a database that could do anything you want, what would you wish it would do?"

I had a couple of things that came to mind:

- Data accuracy and transparency
- Email verification that actually works
- Speed that doesn't waste time
- An API that doesn't break.

He said: "Good. thanks"

Then.. nothing.

Didn't even know if they were going to do anything with this feedback.

But I kept using the email finder as a happy customer.

A couple of days ago, Matthew reached out.

"Hey, we finished the database the way you wanted. Want to have a look?"

I sign in to Prospeo V2.

My eyes get BIG.

Every profile I check works at the company they say they work at.

I tested a friend who changed jobs last week.

Already updated in their database.

That's the kind of freshness that actually matters.

- The email verification is next level.
- SMTP verified with bounceban on top.
- No more wondering if your outreach will bounce.
- No wasted sends or damaged sender reputation.

Then I notice something else.

They show you exactly where data comes from.

No black box. No mystery sources.

Just clean, verified information you can trust.

It was well worth the wait.

This is what happens when a team actually listens and ships.

Huge props to the Prospeo.io team

"I don't know how to do cold email in 2026."

Let's solve that problem here and now:

Level 1: Deliverability Foundations

→ Use a mix of mailbox providers
→ Monitor sender reputation and bounce rates
→ Use multiple domains to protect your main domain
→ Warm up domains properly before sending volume

Level 2: List Building Mastery

→ Build your entire TAM audience
→ Segment target audiences based on your offer
→ Verify emails before sending to reduce bounces
→ Segment lists by industry, role, and pain points

Level 3: Personalisation at Scale

→ Research prospects using AI tools and social profiles
→ Reference specific company news or achievements
→ Customise opening lines for each segment
→ Use dynamic variables beyond just first names

Level 4: Copy That Converts

→ Write subject lines that get opened (not clickbait)
→ Keep emails under 100 words. Short and crisp
→ A/B test everything: subject lines, CTAs, and body copy

Level 5: Follow-Up Sequences

→ Send 2-3 follow-ups per prospect (most replies come after email 1)
→ Space follow-ups 3-5 days apart
→ Change angles with each follow-up
→ Know when to stop and move on

Level 6: Multi-Channel Outreach

→ Combine email with LinkedIn connection requests
→ Add phone calls for high-value prospects
→ Engage with prospects' content before reaching out

Level 7: Automation Without Robotics

- Use tools like Instantly or Smartlead for sending
- Set up conditional logic based on engagement
- Automate follow-ups but keep replies human
- Monitor campaigns daily and adjust in real-time

Level 8: Compliance and Ethics

→ Follow CAN-SPAM and GDPR regulations
→ Include clear unsubscribe options in every email
→ Respect opt-outs immediately
→ Build reputation through value, not spam

Level 9: Revenue Attribution

→ Track replies, meetings booked, and deals closed
→ Calculate cost per meeting and ROI per campaign
→ Optimise based on conversion data, not just open rates
→ Scale what works, kill what doesn't

Completed all levels?

Now you know.

"I don't know how to get positive replies from outreach".

I hear it all the time.

You need a system that's easy to follow.

Here's mine:

→ Listen to what your audience actually wants.
→ Understand what looks like a really good deal.
→ Add a bit of context to personalize your message.
→ And there's your offer.

Research. Personalize. Connect. Test. Repeat.

Works for founders, sales teams, marketers, you name it.

Following this does 2 things for your outreach:

1. It shows you actually understand their business
2. It makes them want to reply instead of delete

Most people skip step one and wonder why they get ignored.

They blast generic messages about what they sell.

But your audience doesn't care about your product.

They care about their problems.

Spend 5 minutes researching before you hit send:

- Check their LinkedIn posts
- Look at their company's recent changes or launches
- Find the gap between where they are and where they want to be

Then write a message that speaks directly to that gap.

That's how you get replies.

PS. Want more systems like this? Click follow.

I just hate networking events, cold outreach, pushy sales approaches…

Yet, this is what I do for a living.

And I've connected with many industry leaders in GTM.

Small talk drains my battery.
Conference mixers make me want to hide in the bathroom.
"Let's grab coffee" feels like a root canal.

But I've built relationships with people I once thought untouchable.

Here's what I learned after 5 years of making content and avoiding the "dreaded" network functions:

Stop networking. Start teaching.

My 3-step system:

Step 1: Create content consistently

You don't need to chase clients non-stop
Just keep posting good, valuable content. They'll know where to find you.

Your content is your signal.

I started teaching what I knew.
Cold outreach. Pricing. Business. Branding.

I built a community on Linkedin. 
(next on X, Instagram and Youtube)

Slowly, at first. Like molasses slow.

But I didn't let the numbers discourage me.

Then, one day, people started showing up in MY comments.
Sharing MY posts.
Connecting ME to other people.

Eventually, my "heroes" didn't feel so far away.
The teacher becomes the magnet.

Step 2: The 1-9-90 Rule

For every 1 person you want to meet:
• Comment meaningfully on 9 of their posts
• Do this for 90 days

Not "Great post!" garbage.
Add to the conversation.
Challenge respectfully.
Share a related story.

When you finally DM them, you're not a stranger.
You're the person who's been adding value for months.

How do I know this works?
It works on me. I notice people who show up in the comments.

Consistency beats charisma.
Build the relationship slowly, so when you show up, it's not ice cold.

Step 3: Building your small circle

Introverts thrive in small, curated environments.
So I'm creating my own.

Started a mastermind. 8 people max.
Building an online friendship. Async connection.
Strangers became friends.

The result?

Conversations with industry titans.
6-figure business.
Brand partnerships.

The introvert's superpower isn't overcoming introversion.
It's designing systems that work WITH it.

You don't need to work the room.
Let the room come to you.

If you post over 3 times a week on LinkedIn and sell B2B, you NEED to see this

Valley V4 just launched and it's replacing the entire 6-tool workflow everyone's been struggling with. Instead of PhantomBuster → Clay → ChatGPT → HeyReach, Valley automatically finds your LinkedIn profile viewers, qualifies them against your ICP, and sends personalized outreach.
 
Every single day. The pilot users are seeing 47% reply rates (vs 8% for cold outreach).

See what Zayd Syed Ali built 👇

Founder & CEO, Valley | The Smartest LinkedIn Outbound Engine | 2x Exits | Angel & LP

🚨 🚀 Today, we're launching the biggest ever update to Valley! 



Making us the first Warm Outbound Platform for LinkedIn.

Think: LinkedIn native signals + incredible personalized message execution. All in one.

Here's the difference:

Cold outbound = Blasting strangers who've never heard of you
Warm outbound = Reaching people already showing interest in your company

Someone viewed your profile yesterday. Engaged with your post. Followed your company page.

They were interested. They were warm.

And you had no idea.

By the time you noticed - if you noticed at all - they moved on. Talked to your competitor. Became someone else's closed deal.

This happens dozens of times a week.

Most teams do one of two things:
→ Hire a $150k GTM engineer to build it themselves
→ Spend months in "tool-stack hell" with 7+ different tools

We built Valley to replace that entire mess.

Here's what happens now:

Every day, Valley automatically:

✓ Captures your profile viewers, post engagers, and followers
✓ Qualifies them against your ICP (no more messages to competitors)
✓ Researches each prospect across 60+ data points
✓ Writes messages in your exact voice
✓ Sends them on LinkedIn
✓ Notifies you when someone responds

The results from our pilot:
47% average reply rate (vs 8% for cold)
4x more meetings booked

One-time setup. Zero manual labor. No GTM engineer required.

You just keep showing up on LinkedIn, and Valley handles the engine for you.

Companies like Bolt , UiPath, Warp, Stub Hub, and Bennie are already using Valley to build 8-figures in pipeline.

Valley will actively find the leads who already know you, reach out, and win the deal.

Comment "Sure" and I'll have the team send you a special discount code + lock your price in and help you get this up and running asap.


Jeff Becker Roslyn Jin David Kaye Raed A. Masri Mussadiq Lakhani Adam Caplan Chris Minor M.S John Pleasants Christopher Denny-Brown Dan Green ♻ Chris Stone Jeff Ruby Matt Loop Munish Gandhi Kyle Poll Dan H. Romy Newman Kevin Gillies Kyle Stout Aaron N. Mike Weir Nicholas DeMarinis Garrett Marker Michel Lieben 🧠 Alex Vacca 🧠🛠️ Luke Shalom Marc Gaudett

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The Battle

Bill Stathopoulos

Alex Baldovin

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Performance ScoreBill Stathopoulos's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAlex Baldovin's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Bill Stathopoulos

Alex Baldovin

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

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);}Bill Stathopoulos's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAlex Baldovin's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreBill Stathopoulos's LinkedIn Performance