Stef Curcio

Growth Marketing Manager

LinkedIn client acquisition in <​15 mins/day | Trusted by the top 1% of LinkedIn’s Creators

“We don't have time to send DMs and create content”

This is the #1 LinkedIn lead generation problem for founders and teams.

- Some companies we’ve worked with have seen revenue boosts of up to 327% in <90 days -

⭐Some people who trust our services:
- Jasmin Alic (290k+ followers)
- Richard Van Der Blom (220k+ followers)
- Okoye Chinelo (150k+ followers)

… and many others.

Most businesses know they should have a DM strategy in place…

But let’s be real...

most people do not have time for this!

(And everyone hates DMs)

But LinkedIn lead generation comes hard for many for mainly 3 reasons:

1) Don’t know how to start a conversation
2) You are used to annoying pitch slaps
3) Have better things to do

We simply do this for you.

**Scale Acqusition**:

A system of AI agents that generates clients on autopilot

*Including*

✅Content Agent
✅Lead validator Agent
✅DMs Generator Agent
✅Appointment setter Agent

🔒**Safe:**
Avoid annoying account restrictions.

👬**Don’t burn through leads:**
Avoid the pray and spray approach.

⏱️**Timeline from start to results:**
Start to see 20%-50% reply rate in 14-21 days.


📈Case studies:

- Trevor Longino, Founder - Crowd Tamers, GTM agency: +$44k in revenue in 30 days
- Gal Agadi, Founder - Gravity, Content agency: +$90k in sales in 40 days
- Beatrice Vladut, Founder - B Branded, Branding: Doubled sales calls in 30 days
- Justin Fowler-Lindner, Founder - The Rose Garden, Lead generation agency: +12 clients in 90 days


✍️How to start:

Copy and paste the URL below to get and learn how to generate clients in <15 minutes a day:

https://bit.ly/15-min-acqusition

Founder

The FREE community for entrepreneurs that want to master Elegant Lead Generation

Join at: 

stefcurcio.com

"Prices are rising next month, but not for you"

Told me the owner of our local cafe in Okinawa.

I go to this cafe at least once a week.

I have introduced it to friends and family.

The owners are a beautiful couple in their late 30s with 2 kids.

They are pretty reserved.

But we have occasionally asked each other questions...

Out of curiosity.

I asked where they were from, why they built a cafe here, who did the renovations, and questions like that.

They asked me what I do for a living, where I am from and why I moved to the Okinawa countryside.

They felt like not raising the prices for me.

I feel that when you build an authentic bond, miracles happen.

You have access to things you did not have before.

But a bond is not somethign you can force.

It's something that is built out of pure curiosity and intention.

You cannot fake it.

If you do, people feel it.

P.S. You can try by yourself... Or do it with me. Just click on "Visit my website" above to start your outreach journey.

Clients with no traffic or followers on LinkedIn | Win the human, win the deal | Trusted by the top 1% of LinkedIn’s Creators

Personalized DMs aren’t the problem.

Getting no reply is.

The problem is not:

- Time spent personalizing DMs.

It is to spend time on DMs to:

- Be ignored
- Have long convos that go nowhere

It's impossible to get a reply to 100% of your DMs.

Or convert every conversation into a sales call.

But there are ways to:

Set yourself up for success.

I have helped 300+ professionals with their outreach.

And here is the fastest way to get to set up a predictable outreach system.

1) Go manual

Spend up to 10-20, even 30 minutes (if needed) per lead and create a hyperpersonalized approach. Reach out to 3-5 prospects/d.

2) Choose your MVP

If you get 2 positive replies with <50 DMs, stop and systemize. Otherwise, repeat: iterate with a new approach.

3) Scale

Keep a manual approach for 3-5 people/day while refining to improve conversion/decrease time spent. Automate/delegate/systemize for another 20 leads a day (approximate your manual approach, the best you can).

- Extra: Every single word has to be focused on the prospect.

P.S. Want to get my help finding your unique content and DM angle to convert leads? Click here: https://lnkd.in/gSRwVezB

Outreach loves action...

And hates overthinking.

I consult at least 1-3 people daily on DMs...

And the number#1 outreach killer is:

- Not doing outreach

Sounds like a ridiculous insight...

But you might have found yourself in one of the following scenarios:

- Not wanting to sound salesy
- Not knowing whom to target
- Not knowing how to start a conversation

The root issue here is the same:

Overthinking and inaction.

And outreach lives "in action".

And many keep that nagging feeling at the back of their mind that tells them:

"You should be sending DMs".

I have worked with many consultants and business leaders...

I have never seen anything that delivers results as quickly as outreach.

It is possible to start getting leads and clients virtually TODAY.

If you do not know where to start, do this:

1) Find leads that fit your ICP

Possibly active. And leave a comment on their post (if not, go to step # 2).


2) Send a connection request

Ask a question about their business.


3) Pivot

When they reply, ask a questionabout their business but related to your services.

P.S. If you want to start your outreach journey, click on "Visit my website" above to schedule a Positioning and prospecting session.

LinkedIn reach has dropped by 60-70%.

But there is a new opportunity in 2026.

LinkedIn, like other social media platforms...

Has reached a maturity point.

It was more sudden and steep because of AI.

A year ago...

Anything below 2-4k views was an "underperforming post" for me.

Nowadays, anything that cracks the 1k views is a success :)

(and I am grateful for every single view)

The opportunity on LinkedIn used to be mostly in the "exposure" of content.

And many are still so focused on what they lost...

That they do not see what is in front of them.


- Before:

You would get several leads a week from content.

CTAs in the content and templated DMs were enough to generate clients.

We didn't have time or need to reach out to each and every one of them in a personalized way.


- Now:

We get a few leads from content.

Templated DMs and CTAs are not as effective because the numbers are smaller.

And a personalized approach becomes the new opportunity.


Here is how I do it:

1) Comment on a lead's post a few times
Be intentional with each and every comment. No AI stuff.

2) Send a conenction request
If they do not connect with you first

3) Start a conversation
Be intentional with your DMs.

P.S. I am creating a resource to show you my entire warm outreach process. Comment or DM "outreach" to receive it when it's ready.

Got my first 47 clients with templated DMs.

Then it stopped working.

Reach dropped. 

Inboxes got saturated. 

The playbook I relied on became everyone's playbook.

I was relying on profile visitors and new followers.

But the algorithm was not as generous as it used to be.

Building relationships from content became harder.

So I had to find another way to keep leads coming in.

And what came out of it is a system that:

- Takes me 30 minutes a day instead of 2 to 4 hours.
- Does not rely on traffic or followers.

Watch the training here👇

https://lnkd.in/gXBkfqjQ

I don't talk business unless I receive permission in one of these ways:

- The lead opens up about an issue you can solve
- You receive a compliment about your [topic]

(I explain my entire process here https://lnkd.in/gXBkfqjQ )

Not everyone gets here on their own...

I gently guide my prospects.

Once I have a conversation...

I ask a simple "this or that" question to gently guide them.

Relationships are built on trust.

If I don't have it... 

I don't move the conversation forward.

For example, yesterday, a prospect replied 

"I'm selling on LinkedIn, but it's hard to keep up with how much time it takes".

Here, I know I have their trust and permission to pivot.

There are other ways to do outreach.

This is the way I chose.

P.S. Do you "talk business" in your first DM?

I am all in for human outreach.

But I am not anti-automation, because:

- You can use automation to enhance the human touch

(and do it outside of your account so it's safe)

Here are 3 examples where automation enhances the human touch:


1) Lead validation

This is a classic repetitive task that is vital, but can easily be done by AI.

This already saves 15-45mins a day, depending on volume.


2) Lead research

To create personalization, you need to do your research. AI is amazing at providing information that you can then turn into a personalized message. Like content recapping or identifying the lead's ICP for example.

This can save 1-3 minutes per lead.


3) Systemization

Knowing exactly when to comment on a lead's post or connect with them and having all the conversation context in one place with Extrovert before reaching out.

Also, if I need to create a reminder when the lead is not ready to have the conversation today, I set a reminder in Kondo: Superhuman for LinkedIn DMs.

Hard to quantify, but can easily save 10-20 mins/day.


Human touch does make a huge difference.

But seeing automation and AI as enemies of intentional outreach is a mistake.

You can use automation to enhance it and free up your time and mental space to focus on leaving intentional comments and DMs to your prospects.

P.S. I am teaching how to go from a stranger to clients to my community every week. Comment or DM "system" to receive the Doc of the program.

One thing I have learned about outreach:

It likes action.

It does not matter if you get it wrong...

Fail...

And get ghosted.

It's ok even if you pitch slap people...

What's important is:

- That you take the lesson.
- Apply the learnings.
- And move on.

You have a unique opportunity to get in front of your ideal clients.

It's up to you to make the best of it.

P.S. Do you DM at all?

Build and scale intentional Client Acquisition systems | Win the human, win the deal | Trusted by the top 1% of LinkedIn’s Creators

To grow a business intentionally means:

To say no a lot more than to say yes.

If:

An opportunity does not align, you say no.

A strategy does not feel right, you say no.

If you don’t want to offer it, you say no.

That is how you unlock the exact opportunities that energize you.

And that is how you grow your business intentionally.

I'm teaming up with Lana Iwabuchi. Leadership & EQ Facilitator and Founder of Rocklit, for a live Zoom event:

How to Grow an Intentional Business

How to generate leads and manage talent effortlessly:

📅 Tuesday, March 24 

⏰ 6pm Japan · 10am CET 

💻 Live on Zoom


Here's what we'll cover: 

→ How to build an intentional LinkedIn lead gen system that brings clients to you consistently 

→ How to scale by building something that energizes you, not exhausts you → How to attract, inspire, and grow the right people around your vision

The best businesses aren't built on hustle alone.

They're built on clarity, the right systems, and the right people.

If you're ready to grow with more ease and purpose, this is your event.

P.S. Click on “attend” to join the event.

Arnaud Renoux

Co-founder @Scalelist

Co-Founder

All infos are just one click away: www.thescalelab.com

The Scalelab is a Lead Acquisition Agency and Consulting firm helping companies to make the first best impressions in front of their prospects by using cold email and cold LinkedIn messages.

🚀 Interested?

Only 1/3 of sales reps still cold call to build their sales pipeline.
I understand why.

- Cold call is uncomfortable. 
- You can’t edit your words. 
- You can’t hide behind an inbox or a social media platform

It’s just you and the prospect trying to start a real conversation

When I was doing 150 dials a day, I improved faster in 3 months than in 1 year sending cold emails with any automation.

Also,

After constantly hearing the same objections, 

- You start recognizing patterns. 
- You stop taking rejection personally 
- You start testing approaches

Some works; Others don’t

You just adapt.

Cold call is a real life exercise. You try, you learn, you adapt.
Cold calling isn’t magic.

It’s exposure.

And because most reps avoid that discomfort, the few who lean into it build a real edge.

Not because they’re better.

Because they’re willing to stay uncomfortable longer.

Help B2B Sales teams find the best email addresses and mobile numbers worldwide.

3 days ago, someone sent this to our support team: “How do I cancel my free trial m*ther f*cker” (yeah… 2026 is intense already 😅 )

Chris from our team replied right away.

He said two things clearly:
- don’t speak to our team like that,
- and your account will not be charged at the end of the trial unless you upgrade.

(the prospect didn’t even take 1.5 sec to read what they were signing up for lol)

A bit later, the person apologized. He said he thought it was an AI chat.

That part almost makes it worse.

People tend to forget that they are humans behind the tools/AI we used.

If you talk trash to your LLM in your corner. That’s your problem.

But they are obviously people behind the customer support of a data company like Scalelist.

Be respectful to support teams. They exist to “support” you.

I’d rather lose customers than teach my team that disrespect is part of the job.

Next time you think: “I don’t have time to cold call”
I had a 45 min after lunch today (Friday) 
Made 11 calls, booked 2 meetings.

lol,

Maybe I got a bit lucky,
But,

It just shows that there’s no rule,

I call and that’s it.

- I get great mobile numbers in APAC (but not only) using Scalelist
- I call on WhatsApp (free)
- I grow my pipeline 1 day after another.

Have a good weekend, I’m off

Want 25–35% pickup rates on cold calls in APAC?

Do this:

- Stop calling like everyone else.
- Call prospects on WhatsApp.

Get more people to pick up.

That’s it.

In APAC, many prospects are simply easier to reach on WhatsApp than through standard calling routes.

So no, cold calling is not dead.

You’re just calling on the wrong channel.

PS: 25-35% pickup rates isn’t a random number, this is what I get when doing cold call.

The first 5 sec of a cold call decide whether the chat continues or dies.
Since 2015, I’ve opened every cold call with the same line.
(And yes — it still works in March 2026.) 👇 


Script:

- Prospect: “Allo?”
- Me: “John?” (or whatever your prospect’s first name is)
- Prospect: “Yes.”
- Me: “This is Arnaud from Scalelist, how are you doing?”

That’s it. Simple. Human. Natural.

From there, the replies are almost always one of these:

- “Arnaud from where?”
- “Good, and you?”
- “What is this regarding?”
- “Scale—what?”
- “Is this a cold call?”

And so on…

The secret? Repetition. You don’t get better at handling these without hearing them again and again. (I’ll break that down in another post.)

But if you want to boost your results right now:

1- Get mobile numbers from Scalelist.
2- Call on WhatsApp. People pick up more often there.
3- Smile. (Yes, they hear it in your voice.)
4- Be confident.
5- If they hang up, keep smiling. Then dial again.

Cold calling isn’t dead.

It just requires consistency, confidence, and the right opener.

PS: Show you an example of how I use that script into the video below 👇

I built a Cold Calling Skills Pack for Claude.

Inside, you’ll find:

- absolutely nothing
- because Claude is not picking up the phone
- and because cold calling still works better when an actual human does it

If you’ve been saying “cold calling is dead” but you’re not fully sure you believe yourself,

Tomorrow, I’m hosting a webinar with my friend Tomas Blatak from Leadspicker to talk about:

- what still works on cold calls
- what kills a call in 5 seconds
- how to sound human
- how to handle objections better
- how to get more meetings booked
- and why cold calling is not dead, just badly done by most people

If you want the “skills”:

1) Connect with me
2) Comment “SKILLS”
3) Or just show up to the webinar like a normal person

See you tomorrow.

PS: The link to attend the webinar is in the comments. 🙂

Before blaming the sales rep, check if you don’t have a “this phone number belongs to a guy who left the company 14 months ago” problem.

Because some teams really look at a dead pipeline and think:

“Maybe Josh needs more energy.”

No.

Maybe Josh is calling a number that now belongs to a dentist in Kuala Lumpur.

The rep is doing the job:

- 100 calls a day.
- Sequences live.
- Follow-ups done.

Meanwhile the data was assembled by hope, outdated exports, and one provider having a spiritual connection with accuracy.

Then everyone acts surprised when conversion is bad.

Some sales problems are rep problems.

A lot of them are just:
- wrong person,
- wrong number,

You can’t out-perform garbage inputs.

PS: if you want great phone numbers with a worldwide coverage (with an APAC focus); Check out Scalelist

If you sell in APAC, you already know that cold calling is a big acquisition channel. Your mobile numbers coverage can’t suck. This is my thought after 11 years doing sales in APAC:

Prospect data is less structured more fragmented in APAC

Last week, we ran a simple test to compare Scalelist to others:

We took 100 CEOs in the Software Development industry with 51–200 employees located in every past of APAC

Our goal was to test our mobile coverage:

This is what we got:

- Scalelist — 95/100 
- SmartE — 91/100 
- Datagma — 81/100 
- Wiza — 74/100 
- Prospeo — 61/100 
- Firmable — 12/100 
- Forager — 8/100

This isn’t a “we’re the best” post.

Most providers are extremely strong in the US and Europe and in other specific countries

But APAC exposes gaps.

If this region is part of your pipeline, don’t rely on global averages.

PS: Check out Scalelist

Today at 12:07 pm, one of the biggest cold calling agencies in the world reached out. With their current APAC mobile data, their reps can't do 10 connects/day.

Their current setup:

- ~10 reps in the region (across APAC)
- Each rep does ~ 80 to 100 dials a day (~ 400 a week.) 
- And still, getting to 10 connects a day is a grind.

They target enterprise accounts in:
- finance,
- healthcare,
- manufacturing.

They already use:
- Lusha,
- ZoomInfo,
- Firmable,
etc... 

And yet, APAC is still a weak spot. That is the part many teams miss.
 
When connect rates are bad, people often blame effort.
Not enough calls. Not enough reps. Not enough volume.

But sometimes the issue is much simpler: the numbers are just not good enough for the region.

APAC is where that shows up fast.

A provider can look great on paper: 
- Strong in the US.
- Strong in Europe.
- Solid global average.

And still underperform badly in APAC.

Your reps feel that every day: In lower connect rates, wasted dials, and slower pipeline.

That is why we will start a test with this agency this week.

Also, it lines up with a benchmark we ran last week across APAC with:

100 CEOs in the Software Development (51–200 employees) in 6 to 7 APAC countries

Goal: test mobile number coverage.

Results:

- Scalelist — 95/100
- SmartE — 91/100
- Datagma — 81/100
- Wiza — 74/100
- Prospeo — 61/100
- Firmable — 12/100
- Forager — 8/100

This is not a “we’re the best” post.

Most providers are extremely strong in the US and Europe and in other specific countries

But APAC exposes gaps fast.

So if APAC matters for your outbound, do not buy based on global averages.

Test for the region you actually call.

PS: Check out Scalelist if you want to improve your mobile number coverage in APAC

That cold calling feeling when someone who has no idea who you are but decides after 90 sec that you're worth more of their time. 
It never gets old. 

I have been doing cold calling for 12 years. 

I don't cold call every day. Not even every month. 

But I picked up the phone last week and it was still there. 

Exactly the same feeling as day one. 

And I realized something. 

The people who are really good at this aren't just good at selling. 

They're addicted to that specific moment. 

When you hit a complete stranger with: 
- the right ton of voice 
- the right emotions 
- the right words 
- the right question 
- the right smile 

All of that in 90 sec; to get more of their time. 

That's the hit. 

That's what keeps you dialing. 

I know it keeps me coming back.

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Stef Curcio

Arnaud Renoux

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The Battle

Stef Curcio

Arnaud Renoux

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);}Stef Curcio's LinkedIn Performance

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