CEO @ Platinum Agency | Helping B2B Companies get more Leads | VP Customer Success @ Sales Elements

For founders ready to scale their business and/or LinkedIn presence

>> How I can help you <<

Strategic Content Creation:
Develop compelling content that speaks directly to your ideal clients' biggest challenges and positions you as the solution they've been searching for.

Lead Generation via Cold Email & LinkedIn:
Book more qualified sales conversations using AI-powered outreach systems 

There are 2 ways we can work together:

Done-for-You: Complete hands-off execution while you focus on closing deals
Done-with-You: Collaborative approach where we build your systems together

Want to learn more? Visit https://www.platinumagency.io/

Sales is evolving faster than ever. Here's where I see it heading in 2025:
 
In the past 5 years I've been watching closely, and here's what's coming for SDRs:
 
1️⃣ The Go-to-Market Engineer emerges. 
 
This hybrid role will master email infrastructure, automation, data enrichment, lead scoring, and copywriting.
 
One person with this skill set could replace multiple traditional SDRs. It might become one of the highest-paying careers in tech sales.
 
 
2️⃣ AI becomes your copilot, not your replacement.
 
Tools like Clay, Instantly, and n8n will be essential. But they'll augment human skills, not replace them.
 
The SDRs who learn to leverage these tools effectively will outperform everyone else.
 
 
3️⃣ Content creation becomes non-negotiable. 
 
Building your personal brand on LinkedIn isn't optional anymore.
SDRs who consistently share insights generate inbound leads while they sleep.
 
Your content opens doors your outreach never could.
 
 
4️⃣ The full-stack AE makes a comeback. 
 
As AI streamlines prospecting, we may see AEs handling the entire sales process again.
 
Finding talent who can manage both tech and closing? That's the real challenge. 
 
And it's where the biggest opportunities lie.
 
 
5️⃣ Personalization at scale becomes the standard Generic outreach is already dead. 
Tomorrow's GTM Engineers will blend AI-powered data with human creativity. 
 
The result? Hyper-relevant outreach that actually gets responses.
 
The winners in 2025 won't just be tech-savvy or people-oriented.
 
They'll be both.
 
What skills are you developing to stay ahead of this curve?

Sönke Venjacob

Founder @ Platinum Agency | Helped 20+ B2B Companies Scale Revenue through AI Powered GTM Systems | Podcast: GTM Advantage

Stop wasting money on the wrong GTM tools. Here’s my top 20 that actually grow revenue.

Too many founders buy tools that look shiny but don’t move the needle.

Seen it. Lived it.

Your stack should do one thing: help you close more deals, faster.

Here’s my working list after helping 25+ B2B companies scale:

Listbuilding:

- Clay(gent)
- DiscoLike
- Storeleads
- Open Mart
- Apollo & Sales Nav (evergreen)
- Octave

Data:

- Prospeo
- Icypeas
- Leadmagic

Sequencing tools:

- Instantly
- Smartlead
- HeyReach
- Lemlist (multichannel)

CRM:

- Hubspot
- BreakCold (Social Selling)
- Freckle (CRM Enrichment)

LinkedIn Content:

- Scripe
- Chat GPT
- Figma/Canva/Photoshop

Notetaking:

- Fathom (free)

Backend Automations:

- Zapier
- N8N

Every tool earns its spot.

No filler. No hype.

Each one solves a real problem I see in GTM every week.

- Sequencing tools help you run campaigns at scale.
- Listbuilding tools keep your outreach targeted.
- Data tools make sure you’re actually someone.
- CRM keeps your deals moving.
- Content and notes keep your message sharp and your team in sync.
- Automations save time and let you focus on closing.

No single tool does it all.

But together, this stack covers every base you need to grow revenue.

Stop stacking random tools.

Start building a system.

Your stack should prove your value, every day.

What’s in your GTM stack? Drop your favorite tools below.

Everyone wants a GTM engineer right now. It's the hottest job in the market. But hiring one? That’s the hard part.

Noëmie Jacquemin broke this down on GTM Advantage. We went deep for 30 minutes. She mapped out what works when you hire—how strong GTM engineers land the best jobs.

Most teams faceplant on this step.

Not because they skip interviews.

But because they don’t know what to look for.

Wrong hire? Expensive-money, time, trust.

Here’s my no-fluff playbook from the latest GTM Advantage episode:

- GTM engineer = builder of revenue systems. Not “ops with a fancy title.” They wire data, automations, email infra, enrichment, copy routing-end-to-end.

- Ditch the CV. Ask for a Loom walkthrough of their proudest Clay build. I want to see decisions, variables, branches. Why did they build it that way?

- Can they explain complex tables in plain language? If yes, they bridge GTM and stakeholders. If not, you risk silos.

- Coachability > perfection. I never look for flawless. I watch how fast they iterate on feedback.

Speed matters. Run a 7-day process:
→ Screen
→ Portfolio Loom
→ Live build
→ Culture pass
→ Offer

Retention starts before onboarding. Don’t inflate titles. Set scope, outcomes, growth path. Clear expectations = lower churn.

If you run an agency or early-stage SaaS, this saves you from the classic hiring trap.

You avoid the “builder in name only” mistake.

You get someone who grows with your team, not just checks boxes.

Hiring right isn’t luck. It’s process.

Listen to the full episode here: 
https://lnkd.in/d4B9iA-2

Margot Robbie in a bubble bath can explain lead signals better than most vendors.

Let’s make sales appealing again-not stupid.

Lead databases, intent signals, credits, technographics.

Vendors love to use these words.

They want you to feel lost. Or bored. Or even stupid.

Here’s the truth.

Lead data used to be simple.

A few big databases sold the same lists over and over.

But those lists got old. Fast.

Wrong job titles. Dead inboxes. Junk everywhere.

They call it “data decay.”

Translation? Full of crap.

Some lists are up to 60% rotten.

Sixty percent.

You pay for sales signals, you get ghosts.

And vendors keep cashing in.

They don’t care if your list is junk. They want you locked in.

But there’s a new way.

Operators like Michael Burry are shorting the old stacks.

He’s done with zombie contacts.

Now he pipes in live data from fresh sources.

Sales leaders, tech companies, Manhattan, 50+ employees.

He gets LinkedIn URLs. Real emails. Direct dials.

No more guessing.

No more paying for “exclusive” signals that are anything but.

All for less money than your last SaaS bill.

Here’s my rule:

If your lead list is old, your outreach is dead.

If your data is fresh, your pipeline is alive.

Don’t let vendors bore you into bad decisions.

Make sales fun again.

Make it smart.

10M+ impressions on LinkedIn. I built my agency from LinkedIn Content.

Sounds wild, right?

But that’s how Platinum Agency started.

No big ads. No cold calls. No fancy tricks.

Content.

That’s it.

I posted. Showed up. Told my story. Shared what worked. Shared what failed.

People noticed.

The DMs started. First, a few. Then a flood.

Deals closed.

Connections? Out of control.

I hit 10M+ impressions. Almost 22K Followers now.

But here’s the real story:

Content was the launchpad. It got me in the room with people I never thought I’d meet.

Revenue followed. Not overnight. Not magic. But consistent.

1.5 years in, I added outbound services. But content was always the engine.

Now we help founders do the same. We build their LinkedIn presence. We craft the narrative. We make sure the RIGHT people see them.

We tested every tool out there.

But Scripe changed the game for us.

Collaboration is smooth. Ghostwriting for clients is easy. Everyone stays in sync. We deliver faster. We deliver better.

Proud to be an official partner at Scripe now.

Big thanks to Carmen for running the partner cohort. If a co-founder spends time training the expert partners on their product, that's goals imo. 

LinkedIn content is not a side hustle. It’s a growth channel.

You want inbound? You want trust? You want deals?

Start posting.

Multichannel isn’t new. But this update makes it actually usable for lean GTM teams.

I tried to run LinkedIn and email together before.

Pain.

Switch tools. Manual copy-paste. Missed replies. Data everywhere.

Now HeyReach.io talks to Instantly.ai.

No patchwork.

Here is how it goes:

- LinkedIn message goes out first.
- If no reply, Instantly emails next.
- Or flip it. Start with email, Instantly triggers LinkedIn if they open.

No lost leads.

No double work.

Everything connects.

I call this: simple stack, strong reach.

No more "What did we miss?" or "Did the follow-up go out?"

All covered.

I use this flow.

My clients use it.

It saves time. It avoids mistakes.

I wanted this for a LONG time.

Now it is here.

HeyReach 🤝 Instantly

Founders & Sales Leads: Chasing static lists kills your pipeline.

Smart recommendations will change how you sell.

Static lists = dead data.

You don’t need more contacts — you need better timing.

Here’s what happens inside Bizzy:

Define your ICP — one line: “German IT consultancy, 20–100 employees, hiring sales roles.”

Bizzy Agent starts learning. It monitors your criteria and sends you 10–50 company recommendations weekly.

Each recommendation includes why to reach out — funding, hiring, leadership changes, tech signals.

You approve → push to HubSpot or other CRMs → start outreach.

No CSVs, no data crawling, no guessing.

You spend your time talking to the right companies — not filtering spreadsheets.

The secret:

If a company has multiple live signals → Bizzy moves it to the top.

No signals → you won’t see it.

It’s not about list volume anymore.
It’s about signal density.

Want to see the signal framework I use to qualify leads?

Comment “Signal Stack” and I’ll share the Notion playbook.

I burned through 1,000,000+ Clay credits so you don’t have to.

If Clay feels “insanely expensive”, it’s probably not Clay.

It’s your system.

When you treat Clay like magic instead of infrastructure, you burn money.

When you treat it like a system, every credit stretches 10x further.

Here’s what I learned after burning 7 figures worth of credits 👇

1 **Bring your own AI key**

Use your own OpenAI / Gemini / Anthropic key.

Default providers are convenient, but pricey. Your own key often runs at a fraction of the cost per run.

2 **Avoid native sequencers when you’re cost-sensitive**

Build in Clay, then export your table.

Upload to Instantly, HeyReach, or your sequencer of choice for outreach.

3 **Turn OFF auto-run by default**

Always build logic first.

Test 10–20 rows. Fix. Then scale.

4 **Watch credit usage like a hawk**

In table settings, monitor credits per column + total.

Kill or refactor any column that’s quietly draining you.

5 **Bring your existing tools**

Already pay for LeadMagic, Prospeo, Icypeas, etc.?

Pipe them into Clay instead of double-paying for the same enrichment.

6 **Reorder your waterfalls**

Put the cheapest providers first.

Never let the premium ones fire unless the cheap ones fail.

**7 Use external validators**

Tools like ZeroBounce can be cheaper at scale than built-in validation.

8 **Use the Clay DB, DiscoLike + Apify for lists**

Scrape company + contact lists via Apify and Clay’s database.

You’ll get the data you need without burning Clay credits on every lookup.

9 Credit Savers for Clay

$50K deals, dream candidates in my inbox, and brand partnerships (that make me feel like an influencer) -all because I built my brand.

I used to roll my eyes when people said, “Personal brand is your best investment.”

Now I’m one of those people.

Because it’s true.

No cold spam. No chasing.

People send me real money. Top candidates reach out. Brands want to work with me.

Wild.

But none of this happened by accident.

Here’s my full stack:

- LinkedIn for ideas (it’s my goldmine)
- ChatGPT to break my thoughts into angles
- Scripe to sharpen every word
- Notion as my content calendar (I hate it, but it works)
- Figma for quick design collab
- Taplio for insight and reach
- Grammarly to fix my grammar (yes, I’m German)

Every tool has a job.

Every step makes me more visible and more human online.

I share my story, not some copy-paste guru playbook.

People trust people, not logos.

That’s why deals land in my inbox, not the other way around.

I’m not chasing. I’m building.

Consistency is my superpower.

Every post, every DM, every reply-compound interest.

Building a personal brand is not about clout or likes.

It’s about trust.

It’s about being the person people want to do business with.

I’m living proof.

Reverse-engineer your ICP in 4 steps. No more guessing, just growth.

Most GTM leaders are flying blind when it comes to their ICP.

They talk personas and “sweet spots” but never check the real data.

I see it every week.

The same three mistakes:

- No closed-won deal analysis
- No interviews with the best AEs or CSMs
- No documentation of who the ICP actually is

Wild.

Here’s how I fix it with every client:

Step 1: Survey your best AEs and CSMs.

They know the patterns. They see who lights up on calls, who ghosts, which industries “get it.” I collect their feedback and upload it to Claude. You get insights that leadership can’t see from the top floor.

Step 2: Export CRM data and enrich with Clay.

I pull every closed-won. Enrich with firmographic and technographic data. Push it all into Claude. Then prompt for patterns. Top sub-industries, top locations, headcount, win reasons, and the signals that show real intent.

Step 3: Build a tiered scoring model.

Forget point systems. I use tiers. Define Tier 1, 2, 3. Map firmographic and technographic criteria. Add account-fit signals. Simple, actionable. No guesswork.

Step 4: Back-test against your closed-wons.

Run the model in Clay. See if your best clients show up as Tier 1. If not, you tweak. If yes, you double down. Spend more on Tier 1. Focus manual prospecting there. Use 1:few or 1:many plays for Tiers 2 and 3.

The model is your foundation.

Once you have it, you can build a list, track signals, and scale with confidence.

Most teams skip this.

But when you get it right, growth is not a guess.

It’s a system.

Would you try this in your GTM strategy?

Most CRMs are stuck in 2012. The future of sales is already here, and it’s smarter than you think.

Spent time with Arnaud Belinga, Co-founder of Breakcold, to break down how AI-native CRMs are flipping the script for sales teams.

We didn’t talk about “AI-powered” features that get slapped onto old tools.

We talked about real changes.

Traditional CRMs make you waste hours moving data, chasing records, fixing duplicates.

You spend more time updating fields than talking to buyers.

That is broken.

Modern sales teams need something different.

Here’s what’s happening now:

– AI-native CRMs run in the background. No more manual entry. No more dashboards that suck your energy.
– You can drive your whole workflow from LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Telegram. The CRM listens and supports, instead of getting in your way.
– Automation doesn’t kill personalization. It makes it easier to keep every message relevant, every touchpoint sharp.
– Custom AI agents work for you. They handle research, scoring, and even first outreach. You get more time to sell, less time to babysit tools.
– Outbound is lean. You don’t chase cold leads. You let AI surface the best ones, so you focus on deals that close.

Sales is not just about more tools.

It’s about less friction, less noise, and more control.

You sell how you want, where you want.

The old CRM is a graveyard for data.

The new CRM is an engine for revenue.

That’s the shift.

Want to hear how top founders are rebuilding their stack for 2026?

Catch my full talk with Arnaud on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dTfnVBbk

Ever felt like Spongebob with your outreach? Lost. Ignored. Stressed. Under the water?

You work on the list. Refine messaging. Create A/B tests. Hit send.

Silence.

Spam folder.

No replies.

I learned it’s usually deliverability.

Quick fixes:

- Keep emails short (under 100 words)
- No links, images, or HTML
- Use spintax
- Send slow, warm up addresses
- Only your name in the signature
- Validate every email

Still going silent?

If you get 0 replies: Your emails are most likely landing in spam.

PS: To all OGs, what is your favorite episode?

How to spot if your email setup is killing your outreach results-step by step.

Most people blame their copy, their offer, or their timing when emails flop.

But the truth?
Bad deliverability ruins more deals than a boring subject line ever will.

I see it all the time:
- You send a killer sequence
- Open rates tank
- Replies disappear
- No one knows why

(Been there. Not fun.)

Here's what usually hides behind poor performance:

1️⃣ Shared IP headaches
→ You send from the same server as 200 random businesses
→ Someone else spams, your reputation takes a hit
→ Your emails land in junk, even if you do everything right

2️⃣ Messy infrastructure
→ No clear ownership
→ Hard to diagnose what went wrong
→ You spend hours chasing shadows

3️⃣ Unpredictable results
→ Some days, great replies
→ Other days, nothing
→ You lose trust in your own system

SmartServers from Smartlead change this game.

No more shared IP roulette.
No more guessing who tanked your sender reputation last night.
No more “why do my emails all go to spam?” drama.

Instead, you get:
- Dedicated sending power (your own lane, no traffic jams)
- Cleaner reputation (fewer spam signals)
- Easier troubleshooting (when the rare issue pops up, you know where to look)
- More predictable results (open, reply, conversion rates that make sense)

If your outreach feels like rolling dice, your infrastructure could be the weak link.

Brand partnership • Founder @ Platinum Agency | Helped 20+ B2B Companies Scale Revenue through AI Powered GTM Systems | Podcast: GTM Advantage

Hab Bizzy.ai zum ersten Mal ausprobiert. Mein ehrliches Fazit? Das erste Prospecting-Tool, das die Arbeit wirklich für dich erledigt.

Was mich überzeugt hat:

Setup: blitzschnell. Kein manuelles Listenbauen. ICP einmal definieren, und der Agent schickt dir jede Woche neue Lead-Empfehlungen.

Qualität > Quantität: Statt 10.000 Namen in eine CSV zu kippen, liefert Bizzy dir 10–50 qualifizierte Empfehlungen pro Woche – echte Unternehmen mit Kontext.

Kontext inklusive: Jedes Unternehmen kommt mit "warum jetzt" – Einstellungen, Umsatztrends, Marktbewegungen oder andere Signale, die du beim Onboarding festgelegt hast.

Tiefgehende Daten: Angetrieben von Creditsafes verifizierten Finanz- und Firmendaten, angereichert mit Ebenen aus Rechtseinheiten, Google Maps-Einträgen, LinkedIn-Profilen und Unternehmenswebsites.

Europa-Fokus & GDPR-first. Endlich eine Plattform, die EU-Compliance wirklich versteht.

Die meisten Tools verkomplizieren das Listenbauen. Bizzy nimmt dir die Drecksarbeit ab. Du loggst dich Montagmorgen ein → neue qualifizierte Leads warten → du gibst frei, pushst ins CRM, rufst an oder schreibst.

Warum ich es mag:

→ Einfaches Onboarding (ICP einmal definieren)
→ Smarte wöchentliche Empfehlungen (keine manuelle Suche)
→ Reichhaltiger Unternehmenskontext (echte Kaufsignale, Daten die über LinkedIn hinausgehen)

Wenn dir wichtig ist, ohne Chaos zu skalieren – oder Pipeline aufzubauen, ohne 10 SaaS-Tools zusammenzubasteln – probier's aus.

Want to call every prospect, not just email them? Here’s the system I use to find mobile numbers fast.

Speed matters in outbound.

If I want to reach decision makers, I can’t waste time on bad data.

I use FullEnrich to build hit lists that actually pick up the phone.

Here’s the workflow:

– Start with a name and company domain.
– Drop it into FullEnrich.
– Waterfall enrichment runs across 20+ premium data sources.
– Triple email verification means I don’t burn credits on bounced emails.
– Find verified mobile numbers, not just generic switchboards.

Simple.

Data looks messy. Names flipped, emojis in job titles, weird company names.

FullEnrich cleans it up before I even export.

Now I get direct dials and clean emails, ready for sequencing.

No more calling dead numbers.

No more guessing if the contact is real.

My CRM stays updated and fresh.

I can run outbound at full speed, knowing my hit rate goes up.

Every SDR, RevOps leader, or founder who cares about results needs this.

You want to book meetings, not chase ghosts.

I don’t trust my pipeline to luck or a single data vendor.

With FullEnrich, if the number exists, I find it.

I pay only for what I get-no wasted credits, no fluff.

Outbound gets easier when you work with better data.

#FullEnrichpartner

If you’re still blasting generic outbound in 2025, you’re burning cash and missing deals daily.

You need to upgrade your motion if you want to win.

I sat down with Tom Veysey and he broke down 4 Clay workflows that are driving results for outbound and RevOps teams.

Job ads → instant pain-based outreach.

Track new roles in your ICP with Clay’s Find Jobs + Job Enrich. Pull the job description, map their pain to your product, and pair it with a case study. They tell you their problem. You reply with proof you solved it.

Product champions that follow you to their next job.

Upload your list of “winners.” Track when they join a new company. You get a warm door-opener, not a cold pitch. One Clay credit per signal. Easy win.

New-to-role campaigns that don’t feel creepy.

Start with Apollo for volume, clean in Clay, use Claygent and your offer PDF. Infer a pain point for every lead and match it to the right offer. Every “congrats on the new role” email hits with a real problem + solution.

RSS feed tracking = underrated GTM alpha.

Ingest RSS from Product Hunt or niche news. Score the articles. Find the right companies and buyers. Pair it with a solid email waterfall. This works for boomer industries where blasting emails fails.

Listen to the full episode to level up your Clay game: https://lnkd.in/duDWHVgV

If you only had 150 shots this week-who would you pick?

Most people panic at LinkedIn’s 150/week cap.

They think more volume means more pipeline.

But volume hides weak targeting.

Spray-and-pray is not a strategy. It’s a liability.

Limits force you to get sharp.

You need to know who matters.

You must watch for real signals.

You have to personalize beyond a template.

You reach only the people who fit your ICP.

That’s a gift.

When you only get 150 shots, you treat each one like it matters.

No more lazy mass requests.

No more “Hi, can I add you to my network?” with zero context.

Here’s what I do:

- I find intent-first leads.
- I stack signals like job changes, content views, and engagement.
- I only hit “Connect” when I see the right mix.
- Cold email handles the big list. LinkedIn is my sniper rifle.
- Every message is 1:1, not a numbers game.

It forces me to focus.

I know every connection is a real shot at a conversation.

No more noise. No more wasted effort.

Want to win on LinkedIn?

Stop blaming the cap.

Start using it.

What’s your favorite targeting signal on LinkedIn?

Stop burning out your main LinkedIn account. Here’s the smarter way to run big outreach campaigns.

If you’ve run cold email at scale, you know the drill:

- Buy extra mailboxes
- Warm them up
- Rotate them to dodge spam filters

LinkedIn? Until now, it’s been a different story.

One account. One set of limits. One wrong move and you risk a ban-or worse, killing your personal brand.

I’ve seen agencies and power users hit this wall again and again. You want to ramp up outreach, but LinkedIn’s rules keep you stuck in first gear.

Here’s what changes everything:

Native LinkedIn account rental.

Aimfox now lets you rent and brand LinkedIn profiles just for outreach.

Think about it:

- Multiple profiles, all managed in one place
- No more risking your main account
- Scale campaigns the way you already do with cold email

How does it work? Simple.

1️⃣ You rent verified LinkedIn accounts (no sketchy hacks, no fake data)

2️⃣ Each account gets its own ICP-focused branding
→ “Outbound Advisor for SaaS”
→ “Growth Partner for Agencies”
→ You control the message

3️⃣ Run targeted outreach at real volume-without crossing the daily limits on your own profile

4️⃣ All your campaigns, replies, and reporting-managed from one dashboard (finally, no more spreadsheet chaos)

This is the first time LinkedIn outreach has caught up with cold email playbooks.

Agencies: double your campaign capacity without burning your best asset (your face, your voice, your trust).

Solo founders: launch more tests, reach more buyers, stay under the radar.

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