Most companies get to $2-3M ARR then stall. Reasons: What got you to $2-3M doesn’t scale past it. Not because effort drops. Because the system gets exposed: The offer still sounds good, but the economics aren’t tight. The ICP is defined, but not prioritized. Messaging gets responses, but not the right conversations. Outbound works, but only in bursts. Pipeline exists, but forecasting doesn’t. Each part works in isolation. The system doesn’t. Scaling past $10M requires alignment. 1/ Offer architecture If ROI isn’t obvious, velocity disappears. No amount of activity fixes weak economics. 2/ Market mapping Broad ICPs hide where revenue actually comes from. Growth accelerates when you concentrate on the segments that convert cleanly. 3/ Message precision Good messaging doesn’t persuade. It filters for buyers who already care. 4/ Outbound engine At scale, the pipeline can’t be accidental. It has to be created on purpose. If output depends on timing, referrals, or hero effort, it’s fragile. 5/ Revenue operations This is where scale either stabilizes or collapses. If data and handoffs aren’t tight, leadership is always reacting. 6/ Predictable scale Forecasting only works when inputs are controlled. When the system is stable, growth becomes boring. Miss one piece and everything downstream degrades. If outbound is part of how you plan to scale, it needs to be engineered with precision. Need help building a system that scales? Apply for our no-cost, no-risk pilot campaign. We’ll run a live campaign to show you how it should work before you make any commitments. Apply here: https://bit.ly/C17Pilot Follow Enzo Carasso 🧲 for outbound systems and growth. | 86 comments on LinkedIn

Everything is getting more expensive going into 2026. Smartlead is doing the opposite. They’re updating pricing + removing contact caps. Meaning: unlimited contact storage. If you’ve ever scaled cold email, you know why this matters. Most tools charge you by contacts. So once you hit the cap, you’re forced to do dumb stuff: - delete prospects to make room - lose history + context - recycle leads just to keep sending As an agency, we ran into this constantly. We run pilots out of our own system. Then as clients scale, we embed everything into their account for cleaner ownership + integration. Contact caps used to mean we were deleting work we already did… just to reallocate send capacity somewhere else. That’s a tax on growth. Smartlead removing caps means you keep your outbound memory intact. Every prospect. Every campaign. Forever. | 30 comments on LinkedIn

5 pre launch checks for your next cold email campaign If you are sending emails without any safety measures… this is for you I’ve experienced lots of issues while running email campaigns including - Domains getting flagged - Replies are stuck - Campaigns burning out in 2 weeks Everything would be decent, but the setup? Completely overlooked. So I worked on some safety measures Here they are… 1. Infrastructure Check Make sure you're not using your primary domain, Gmail workspaces, or random SMTP boxes. One mistake and your main brand email is done. You need dedicated mailboxes built for outbound. Maildoso helped me with it 2. Domain + DNS Check Verify DNS propagation, correct records, no blacklists, and zero abuse history before sending Because anti spam systems are watching from day one 3. Volume & Ramp Check Start at 10 emails per mailbox on day 1, then slowly increase them Sending a massive volume can trigger spam filters 4. Targeting & Relevance Check Confirm you're emailing the right ICP with messaging that actually fits their world. Deliverability means nothing if you're hitting the wrong person. 5. Sequence & CTA Check Keep your CTA simple, don't pitch in email #1, and format for mobile readability. People like to skim emails. Cold email isn't complicated but it does require respect for the basics Let Maildoso handle the infrastructure and make sure your campaign setup doesn't damage what the tech is built to protect Run these checks, then hit send with confidence | 42 comments on LinkedIn

I've coached 20 GTM Engineers in the past 12 months. The role is largely a technical one. So here's a breakdown of the key tools and technical skills you need to master to become a top 1% GTME (and futureproof your skillset and earn a shit ton of money!!) Which of course you can learn in practice here: https://lnkd.in/eN7qinfB

Most GTM teams are bloated with tools they don’t actually need. Here’s how I’d rank the stack going into 2025: Must-Have: Tools that give you leverage, scale, and speed. You’ll feel the pain the second you stop using them. → Smartlead - best-in-class email deliverability at scale → GetSales.io - Handle all your LinkedIn outreach in one place → HubSpot - clean CRM that just works → Clay - unmatched data enrichment + personalization workflows → AI Ark – the only prospecting database you need Nice-to-Have: Helpful, not essential. They can boost your ops, but don’t build your whole system around them. → Trigify.io - social signals for outbound timing → CommonRoom - community intel + complete signals platform → Ocean.io - decent for ICP research → UserGems 💎 - warm outbound via job changes → Leadfeeder - uncover your website visitors (less useful than it sounds) Overrated: Either overpriced, overhyped, or simply outperformed. They had their moment but the game has changed. → Apollo - data quality still patchy at scale → 6sense - great in theory, clunky in execution → Cognism - expensive for what you get → ZoomInfo - outdated workflows, inflated cost → Outreach - will burn your domain The best GTM stacks are lean, fast, and ROI-driven. You don’t need more tools. You need the right ones. What would you add or remove from this list? StackOptimise ⚙️ | 18 comments on LinkedIn

I launched 12 campaigns before realizing I was doing it backwards The thing is, I kept starting with tactics when I should've started with structure So here's what works when you're building a multi channel GTM campaign… 1. Audience & Triggers Figure out who you're talking to and when they're paying attention. 2. Messaging Angles Write the story that stops them mid scroll. They need to relate with your message 3. Channel Mix Meet buyers where they usually hang out. LinkedIn + email + ads only work if your audience is there 4. Execution Rhythm Map the timing so it feels natural, not like you're screaming into every channel at once 👀 5. Impact Review Look at what worked and what flopped, coz that’s the point where you learn and get better Pretty basic but make big changes in your campaign results I made this cheatsheet so you don't have to learn it the hard way like I did 👇 Btw, do you plan campaigns step-by-step or just dive in?

We analyzed 300+ cold email replies and found these 8 patterns The emails that got responses weren't the most polished ones They were the most relevant… the ones that spoke to the recipient's problems So we broke down what worked into 8 angles you can use 👇 Here is how you can apply them Pick one angle based on who you're reaching - Pattern interrupt for busy executives - Data driven when you've done your research - Short & direct for senior decision-makers. And the best takeaway here is that you just have to choose the right angle for the right person 😉 While keeping it genuine Which of these have you tried? would love to hear what's working for you. 🙌

Here’s the truth no one tells you about AI AGENTS in 2026 and you must know before it’s too late: Most teams talk about “AI SDRs” like it’s some futuristic thing. It’s not. It’s just the new way top outbound teams already operate in 2026. If you want an AI SDR that actually books meetings and not just another bot sending spam, follow the exact blueprint I use with my clients 👇 1️⃣ Map the SDR workflow Before you automate anything, break the job into small stuff This includes researching accounts, spotting triggers, writing emails, personalizing, qualifying inbound, following up, and updating the CRM. If you don’t know what the AI should own, nothing will work. 2️⃣ Assign each responsibility to its own AI agent Think of it like building a tiny GTM team: • CRM Agent • Inbox Agent • Writer Agent • Trigger Agent • Research Agent • Sequencer Agent Each one handles a specific part of the process so nothing gets dropped. 3️⃣ Train the AI to think like your best SDR Give it a persona, feed it your ICP pains, your POVs, your proof. Let it write the emails, the call scripts, the follow-ups, the objection handling. Save your best prompts somewhere and reuse them. Don't start from scratch every time. 4️⃣ Turn the whole thing on A signal fires, research happens instantly, a fresh POV gets created, the message goes out, follow-ups happen automatically, CRM gets updated, and managers get notified when something matters. No lag. No guessing. No “I forgot.” 5️⃣ Track everything and refine it Open rate, reply rate, positive replies, meetings booked, time-to-first-touch. Every cycle makes the system smarter. Modern AI AGENTS don’t replace reps. They replace everything that slows reps down. Follow Alan Ruchtein for more AI-native outbound playbooks and the exact workflows that will separate the leaders from everyone else in 2026

As Clay's largest user, we've learned a ton about scaling with the platform. Here are the 5 lessons I talked about on stage at Sculpt in San Francisco recently. (Link to video at the end). Clay Rules & Best Practices 1. Always Always Always Use Conditional Formulas on Paid Integrations. Seems super simple and obvious but getting your team in this habit helps to prevent unnecessary API calls and only trigger paid integrations when data truly needs enrichment. 2. Save Paid Data Externally Store enriched data in CRM or Supabase, not inside Clay only. I pay $30 a month for Supabase and just one of our databases amongst over 20 has 11.4M records. 3. Leverage Scheduled Sources Automate evergreen campaigns that continuously refresh and send new leads into workflows without manual input. This features is still under used by people that have cracked an outbound campaign for themselves and need to keep it on all the time without forgetting. 4. The formula generator can really do a lot. If you want the same thing to happen every time it sees an input, try this before using AI. Use formulas for: Cleaning and combining data If/Then logic Lead scoring State abbreviation Reminder: Clay formulas run on JavaScript, so almost any data transformation is possible. 5. The GEX AI Prompting Framework Prompting Rules The 10-Minute Manual Research Rule: Don't steal other people's playbooks. Think about when you are manually researching a company. What are you looking for if you had 10 minutes to research them? And how does that change your message? One Thing at a Time: Give AI a single, focused task, avoid multitasking prompts. Safeguards: Build filters for low-context outputs (e.g., return “purple” when uncertain). Use Examples: Always include examples in prompts for better accuracy. Meta Prompting: Ask ChatGPT “What questions do you have to improve this prompt?” before finalizing. Reasoning First: For high-stakes tasks (like industry classification), ask AI to output reasoning before its final answer. Handle Edge Cases: Be ready to prompt around specific constraints (e.g., tone, banned words, output format, length). Mindset Takeaway “AI is the smartest thing in the world built to solve Calculus problems. I promise it can write your emails, you just need to give it some TLC.” Overall: → Think like a system designer, not a button clicker. → Use Clay, Supabase, and AI together to build repeatable, data-rich workflows that scale outbound. https://lnkd.in/eMtqW3Ut

15 Tools for Outbound Success 👇 First up, your email finders → Tools that enrich your lead lists with verified email addresses for maximum data coverage. 1. LeadMagic 2. Prospeo.io 3. Wiza 4. Findymail 5. Apollo Next, email verifiers → Tools that validate your emails to keep bounce rates below 2%. 1. Reoon 2. BounceBan (Verify risky emails without sending messages) 3. Bouncer 4. MillionVerifier 5. ZeroBounce Finally, your sequencer → Tools that deliver your emails and manage your campaigns + infrastructure. 1. Smartlead 2. Instantly.ai 3. EmailBison 4. Saleshandy 5. Woodpecker.co What would you add? StackOptimise ⚙️ | 39 comments on LinkedIn

Time to share the sauce. Here's the exact 5 Cold Email Templates that book us meetings predictably. The unique luxury of pitching cold email services via cold email is that the channel becomes the proof. The medium essentially = the product. If the outreach is good, it's same to assume the product's good. ------- Learn how to execute these templates at scale: https://lnkd.in/eN7qinfB | 14 comments on LinkedIn

We’ve added a new layer to find Message-Market Fit. And it’s changing everything. Once we find a winning message… we don’t stop. We take that single winning email and use AI to recreate it 5–10 different ways: - same core message - small tweaks to tone - slight changes in length - more humour / more urgency Micro-optimisations. Macro results. This is how we fulfil our mission: To find the fastest path to ROI in outbound - for every B2B business. If you’re curious what this looks like for your company… We’ll build you 10 strategies pro bono + map everything into a custom Clay table if you qualify. We’ll show you the process live - no fluff, no long sales cycles. Book a call here: https://lnkd.in/e3qxXKmr Outbound is an iteration game. And the fastest iterators win. | 21 comments on LinkedIn

Here are a few things agencies are doing in 2026 to get ahead: 1) Using Supabase: caching emails, verifications, results. Saving significant time and money by not paying for every API call. 2) Vibe coding in LOVEABLE. A few weeks ago, a client was left high and dry from a previous CRM vendor. We rebuilt their CRM in a day. To be fair it wasn't that complex but we integrated it into Instantly.ai to capture their replies in real time. 3) Digging deep on AI...using tools like Manus AI to understand layers of complexity with browser based and deep layer computer agents. 4) Understanding tools like Firecrawl and Cursor and how they can dramatically change your approach to finding data and lead generation. 2026 will be the year the AI alters work for the better, and if done right clients and results will benefit.

22 tips to stay organized in Clay (so you don't burn credits like an idiot) ​ 1. Label inputs, steps, and outputs clearly. Input = what you need to start the Clay table (full name, LinkedIn URL, etc.). Steps = enrichments (Step 1, Step 2 etc). Outputs = final action (email, CRM push). Makes troubleshooting 10x easier. ​ 2. Color-code everything. Green = inputs. Yellow = needs tweaking. Red = something's broken. ​ 3. Use folders. SOP templates, client work, in-progress tables, temp tables. Delete untitled workbooks immediately. ​ 4. Know what Clay does / doesn't. Clay is the middleman. Always ask: What are my inputs? What does Clay do with them? What's the output? Etc, etc. ​ 5. Enable auto-deduplication. Bottom-right corner. NEVER spend credits twice on the same contact. ​ 6. Turn the table OFF when importing data. "Auto update columns" will burn credits before you're ready. Switch it off. Bottom-right corner. ​ 7. Test on 1 row. Then 2. Then scale. Run 1. If it works, run 2. If it works, run all. ​ 8. Switch off auto-update on complex tables. Stops enrichments from auto-triggering the next step and draining credits. ​ 9. Focus on ONE table at a time. Shiny object syndrome kills productivity. Start to finish. Then move on. Oh, and do not try to replicate the giveaway Clay tables from Linkedin posts. They are 99% BS and won’t work. ​ 10. Save other people's templates separately. Use them as inspiration only. Everyone's tech stack is different. ​ 11. Save YOUR templates for reuse. Spent 30 minutes writing a killer prompt? Save it. You'll use it again. ​ 12. Build waterfall templates. Email finders, enrichment chains - set them up once and then reuse them forever. ​ 13. Use Clay Functions. Automates repetitive enrichment flows. Will save you HOURS. ​ 14. Create a Do Not Contact (DNC) list. Separate table. Cross-reference with "Lookup Multiple Rows" so you never contact the same person twice. ​ 15. Push contacts to a CRM table. After adding leads to campaigns, write them to a master CRM table in Clay. Keeps everything organized. ​ 16. Define scope before building. Write down: Step 1, Step 2, Step 3. Then match each step to an enrichment + prompt. ​ 17. Prompt AI properly (6-step framework): → Input (what you're starting with) → Action (what you want AI to do) → Constraints (word count, format) → Prefix (sentence structure) → Example (show AI what good looks like) → Click “Generate” to generate the mega-prompt inside Clay ​ 18. Mark broken columns in red. Mental shortcut when you re-open the table. ​ 19. Check credit consumption. Settings → Credits Usage. See which tables are burning credits and replace them using external APIs. ​ 20. Buy tools outside Clay Cheaper to use Prospeo or Lead Magic directly than through Clay enrichments. ​ 21. Delete unused tables. Clean workspace = clear head. ​ 22. Don't overcomplicate it. Most people add 20 enrichments trying to look fancy. Start simple. Add complexity only when needed.

15 tools to turn your LinkedIn profile into a lead machine Everyone's asking the same question: "Abbas, which LinkedIn tool should I use?" Wrong question The question isn't which tool, it's which layers I'm going to make this stupid simple 👇🏿 Here are the 15 tools we've actually used organised by layer because that's what matters Layer 1: Clean Data Prospeo.io, Apollo, Cognism, Wiza, Lusha These tools will allow you to pull lists directly from Sales Navigator via extension + give you the emails + mobiles for multi-channel outreach Layer 2: Automation Infrastructure HeyReach, lemlist, La Growth Machine, PhantomBuster, Dripify, Expandi Pick 1, don't overthink it HeyReach.io the safest, lemlist the most balanced, La Growth Machine has some great features like automated voice notes, PhantomBuster is most powerful Layer 3: Intent Detection Trigify, Clay, Teamfluence 󠁯•󠁏󠁏 Trigify.io tells you when they're buying - Social Listening Data 󠁯•󠁏󠁏 Clay ties everything together - Your data warehouse for signal stacking 󠁯•󠁏󠁏 Teamfluence™ shows profile visitor data (The hidden one most teams miss) The math: Clean data + Right automation + Perfect timing = 800+ conversations monthly 🚀 You don't need the best tool, you need the right layers What else am I missing? Seems to be a new tool every week - but these are the most reliable I've used so far. __________________ If you need help turning your LinkedIn profile into revenue - I run The Playbook Agency (A content + Data Agency that gets you in front of buyers) | 25 comments on LinkedIn

Most teams suck at outbound. And there's one mistake that trips them up: Teams push messages out quickly, across broad lists, without a real offer behind them. It feels efficient because activity ramps up fast. That decision leads to the first failure mode. 1/ Low relevance, low personalization Generic messaging goes to loosely defined audiences (backed by weak ICP logic and unclear value). The result is predictable. - Reply rates stay low - Spam complaints increase - Domains decay before pipeline appears At this point, teams conclude outbound itself is broken. So they try to fix it. 2/ High personalization, low relevance Instead of changing the offer or the ICP, they add effort. They personalize everything. - Data points - Custom openers - Personal trivia Replies improve, which feels like progress. But meetings don’t qualify. Pipeline doesn’t move. Personalization increases activity, not relevance. The conversation starts, but there’s still no business reason to continue it. Eventually, the real issue becomes obvious. 3/ Low personalization, high relevance When outbound works, it starts with clarity, not cleverness. - A strong ICP definition - Clear economic pain - Role-specific framing - A repeatable offer Because relevance is doing the work, messages can stay simple. Signal improves. Volume starts compounding instead of hurting. This is where outbound becomes predictable and scalable. Some teams then push it further. 4/ High personalization, high relevance For priority accounts, they add depth. - Deep account research - Custom pain framing - Tailored offers Conversion rates climb. So does cost. This approach also means: - Manual workflows - High effort per touch - Limited scalability This works when used intentionally. It breaks when treated as a default motion. After seeing this cycle enough times, the pattern is clear. Outbound doesn’t fail because teams don’t personalize enough. It fails because they personalize before relevance is established. Relevance has to be engineered first. Personalization should come after, and only where it pays. Most teams reverse that order and absorb the cost. Where does your outbound sit today? Share below. Want to see how C17 Lab runs outbound built to actually convert? Start with a no-cost pilot campaign. Apply here: https://bit.ly/C17Pilot Repost this for someone still confusing personalization with relevance. Follow Enzo Carasso 🧲 for more on outbound, offer creation, and GTM execution.

B2B Sales Stack: THEN vs NOW 🔥 24 tools (12 old, 12 new) => pick modernity 🆕 Most B2B softwares have been around for decades. It's a proof of their stability. Stability is good but sometimes you have to innovate. 1°) CRM Alexander Christie from Attio released an excellent paper about Salesforce that convinced me -- along with their great product -- that Attio is going after Salesforce the right way. On our end at Breakcold, we're not in that realm. We have a different positioning, which results that almost half of our new customers come from Pipedrive. 2°) Multi-channel Considering the fantastic growth of lemlist lately, as explained by Charles Tenot, it's clear that they're eating more and more Outreach and Salesloft's lunch. Watch out for Dorian Ciavarella from ZELIQ though, they're very hungry to build the next dominant sales platform of that era. 3°) Leads Both ZoomInfo and Hunter had to comply with regulations which probably slow downed their innovative pace. That's why gigantic platforms like Apollo exploded, but we saw lately how grey innovation can be. On the other hand, Roman Hipp from BetterContact popularized the concept of 'Waterfall Enrichment', now almost a standard on the market. 4°) Cold Email I could have quoted many other tools, Instantly.ai not necessarily replace Mailshake and Yesware. They undoubtedly launched the cold emailing at scale era. 1 thing for sure is that Vaibhav Namburi made this era so much better with Smartlead . 5°) Workflows Ok please don't be too harsh on me Zapier and Make, you're still mega relevant! But when it comes to B2B sales workflows, niched tools like Clay and Default are really making GTM roles but also traditional salespeople delighted. 6°) Presentations There's not a single week without seeing Gamma from Grant Lee somewhere. In the sales space, trumpet 🎺 by 🎺 Rory Sadler has been leading the 'sales pods' race so far with an astonishing number of native integrations. ----- What did I miss? 🤔 If you're a digital SMB, try my CRM software Breakcold 🔥 | 37 comments on LinkedIn

7 cold call openers that get prospects talking And they’re simple as f***: 1. Permission-based “Hey [Name], it’s [You] from [Company]. I know I’m calling out of the blue. Can I take 30 seconds to share why I called, and you can tell me if it’s relevant?” 2. Honest cold call “Hey [Name], quick heads up, this is a cold call. Before you decide to hang up, can I tell you why I’m calling? If it’s not relevant, I’ll let you go.” 3. Inject some Humour “Hey [Name], it’s [You]. I’m cold calling on a Monday morning, so I’ll keep this short. Can I give you the quick version?” Or steal some of that Giulio Magic 4. Direct pitch “Hi [Name], [You] from [Company]. We’ve helped teams like yours improve [specific metric] by [X%] in [timeframe]. Worth 30 seconds to see if that’s even on your radar?” 5. Mutual connection “Hi [Name], it’s [You]. I was speaking with [Mutual Connection] and they suggested I reach out about [topic]. Do you have a minute for a quick question?” 6. Current event “Hey [Name], [You] from [Company]. With the recent changes in[trend/regulation], I wanted to flag something we’re seeing.Can I share it quickly and get your take?” 7. Problem-centric “Hi [Name], [You] here. I’ve been talking to a lot of [job titles] in [industry], and [common problem] keeps coming up. Is that something you’re running into too?” If you only take one thing from this: Ask for a small yes first. Then earn the next minute. Which opener style works best for you?

2010 was Salesforce 2015 was HubSpot 2025 is Clay These kinds of companies are only born every 5 to 10 years. They represent a paradigm shift in how marketers and salespeople do business, and they open up an entirely new business category. > Salesforce → CRM and cloud data storage > Hubspot → Inbound Marketing and RevOps > Clay → Clay Agencies and GTM Engineering Huge consulting businesses have been built on top of these ecosystems. (Some Salesforce implementation businesses are nine figures.) The number one advice if I wanted to skyrocket my career in marketing and sales is always the same. Niche down on a rocket that's booming and already in demand. Closing what's already hot is the number one business cheat code. And sell the new way of doing things. | 48 comments on LinkedIn

If your bounce rate is above 5%, your lead generation workflow has a fatal flaw Here's how you can fix it 👇 High bounce rates destroy your sender reputation, along with wasting outreach efforts And the main problem here is that most automated lead lists prioritize speed over data quality Flooding your sequences with unverified emails that bounce, get marked as spam, or never reach a real inbox. You need a workflow that automates lead generation without sacrificing deliverability Here it is … → Step 1 Trigger lead sourcing in n8n/Make. Automate when and how new leads are collected based on your ideal customer criteria. → Step 2 Build your TAM list. Use Sales Navigator, Clay, or LinkedIn to source leads that match your profile. → Step 3 Verify & enrich via Icypeas API This is where most workflows fail. Get high-discovery, low-bounce, catchall-verified emails that actually exist. → Step 4 Send verified data to Clay. Layer in scoring, personalization, and routing logic before any email goes out. → Step 5 Launch personalized outreach in Instantly.ai Scale safely with clean data protecting your domain health and inbox placement. And here you get automated lead lists that maintain deliverability above 95% with less manual work. P.S. Are you building systems that scale without breaking?