I Found 7,000 Leads in the Trash
The accidental CRM archeology dig that brought our pipeline back to life.
Hi, it’s Andreas, and I’m back with The Growth Diary — my newsletter where I share insights and learnings from my attempts to grow things without losing my mind. This week, we resurrected 7,000 leads from the dead, and oh boy, why didn’t we do it earlier?
Let’s dive in.
AI Outreach: The Fastest Way to Kill Your Conversion Rate
One of my friends, who works as a BDR, proudly told me, “I sent out 300 AI-written cold emails today. Took me 15 minutes.” He said it as if he had just cured pipeline cancer.
And I know where this is going.
I once had a rep on my team telling me the same thing. When I looked at the reply rate graph, it was flatlining harder than a startup on TechCrunch’s “Most Overhyped” list.
And not only that, after a while, most recipients blocked us.
So, here’s the thing: if your sales emails read like they were written by a bored robot on its lunch break, people will ignore them.
No personalization? No spark? No soul?
No chance. They’ll block you.
The modern inbox is a war zone… and automation is the enemy. Don’t try to automate everything. Try to be human (I know it’s hard these days).
ClickUp’s Psychic Pricing Move
So I’m inside ClickUp, minding my business, poking around their pricing plans, like the more often I’m on it, the more likely it would change.
Two minutes later... ping.
An email hits my inbox: “Curious about ClickUp plans?”
I felt guilty.
But it was a simple, signal-based email. No hard sell.
Just: We saw you looking. Need a hand?
Creepy? Maybe. Effective? Extremely.
Moral of the story: smart automation doesn’t scream “I’m a robot.” That’s how you automate things.
When 7,000 Leads Came Back From the Dead
At one point in my startup life, I said the words: “Hey, what’s going on with our old disqualified, unsegmented leads?”
The team looked at me like I’d suggested cold-calling their exes.
But we opened up the CRM. Went through it. Manually, step by step. And 7,000 leads sat there, untapped.
Bad segmentation. Over-eager disqualification. The usual “move fast, break perfectly good data” situation.
We’re reviving them now... and suddenly our lead pool looks a lot less sad.
Sometimes your best leads aren’t new. They’re just buried in your database.
Take a second look. It’s worth it.
Hug Your BDRs
Last thing for this week... what I learned the hard way: treat your BDRs like royalty.
They’re not just SDRs with email fatigue. They’re the frontline. The lab. The signal-gatherers.
You have to sit with them. Coach them. Bribe them with coffee if you have to.
Because when they’re sharp, your whole funnel sharpens up.
We sat with them for a full month, in virtual rooms, a few hours each day... helping them qualify, sharpen their messages, and truly become the spearhead of your sales team.
Expert BDRs = your win.
That’s it for this week.
The one thing you should take with you: If your outreach feels like it’s hitting a wall, try this radical strategy: write like a human.
Talk soon,
– Andreas
PS: If you enjoyed this, please tap the like button below and leave a comment. 💛