Turning ignored cold outreach into LinkedIn conversations for an IT services firm
Engineering leaders now delete vendor emails unread. Researched LinkedIn engagement builds familiarity first, so the meeting request comes from someone they already recognise.
- Challenge
Cold emails and calls to target engineering leaders go unread and unanswered.
- Approach
LeadStrategus researches and drafts; sellers engage from their own profiles; inside sales books meetings.
- Result
Real conversations with target buyers, with meetings requested only once trust exists.
The situation
IT services firms selling application modernisation and test automation often build pipeline on cold email and calling. VPs of engineering, heads of QA and CTOs hear the same pitch from vendor after vendor, and now ignore it. Sending more only damages the firm's email reputation and burns the names on its target list. The longer it continues, the more the pipeline depends on referrals and existing clients.
The question that mattered
How can the firm get its target buyers talking again without sending more of the messages they already ignore?
What we did
- 1
Research buyers through their own activity
Build the LinkedIn prospect list from what engineering leaders post, comment on and hire for, such as a head of QA recruiting automation engineers, so every name comes with a reason to talk.
- 2
Rebuild the sellers' profiles
Rewrite each seller's LinkedIn profile around the problems buyers face, so a profile visit explains why the connection is worth accepting.
- 3
Engage before connecting, with a clear split of work
LeadStrategus drafts comments, posts and connection notes from the research. Each seller edits, posts and replies from their own profile, and nothing goes out unapproved.
- 4
Develop the conversation, then hand over
Sellers follow a conversation guide that explores the buyer's problem before any ask. When a buyer shows interest, inside sales qualifies the buyer and books the meeting.
What we delivered
The evidence and working documents the team kept.
- Researched prospect list with an activity note for each buyer
- Rewritten seller LinkedIn profiles
- Drafted comments and connection notes for each seller to edit and post
- Posts arguing that a legacy application needs automated regression tests before any of it is rewritten
- Conversation tracker marking each buyer's stage and the inside-sales handover
The outcome
Engineering leaders
replying on LinkedIn after ignoring the firm's cold email
Sellers
posting and replying in their own voice from prepared drafts
Meeting requests
made only after the buyer shows interest, then booked by inside sales
Seller profiles
that give a visiting buyer a reason to connect
First meetings now continue a thread the buyer started, often about a slipping release or a brittle test suite.
What changed in the GTM motion
Outbound now runs as a weekly cycle with set roles: LeadStrategus researches and drafts, sellers post and reply from their own profiles, and inside sales books meetings from threads that show interest. The tracker marks each handover, so sellers spend their LinkedIn time in conversation rather than preparation.
Services in this programme
Case studies
More programmes like this
Are your target buyers ignoring cold outreach?
Tell us where it is stuck. A founder replies within one working day.