Getting high-quality leads is the lifeblood of marketing agencies and businesses. Cold emailing is one of the most powerful ways to make those connections happen, but let’s face it—it’s not as simple as hitting “send.” Deliverability issues, emails landing in spam, and the time-consuming manual setup can turn a straightforward idea into a frustrating mess. When every email counts, the pressure to get things right can be overwhelming, especially for businesses without technical expertise.

That’s where Smartlead comes in. It’s more than just a cold emailing tool—it’s like having a behind-the-scenes partner that handles the heavy lifting so you can focus on what matters: reaching the right people. For Sergio Ocampo, founder of AxoLeads, the shift to Smartlead was a game-changer. Running a cold email lead generation agency, Sergio needed a solution that wasn’t just effective but easy to use. With Smartlead, he didn’t just overcome the chaos; he found a way to scale his business and see real results, fast.

About Sergio Ocampo and AxoLeads

Sergio Ocampo, the founder of AxoLeads, started his journey in the lead generation space with a clear mission: to help marketing agencies and businesses generate meaningful connections through cold email outreach. Having launched AxoLeads just a year ago, Sergio has focused on creating highly personalized campaigns that consistently deliver results. His agency specializes in working with marketing agencies doing $30k and $400k per month, helping them secure 5–10 qualified sales calls each month with prospects they genuinely want to work with.

What sets AxoLeads apart is its commitment to precision and personalization. Sergio and his team leverage AI and hyper-focused targeting strategies to scale cold email campaigns without losing the human touch. By combining a data-driven approach with years of expertise, AxoLeads transforms cold prospects into warm leads. They offer a comprehensive done-for-you service, managing the entire outreach process in-house and maintaining clear communication through dedicated Slack channels.

However, the journey to building a successful cold email agency wasn’t without its challenges. From deliverability issues to managing large-scale campaigns, Sergio encountered significant roadblocks early on. These hurdles highlighted the complexities of cold emailing and the critical need for a solution that could simplify and optimize the process. That’s where we, at Smartlead, stepped in to help AxoLeads overcome these obstacles and scale their operations effectively.

Challenges Faced Before Using Smartlead

Before adopting Smartlead, AxoLeads faced a series of challenges that made cold emailing feel like an uphill battle. These issues, ranging from deliverability to time-consuming manual processes, created significant roadblocks in their efforts to run successful campaigns. 

Let's explore these challenges in more detail.

1. Slow and Manual Processes

At the beginning of his journey, Sergio and his team were sending cold emails using standard inboxes. 

This method was slow and extremely manual, making it difficult to scale their efforts. 

Every step—from composing emails to sending them—was done manually, which not only took up a lot of time but also increased the chances of human error. The process was inefficient and hindered the ability to reach large numbers of potential clients in a timely manner.

2. Deliverability Issues

One of the most significant challenges was the issue of deliverability. 

Despite their best efforts, many of the emails ended up in the spam folder, severely limiting their outreach success. Low open rates and minimal engagement were frequent problems, and it became evident that the traditional inbox approach wasn't cutting it. 

Deliverability was a constant headache, and it was hard to figure out what needed to be fixed without any clear guidance or tools to track performance.

3. Lack of Technical Expertise

Being non-technical, Sergio also struggled with the technical aspects of cold emailing. 

Setting up the necessary infrastructure, configuring mail servers, and ensuring emails were properly authenticated were all tasks that fell outside his expertise. 

Without the right tools to simplify these processes, Sergio and his team were forced to rely on trial and error, which led to inconsistent results and wasted time.

4. Ineffective Email Infrastructure

In addition to the manual nature of their email outreach, the team also lacked the proper email infrastructure to scale their operations. 

Without a reliable system in place to ensure emails were properly routed, authenticated, and tracked, it was challenging to get consistent results. 

This made it difficult to maintain quality and volume in their cold email campaigns, further compounding the issue.

How Smartlead Helped?

The shift to Smartlead marked a turning point for AxoLeads. 

Smartlead’s suite of cold emailing features, particularly SmartDelivery, was exactly what the team needed to address their cold emailing challenges. 

Here’s how Smartlead helped them overcome their struggles and streamline their email outreach efforts.

1. Placement Tests with SmartDelivery

SmartDelivery’s placement tests became a key part of their process. By running these tests, they could see exactly where their emails were landing (inbox, spam, or somewhere else) and take immediate action if things weren’t working as expected. This real-time feedback was invaluable, as it gave them greater control over their campaigns and allowed them to adjust strategies quickly.

As Sergio put it, "Cold emailing, especially for beginners, can initially feel overwhelming when it comes to understanding deliverability and email infrastructure. But with SmartDelivery, you can put all of that in the hands of the tool. It ensures your emails land in inboxes, and by running a simple test, you can see if you're hitting the mark. If not, it guides you on the steps to improve, giving you greater control over the success of your campaigns."

2. Improved Deliverability and Campaign Tracking

Thanks to Smartlead, AxoLeads saw a dramatic improvement in their deliverability. With the help of SmartDelivery’s automated testing and monitoring features, the team was able to pinpoint issues with their email campaigns and correct them before they became a problem. The ability to test and adjust deliverability helped ensure that their emails consistently landed in inboxes, drastically improving open rates and response times.

Additionally, Smartlead’s comprehensive tracking and reporting features made it easier for the team to measure their campaigns' success. The weekly reports provided actionable insights into performance, allowing them to continuously optimize their approach and refine their strategies.

3. Ease of Use For Non-Technical Teams

As a non-technical agency, AxoLeads found Smartlead to be exceptionally user-friendly. The platform was designed with simplicity in mind, ensuring that even those with limited technical knowledge could run successful cold email campaigns. 

The resources available—such as office hours and educational content—helped the team learn best practices for cold emailing, stay updated on the latest trends, and continuously improve their skills.

To further enhance their campaigns, AxoLeads is now also exploring SmartSenders - Smartlead’s latest offering. By utilizing pre-configured mailboxes, they plan to launch campaigns more quickly and efficiently. This capability can help them save time and accelerate their outreach efforts, allowing them to scale their campaigns and reach more potential leads in a shorter amount of time.

Impact Of Using Smartlead

The impact of switching to Smartlead was significant. AxoLeads experienced a dramatic improvement in both the efficiency and effectiveness of their cold email campaigns.

One standout success story came from a campaign launched with an SEO agency. Just two weeks after launching the campaign, AxoLeads had received 70 positive responses and booked 17 calls. This success was largely attributed to the combination of a compelling offer and the improved deliverability Smartlead provided. With emails landing in inboxes, engagement soared, and the team was able to convert leads into meaningful conversations and opportunities.

The ability to run deliverability tests, optimize email performance, and access detailed reporting allowed AxoLeads to achieve better results in less time, helping them build a more reliable and scalable lead generation process.

Looking Ahead: Future Growth With Smartlead

Looking ahead, AxoLeads is excited about the future and the potential for even greater growth with Smartlead. Sergio envisions more capabilities being added to the Smartlead mobile app, giving his team more flexibility to manage campaigns on the go. The prospect of additional features to further enhance campaign speed and performance is something AxoLeads is particularly excited about.

In addition to these future updates, AxoLeads plans to explore more advanced features, such as SmartSenders, to continue improving the speed and efficiency of their campaigns. With pre-configured mailboxes, they expect to scale their outreach even further and launch campaigns more quickly, all while maintaining high deliverability and engagement rates.

Winding Up

For AxoLeads, navigating the challenges of cold email outreach became significantly easier with Smartlead by their side. By taking care of the technical complexities—like email deliverability—and providing user-friendly tools and resources, we’ve helped them focus on building connections with the right prospects.

Features like SmartDelivery testing and campaign tracking have empowered AxoLeads to achieve real, measurable results with their cold email efforts. As they look ahead, we’re excited to continue being part of their growth story in the competitive world of lead generation.

If you’re ready to simplify your cold email campaigns and achieve similar success, why not give Smartlead a try? Start your 14-day free trial today and see the difference for yourself!