When it comes to B2B sales, companies are constantly striving to refine their processes, increase lead generation, and ultimately drive revenue. 

B2B Boosted, led by Tim Yakubson, has carved out a unique niche in this competitive landscape by going beyond mere lead generation. 

Their mission? To empower clients by documenting the entire sales process, providing them with actionable playbooks that can be implemented internally for long-term success. 

This case study explores how B2B Boosted leveraged Smartlead’s cold outreach capabilities, to overcome significant challenges, streamline their operations, and achieve remarkable growth.

About B2B Boosted and Tim Yakubson

B2B Boosted is not your typical sales engagement company. 

Specializing in working with venture-backed companies, their approach is as comprehensive as it is empowering. 

Instead of simply generating leads and handing them over to clients, B2B Boosted focuses on creating detailed sales playbooks that document every step of the sales process. These playbooks allow their clients to eventually take control of their own sales strategies, ensuring that they are not just dependent on B2B Boosted but are equipped to succeed on their own.

The company’s clientele is diverse, stretching across the US, UK, and rapidly growing markets in Africa. 

Their global reach is partly due to strategic partnerships with venture capital funds in Africa, making B2B Boosted a trusted sales partner for a portfolio of over 150 companies. 

Tim Yakubson, the visionary behind B2B Boosted, has a deep understanding of the complexities involved in B2B sales, especially in emerging markets where the challenges and opportunities are vastly different from those in established markets.

The Challenges Faced Before Using Smartlead

Before integrating Smartlead into their workflow, B2B Boosted, like many sales engagement firms, encountered a series of challenges that hindered their efficiency and effectiveness:

Inefficient Tools for Email Outreach

Initially, B2B Boosted relied on a variety of tools for mass email blasting. However, these tools soon proved to be ineffective, particularly in terms of email deliverability. Without reliable tools to ensure that emails reached the inbox rather than the spam folder, their outreach efforts were significantly hampered. The low deliverability rates meant that their messages often went unseen, limiting their ability to connect with potential leads.

Limited Email Warmup Capabilities

The tools they were using lacked crucial features like effective email warmups. Without this capability, emails often ended up in spam folders, drastically reducing the chances of engagement. This limitation meant that their outreach efforts were not reaching their full potential, with many emails going unopened or being flagged as spam, further diminishing the effectiveness of their campaigns.

Manual and Time-Consuming Processes

The team was bogged down by the need to manually export lead lists, clean the data, and then import it into email sequencing tools. This not only consumed valuable time but also increased the risk of errors, further complicating their workflow. The inefficiency of these manual tasks meant that the team was spending less time on activities that directly contributed to revenue generation, such as engaging with prospects and nurturing leads.

Integration Issues

B2B Boosted heavily relied on Clay, a lead generation tool. However, the lack of seamless integration between Clay and other email tools meant that data transfers were manual and prone to errors, leading to inefficiencies and frustration. The disconnect between tools resulted in a fragmented approach to lead generation, causing missed opportunities and a less streamlined workflow.

High Bounce Rates

Without proper email validation tools, campaigns often resulted in high bounce rates, meaning that a significant number of emails never reached their intended recipients. This not only wasted resources but also impacted the overall success of their outreach efforts. High bounce rates also negatively impacted their sender reputation within the private network, further diminishing the effectiveness of future campaigns and making it even more challenging to reach potential clients.

These challenges collectively hampered B2B Boosted’s ability to operate at peak efficiency, driving the need for a more comprehensive solution. The inefficiencies, frustrations, and missed opportunities underscored the necessity for a tool that could streamline processes, improve deliverability, and ultimately enhance the success of their outreach campaigns.

The Solution: How Smartlead Transformed B2B Boosted

The game-changer for B2B Boosted came in the form of Smartlead, which addressed each of their pain points and provided them with a robust solution to elevate their operations. Here's how Smartlead transformed their outreach efforts:

Seamless Integration with Clay

One of the most significant advantages of Smartlead was its ability to integrate seamlessly with Clay, the lead generation tool B2B Boosted was already using. With just one click, the team could push lead lists directly from Clay into Smartlead. This eliminated the tedious and error-prone process of manual data transfers, saving precious time that could be redirected towards strategy and engagement. The seamless integration fostered a unified workflow, enabling the team to focus on what mattered most: connecting with potential clients.

Unlimited Email Warmups

Smartlead stood out with its feature of unlimited email warmups. This capability was pivotal in ensuring that emails reached inboxes instead of getting trapped in spam filters. By effectively warming up email accounts, Smartlead significantly boosted the deliverability rates of B2B Boosted's campaigns. This feature not only enhanced engagement rates but also provided a competitive edge that other tools simply couldn’t match. With higher deliverability, the team witnessed a marked increase in open and response rates, leading to more fruitful interactions with prospects.

Comprehensive Email Validation

Another critical feature of Smartlead is its robust email validation mechanism, which allows B2B Boosted to verify their email lists with ease. This capability led to a dramatic reduction in bounce rates—down to less than 1.5%. 

“Before we were very lazy with email validation... It was inconvenient. Now we just buy the credits for email validation, we press a button, and that makes sure that when we send the emails, we know that they actually go to real people.”

By ensuring that only valid email addresses were targeted, B2B Boosted could effectively reach their intended recipients. This improvement not only optimized their outreach efforts but also enhanced their sender reputation, contributing to greater overall campaign success. With more emails reaching inboxes, the effectiveness of their campaigns skyrocketed, translating to better engagement and higher conversion rates.

Automation with Sub-Sequences

Smartlead introduced B2B Boosted to the power of automated subsequences, which significantly transformed their follow-up process. This feature enables the team to set up automated follow-up emails triggered by specific actions from leads, such as replies containing certain keywords. For instance, if a lead responded with "yes," Smartlead could automatically trigger a sequence of tailored follow-up emails, ensuring timely and relevant engagement. This automation not only improved responsiveness but also allowed the team to nurture leads more effectively, maintaining a personalized touch while scaling their outreach efforts.

Enhanced Efficiency

By streamlining processes and reducing manual tasks, Smartlead enabled B2B Boosted to enhance overall operational efficiency. The time saved from automating various processes allowed the team to focus more on strategic planning and creative outreach tactics rather than being bogged down by administrative tasks. As a result, they could manage larger campaigns with greater ease and effectiveness. The overall improvement in workflow translated into better results in less time, positioning B2B Boosted for sustained growth and success in a competitive market.

Overall, Smartlead's comprehensive features and user-friendly interface provided B2B Boosted with the tools necessary to overcome their previous challenges, empowering them to elevate their sales engagement strategies and achieve greater success in their outreach efforts.

Impact and Results

The impact of Smartlead on B2B Boosted’s operations was profound. 

Within just 43 days, they generated $53,000 in revenue directly attributed to the email sequences sent through Smartlead. 

This impressive figure reflects the potential for recurring projects, hinting at even larger revenue streams in the future. 

Additionally, the positive reply rates were consistently high, averaging between 30% and 50%. This level of engagement not only satisfied their clients but also ensured that their inboxes were filled with meaningful responses rather than out-of-office replies or irrelevant messages. 

"We’re probably averaging about 140 meetings per month, and most of them are coming from emails... It is a nice number to put." - Tim Yakubson

With the challenges of email deliverability, validation, and manual processes resolved, B2B Boosted was able to achieve several key milestones:

• Increased Email Deliverability: The email warmup feature led to a significant increase in email deliverability. More emails landed in inboxes, which directly translated into higher open and response rates.
• Higher Engagement Rates: With better-targeted and validated email lists, along with automated follow-ups, B2B Boosted saw a marked improvement in engagement rates. Leads were more responsive, which resulted in more meaningful conversations and opportunities.
• Time Savings and Efficiency: The seamless integration with Clay and automation features drastically reduced the time spent on manual tasks. This efficiency allowed the team to handle larger volumes of leads without compromising on quality.
• Global Expansion: With their processes streamlined and results improved, B2B Boosted was able to scale their operations and expand their client base globally. Their partnership with venture capital funds in Africa played a significant role in this expansion, as they became the go-to sales partner for a growing number of companies in emerging markets.

The Road Ahead

With Smartlead firmly integrated into their operations, B2B Boosted is well-positioned for continued growth and success. 

The company plans to further leverage Smartlead’s capabilities to refine their processes, improve lead quality, and increase conversion rates. 

Additionally, they are exploring new markets and opportunities, particularly in regions where B2B sales are rapidly evolving, such as Africa and Southeast Asia.

Tim Yakubson and his team are also focused on staying ahead of industry trends by continuously updating their sales playbooks and strategies. By doing so, they ensure that their clients are not only equipped to succeed in the current market environment but are also prepared for future challenges and opportunities.

Conclusion

B2B Boosted’s experience with Smartlead highlights the importance of having the right tools in place to scale B2B outreach efficiently. By addressing critical challenges like email deliverability, multi-domain management, and follow-up automation, Smartlead has empowered Tim Yakubson and his team to enhance their outreach efforts and achieve impressive results.

Are you ready to scale your B2B outreach like B2B Boosted?

With Smartlead, you can optimize your email deliverability, manage multiple domains seamlessly, and automate your follow-ups for better engagement and higher conversion rates. Try Smartlead today (free for 14-days) and see how it can transform your sales outreach and lead generation.