Martin Rasmussen was closing deals and running Facebook ads. Frederik Jakobsen was building cold email systems in his bedroom. Neither of them knew the other existed.
Then Spain happened.
Two people who had never met ended up in the same country at the same time by coincidence. They got talking. Martin Rasmussen saw someone who could build anything technical. Frederik Jakobsen saw someone who could sell anything in front of him. Within months they had formalised what was obvious from the first conversation: they were better together than apart.
That was two and a half years ago.
Today, Danish Lead Co. has served 110+ client teams, generated 10,000 real sales meetings, and driven over $30 million in closed revenue for clients across manufacturing, private equity, marketing, and renewable energy. They did not get there by doing what everyone else in cold outreach does. They got there because one person understood the machine and the other understood the human on the other end of it.
And somewhere in between those two things, they found Smartlead.
When Martin Rasmussen and Frederik Jakobsen co-founded Danish Lead Co., the circumstances were about as unplanned as a business partnership can get.
Six months before they launched together, the two had never spoken. Then, by coincidence, both ended up in Spain at the same time.
Frederik Jakobsen had already been running cold email campaigns for clients on his own. Martin Rasmussen was handling the sales side of things, closing deals and running Facebook ads for clients in a range of industries. The moment they started working together, the operation moved faster than either of them had managed alone.
"He was good on the technical side and I was better on the sales side. So we partnered up from then. Even after a few months of just knowing each other, it was just the two of us working closer together."
Initially, Frederik Jakobsen's work was concentrated on Facebook ads, primarily for solar companies. The results were acceptable. Not extraordinary. The channel worked, but it had a ceiling, and that ceiling became visible fast when a commercial client needed to reach B2B decision-makers.
Facebook was the wrong channel for it.
"I thought, why not just try cold email for this client as well. Turns out it worked way better than Facebook ever had. And since then we've been ramping up and doing it for more than 15 solar clients on and off."
From that pivot, Danish Lead Co. grew from a two-person operation into one of the most productive cold outreach agencies in the market, with Martin Rasmussen and Frederik Jakobsen building a client base spanning manufacturing, private equity, marketing, and renewable energy sectors across multiple markets.
Danish Lead Co.'s initial platform could not cope with their scaling operational needs. As Martin Rasmussen and Frederik Jakobsen took on more clients and campaigns, tracking what was running for which client, at what performance level, became unmanageable.
"In InstaLive, it was very, very hard for us to keep track of all the campaigns and everything."
Campaign organisation became cumbersome and operational bottlenecks compounded with every new client they signed. The lack of a clean, structured overview meant the team was spending time looking for information instead of acting on it.
After moving away from their first platform, Danish Lead Co. migrated to a second tool. That platform went bankrupt. Losing the infrastructure an agency runs on in the middle of a rapid growth phase is not a minor inconvenience. It is an existential threat to every active client campaign.
Without a clean, client-level view of campaign performance, Martin Rasmussen and Frederik Jakobsen could not efficiently demonstrate results to clients or identify which campaigns needed immediate attention. Proving value at scale requires data that is easy to surface, not buried across disconnected dashboards.
As the number of active campaigns grew, so did the volume of incoming replies. Managing out-of-office responses, re-engaging contacts after their return, and ensuring positive replies were acted on quickly became operationally demanding without the right infrastructure to support it.
The move to Smartlead marked a decisive shift for Danish Lead Co. The platform's capabilities addressed the specific operational problems that had held the agency back on every prior tool.
Smartlead's client-level campaign overview gave Martin Rasmussen and Frederik Jakobsen the structural clarity the operation had been missing. For the first time, they could see exactly what was running for each client, how it was performing, and where attention was needed, all from a single view.
"It's the whole campaign overview on client basis and being able to have that simple overview: this client, we run these campaigns, they are performing like this. That was the most important thing for us back then, and it's still one of the biggest ones. Having that overview allows us to do all our work very efficiently."
The unified master inbox solved the reply management problem across multiple client accounts simultaneously. Replies are categorised automatically, out-of-office contacts are re-engaged after their return, and positive signals reach the team without anything falling through the cracks.
"The inbox. Very easy. Checking is going on by itself. It's very accurate. And we're able to use that together with all the tools so we can ramp that up for our clients."
The API connected everything else. Every platform the agency uses, every workflow they run, feeds through Smartlead. What was previously a collection of disconnected tools became a single operating system.
"The API allows us to connect all our other platforms through this and make it very easily."
And campaign setup, which had previously been slow and inconsistent across platforms, became fast, precise, and repeatable.
"The whole way you have set it up to build the campaigns is very, very easy and seamless. We can set up a lot of campaigns in a low amount of time, and we always know if we have taken the right steps."
Several factors have contributed to Danish Lead Co.'s results with Smartlead. The platform's reliability in handling 500,000+ emails per month while maintaining primary inbox placement has been foundational. Without that deliverability floor, the volume means nothing.
The campaign overview allowed Martin Rasmussen and Frederik Jakobsen to work efficiently across 110+ client relationships without losing visibility on any single account. When you can see everything clearly, you fix problems faster and double down on what is working.
The API gave the agency the flexibility to build the exact operation they needed rather than conforming to what a platform assumed they would want. For a team that thinks in systems, that matters as much as any individual feature.
"We run our entire business on your platform. We're sending plus 500,000 emails a month right now. The fact that we're able to do that and still primarily land in the inbox and generate 500+ meetings for clients, all of that wouldn't have been possible without Smartlead."
Smartlead's impact on Danish Lead Co. has been compounding since the first day they moved to the platform. The headline numbers across two and a half years:
This campaign has been active for over a year and continues to produce consistent results. For a private equity and MSA firm, where each qualified conversation represents a significant potential deal size, consistency matters more than any single result.
"Per positive reply we're seeing around 300 to 500 emails. Just overall a really performing campaign, very happy client, been working with them for more than 12 months."
DeltaX is a bed manufacturer based in the Netherlands. The campaign ran at 200 to 300 emails per positive reply and delivered 90 positive replies in a single month.
The client paused the campaign. Not because it was failing. Because it was working faster than their sales team could keep up with.
"We're down at 200 to 300 emails per positive reply. Generated 90 replies on a single campaign in a month's time. They had to pause with us because they had to hire new salespeople because they couldn't keep up with the demand."
Martin Rasmussen describes this as their best performing campaign ever. The client has been with the agency for almost two years. The campaign keeps generating new results every month with no sign of decay.
"We think that's our best performing campaign ever. We're down at 50 to 70 emails per positive reply. Been working with the client for almost two years and continue working extremely well together. Keep generating new results every month."
Martin Rasmussen and Frederik Jakobsen are not finished building.
Two things sit at the top of their wishlist for where the platform goes next.
The first is system speed. At 500,000 emails per month across 110+ clients, every second of latency in the interface has a real cost across the team's daily workflow.
"Your system needs to be faster. That's the most important thing. We sit and wait sometimes and just want to be able to get on with it."
The second is more ambitious. Martin Rasmussen wants AI-powered inbox managers that can be trained on individual client context and reply to leads on each client's behalf.
"Inbox managers that can actually reply to leads and that we can train on each of our clients. That would be massive."
For an agency managing replies across 110+ client relationships simultaneously, an AI layer that understands each client's tone, offer, and objections would change the economics of the operation entirely. It is the logical next step for a team that has already automated everything else.
Danish Lead Co.'s trajectory over two and a half years is a direct product of finding the right infrastructure at the right time. Martin Rasmussen and Frederik Jakobsen continue to scale, serve new markets, and push the ceiling of what a lean team running one platform can produce for their clients.
You can replicate these results when you treat cold outreach as a system rather than a guessing game.
Start by fixing deliverability with Smartlead's automated warm-up. Build your campaign architecture on a client-by-client basis so you always have a clear view of what is running and how it is performing. Connect your tooling through the Smartlead API so the entire operation runs as one connected system.
The difference between 300 emails per positive reply and 50 emails per positive reply is not luck. It is two years of iteration, precise targeting, and infrastructure that never lets an email land in spam.
Ready to build your own outbound engine?
Start your free trial on Smartlead and use the same infrastructure Martin Rasmussen and Frederik Jakobsen used to generate 10,000 sales meetings and $30 million in client revenue.
Review the complete Smartlead pricing breakdown to see how the model scales for agencies operating at volume.
For more on how leading cold outreach agencies run on Smartlead, read the complete guide to managing cold email at agency scale or start with the email deliverability guide before your next campaign launch.
How do you manage cold email campaigns across 100+ clients without losing visibility?
Martin Rasmussen's answer is the campaign overview in Smartlead. A clean, client-by-client view of what is running and how it is performing. That overview is what makes the entire operation manageable for two people serving 110+ teams simultaneously.
What does 50 to 70 emails per positive reply mean in practice?
It means roughly one in every 60 people you contact becomes a qualified, interested conversation. At that rate, pipeline becomes predictable. It is the result of nearly two years of iteration on a single campaign, not a one-time result from a lucky send.
What happens when cold email works too well?
DeltaX had to pause their campaign and hire additional salespeople because 90 positive replies in a single month overwhelmed their existing team. The bottleneck shifted from lead generation to sales capacity. That is the best problem a cold outreach campaign can create for a client.
How do you send 500,000 emails a month without landing in spam?
Consistent warm-up, mailbox rotation, and infrastructure that never cuts corners on deliverability. Danish Lead Co. has run at that volume on Smartlead for two and a half years without a critical deliverability failure.
How important is the API for running an outreach agency at scale?
For Danish Lead Co. it is foundational. Every other platform they use connects through Smartlead's API. Without it, the operation would require manual coordination across disconnected tools. With it, the whole system runs as one.
Is cold email viable for European markets?
Yes. DeltaX is a Netherlands-based manufacturer and their campaign produced 90 positive replies in a single month. Market and language are variables. Infrastructure and targeting precision are what determine results.
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Founder, StackOptimise
Smartlead's combination of automation, unlimited inboxes, and easy campaign management has completely transformed how we run cold email campaigns.
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Founder, Cold Email Hackers
We have about 15 companies and we use Smartlead for all of them.
Founder, DutchSave Media
One of the things I love about using Smartlead is the deliverability feature. If they landed in the bounce or spam folders, we could resolve this quickly.
Co-Founder, Growth Today
I want to continue to use Smartlead to make operations more seamless - the plan is to bring more clients here and build more SOPs.
Founder, FueltoFly
Smartlead listens to the agencies and customers and builds according to what people want, that has really made things easier for us.
Founder, OutboundSync
We build an infrastructure product, and OutboundSync communicates with Smartlead itself. I love the webhook and API. They're really well done and keep getting better.
Founder, Axoleads
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.
Founder, Claygen
Deliverability is the cornerstone of cold email outreach. You could have the best email copy in the world, but if no one is seeing it, it's useless. I really love the feature where you can actually give client accesses to your clients.
Co-Founder, Cymate
I do not want to switch to another software. Pick a solution you trust, stick with it, and keep refining your copy.
CMO, Avalanche Capital
Managing large volumes of emails through multiple inboxes used to be a logistical nightmare. With Smartlead, the process is seamless. We book thousands of discovery calls through cold emails. These campaigns are generating leads at a scale we never thought possible.
Founder, Growth Engine X
We came for the unlimited inboxes, and we stayed for the API. 1.5M cold emails/month, 7,767+ inboxes managed.
Head of Community & Ecosystem, TxtCart
You cannot replace having 10,000 touches with potential clients. When you have that much distribution and reach, you really start to see incredible results. The simplicity of Smartlead made all the difference. It doesn't require you to be a technical wizard.
Founder, Hyperke
Smartlead has been a game-changer for us. It increased our appointment volume, improved ease of use, and offered valuable features. 80% increase in appointments/month, peak of 276 appointments in a single month.
Founder, Kinetyca
Smartlead has been our cold email backbone from day one. The platform evolves constantly, keeping pace with how deliverability and personalization need to work today. 21% overall reply rate, $175K in 4 months for multiple B2B clients.
Founder, Reachflow
Smartlead is centered around deliverability and constantly evolving. Their API is not like any other platform. Smartlead covers all our needs. The focus on core features like deliverability and API integration is unmatched.
CEO, Halfwarm
Our approach to crafting conversational emails led to reply rates that many of my peers thought were unattainable.
Co-Founder, letstrike
We've grown on zero capital, zero marketing, purely cold emailing - and that's the story we love to tell. The best approach is no approach if you can't handle domain meltdown. The second best is something like Smartlead that's built from the ground up for deliverability at scale.
Founder, Fenixtal
Smartlead's white-labeling and automation let us punch above our weight. The 12M euros sales potential? That's what happens when you combine human creativity with Smartlead's precision.
Co-Founder, Digital Creativs
Nine out of 10. Ninety percent of our clients are on Smartlead unless they come in with an existing setup. That's the default.
Co-Founder, BuildingReach
At the end of the day, you have to take a bet on one tool or another. It was a no-brainer taking that bet on Smartlead. We had to even turn down the volume of our marketing campaigns - Smartlead was capable of driving more volume than our sales team was able to fulfill.
Founder & MD, Prospectiv
Since starting the business in January of this year, we've already generated $200K in sales exclusively from cold email. Smartlead has been central to our operations and has exceeded our expectations.
Founder, Growthlynk
There's so much stuff built on top of it. I would be dead if I had to rebuild it with another tool. I can manage hundreds of senders easily. I can send hundreds of thousands of emails.
Founder, Corebits
The platform's HubSpot integration, real-time Slack updates, and advanced campaign customization have been game changers for our business and our clients'.
Founder, Apex Ascension
From day one, we've never used anything else.
