B2B cold email · lists · infrastructure
I'm Zephan. I build the lists, write the sequences and run the sending infrastructure for my own agency and for clients. Everything below comes straight out of Smartlead and Instantly.
Real Smartlead dashboards, labeled by industry. Campaign names are cropped out to protect clients and sending domains.
Reply rate is replies divided by leads contacted, the way Smartlead shows it, and includes out-of-office replies. Numbers as of Oct 27, 2026.
Eight real replies from eight different campaigns, screenshotted from the Smartlead inbox. The words are exactly what the prospect wrote. Names, companies, locations and signatures are blacked out.
Situation. SaaS companies selling to other businesses, most living on referrals and inbound.
The change. One short offer: they only pay for qualified software demos we book. A four-step sequence, every email under 60 words, no links.
Result. 29,219 emails to 7,509 decision makers. 202 replies (2.69%) and 21 leads generated.
Situation. A commercial real estate client wanted more conversations with decision makers.
The change. Three separate campaigns instead of one big blast, with segments like commercial and industrial each getting their own list and message.
Result. 6,179 decision makers contacted across 3 campaigns and 17 leads generated. The best one hit a 4.06% reply rate.
Situation. An ads agency client that brings new patients to dental practices wanted meetings with practice owners and operators.
The change. A short "2 things" opener with a pay-per-booking offer: the practice only pays when a new patient books. 852 verified practice decision makers.
Result. The campaign went live on Apr 23. On Apr 24 a practice's COO replied 50 minutes after our first email asking for a call. A time was agreed about 2 hours after that first email and the invite went out 2 hours 24 minutes after it.
The actual copy from two campaigns above, pulled from Smartlead. Spintax shown as its first option.
Hey {{first_name}},
Curious if you guys are interested in performance-based lead generation where you only pay for qualified software demos we book you?
We setup your infrastructure, do the outreach, set appointments, and you focus on the demo.
Free for a quick chat?
Referrals and inbound are great, but they don't show up on a schedule. One good month, one dry spell, repeat.
We handle the outreach and book qualified software demos, so your team can focus on running and closing them.
Free for a quick chat?
Quick math, if one new customer covers the cost of a handful of qualified demos, the math gets pretty simple.
No retainer to gamble on. You only pay for qualified demos we book.
Can I send a breakdown over?
Should I close the loop here?
Figured it might be relevant if you want more qualified software demos without paying a retainer upfront.
If not, no worries.
Hey {{first_name}},
I know you're busy, just two quick things:
1. I saw you run a 501c. You're eligible for Google's $10k/month grant to use Google Ads to raise awareness for {{company_name}}.
2. I can help you set this grant up to get more visibility for your mission, without any expenses out of your pocket.
Worth a 10 minute phone call to get started?
There's $10k/month just sitting there for {{company_name}}, {{first_name}}.
Most non-profits don't know Google gives them $10,000/month in free Google Ads spend to help drive awareness on their mission. That's $120k/year.
I'd love to get this set up for you. Takes about a 10 minute call to get started... interested?
Every list goes through three stages before a single email is sent.
Find the right companies and people.
Fill each record from several sources in order, so one gap doesn't kill it.
Every address is checked before it goes into a campaign.
Cold email never goes out from your main domain. Every campaign runs on a separate setup built to stay out of spam.
Over the last 13 weeks the median weekday was 7,202 emails across all sending platforms, with peaks over 13,000. That covers my own campaigns and client campaigns on the same system. October is month to date.
Domains and inboxes, warmup, your list, your sequences, and launch. You see the numbers as they come in.
I keep it running: new lists, new tests, reply handling, and inbox health.
Cold email is my specialty. It's the one channel I do, and I do it all the way.
Tell me who you sell to. I'll tell you how I'd reach them and what volume it takes.