Industry: B2B professional services / fintech
Company size: Growth-stage, Series B
Role: Sales Operations Manager
Engagement type: Internal operator / full-time
The Problem
A B2B platform had no structured outbound sales motion. Revenue was primarily inbound and referral-driven, which created unpredictable pipeline and made growth difficult to forecast or accelerate. Leadership wanted to build an outbound engine but didn't have the playbook, the team, or the infrastructure to do it.
Starting from zero: no outbound sequences, no BDR function, no CRM workflows to support an outbound motion, and no historical data on which prospect profiles converted.
The Approach
Infrastructure first
- Selected and implemented the full sales tech stack: HubSpot (CRM), Apollo.io (prospecting and sequencing), Chili Piper (meeting scheduling), Aircall (call tracking), Zapier and Make (workflow automation), DocuSign (contracts)
- Built pipeline stages, deal tracking, and reporting dashboards so leadership had real-time visibility into what was working
Prospecting and sequencing
- Defined the ICP based on firmographic and behavioral signals from the existing customer base
- Built outbound sequences tailored to different buyer personas and funnel stages
- Launched outbound motion in month 1; iterated sequences based on reply rate and conversion data weekly
BDR team build
- Recruited and onboarded a BDR team from scratch
- Built onboarding curriculum, call coaching frameworks, and performance scorecards
- Set quota models based on realistic activity-to-pipeline benchmarks
Pricing and packaging
- Worked cross-functionally to identify ACV expansion opportunities
- Supported a 25% increase in Average Contract Value through packaging changes informed by sales data
The Results
Personal contribution (outbound motion launch):
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Total opportunities created | 214 |
| Closed-won | 67 |
| Pipeline generated | $10.5M |
| Closed revenue | $2.7M |
| Timeline | Year 1 |
BDR team results:
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Leads worked | 362 |
| Opportunities created | 128 |
| Closed-won | 27 |
| Closed revenue | $1.6M |
Additional:
- ACV increased 25% through pricing and packaging changes
- Full CRM and sales tech stack implemented and operational within 60 days
What Made It Work
Most outbound programs fail because they sequence before they profile. They build the sequences first, pick a target list, and blast. The companies that do well start with a tight ICP — usually derived from the best existing customers — and build sequences backward from what that buyer actually cares about.
The other factor was infrastructure. Reps can't sell if they're spending time on admin. The tech stack existed to give reps more time in front of buyers, not to generate reports for leadership.
What This Looks Like for Your Business
If your business is reliant on inbound and referrals and you want to build a predictable outbound pipeline, the build order matters: ICP, then infrastructure, then sequences, then team. Skipping steps produces the outbound failure mode most companies have experienced.
A well-scoped outbound program — ICP defined, sequences built, CRM set up — can be operational in 30 days and producing qualified pipeline in 60.