Ideal customer research
We work out which types of companies and which decision makers are most likely to buy from you, based on who already buys and what a good customer is worth.
B2B lead generation through cold email
More qualified leads. Less upfront risk.
We help B2B companies generate qualified leads through targeted cold email outreach. We handle the prospect research, list building, campaign execution and follow-up, so your team can focus on closing new business.
You pay for leads that meet the qualification criteria we agree on upfront. Not for activity, and not for a spreadsheet of contacts.
A strategy call to review your ideal customer and whether a campaign makes sense for you.
The problem
Your sales team should be selling, not searching.
Most B2B pipelines stall in the same place. Finding the right companies, identifying the person who signs, writing outreach that gets replies and following up for weeks is real work. When it's squeezed in between deals, it gets done in bursts, and the pipeline follows the same pattern.
Without a system
Prospecting happens when there's time
- Salespeople build lists by hand between calls
- Outreach goes out in bursts, then stops when deals get busy
- Follow-up ends after one or two emails
- "Leads" arrive with no agreed definition of what qualifies
- Next quarter's pipeline depends on referrals and luck
With a structured process
Qualified prospects arrive on a steady basis
- Your ideal customer is defined before a single email goes out
- Lists are researched against that definition
- Campaigns and follow-ups run consistently
- Every lead is checked against criteria you approved
- Your team spends its time on conversations that can close
What we do
We run the outreach. You run the sales conversations.
Six parts of one process, managed by us from research to delivery.
Targeted prospecting
We find companies and decision makers that fit the agreed criteria, and build lists around them instead of buying generic contact databases.
Cold email outreach
We write and send personalized, targeted campaigns designed to start relevant business conversations with the people you want to reach.
Follow-up management
Most replies don't come from the first email. We manage the follow-up sequence and responses so prospects don't fall through the gaps.
Lead qualification
Before a lead counts as billable, we check it against the qualification criteria you approved at the start of the campaign.
Lead delivery and reporting
You see what was delivered, the qualification status of each lead and what the campaign is doing, so you always know where things stand.
We generate qualified opportunities. Whether a lead becomes a customer depends on your offer, your price and your sales follow-up, so we don't promise closed revenue.
How it works
Three steps from first call to first lead.
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Define your ideal customer
We establish your target market, ideal company profile, decision makers, geography and qualification requirements, and put them in writing.
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Launch your campaign
We research prospects, build targeted lists, set up and run the outreach, and manage every follow-up.
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Receive qualified leads
You receive leads that meet the agreed criteria, and pay according to the pricing and qualification rules we set together.
The pricing model
Pay for qualified leads. Not just activity.
Your business should know what qualifies as a lead before a campaign begins. We agree on the requirements upfront, build our outreach around your ideal customer, and charge for leads that meet those requirements.
Many agencies bill a monthly retainer for emails sent and lists built, whether or not anything useful comes back. Here, the definition of a qualified lead is fixed before launch, and that definition decides what you're billed for.
Pricing is set per campaign, because the cost of reaching a hospital administrator is different from the cost of reaching a regional distributor. You'll know the price per qualified lead before you agree to anything.
Discuss Your Lead Generation Campaign- Target company and industry
- Decision maker and contact requirements
- Geographic requirements
- Lead qualification criteria
- Price per qualified lead
- How leads are delivered to your team
- How duplicate, invalid or noncompliant leads are handled
Who we work with
Built for established B2B companies ready to follow up.
We work across B2B industries, but not with every business. Before recommending a campaign, we look at your ideal customer, your economics and your ability to turn qualified leads into customers. If cold email isn't the right channel for you, we'll say so on the call.
A strong fit
You'll likely benefit if
- You sell to other businesses and can describe your ideal customer clearly
- Your offer already sells, and a new customer is worth enough to justify paying for qualified leads
- Someone on your team will follow up with each lead promptly
- You want a steadier pipeline than referrals and word of mouth provide
Probably not a fit
We'll likely pass if
- You sell mainly to consumers
- You haven't yet sold your offer to anyone
- No one has the capacity to follow up with new leads
- You're looking for guaranteed sales rather than qualified opportunities
Founders
Run by people who've worked the other side of the call.
We know what a qualified opportunity is worth because we've spent years turning leads into revenue ourselves.
Antoine Akundu
Co-founder, former director of marketing and sales
Antoine spent about five years in high-ticket sales, running more than 4,000 sales calls and collecting nearly $4.9 million in sales. He ranked in the top three on a 192-person sales team, trained other salespeople, and served as a director of marketing and sales.
Thousands of calls taught him the difference between a lead and an opportunity. A booked call with the wrong person wastes a salesperson's afternoon. A conversation with a decision maker who fits the profile is where revenue starts. He built this agency around that distinction, which is why every campaign starts by agreeing what qualified means.
4,000+Sales calls
~$4.9MCollected in sales
Top 3 of 192Sales team ranking
~5 yearsIn high-ticket sales
Psyrille McLeod
Co-founder, marketing and copywriting
Psyrille leads marketing and copywriting. Before Automation Needs AI, she worked as a copywriter for a digital marketing agency, writing email campaigns, lead nurturing and follow-up sequences, landing pages and sales copy.
That work contributed to more than $2 million in sales, including high-ticket retreats sold through email marketing and follow-up. It's the same skill a cold email campaign depends on: writing a message a busy decision maker actually reads, and following up without becoming noise.
$2M+In sales contributed to through copy and email
EmailCampaigns, sequences and follow-up
FAQ
Questions worth asking before you start.
What exactly counts as a qualified lead?
Whatever we agree on in writing before your campaign launches. That usually covers the industry, company size, the role of the person we reach, location and the contact details each lead needs to include, plus any other requirements specific to your business. A lead that doesn't meet that definition isn't billable.
How does pay-per-qualified-lead pricing work?
We set a price per qualified lead for your campaign before launch, based on how difficult your ideal customer is to reach. You're billed for leads that meet the agreed criteria. The exact pricing, billing schedule and terms are confirmed in writing with each client.
How do you identify the right prospects for my business?
We start with your current customers, your offer and your sales process to define an ideal customer profile. Then we research companies and decision makers that match it and build your lists from that research.
What industries do you work with?
We can work with a range of B2B industries. What matters more is fit: a clear ideal customer, an offer that already sells, customer value that supports the cost per lead, and a team that will follow up. We assess that on the strategy call before recommending a campaign.
What happens if a lead doesn't meet our agreed criteria?
It doesn't count as a qualified lead and isn't billable. How disputed leads are reviewed is part of the campaign agreement, so both sides know the process before launch.
How are duplicate or invalid leads handled?
Duplicates, invalid contacts and leads that fall outside your criteria are covered in the campaign agreement before launch. Our standard is simple: you shouldn't pay for a lead you can't use.
How long does it take to launch a campaign?
It depends on how specific your market is and how quickly the targeting and qualification criteria are approved. Cold email also needs properly prepared sending infrastructure before it can run at full volume. We'll give you a launch timeline on the strategy call, before you commit.
Do you guarantee sales or closed deals?
No. We generate qualified opportunities that meet the criteria you approved. Turning them into customers depends on your offer, pricing and sales follow-up, which are in your hands.
What does my team need to do after receiving a lead?
Follow up promptly and run the sales conversation. Qualified prospects lose interest when nobody responds, so the best results come from teams that treat each lead as a scheduled priority.
How do we get started?
Book a strategy call. We'll talk through your ideal customer, your offer and your sales process, and tell you honestly whether targeted cold email and pay-per-qualified-lead pricing make sense for your business.
Next step
Let's build a more consistent pipeline.
Tell us who your ideal customers are, and we'll assess whether targeted cold email and pay-per-qualified-lead pricing make sense for your business.
Prefer email? antoine@automationneedsai.com