Introduction

Outbound still works in 2025 when you mix smart signals with real human outreach. This guide shows how one team used that mix to grow fast.

What's the problem it solves?

Most teams treat outbound as either full automation or full manual work. This breaks results. The article shows how to combine both, target the right accounts, and use signals to pick prospects who are actually ready to talk.

Quick Summary

Workflows.io hit $1M ARR three months after launch and is on track for $2M ARR by running a modern outbound system. Content brought attention, but outbound let them pick the exact accounts they wanted. Their approach uses four pillars: cold calling, automated email, LinkedIn outreach, and manual prospecting for top accounts.

They built a full target market list from multiple data sources, cleaned it, then used AI to qualify which companies were true SaaS fits. From an initial 66,000 companies, they narrowed down to 5,700 that matched their ICP, then scored and tiered them. Top accounts got manual outreach. Lower tiers got automated plays.

Signal-based outbound was the second major piece. Signals included website visits, LinkedIn activity, founder connections, keyword engagement, and customers who changed jobs. They automated these with Clay, ChatGPT, and email tools. Their strongest play came from reaching out to people already engaging with the founders on LinkedIn.

The takeaway is simple: signal-based plays can perform 2x to 10x better than cold outreach. But none of this works alone. Their whole GTM system loops content, ads, outbound, and signals into one engine. In 2026, they plan even more high-touch tactics for top accounts, showing that AI cannot replace human work. It only makes it faster.

Key Takeaways

• Outbound is not dead. It is more effective when mixed with signals and human work.
• Build a wide list first, then narrow it with AI scoring.
• Tier accounts. Only top accounts should get manual outreach.
• Signal-based plays (website visits, founder connections, social activity) beat cold outreach.
• Your best signals come from your own content flywheel.
• Outbound, content, and ads should support each other, not work alone.
• AI speeds up research and scoring, but people still close deals.

What to do

• Build a full account list from many data sources before filtering.
• Use AI to qualify accounts and score fit.
• Split accounts into tiers and match effort to tier.
• Set up signal-based workflows for website visits, social engagement, and job changes.
• Combine outreach with your content system to warm up prospects.
• Test multiple message variants and keep what works.
• For top accounts, add gifts, ads, and manual touches.

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