Challenge
A sales lead ran a classic SDR motion: list, sequence, bump, close. Volume was high. Replies were thin and often hostile. The founder’s LinkedIn existed, but outreach never waited for it. Prospects got a cold note from someone they had never seen, about a problem they had not heard the company name next to.
Solution
EKA flipped the order. Target accounts saw the founder first: a post, a comment, a shared thread. Outreach went out only after that. Messages referenced something specific, not a template opener. The sequence got shorter. Fewer names. No daily spray. Relationship acceleration, not a longer cadences spreadsheet.
Result
Outbound volume dropped by about a third. Reply rate on the remaining list moved from the low single digits into a range the team could work with. A handful of intros came from people who already recognized the founder. Cold still existed. It stopped being the first impression.