Case Study

How this 20-year-old custom software agency built a €1M+ outbound pipeline—and closed €300k+ deals without hiring a single SDR.

Overview

Industry: Custom Software Development

Location: Hamburg, Germany

Company Size: 11–50 employees

Timeline: 6 months

This company is a digital product and custom software development agency that partners with organizations to design, build, and evolve tailored digital solutions — from early product concepts to long-term development and scaling.

They already had:

20+ years of experience & strong network
Founder-Led Sales
Lead Gen via network

What they lacked was a scalable, measurable outbound system to move beyond network-dependent growth.

The Challenge

Network-dependent growth with no scalable pipeline engine.

Lead generation relied entirely on network and referrals
Burned from previous providers (cold calling & mass mailing)
No clear sales process or tracking
Unvalidated messaging and unclear niche focus
No predictable pipeline growth

After 20 years, the agency needed to scale beyond founder-led sales without hiring a full SDR team.

The Goal

Build a scalable outbound system that:

Validates messaging and identifies core niches
Sets up clear sales process and tracking
Generates qualified pipeline without hiring SDRs
Closes high-value deals (€300k+)
Becomes the primary growth channel

The Solution

Signal-Driven Outbound System for Custom Software Development

We built a comprehensive outbound system tailored for custom software development agencies, focusing on:

Inside the System

How the Workflow Works (High-Level)

1. ICP Validation & Messaging Development

Identified and validated core niches within custom software development:

Web platforms and internal tools
Mobile applications
Digital product strategy
Agile collaboration & implementation

2. Target Account Research & Enrichment

Built a comprehensive TAM across DACH:

Firmographic filtering (company size, industry)
Technographic signals
Intent data integration
Decision-maker identification

3. Personalized Multi-Touch Sequences

Created account-level personalized outreach:

6-touch email sequences
LinkedIn outreach integration
Account-specific value propositions
Case study and portfolio integration

4. Sales Process & Tracking Setup

Established clear sales process:

CRM pipeline configuration
Qualification criteria definition
Meeting tracking and follow-up SOPs
Deal stage management

5. Automated Workflow & Dashboard

Built end-to-end automation:

Automated list enrichment and scoring
Sequence triggering and follow-up
Reply routing to founder
Real-time pipeline dashboard

The Result

Immediate Impact

Validated messaging & core niches
Clear sales process & tracking established
Pipeline Value = €1M+ after 6 months

After 12 Months

2 big projects closed at €300k+ Deal Value
Weekly 2-3 relevant meetings
ROI = 5x
Only outbound system as growth channel

Before vs. After

Before

20+ years of experience but network-dependent
Founder-Led Sales
Lead Gen via network
Burned from previous providers

After

Validated Messaging & Core niches
Set up clear sales process & Tracking
Pipeline Value = €1M+
2 big projects closed at €300k+ Deal Value
Weekly 2-3 relevant meetings
ROI = 5x

One-Line Transformation

Before: Network-dependent growth with no scalable pipeline engine.

After: A validated, scalable outbound system generating €1M+ pipeline and closing €300k+ deals without hiring a single SDR.

Who This Is For

Teams who:

Custom software development agencies looking to scale
Founder-led sales teams needing predictable pipeline
Agencies burned by previous lead gen providers
Teams wanting to move beyond network-dependent growth