Perspective
Quality vs quantity in outbound.
Research-first outbound wins because every touch references a live signal, a wedge, and a person who actually fits. Here's how to measure it.
By Erich Strange, Founder @ Cordavo
What we learned in pilot: A 3-person SDR team using our mini briefs booked 11 meetings from 47 accounts in their first week. The same team had averaged 2–3 meetings per week from a 500-contact Apollo list. The difference? Every account came with a timing signal and a specific angle to lead with.
Reply rate math
A 3–5x higher reply rate on a 200-account researched list beats blasting 5,000 cold contacts with generic copy.
Signal-driven prioritization
Live signals (hiring, stack changes, launches) let you time outreach and lead with a relevant wedge.
Research time saved
If reps spend 10–15 minutes validating each account, researched briefs free hours every week.
Fewer bounces, better deliverability
Verified work emails and smaller sends protect domain health compared to bulk dumps.
Metrics that matter
Track quality with a small set of metrics tied to researched accounts, not just email volume.
- Reply rate per 100 sends
- Meetings per 100 researched accounts
- Time to first touch after receiving an account
- Bounce rate and spam flags
Want to see a quality-first sample?
We can share an anonymized set of researched accounts, the angles we used, and the reply rates they generated.