saren.ai

Cold outreach fails for one primary reason: it asks for attention before it earns trust.

When we built the outbound motion at WethosAI, we weren’t trying to “send better emails.” We were formalizing a sales play—a repeatable, multi-touch system designed to engage senior AI leaders with credibility, relevance, and restraint.

What you see here is a 10-touch sales play engineered to move an executive buyer from awareness to conversation without burning goodwill.

This is the type of system I design as part of my fractional CMO work.

Designed for Executive Buyers, Not Lead Volume

This play was built specifically for senior AI leaders—heads of AI, data, and advanced technology functions—across multiple industries. These buyers are:

• time-constrained
• allergic to generic outreach
• deeply skeptical of vendor claims

So the play assumes one core truth: attention is earned over time, not captured in one message.

Instead of front-loading a pitch, the sequence unfolds across three phases:

• awareness
• engagement
• final push

Each phase has a clear purpose, owner, and success signal.

Phase 1: Awareness (Week 1)

The first week is about establishing legitimacy, not selling.

Touches include:

• LinkedIn research and company analysis
• a hyper-personalized email tied to the executive’s real-world context
• a thoughtful connection request
• a direct but respectful phone call

Nothing here asks for a demo. The goal is simple: signal relevance and competence without pressure.

Phase 2: Engagement (Week 2)

If the buyer hasn’t disengaged, the second phase shifts from presence to value exchange.

This is where we introduce:

• content offerings grounded in behavioral science and AI team performance
• interactive LinkedIn messages designed to spark thinking, not clicks

The intent here is diagnostic. We’re testing whether the buyer recognizes their own challenges in the material we’re sharing.

Phase 3: Final Push (Weeks 3–4)

Only after multiple credible touches do we move into a clear ask.

This phase includes:

• an executive-level email for top-down validation
• a reference-backed phone call
• a case-study-driven email
• a final LinkedIn message that opens the door without forcing it

Notably, the sequence ends softly. If there’s no engagement, the buyer moves into a nurture workflow—not a blacklist or an aggressive reset.

That restraint matters.

Clear Ownership and Signal-Based Outcomes

Each touch is assigned to the right role—ADR, executive sponsor, or sales leader—so the play scales without confusion.

Success isn’t measured by volume. It’s measured by signals:

• discovery calls scheduled
• direct replies or engagement
• clean transitions into nurture

This allows sales leadership to see what’s working and adjust without guesswork.

The AI Implementation Layer

A sales play is only as good as the team’s ability to execute it consistently. We didn’t just document the sequence—we built the infrastructure to make it repeatable.

HubSpot Workflow Automation – Programmed the entire 10-touch sequence as a triggered workflow, automatically advancing prospects through phases based on engagement signals (email opens, LinkedIn profile views, content downloads)

AI-Generated Personalization at Scale – Built custom GPT prompts for each touch, trained on the buyer persona frameworks. Sales reps input company name + industry + recent news, and the system generated personalized opening lines that referenced real business context

Behavioral Scoring Engine – Created a lead scoring model that weighted touches differently (LinkedIn DM reply = 15 points, discovery call scheduled = 50 points, ignored call = -5 points), automatically moving prospects into “Engaged,” “Nurture,” or “Disqualified” buckets

Real-Time Playbook Access – Embedded the sales play into a Notion database connected to Slack, so reps could type /play [prospect name] and instantly see: which touch they’re on, what’s next, suggested talk tracks, and recent engagement history

The play gave structure. The automation made it scalable without hiring five more SDRs.

Why This Matters as a Consulting Deliverable

Most teams have scripts. Very few have sales architecture.

This sales play:

• aligns marketing, sales, and executive leadership
• standardizes high-quality outreach without killing personalization
• protects brand equity while still driving pipeline
• creates clarity for SDRs, confidence for executives, and consistency across industries

It’s not about being louder. It’s about being deliberate.

This is the kind of work I bring into organizations as a fractional CMO: designing systems that respect how senior buyers actually decide, while giving teams the structure they need to execute at a high level—every time.