What's up, it's Zayd

There's a class of vendor in the outbound space that's become genuinely dangerous to early-stage companies.

They're sneaky. They have polished LinkedIn profiles. Their content gets decent engagement.

They use all the right language; signals, intent data, AI-powered, personalization at scale. Their websites look legit.

Then, the moment you pay them, something becomes clear: the capability they sold you doesn't exist the way they described it.

The case studies were their own pipeline, not client results. The framework they promised is a slightly dressed-up version of what everyone else is doing.

And the 'dedicated account manager' who was on your sales call disappears into a junior team member you've never spoken to.

I've watched this happen to enough companies in our orbit that I want to give you a practical way to screen for it before it costs you money.

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My favorite finds of the week

Outbound works (I shout from the rafters) (everyone points and laughs) (Why is Zayd on the rafters again?) (What are rafters?)

But seriously, I see it working every day. Our customers are booking 5 to 25 meetings a month per seat using LinkedIn outreach. The mechanics are real.

What doesn't work consistently is paying someone else to do it for you without a clear framework for evaluating whether they can actually deliver.

The outbound vendor landscape is full of people who are excellent at acquiring clients and mediocre at serving them. Their LinkedIn content generates leads for their own business. Their case studies are from their own pipeline. Their 'proprietary methodology' is a dressed-up version of tactics that any competent operator could figure out with two hours of research.

Here's the due diligence process I'd run on any outbound vendor before signing.

1. Ask for a reference call with a current client, NOT a testimonial.

Testimonials are curated. Reference calls are not.

Any vendor worth hiring should be able to connect you with two or three active clients who will get on a 15-minute call with you. If they hesitate, if they offer written testimonials instead, if they say 'we'd need to check with the client first' and then never follow up, that tells you everything.

On the reference call, ask one question: 'What would you tell a peer company that was considering working with this vendor?' Then stop talking and listen to every word.

2. Ask to see client results, not their own.

Vendors who only show you their own pipeline, their own booked calendar, their own revenue dashboard are showing you evidence that they're good at generating business for themselves. That's not the same as being good at generating business for their clients.

The ask is simple: 'Can you show me a before-and-after for a client in my space? Pipeline generated, meetings booked, deals closed.'

If they can't produce this, or if every example they offer turns out to be their own business, stop the conversation.

3. Ask them to describe what they do without using any AI buzzwords.

This sounds petty, but it’s valid.

Ask them to walk you through what they actually do, step by step, for a client in your segment. What happens on day one? What does the first week look like? What does the messaging process look like? How do they measure success?

Vendors who have a real process can describe it plainly.

Vendors who are selling hype start talking about 'contextual AI' and 'intent-driven personalization engines' and 'omnichannel orchestration frameworks.'

The jargon is a signal that there's nothing concrete underneath.

4. Check the tenure of their team.

Look at who works at the company on LinkedIn. How long have they been there? Is there meaningful senior talent beyond the founders?

A company that's 18 months old with a team that's been there an average of four months is a red flag. High turnover in a service business usually means either the culture is bad or the work is bad, and both of those things hurt you as a client.

5. Ask who will actually be working on your account.

Get their name. Ask to speak with them before you sign. Understand their background and experience level.

The bait-and-switch where a senior person closes you and a junior person runs your account, is the single most common complaint in the agency world. It's completely preventable if you ask the question before you sign.

The Ultimate LinkedIn Hook Writing Guide: A Complete System for High-Performing Content

The vendors I've watched generate real results for companies in our space all share one characteristic…they're boring.

No offense, but literally every single one. They talk about the same fundamentals over and over. Targeting the right people, writing messages that feel human, following up based on signals, measuring what actually matters.

They don't have a new framework every month. They don't pivot their entire methodology every time a new AI model drops.

They don't post selfies with captions about how everything just changed.

The flashy ones burn bright and disappear. The boring ones build real businesses for their clients.

Moral of the story, the fundamentals compound. The vendors who master them are worth paying. Avoid the rest.