Vivant Head of Demand Generation Submission
Video introduction, LinkedIn Post Draft, and 300-word Blog Post from Adam Singh
Video Introduction
LinkedIn Post Draft
How We Built Pipeline in a Market Where Cold Outbound Marketing Didn’t Work
Cold outbound doesn't work in every market. In trust-based local markets like restaurants, dealerships, and local service businesses, the buyer has already decided who they trust. You're not in that circle yet.
Here's what we did at Revlend when we hit that wall. We stopped trying to reach the buyer directly and started asking, “Who already has the relationship we need?”.
For us, it was local realtors. They worked with our target customer every day. We built a referral / rev-share program that made it worth their while to send us business.
A few things that made it work:
- The value proposition was built for the partner, not just the end customer. Realtors didn't care about our product features. They cared about what referring to us did for them and for their clients.
- We built the handoff before the first partner signed. This outlinked how leads get passed, how they're tracked, how attribution works. Thoroughness is the key here.
- We tested one market before we scaled it. Austin first. Got it right and documented everything. Now we have the playbook to duplicate in other high-value metros.
- We ended up with 22 active partnerships. Better lead quality than anything we were getting from paid. Lower CAC. And a playbook any new hire can execute.
The channel that works in your market isn't always the obvious one. Sometimes the highest-quality pipeline comes from building one good relationship with someone who's already got twenty.
What's the scrappiest demand channel you've ever built that actually worked?
Blog Post Draft
When Cold Outbound Doesn't Work
by Adam Singh
6/15/2026
Most growth/demand generation playbooks assume that if your outreach is good enough, people will respond. Better subject line. Shorter email. More personalization. Keep testing until it converts. That works in a lot of markets. It doesn't work in all of them.
In local SMB B2B markets, like restaurants, dealerships, etc., the buyer isn't waiting for a good email. He makes decisions through people he already knows. If you're not one of those people, you're starting from zero every time.
The Problem with Forcing a Channel that Doesn't Fit
Cold outbound in trust-based markets burns time and budget that could go toward something that actually works. The “usual suspects” are high outreach volume, low reply rates, leads that sales won't touch. Then optimize the sequence. The real fix is to change the channel.
What Works Instead
Go find whoever already has the trust you need. In most local markets it’s a vendor, a broker, an advisor, an association. This is someone your buyer already listens to. Build a referral program around them. Make it simple, make it trackable, and make it worth their while.
What Most Teams Do
- Better cold emails
- Higher spend
- More outreach
- Lead volume
What Actually Works
- Referral / rev-share with trusted partners
- Co-marketing with partners already in market
- Warm intros through existing relationships
- Partner-sourced pipeline with higher close rates
Make it Repeatable Before You Scale
The mistake is launching a partner program in five markets at once before you've figured out what works in one. Test it in one place. Document the ICP, the partner value proposition, the outreach, the handoff, the attribution. Then run the same play somewhere else.
If your outbound numbers aren't moving, the campaign might not be the problem. The channel might be. In markets where trust drives the sale, the fastest path to qualified pipeline is usually a person.
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