Imagine building a demand generation agency from scratch, signing six or seven new clients off a single cold email campaign, and then riding that momentum to hire more staff, formalize your business, and partner with top industry platforms. That’s exactly what happened to Stan Stojanović, Founder of frontBrick.io and self-described “architect of sophisticated pipeline generation strategies for ambitious B2B teams.” In this detailed case study, we explore how Stan harnessed Smartlead to catapult his AI-powered outbound agency to new heights, from improved deliverability to multi-channel outreach. If your goal is to scale enterprise-level outreach without hitting the spam folder, read on.
Background: Stan’s Journey from SaaS Sales to Demand Generation
Stan Stojanović began his career in SaaS, working as an Account Executive at a business analytics company called Databox. There, he absorbed core sales fundamentals from people with backgrounds at HubSpot, Salesforce, and other major players. That environment was his first glimpse of the power and potential of structured outbound programs, even if he wasn’t fully immersed in outbound strategies just yet.
A shift came in 2021: Stan moved into business development for a Canadian web design agency. As the first sales hire, he quickly recognized the need for a predictable pipeline—inbound alone wasn’t enough. So he built an outbound motion from the ground up. The climate for cold emailing was more lenient then, but Stan never liked “spray-and-pray.” He focused on targeted, segmented approaches, combining creative strategies with solid deliverability measures. Over time, he developed a knack for “creating sophisticated systems that drive pipeline in the long run.”
That knack led him to formalize frontBrick.io, an AI-driven demand generation agency with the tagline:
“Take The Lead. Brick By Brick. AI-Powered Demand Generation Agency for Predictable Revenue Growth. We use AI and automation to identify, engage, and convert high-intent leads before your competitors do.”
But how do you actually launch an agency from scratch? You need case studies, you need leads, you need client wins. This is where Smartlead enters the picture, fueling Stan’s big breakout campaign.
How frontBrick.io Nearly Hit the Spam Wall Before Finding Smartlead
Stan needed a reliable, scalable platform for cold emailing that wouldn’t trash his domain reputation. As a new brand, frontBrick.io had minimal domain authority. The last thing he wanted was to end up blacklisted because he was pushing large volumes of outbound.
Market Reality: B2B leads—especially in industries like web design, marketing, or enterprise software—get blasted by emails daily. If your approach even hints at spam, you’re done. Also, modern spam filters analyze sending volumes, domain age, bounce rates, personalization depth, and more. Meanwhile, Stan also wanted to experiment with AI-based personalization so each email felt relevant, not generic. The older “spray-and-pray” approach from 2021 was no longer feasible in 2025, especially when targeting top-level execs.
Key Requirements:
- Deliverability Tools (warm-up, domain rotation)
- Personalization (AI or advanced segmentation)
- Integration with other AI tools for scraping or prospecting
- User-Friendly enough to manage multiple subdomains or client campaigns
In short, Stan needed a platform that could keep him off spam lists while letting him scale. As he puts it, “I do a lot of sophisticated systems, not just lead gen for the sake of it.” So the technology had to match his ambitions.
How a Single LinkedIn Tip Led Stan to Smartlead (and Changed Everything)
Stan first heard about Smartlead through LinkedIn recommendations—someone in his network had praised the platform’s advanced domain warm-up features and the fact that it doesn’t charge per seat. Intrigued, he tested the waters, launching a single pilot campaign in the mid-2020s. The result? A mind-blowing success that sealed his decision to formalize frontBrick.io.
Primary Reason to Try: “Other tools back then charged per seat. Smartlead let me scale outreach cost-effectively.”
Immediate Win: He launched a campaign with 470 leads to test deliverability and personalization at scale.
Results:
Stan got 52 replies, a reply rate of approximately 18.37%—notable for cold outbound. Even better, 41 of those replies were positive, a huge majority. This single campaign netted 7 or 8 new customers, basically jumpstarting frontBrick.io’s client base. The influx allowed him to hire staff, build an agency brand, and collaborate with other AI or automation tools.
That one campaign, as Stan put it, was “the most successful campaign I’ve ever run,” demonstrating how Smartlead’s approach to domain health and personalization can yield near-immediate ROI.
The frontBrick.io Approach: “AI + Relevance Over Spray-and-Pray”
Stan’s philosophy is that “relevance matters more than personalization.” If your outreach is triggered by actual signals—like company expansions, funding rounds, or new product lines—you’re not sending random blasts. Instead, you’re targeting prospects at the right moment with a real solution. frontBrick uses:
- AI & Automation: Tools like Clay, HeyReach, or other scraping solutions feed the top of the funnel, identifying high-intent leads.
- Strategic Segmentation: They group leads by triggers (e.g., newly hired marketing directors, companies that posted about “expansion” on LinkedIn).
- Smartlead: The final stage for delivering the actual emails. They build sequences with advanced spintax and multi-inbox rotation to keep deliverability high.
By stacking these tools, frontBrick.io was able to set up robust pipelines for their clients. In Stan’s words, “It’s about building systems that produce consistent pipeline over time, not quick hacks.”
What Helped Most? Stan’s Favorite Smartlead Features
When asked what top features matter most in Smartlead, Stan highlighted:
1. Master Inbox
- Centralized Campaign Management: frontBrick.io could see all leads, all sequences, and all replies from one dashboard.
- Reply & Unsubscribe Detection: If someone replies or unsubscribes, the system automatically halts further emails to that lead, avoiding spam complaints.
2. Smart Delivery
- Adaptive Sending: Emails are spaced out to mimic human behavior, reducing sudden volume spikes that trigger spam filters.
- Domain Warm-Up: The platform gradually ramps up sending from new addresses, ensuring no domain is overwhelmed.
- Customizable Throttling: frontBrick.io can calibrate how many emails go out per hour/day, preserving domain health.
3. Client Access & White-Labeling
- Multi-Client Management: Perfect for agencies. frontBrick.io can add new subdomains or new inboxes for each client, all under their own brand.
- Collaboration: External clients can see dashboards or analytics without messing up the main workflow.
Additionally, Stan praised the webhook integration for hooking into CRMs or lead-sheets. That synergy with other AI-based data-collection tools (like Play or Clay) forms the backbone of frontBrick.io’s entire approach.
Stan’s Notable Campaign: 470 Leads, 52 Replies, 41 Positive
One shining example from the transcript is a single campaign Stan ran to target founders on a specialized platform (like Webflow experts). He combined:
- Scraping: He used a scraping solution to find relevant agencies or companies.
- Segmentation: Each lead was chosen based on certain triggers (like having a Webflow listing or offering Webflow design).
- Smartlead: Sequences were loaded into Smartlead, with domain warm-up, personalization tokens, and an interval-based approach.
Outcome:
1. Out of 470 leads, he got 52 replies (~18.37% reply rate), with 41 positives.
2. That’s roughly 78–79% positive ratio among those who replied, which is phenomenal for a cold outreach scenario.
3. He ended up signing 7 or 8 brand-new clients, fueling the birth of frontBrick.io as a formal agency.
In short, the synergy of advanced segmentation plus deliverability optimization through Smartlead turned a list of 470 leads into a profitable client pipeline.
The Evolution of Outbound (According to Stan)
Based on the transcript, Stan sees two main shifts in the outbound space:
1. Deliverability Complexity
It used to be easy to export lists from a database and blast them. Now, if you do that, Google or Microsoft flags you almost instantly. Tools like Smartlead, with advanced domain and inbox management, are essential to avoid meltdown.
2. AI & Personalization
The race to stand out in the inbox has led to more sophisticated personalization strategies. Basic mail merges are losing effectiveness. frontBrick.io leans on AI to create lines referencing each prospect’s context, ensuring they “feel” relevant at scale.
“Whoever is managing to stay a bit more ahead of time in deliverability and segmentation can still have great results,” Stan says. The key is avoiding the old approach of dumping 10,000 leads into a single sequence. No one wants that.
What Could Be Better: Stan’s Honest Feedback on Smartlead
Though Stan is a big advocate of Smartlead, he did mention some improvements he’d love to see:
1. Global Analytics
He’d like deeper, possibly more interactive analytics to slice data historically and export leads by tags or statuses.
2. Multi-HubSpot Accounts
If you’re an agency with 10 HubSpot-using clients, you might want each one integrated. Currently, hooking multiple HubSpot accounts can be a bit tricky, but it’s on Smartlead’s roadmap.
3. Better “All Leads” Filtering
For instance, if you want to export only the positive replies from a specific client’s campaign, it can be a challenge. Having robust filtering or search for leads across campaigns would speed up the offboarding process.
He also expressed an interest in seeing how the new global analytics and dashboards evolve. Being from a data analytics background, Stan craves deeper insights. That said, he values that Smartlead “rolls out features so fast,” with plenty of new updates arriving regularly.
The Path Forward: frontBrick.io & Smartlead Collaboration
frontBrick.io has grown into a legitimate AI-powered demand gen or cold email agency, thanks to successful outbound campaigns with tools like Smartlead. The synergy is straightforward:
- Play or Clay scrapes data, identifies triggers, or segments leads.
- Smartlead sends them out in carefully structured sequences— domain warm-up, spintax personalization, advanced analytics.
- HubSpot or a separate CRM receives data and organizes the pipeline, either via direct integration or webhooks.
- frontBrick.io’s team monitors results in real-time. If open rates dip, they adjust domain rotation or tweak the messaging.
Stan also joined the Smartlead experts program, acknowledging that he’s not just a user but a partner, providing feedback and suggestions to shape the product’s direction. For him, real synergy comes from forging alliances with best-in-class platforms so they can both evolve with the ever-changing spam filter landscape.
"Outbound isn’t Dead, It's Just That the Bar is Higher Now"
For any B2B software company or outbound agency reading this, here are a few things to note from Stan’s journey:
1. Deliverability Is King: “We used to blast out 10,000 leads in a single go,” says Stan. Not anymore. Strategic domain warm-up, multiple subdomains, and a warm-up tool are non-negotiables if you want consistent results.
2. AI & Segmentation: frontBrick.io doesn’t believe in “spray-and-pray.” Instead, they identify triggers or intent data to ensure each email resonates. Tools like Smartlead let them scale that approach safely.
3. Measurable ROI: That single campaign that yielded 7 or 8 new clients from 470 leads demonstrates that high-volume, targeted outreach can pay off big if done right.
4. Keep Evolving: The outbound game changes monthly (or even weekly). Working with a platform that updates features—like better analytics or multi-CRM connectivity—keeps you a step ahead.
5. Partnership Over Tool Usage: frontBrick.io sees Smartlead as more than just software. They see it as a partner in building robust pipeline generation systems. That synergy is key for surviving the modern spam filter arms race.
Stan’s Final Word: “Outbound isn’t dead; it’s just that the bar is higher now. With the right approach—like focusing on domain health, triggers, and actual personalization—you can do wonders. Smartlead allowed me to unify advanced deliverability with multi-channel sequences, and that was a game-changer for our 2,000+ daily emails.”
At the end of the day, Stan’s story with frontBrick.io shows that cold emailing, even in 2025, can be a powerful revenue driver—if you do it right. The synergy between specialized tools like Smartlead and a strategic demand gen approach can catapult your brand from “just another spammer” to “the next unstoppable pipeline engine.”
Interested in seeing how frontBrick.io leveraged advanced domain warm-ups or multi-channel sequences? Head over to Smartlead to explore the possibilities. Or, if you’re serious about supercharging your own outbound, join the ranks of forward-thinking agencies that count on Smartlead’s domain warm-up, spintax personalization, and flexible pricing to keep them out of spam and in the black. Because, as Stan would say, “Outbound still works. You just need the right system behind it.”
Author’s Details
Nitish Chauhan
People will also read
$5M Pipeline Growth: How Smartlead helped The Kiln Land High-ticket Clients
1000+ Meetings Booked and 1M+ in Sales Pipeline by Avorius Partner Using Smartlead
Frequently asked questions
What is Smartlead's cold email outreach software?
Smartlead's cold email outreach tool helps businesses scale their outreach efforts seamlessly. With unlimited mailboxes, fully automated email warmup functionality, a multi-channel infrastructure, and a user-friendly unibox, it empowers users to manage their entire revenue cycle in one place. Whether you're looking to streamline cold email campaigns with automated email warmups, personalization fields, automated mailbox rotation, easy integrations, and spintax, improve productivity, or enhance scalability with subsequences based on lead’s intentions, automated replies, and full white-label experience, our cold email tool implifies it in a single solution.
What is Smartlead, and how can it enhance my cold email campaigns?
Smartlead is a robust cold emailing software designed to transform cold emails into reliable revenue streams. Trusted by over 31,000 businesses, Smartlead excels in email deliverability, lead generation, cold email automation, and sales outreach. A unified master inbox streamlines communication management, while built-in email verification reduces bounce rates.
Additionally, Smartlead offers essential tools such as CNAME, SPF Checker, DMARC Checker, Email Verifier, Blacklist Check Tool, and Email Bounce Rate Calculator for optimizing email performance.
How does the "unlimited mailboxes" feature benefit me?
Our "unlimited mailboxes" feature allows you to expand your email communications without restrictions imposed by a mailbox limit. This means you won't be constrained by artificial caps on the number of mailboxes you can connect and use. This feature makes Smartlead the best cold email software and empowers you to reach a wider audience, engage with more potential customers, and manage diverse email campaigns effectively.
How does Smartlead as a cold emailing tool can automate the cold email process?
Smartlead’s robust cold email API and automation infrastructure streamline outbound communication by transforming the campaign creation and management processes. It seamlessly integrates data across software systems using APIs and webhooks, adjusts settings, and leverages AI for personalised content.
The cold emailing tool categorises lead intent, offers comprehensive email management with automated notifications, and integrates smoothly with CRMs like Zapier, Make, N8N, HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive. Smartlead supports scalable outreach by rapidly adding mailboxes and drip-feeding leads into active campaigns Sign Up Now!
What do you mean by "unibox to handle your entire revenue cycle"?
The "unibox" is one of the unique features of Smartlead cold email outreach tool, and it's a game-changer when it comes to managing your revenue cycle. The master inbox or the unibox consolidates all your outreach channels, responses, sales follow-ups, and conversions into one centralized, user-friendly mailbox.
With the "unibox," you gain the ability to:
1. Focus on closing deals: You can now say goodbye to the hassle of logging into multiple mailboxes to search for replies. The "unibox" streamlines your sales communication, allowing you to focus on what matters most—closing deals.
2. Centralized lead management: All your leads are managed from one central location, simplifying lead tracking and response management. This ensures you take advantage of every opportunity and efficiently engage with your prospects.
3. Maintain context: The "unibox" provides a 360-degree view of all your customer messages, allowing you to maintain context and deliver more personalized and effective responses.
How does Smartlead ensure my emails don't land in the spam folder?
Smartlead, the best cold email marketing tool, ensures your emails reach the intended recipients' primary inbox rather than the spam folder.
Here's how it works:
1. Our "unlimited warmups" feature is designed to build and maintain a healthy sending reputation for your cold email outreach. Instead of sending a large volume of emails all at once, which can trigger spam filters, we gradually ramp up your sending volume. This gradual approach, combined with positive email interactions, helps boost your email deliverability rates.
2. We deploy high-deliverability IP servers specific to each campaign.
3. The ‘Warmup’ feature replicates humanized email sending patterns, spintax, and smart replies.
4. By establishing a positive sender reputation and gradually increasing the number of sent emails, Smartlead minimizes the risk of your emails being flagged as spam. This way, you can be confident that your messages will consistently land in the primary inbox, increasing the likelihood of engagement and successful communication with your recipients.
Can Smartlead help improve my email deliverability rates?
Yes, our cold emailing software is designed to significantly improve your email deliverability rates. It enhances email deliverability through AI-powered email warmups across providers, unique IP rotating for each campaign, and dynamic ESP matching.
Real-time AI learning refines strategies based on performance, optimizing deliverability without manual adjustments. Smartlead's advanced features and strategies are designed to improve email deliverability rates, making it a robust choice for enhancing cold email campaign success.
What features does Smartlead offer for cold email personalisation?
Smartlead enhances cold email personalisation through advanced AI-driven capabilities and strategic integrations. Partnered with Clay, The cold remaining software facilitates efficient lead list building, enrichment from over 50 data providers, and real-time scraping for precise targeting. Hyper-personalised cold emails crafted in Clay seamlessly integrate with Smartlead campaigns.
Moreover, Smartlead employs humanised, natural email interactions and smart replies to boost engagement and response rates. Additionally, the SmartAI Bot creates persona-specific, high-converting sales copy. Also you can create persona-specific, high-converting sales copy using SmartAI Bot. You can train the AI bot to achieve 100% categorisation accuracy, optimising engagement and conversion rates.
Can I integrate Smartlead with other tools I'm using?
Certainly, Smartlead cold email tool is designed for seamless integration with a wide range of tools and platforms. Smartlead offers integration with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Clay, Listkit, and more. You can leverage webhooks and APIs to integrate the tools you use. Try Now!
Is Smartlead suitable for both small businesses and large enterprises?
Smartlead accommodates both small businesses and large enterprises with flexible pricing and comprehensive features. The Basic Plan at $39/month suits small businesses and solopreneurs, offering 2000 active leads and 6000 monthly emails, alongside essential tools like unlimited email warm-up and detailed analytics.
Marketers and growing businesses benefit from the Pro Plan ($94/month), with 30000 active leads and 150000 monthly emails, plus a custom CRM and active support. Lead generation agencies and large enterprises can opt for the Custom Plan ($174/month), providing up to 12 million active lead credits and 60 million emails, with advanced CRM integration and customisation options.
What type of businesses sees the most success with Smartlead?
No, there are no limitations on the number of channels you can utilize with Smartlead. Our cold email tool offers a multi-channel infrastructure designed to be limitless, allowing you to reach potential customers through multiple avenues without constraints.
This flexibility empowers you to diversify your cold email outreach efforts, connect with your audience through various communication channels, and increase your chances of conversion. Whether email, social media, SMS, or other communication methods, Smartlead's multi-channel capabilities ensure you can choose the channels that best align with your outreach strategy and business goals. This way, you can engage with your prospects effectively and maximize the impact of your email outreach.
How can Smartlead integrate with my existing CRM and other tools?
Smartlead is the cold emailing tool that facilitates seamless integration with existing CRM systems and other tools through robust webhook and API infrastructure. This setup ensures real-time data synchronisation and automated processes without manual intervention. Integration platforms like Zapier, Make, and N8N enable effortless data exchange between Smartlead and various applications, supporting tasks such as lead information syncing and campaign status updates. Additionally, it offers native integrations with major CRM platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive, enhancing overall lead management capabilities and workflow efficiency. Try Now!
Do you provide me with lead sources?
No. Smartlead distinguishes itself from other cold email outreach software by focusing on limitless scalability and seamless integration. While many similar tools restrict your outreach capabilities, Smartlead offers a different approach.
Here's what makes us uniquely the best cold email software:
1. Unlimited Mailboxes: In contrast to platforms that limit mailbox usage, Smartlead provides unlimited mailboxes. This means you can expand your outreach without any arbitrary constraints.
2. Unique IP Servers: Smartlead offers unique IP servers for every campaign it sends out.
3. Sender Reputation Protection: Smartlead protects your sender reputation by auto-moving emails from spam folders to the primary inbox. This tool uses unique identifiers to cloak all warmup emails from being recognized by automation parsers.
4. Automated Warmup: Smartlead’s warmup functionality enhances your sender reputation and improves email deliverability by maintaining humanised email sending patterns and ramping up the sending volume.
How secure is my data with Smartlead?
Ensuring the security of your data is Smartlead's utmost priority. We implement robust encryption methods and stringent security measures to guarantee the continuous protection of your information. Your data's safety is paramount to us, and we are always dedicated to upholding the highest standards of security.
How can I get started with Smartlead?
Getting started with Smartlead is straightforward! Just head over to our sign-up page and follow our easy step-by-step guide. If you ever have any questions or need assistance, our round-the-clock support team is ready to help, standing by to provide you with any assistance you may require. Sign Up Now!
How can I reach the Smartlead team?
We're here to assist you! You can easily get in touch with our dedicated support team on chat. We strive to provide a response within 24 hours to address any inquiries or concerns you may have. You can also reach out to us at support@smartlead.ai
Powerful Automated Email Marketing that Drives Sales.
All Features Included- No Credit Card Required
- Free Warmup Included
