Give Them the Names

Most outbound talks about the sender. This play talks about the prospect’s next customer, and then actually names them.

We run it for Sales Boutique’s own new business, mostly to agencies and studios. Here’s how it works and what the numbers say so far.

Step 1: The Hook Asks Permission

The first email says we’ve been thinking about their business, mainly about who their next dream client should be, and asks if they’d like our take. Some versions say “I have one name in mind, and the person to speak to there.”

It names nobody. It only asks if they want it.

On these campaigns from 20 September to 27 October 2026, 85 conversations turned positive. 65 of them (76%) were people asking for the name or for our take.

One honest number before you copy it: as a cold opener this style gets fewer positive replies per person than our founder coffee ask. It’s on the results page. The curiosity is real, the volume is lower.

Step 2: Never Name Anyone Before They Ask

A plain “thanks” gets one line back: “Shall I just send you the name?”

Naming someone they didn’t ask about turns a favour into a pitch.

Step 3: Do the Homework

Before we reply we read their website, their client list and their case studies. Each pick has to fit the work they already do and are proud of.

One to three companies. Never one of our clients, never one of theirs, never a competitor or a sponsor of theirs.

Step 4: Send the Names and the People

For each company: the decision maker’s full name, title and work email. We look for the head of marketing first, then the commercial lead, then the CEO, up to two people per company.

We keep an email only if it matches the person’s current employer. If we can’t find a person, we give the role and say so.

The message always ends with two times for a short call. We walk them through why we picked those names and how we’d get them in front of those people.

We never promise “the full list”. That’s what the call is for.

What Happened

Name messages from 12 to 27 October 2026:

From 15 to 24 October, 9 of the 10 meetings on these campaigns came straight after a name message.

A Dutch trade show organiser asked “which company?”. We named a VP at an energy technology firm. They accepted a call time 23 minutes later.

A US software company got two regional health systems with their decision makers, and accepted a time 4 minutes later.

The Lesson That Changed Our Rule

Before mid-October, when someone asked for the name, we described the profile and talked about a curated list instead.

That booked meetings at the same rate, 4 of 24 (17%), against 8 of 47 (17%) once we sent real names.

But 5 of those 24 called us on it: “you said you’d send it”. So we send it. If the hook promises a name, the reply has to deliver one.

The Mistakes to Avoid

• Naming a company they already know. 7 of our 49 name messages included a company the prospect already worked with or knew well. Check their client list and their LinkedIn before you send.
• Look-alike matches. Three times our data tool picked a company or person with a similar name. Check every name by hand.
• Stale data. On one longer list, 17 of 50 contacts failed verification, and an earlier list included companies that had stopped trading. Web-check every company before it goes out.
• Two people dismissed the names as worthless. It happens. A bad pick costs you the conversation, so three good names beat ten average ones.

After the Call: The 50-Name List

The morning after a discovery call, the prospect gets a short thank-you and a sheet of 50 companies that match the customer they described on the call, with one decision maker each: name, position and LinkedIn.

It shows we listened, and it gives them a reason to keep talking. It’s new, so there are no numbers yet. They’ll go up here when there are.

Privacy

Work contact details only, from a B2B data provider, checked against the person’s current employer. Anyone who asks to be left alone is removed the same day, everywhere.