How HockeyStack went from 0 to $74m in pipeline in just 8 months

And how they 3x their meeting/SDR/week

Welcome to a new 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of my weekly newsletter of Outbound Kitchen. Each week, I dive into reader questions about scaling outbound and making it your #1 growth engine. For more: Launching Outbound, and Scaling Outbound

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Today, let's talk about a company that launched an outstanding motion recently.

In just 8 months, HockeyStack stood up an outbound “engine” that scaled from zero to a $74 million annualized pipeline

This deep dive examines how they did it, the strategies and lessons learned along the way, and what you can learn from Hockeystack’s outbound playbook.

Today's menu:

• Quick Snapshot

• Why they went outbound

• How they started in 2024

• What their motion looks like today in 2025

Let's get cooking!

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Quick snapshot

Outbound Key Results

• Outbound scaled from 0 to $74M/year pipeline in 8 months.

• Outbound team started in Q3 of 2024, now contributing to 50% of pipeline

• 2024: 5x YoY revenue growth, ACV doubled, sales cycles reduced by 34%.

• Closed one of their biggest-ever enterprise deal, from a cold call

Company

• Total Funding: $22.7 million

• Series A: $20m in 2025.

• Founding date: 2021

• ACV: $50k+

• Personas: GTM leaders

Today outbound state

• Team size: 1 SDR leader + 5 SDRs (soon 9) + 1 GTM engineer (2 soon)

• Revenue attribution: 50% outbound

• Channel breakdown: 70% cold calls, 20% LinkedIn, 10% email

• In office 5 days

Their outbound metrics (Month 6)

• Cold Call: Connect-to-Conversation: 74.23%

• Cold Call: Conversation-to-Meeting: 29.2%

• Meeting increase: 5 → 15 meetings/week per SDR (3x improvement)

With a $50k ACV. And 70% of first meetings turn into stage 1 opps. That means one of their SDRs create 42 stage 1 opps per month.

That’s $2.1 million in pipeline… per rep, per month.

Now compare that to the average SDR who creates $3.78M in pipeline per year (according to The Bridge Group’s 2025 data).

We’re talking 6.7x more pipeline.

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1. Why they went outbound

HockeyStack was crushing it with inbound until hitting $5M ARR in early 2024. Then growth slowed, algorithms changed, ads saturated, and inbound alone became unstable. Switching to outbound, they proactively targeted ideal customers, ramping pipeline from $0 to $74M within months.

Inbound gets you started, but outbound puts you in the driver’s seat. Don’t wait until your pipeline stalls, build outbound before you need it.

You can’t reliably scale revenue if you depend only on inbound leads.

Relying solely on inbound means your pipeline is always at the mercy of unpredictable platforms.

Inbound starts growth, but outbound sustains and scales it.

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2. Early days

2.1. Started with hiring the SDR leader (not reps)

After building initial sales with inbound only, they hired Alex Choi from Carta as Head of SDR before any reps.

Like Rippling, Matt Plank (Rippling CRO) hired Ashley Kelly (current Global VP of SDRs). If you miss this breakdown, read it here.

2.2. Start With Systems, Not Headcount

The first 3 months of Alex focus was on building the foundation for the outbound team before hiring any reps.

He didn't bring what worked at Carta, but figured out this for Hockeystack.

You shouldn't copy other playbooks, and Alex did well on not bringing his previous playbook.

2.3. Obsess Over ICP Precision

HockeyStack initially sold to SMB, mid-market, and enterprise. Quick SMB wins were tempting but unsustainable. They made the bold decision to cut SMB completely (despite 30-day sales cycles).

Their new ICP: B2B SaaS, Series B+, $50K+ ACV, specific marketing roles: Demand Gen, Rev/Marketing Ops, Performance Marketing, Digital Marketing, etc..

This laser focus improved every metric.

"If it didn't fit the scoring model, we won't contact them." - Alex Choi, Head of SDR

The discipline to say no to prospects outside their ICP created exponential gains. Every system, script, and sequence could now be hyper-targeted.

2.4. Build a manual system

They built everything manually first:

• Cold call script with messaging so sticky it resonates with all 10 of our ICP titles including live objection branching

• 6 email sequences (10–14 days, tailored by persona and buying stage)

• Trigger matrix to route accounts based on behavior

2.5. Automate prospecting to zero manual work

Then in their second quarter, Alex built a team of 5. All started manually prospecting. They were booking meetings, but it wasn’t enough.

They wanted SDRs focused on revenue-generating activities, not data entry. So they built a prospecting pipeline with no humans in the loop.

Step 1: Automate Account Selection Completely

• Built scoring model that evaluates all accounts daily

• Only top 2% of scored accounts enter outbound queue

• Zero manual account selection allowed

The payoff: SDRs focus 100% on prospecting, not researching.

HockeyStack scores accounts on ICP match, and they track signals in real-time like:

• Website behavior (specific URL patterns, pricing views). Example: Multiple page views within 2 days

• Hiring signals (headcount changes, open roles). Example: Hiring a Head of Demand Gen

• Tech stack (tracked changes over time). Example: Added new tool to stack (tracked via Siftery)

• Engagement with content (clicks, opens, intent from campaigns): Example: High-intent content interaction

This eliminated the biggest productivity killer: SDRs spending mornings picking wrong accounts instead of dialing.

The top 2% of accounts entered the outbound queue to prioritize the accounts that are likely buying.

Tools needed: HockeyStack (they use their own tool) or Clay for automated scoring and account qualification.

Step 2: Contact Enrichment

Once an account hits the scoring threshold, their system instantly identifies decision-makers. It validates contact data, pulls recent LinkedIn posts, and tags content topics based on engagement history. SDRs get complete contact profiles ready for outreach.

Step 3: Sequence Assignment

They built a system that uses intent and matches the buyer journey.

Example:

• Viewed pricing = "Conversion" sequence

• Read research = "Insight-led" sequence

• Engaged on LI but no site visit = "Brand familiarity" sequence

Each sequence is tuned to buying stage, not just persona.

Traditional outbound treats all prospects the same. HockeyStack built dynamic sequencing based on digital footprints. Someone reading pricing pages gets a different message than someone downloading research. Each sequence matches the prospect's buying journey stage.

I talk more about this topic in this newsletter: The Buyer Journey Map.

Step 4: Cold Outbound

Many prospects need education before they show buying signals. Some don't know your solution exists. Others lack awareness of their problem. Cold outbound to ICP-fit accounts creates demand instead of just capturing it. HockeyStack uses both approaches, signals for quick wins, and cold outbound for scaling for the long term.

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3. Today

3.1. TAM expansion

Their CRO talks about 2 ways on how they expand their TAM:

1 - Finding new Industries

HockeyStack noticed services companies coming inbound organically. Instead of ignoring this signal, they analyzed what made these companies similar to their core SaaS customers. Company size (20-20K employees), growth stage, and marketing challenges aligned perfectly. They used AI to find more industries with identical characteristics.

2 - New use cases solved by their product = new personas

Late 2024, they went multi-product for our marketing product and released a product for sales teams.

• Launched second product (sales intelligence), entering a new persona (sales leaders) TAM increase

• Leveraged existing customers for introductions, quickly validated messaging.

• Bundle deals doubled ACV and opened enterprise accounts.

Increasing their TAM and ICP allow SDRs to contact more accounts and scale outbound.

3.2. Cold Calling as number 1 channel

Make Calling 60% of Daily Activity

They made outbound calling THE core part of the day-to-day life of our SDRs. More conversations = more opportunities = more success = more learning.

Their team spends 60% of their time calling, 15% admin work, and 25% trying out new tactics like using LinkedIn, working with on automation, etc.

• 70% of outbound meetings from cold calls, 20% LinkedIn, 10% email (one-offs, no sequence).

• Phones provided faster responses and higher quality meetings than emails.

• Cold call scripts tight, concise, and tested weekly.

Lead with pain, not features

Their opener cuts straight to the core problem:

“Hey [Name], this is a cold call from HockeyStack. Do you have a second? We’re hearing a lot of marketers have problems tying brand awareness to revenue, is that a problem for you?” 

Their goal is to get 10 more seconds in each conversation. So they focus on priority to pique the prospect's curiosity.

Keep qualification simple

If prospects fit the ICP, have the right title, and acknowledge the pain, HockeyStack SDRs book the meeting immediately. Deeper qualification happens on scheduled calls with AEs. This approach eliminates lengthy discovery on cold calls. SDRs focus on pain validation, not budget discussions.

When prospects have expensive problems you can solve, they find budget and build business cases.

Simple qualification keeps cold calls focused on their primary goal: securing next conversations with qualified prospects.

3.4. Outbound Team Build-Out

3.4.1. Hire "Super ICs" (SDRs)

HockeyStack focuses on SDRs with experience and who excel at their craft rather than climb management ladders. These SDRs remain hands-on while leading through expertise. They don't need extensive training because they already understand outbound fundamentals. This approach creates immediate productivity and establishes excellence standards.

Experienced reps teach newer team members informally while maintaining their own high performance levels.

HockeyStack's "Super IC" criteria:

• Proven track record

• Excel at execution and take on responsibility naturally

• Enable teammates to perform better through expertise sharing

The payoff: Instant culture of high standards and expertise from day one.

3.4.2. Build GTM Engineering Support

They just hired 1 GTM engineer and are currently hiring a 2nd GTM engineer

They treat their outbound engine like a product requiring engineering support. GTM engineers handle automation, deliverability, and tool integrations. Sequence logic gets version-controlled like code. If any tool slows down SDRs by more than 2 minutes, it gets replaced immediately. This engineering mindset eliminates friction from sales processes.

3.5. Their Outbound Infrastructure

They build an outbound infrastructure that automates every repetitive task so SDRs focus only on conversations. HockeyStack's tech stack drove their SDRs from 5 to 15 meetings per week, a 3x improvement with zero headcount increase:

• Eliminate All Manual Data Work

• Build Integrated Workflows

• Invest in Multiple Data Sources

Here's the tech stack they currently use to automate every repetitive task to keep SDRs focused only on high-value sales activities like cold calling.

• CRM: Salesforce

• Clay for automation, and aditional enrichment

• Data: Zoominfo, Lusha, Leadmagic, they invest in different tools to increase their data coverage.

• Outreach.io

• Nooks dialer

• Hockeystack for workflows, automation, signals.

• Store the data in Mongodb instance

• Instantly for scaling cold emails

3.7. SDR Enablement

Onboarding Plan: from 10-days to 2 days

HockeyStack killed their 10-day onboarding program because it delayed action without improving results. New experienced SDRs learn faster through structured practice than theoretical instruction. Day one focuses on listening to successful calls and understanding the basic value proposition. Day two puts them on live calls with coaching support.

P.S. This is great, but they hire experienced SDRs. So a short onboarding plan like this wouldn't work for junior SDRs.

Each SDR Practices Daily Before Performing

Daily practice ensures every SDR stays sharp and maintains momentum. SDRs learn from each other's approaches while maintaining consistent messaging. This routine builds confidence and prevents skill decay between successful calls.

Regular practice creates muscle memory for handling objections and delivering value propositions naturally.

They don't use AI sims for that.

Create daily feedback loops

At the end of the day, each SDR: sends 2 great calls and 2 calls where they can improve on, to the CRO + Head of SDR.

Daily call reviews create rapid learning cycles that weekly or monthly feedback cannot match. SDRs learn to self-assess their performance while receiving consistent coaching.

Celebrate small wins to build momentum

Whether booking meetings, crushing quotas, or handling tough objections well, HockeyStack celebrates every success immediately. Recognition keeps teams motivated during challenging periods and clearly signals which behaviors to repeat. Small wins build confidence that leads to bigger achievements.

Consistent celebration creates positive momentum that carries through difficult prospecting periods and rejection cycles.

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4. Their 7 rules to build their outbound engine

In one article written by Alex, he shared the 7 rules they live by for their outbound team.

These 7 rules are non-negotiable:

1. No one researches manually. If a human is touching lead data, the system is broken.

2. If a live demo view happens, the account is contacted within 2 minutes.

3. We do not personalize. We segment and convert.

4. SDRs don’t write sequences. They execute.

5. Every cold call is recorded, reviewed, and logged. Weekly.

6. If a tool slows us down by more than 2 minutes, it’s replaced.

7. Sequence logic is version-controlled. Playbooks are deployed like software.

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5. What HockeyStack Does Differently

• Extreme focus on integrating sales automation deeply within the sales process, reducing manual intervention to near zero.

• Proactive use of real-time intent signals at a granular level, creating near-instant SDR response times.

• Prioritized calling over other channels in an environment where competitors heavily rely on email.

• Strategic product bundling and ICP segmentation earlier than most startups, unlocking enterprise-scale opportunities faster.

• Early investment in senior SDR talent, dramatically cutting ramp times and accelerating results.

• Engineering-led mindset applied to outbound: treating outbound sales as a scalable system rather than just an activity.

Bonus: I’m also sharing the exact tech stack 10 other top outbound teams are using. Think Pigment, Ramp, Rippling, Snowflake.