Cold Email
6 min read
Intermediate

Executing Personalization at Scale (Name-Drop Method)

Use "relevant colleague name-drop" personalization to lift reply rates without gimmicky AI compliments.

Example Copy

Generic Approach
compose email
To: {FirstName}
Subject: Quick question about {Company}

Hi {FirstName},

I noticed {Company} is growing fast. We help companies like yours with {Service} and I'd love to chat.

Would you be open to a quick call this week?

Best, Generic SDR

Low reply rate
LeadBird Approach
compose email
To: Sarah Jennings
Subject: Quick question

Hey [[FirstName]] — not sure if you're the right person or if I should be speaking with [[ColleagueName]], but wanted to reach out about [[Problem]].

Open to a quick chat this week?

PS — wasn't sure if this was better suited for you or [[ColleagueName]].

High reply rate

Tools Required

Clay
Orchestration + enrichment
Smartlead
Conditional personalization logic + A/B testing

How To Set It Up

1

Analyze when to use this play

Use it when you need a reply-rate lift in structured B2B orgs. Avoid very small/disorganized orgs where colleague mapping is unreliable.

2

Build the "colleague" data layer in Clay

After building the primary lead list, run a second "Find People" search per company. Filter for same domain, same department, and seniority above your target persona.

3

Insert dynamically in Smartlead

Use conditional logic: if [[ColleagueName]] exists, insert the name-drop sentence. If not, skip the line.

4

Deploy across email and cold call

Email works best in the intro or PS. Cold call can use "not sure if I should reach out to you or [[ColleagueName]]…" only if delivery is natural.

5

Run an A/B split test

Variant A includes the name-drop. Variant B is standard. Let performance decide.

Summary

This is a reply-rate enhancer: map a department-aligned senior colleague, insert dynamically, and split test. Small lift, big compounding impact at volume.

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