How much does the complete outbound sales stack cost per month?

Up to $500 per month. If you skip a CRM, you can squeeze in under $350. However, when building a sales funnel, you'll want to follow up, create reminders, and track potential deals. If you're thinking long-term, don't skip the CRM. Most sales aren't accomplished through the first outreach - you'll be following up with the same contacts multiple times throughout a year until you land them.

How long does it take to set up the full sales stack from scratch?

With experience, it can be set up in under 5-6 hours. For most people who haven't worked with these platforms, a safe bet is under 2 working days. Take it easy, don't rush things, and do it properly so you won't have to redo everything.

Do I need technical skills to set up these tools?

No, all the tools are fairly easy to use. It's pretty much like setting up your laptop or phone for the first time. It's really not rocket science.

Can I start with just a few tools and add more later?

Yes, start with Reply.io + Clay OR Apollo. This gives you a tool to outreach with plus contacts to work with. You'll need to buy a domain for outbound, but you'll be limited by the volume of emails you can send initially.

How many demos per month can I realistically expect to book?

This really depends on market, messaging, and targeting. It can be as low as 5, it can be as high as hundreds a month. From experience in a market where you have some competition and you add 40-50 new contacts monthly, 15 to 20 demos is a healthy target.

How long before I see results from outbound?

You'll see open rates the same day, reply rates within a few days. Realistically, within the first week, if you haven't gotten answers and your open rate is lower than 40%, work on the messaging - you probably have issues there.

What's a good reply rate for cold emails?

3-5% is a good benchmark for cold email reply rates.

Should I hire an SDR or build this myself?

Always recommend starting yourself first. Calculate how much an SDR costs locally. A good rule of thumb is if an SDR costs $2,000/month, they need to bring enough opportunities to generate $6,000 of revenue monthly - essentially a 3:1 ratio.

What's the #1 mistake founders make with outbound sales?

Writing emails that read like a marketing campaign. Your goal is to message like a friend and say 'Hey, I see you're having issues with this, I have a solution, worth a chat?' Less is more.

Do I need a big email list to get started?

It's subjective and depends on what verticals you're targeting. Generally, we're speaking about thousands of contacts you can get from Clay, Apollo, or Lusha, so practically this isn't an area of concern.

Reply.io Review

Last updated December 2025

4.5/5

Very versatile tool, highest level of multichannel capabilities

Why I Recommend It

Reply.io covers all the channels you need and gives you complete control to personalize when necessary. The price-to-functionality ratio is top-notch, making it accessible for founders and small teams while still being powerful enough for established sales teams.

Their analytics and tracking capabilities really shine when it comes to extra nurturing steps. For example, I set up an automation that checks if a prospect opened an email more than 5 times after the last sequence step, then triggers a reminder email a day later (not the same day - that would be creepy). This simple workflow helped nudge reply rates and increased the number of opportunities created.

My Experience Using It

I've used and set up Reply.io for 4 SaaS companies over the past year. The platform has been my go-to for automating LinkedIn, InMail, and email sequencing with variable steps across multiple campaigns.

Results:

✓Open rates varied by industry: 30-40% on the lower end, peaked at 80% with 3-4 follow-up steps (excluding LinkedIn)
✓Successfully automated multichannel sequences across email, LinkedIn, and InMail
✓Advanced nurturing automation (5+ email opens trigger) increased reply rates and opportunities created

Where It Shines

The multichannel capabilities are unmatched. I've tested every channel except WhatsApp (though the sentiment about it seems positive). Reply.io is the best choice when:

•You need to run coordinated campaigns across email, LinkedIn, and InMail
•You want granular control over personalization without sacrificing automation
•You need advanced analytics and tracking for nurturing workflows
•You're serious about outbound and understand that single-channel focus leaves money on the table

Who Should Skip This

If you're only focusing on one channel, don't buy Reply.io. There are specialized tools that will serve you better: Dripify for LinkedIn, Instantly for email, or Aircall for cold calls. But honestly, as a sales professional, single-channel focus is a bad strategy - you're leaving money on the table.

The one real dealbreaker: Limited Salesforce integration. The only reason this gets 4.5 instead of 5 stars. I wasn't happy with how the integration works initially. With some technical workarounds in Salesforce, we got it working well enough for a team of 9 sales executives, but it's not ideal. For most founder and small team use cases using HubSpot, this is a non-issue.

Bottom Line

Great tool with a top-tier price-to-functionality ratio. Whether you're an established team or a founder just starting outbound, Reply.io will get the job done long-term and you can be confident with your commitment. It's my go-to recommendation for anyone serious about multichannel outreach who wants a tool they can grow with.

Tagged:

Sales EngagementEmail AutomationLinkedIn AutomationMultichannel OutreachCold EmailB2B Sales ToolsSales Sequences

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