How AirOps Turned Cold Outreach Into $3M in Pipeline in Just 3 Months

When you’re scaling a SaaS company, there’s this moment where inbound traffic alone can’t keep up with your revenue goals. AirOps (a fast-moving SaaS player in the AI operations space) hit that moment.

They had a strong inbound funnel. Great content, a clear ICP. The brand was solid, the growth curve healthy.

But when Eoin Clancy, their Head of Growth, looked at the numbers, there was a gap. Inbound was steady, but outbound was… not enough. 

A few Smartlead campaigns here and there. A couple of good replies. 

No repeatable system.

And in SaaS, if you can’t build a predictable pipeline, you’re gambling on growth. 

Fast forward 8 months, and that had all changed: 50+ positive replies in the first week, $3M in pipeline within 3 months, and 2x the revenue generation.

It all started when AirOps partnered with ColdIQ.

Foundation: Who they were before ColdIQ

Definitely AirOps was already in the “serious growth” stage. 

Still, most of their actual outreach activity happened through Smartlead, with the other tools sitting underused or disconnected from a clear process.

The goal was simple:

• Turn outbound from an experiment into a predictable growth channel
• Fill the top of the funnel with ICP-fit leads
• Move those leads to bottom of funnel actions
• Book more meetings with the right people, faster

They needed a playbook that didn’t just “send more emails”…it had to be targeted, relevant, and built for compounding returns.

Once the challenges were on the table, we rolled up our sleeves and began mapping a system that would turn this potential into predictable growth.

Process: The ColdIQ playbook in action

When we kicked things off with AirOps, we weren’t starting from zero: they already had the right audience in mind, some tools in place, and inbound momentum. 

What they lacked was the glue to hold it all together: a clear strategy, consistent execution, and a feedback loop to make every week’s outreach smarter than the last.

Our goal was to transform their scattered efforts into a focused outbound engine. One that could plug into their existing growth machine and deliver qualified opportunities like clockwork. 

Here’s how we did it:

Step #1 → Locking in the ICP

We didn’t reinvent their target audience; we sharpened it. 

Our lens was ultra-specific: companies with 30–200 employees, 20k+ monthly organic traffic, and decision-makers in SEO, Content, or Marketing leadership roles.

Step #2 → Data that works

Instead of buying lists, we built them. Every contact was enriched with accurate role, company data, and intent signals. 

No guessing.

Step #3 → Messaging that lands

We threw out generic “We help companies like yours…” templates. Instead, the copy spoke directly to their growth pains: short, human, and built to start a conversation, not close a sale in the first email.

Step #4 → Multichannel outreach

We built a system around tools like Clay, Trigify, CommonRoom, and Smartlead, turning what was once experimental outbound into a structured, value-first engine.

And, email was just the start. We paired it with event and webinar invites, giving cold leads a low-friction way to engage. 

Step #5 → Rapid iteration

Every week, we tweaked subject lines, CTAs, follow-ups. We treated campaigns like living experiments: always learning, always adjusting.

To see just how much changed, let’s put AirOps’ outreach situation before and after ColdIQ side by side:

With the engine running, it didn’t take long before the numbers started speaking for themselves.

Outcome: From “small outreach” to a pipeline machine

The first signals came fast:

• Week 1: 50+ positive replies — all ICP matches
• First 3 months: $3M in qualified pipeline
• Over 8 months: Revenue generation doubled compared to before ColdIQ

The surprise MVP? Webinar and event-led campaigns. They consistently delivered the highest reply-to-meeting conversion rates, proving that value-first touchpoints beat hard-sell cold emails every time.

But beyond the numbers, the collaboration created a repeatable outbound process that can keep fueling growth for years.

Learnings that stuck

Every big win leaves a few lessons you can carry into the next campaign. Here are the ones AirOps will keep using:

1. Precision beats volume → right 500 leads > random 5,000.
2. TOFU is the start, not the finish line → you need a clear BOFU path.
3. Events convert → they turn strangers into warm prospects faster than pure email.
4. Iterate weekly → small improvements compound into huge results.

These lessons are now baked into AirOps’ playbook, ensuring that outbound stays effective, relevant, and scalable.

Why this worked

This wasn’t just about adding ColdIQ to a tool stack and the AirOps team. It was about building an outbound system that clicked perfectly into AirOps’ growth engine.

Inbound brought them awareness. ColdIQ brought them a scalable, predictable outbound channel that 2x`ed revenue generation and made $3M in pipeline feel like a milestone, not a miracle.

And the best part? 

It’s still running, filling the top of the funnel every week, moving leads closer to conversion, and giving AirOps the confidence that growth isn’t just possible… it’s inevitable.

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If you want to build a predictable outbound engine that delivers real pipeline fast, book a GTM Strategy Call with ColdIQ today. Let’s design your next growth breakthrough.