How to sell to CTOs at Agencies companies in Canada
CTOs at agencies in Canada are primarily measured on their team's ability to deliver innovative technology solutions that enhance client satisfaction. They respond to outreach that demonstrates a clear understanding of the challenges in integrating new tools with existing systems and how this impacts project timelines and client deliverables.
Written and maintained by the SoloRiff team, who build outbound software and run outbound with it. The figures below are our own: we measured 558 agencies company domains over public DNS on 2026-09-03. Last updated 2026-09-03.
What actually hurts
- integration issues with existing tools
- client project delays due to tech inefficiencies
- team collaboration hurdles
- budget constraints for new technology
The playbook
- 01
Identify agencies with recent client wins
Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to filter for marketing and creative agencies in Canada that have announced new client partnerships in the last month. This indicates growth and potential need for technology upgrades to support increased demands.
- 02
Analyze tech stack compatibility
Research the technology stack of your identified agencies using tools like BuiltWith or G2. Look for gaps in their current capabilities that your solution can fill, such as outdated project management tools or inefficient communication platforms.
- 03
Craft a message addressing integration pain points
In your email, highlight how your solution can seamlessly integrate with their existing tools, reducing friction in team collaboration. Mention specific integration challenges common in agencies, such as managing multiple client projects simultaneously.
- 04
Anticipate objections about budget constraints
Prepare to address budget-related objections by providing a clear ROI analysis based on case studies from similar agencies. Emphasize how investing in your solution can lead to long-term savings by improving efficiency and client retention.
- 05
Suggest a follow-up after project launch phases
Timing is crucial; propose a follow-up call two weeks after their next major project launch. This allows them to reflect on any technology challenges faced during the launch and positions your solution as a timely remedy.
Can agencies companies even receive your mail?
We measured the DNS of 558 agencies companies, sampled evenly across company sizes, to see how many authenticate their own email. It matters in both directions: a domain that does not authenticate is a domain whose team is used to mail going missing — and if your own domain is in the gap, yours is the mail going missing.
Publishes a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject — the domain actually asks receivers to act on failures.
The gap is the finding: 16.8% of 1–10-person companies against 55.4% of the largest — 39 points apart. Small companies are where the unauthenticated domains are, and small companies are who most cold outreach is aimed at.
Where does your domain sit?
Same three lookups, run live against your domain. Nothing is stored and nothing is emailed to you.
How this was measured
Company domains were sampled within employee-count bands, then queried over public DNS for SPF (TXT at the apex), DMARC (TXT at _dmarc.) and MX. One domain per company, deduplicated. Anyone can reproduce any single row of this with dig.
DKIM is deliberately absent. A DKIM key lives under a selector that cannot be enumerated from outside the domain, so a company with flawless DKIM under a name we did not guess would be counted as having none. That would measure our guess list, not the industry.
Domains with no MX record are excluded rather than counted as failures — parked and redirect-only domains would otherwise drag every figure down and make the result an artefact of the sample.
Sampled within bands, so this describes the population of companies, not of employees: a 10-person company counts once, as does a 10,000-person one. Each band is at least 60 domains; bands below that are not published. Figures are percentages of the sample, not of the whole industry, and we publish no company names — only counts.
Measured 2026-09-03. Re-measured monthly.
The full census across every industry — sortable, with sample sizes, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Subject lines that fit
- Enhancing your agency's tech stack
- Streamlining client project delivery
- Overcoming integration challenges
Questions
- Why do CTOs at agencies ignore outreach about new tools?
- CTOs often receive numerous pitches that fail to address their specific needs or demonstrate a clear understanding of their unique challenges. If the outreach does not highlight how it can solve immediate issues like integration or efficiency, it risks being overlooked.
- What technology trends are currently affecting agencies?
- Agencies are increasingly focused on adopting AI and automation tools to enhance productivity and client engagement. They are also looking for solutions that improve data analytics capabilities to better understand client needs and campaign effectiveness.
- How can I demonstrate value to a CTO at an agency?
- Showcase case studies that illustrate measurable improvements in efficiency or client satisfaction from similar agencies. Tailoring your message to reflect their specific context, such as project management challenges, can significantly enhance your perceived value.
- What are common concerns CTOs have when considering new technology?
- CTOs are often concerned about the integration of new tools with existing systems, potential disruptions to workflows, and the overall return on investment. Addressing these concerns in your outreach can help build trust and increase engagement.
Or have it run itself
SoloRiff does every step above on its own — finds the companies, finds the people, writes each of them individually, and handles the replies. Drop your URL and watch it work before you sign up for anything.
Try it on your site