SoloRiff

How to sell to Product leads at Agencies companies

Product leads at agencies are primarily measured on the successful launch of new services that drive client satisfaction and retention. They respond to outreach that clearly connects your solution to their need for faster development cycles and improved team collaboration, especially when it highlights how it can alleviate bottlenecks in project delivery.

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

  • project delivery delays
  • team miscommunication
  • client retention issues

The playbook

  1. 01

    Identify recent client wins

    Look for agencies that have recently announced new client acquisitions or successful project completions. Use platforms like LinkedIn or industry news sites to find these updates. Tailor your outreach by referencing these wins to show you understand their current momentum.

  2. 02

    Target agencies with high turnover

    Filter your list for agencies that have experienced significant staff turnover recently, as indicated by LinkedIn updates. These agencies often need solutions that stabilize team dynamics and improve product delivery, making them more receptive to your outreach.

  3. 03

    Highlight efficiency in project management

    Craft your messaging to emphasize how your solution can streamline project management and enhance collaboration among teams. Use specific examples from your research on common project delays in agencies to resonate with their daily challenges.

  4. 04

    Follow up after industry events

    Check for upcoming industry events or webinars where agencies will be present. Schedule your outreach to coincide with these events, as product leads may be more open to discussing new solutions that can enhance their offerings after engaging with industry trends.

  5. 05

    Address common objections upfront

    Prepare to address typical objections such as budget constraints or integration challenges in your initial outreach. Acknowledge these concerns directly in your messaging, showing that you understand their position and are prepared to provide solutions.

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.

1–10 employees
16.8%
11–50
26.3%
51–200
34.2%
201–1,000
50.9%
1,000+
55.4%

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

  • Streamline your project delivery
  • Boost client satisfaction now
  • Enhance team collaboration

Questions

Why do product leads at agencies ignore cold outreach?
Product leads at agencies often receive numerous cold outreach messages, making them selective about responses. They prioritize communications that directly address their specific challenges, such as project delays or team inefficiencies, rather than generic offers.
What challenges do product leads face in agencies?
Product leads in agencies frequently deal with tight deadlines, fluctuating client demands, and the need for rapid adaptation to market changes. These pressures can lead to stress and a focus on immediate solutions, making it crucial for outreach to be relevant and timely.
How can I make my outreach stand out?
To stand out, your outreach should demonstrate a clear understanding of the agency's recent challenges or successes. Personalizing your message with specific insights about their projects or client wins can significantly increase the likelihood of a response.
What is the best time to reach out to product leads?
The best time to reach out is typically mid-week, especially after major industry events or project launches. Product leads are often more open to discussions when they are not overwhelmed by end-of-week deadlines or the start of new projects.

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