Endpoint security startup broke into the enterprise account list via multi-channel outbound
Selling endpoint detection against established incumbents is brutal. SmarterOutbound's coordinated email + LinkedIn outreach to security leaders moved us into evaluations at named enterprise accounts.
- Endpoint detection market is dominated by 3-4 large incumbents.
- Single-channel cold email could not displace incumbents in security buyer mindshare.
- Multi-channel orchestration (email + LinkedIn to the same accounts) created enough surface area to start enterprise evaluations.
- 9 named enterprise accounts moved into active evaluation in 6 months.
Endpoint security is one of the most competitive enterprise software categories. CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, and a few others dominate buyer mindshare. As a challenger startup, we faced a brand recognition wall before any technical conversation could happen.
Single-channel cold email couldn’t move buyers past that wall. Security leaders read the first email, recognized us as not-an-incumbent, and moved on.
What worked
Multi-channel was the lift. SmarterOutbound coordinated email and LinkedIn outreach against the same target accounts. The second LinkedIn touch after the email reinforced the message and increased the chance the buyer would engage. By the third or fourth touch, the recognition threshold had moved enough for some buyers to take a discovery call.
In six months we moved 9 named enterprise accounts into active evaluation. For an endpoint security startup, that is meaningful — each enterprise evaluation is a 6-12 month sales process with seven-figure ACV potential.
Recommendation
In categories dominated by incumbents, single-channel cold email is not enough. The brand recognition gap requires multi-channel surface area before any technical conversation can begin.
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