Sales outreach · Production

AdRoll builds 'Project Fastbreak' with Outreach to automate inbound lead follow-up at scale

The problem

AdRoll generated hundreds of inbound leads per day across multiple channels but lacked a scalable way to track, organize, and engage them with enough personalization to book meetings, and their existing email system gave SDRs no visibility into or ability to edit outreach sent in their name.

First attempt

The first version of Fastbreak was built on Marketo, which sent automated emails for every MQL with no personalization and no visibility for sales reps, defeating the purpose of handing leads to the sales team.

Workflow diagram · grounded in source
1
Inbound lead arrives
trigger
“generates hundreds of global inbound leads per day across multiple channels, ranging from webinars and whitepapers to demos and events”
2
SDR adds lead in Salesforce
integration
“from a grid in Salesforce they can check a box that says 'add to Fastbreak,' then fill in a few custom fields like title, company name, what content they downloaded. These custom fields then sync to Outreach custom fields that then turn …”
3
Outreach routes to sequence
routing
“Outreach is then set up to trigger prospects into the appropriate sequence based on what piece of content the lead interacted with”
4
Multi-touch sequence delivered
output
“Fastbreak consists of a series of emails, calls, social touches, and even direct mailers sent to marketing qualified leads and contacts with the goal of booking a meeting”
5
Automated appointment booked
output
“The email also has a link to a dynamic calendar where prospects can find a convenient time to speak with the SDR”
6
Activity logged in Salesforce
integration
“we wanted to be able to log all that activity in Salesforce so we could see who was reaching out and when. Plus we have all these other systems like Tableau hooked into Salesforce so we can monitor 2-day follow-up and see when replies ha…”
Reported outcome

In Q1 2017, Fastbreak added 6,000 of 15,000 inbound leads to sequences, sent 16,000 emails, and booked 257 automated appointments for SDR teams, while freeing SDRs to focus on high-value MQLs.

Reported metrics
inbound leads generated (Q1 2017)15,000
leads added to Fastbreak (Q1 2017)6,000
emails sent via Fastbreak (Q1 2017)16,000
automated appointments booked (Q1 2017)257
Show all 7 reported metrics
inbound leads generated (Q1 2017)15,000
leads added to Fastbreak (Q1 2017)6,000
emails sent via Fastbreak (Q1 2017)16,000
automated appointments booked (Q1 2017)257
inbound leads per SDR per dayaround 50
SDR follow-up speed and efficiencyfaster and more efficiently
time saving from automating inbound follow-uptime saving efficiency
Reported stack
OutreachMarketoTableauSalesforce
Source
https://www.outreach.io/resources/stories/adroll-customer-story
Read source ↗

Frequently asked questions

What did this team achieve with this AI workflow?

In Q1 2017, Fastbreak added 6,000 of 15,000 inbound leads to sequences, sent 16,000 emails, and booked 257 automated appointments for SDR teams, while freeing SDRs to focus on high-value MQLs.

What tools did this team use?

Outreach, Marketo, Tableau, Salesforce.

What results were reported?

inbound leads generated (Q1 2017): 15,000; leads added to Fastbreak (Q1 2017): 6,000; emails sent via Fastbreak (Q1 2017): 16,000; automated appointments booked (Q1 2017): 257 (source-reported, not independently verified).

What failed first in this deployment?

The first version of Fastbreak was built on Marketo, which sent automated emails for every MQL with no personalization and no visibility for sales reps, defeating the purpose of handing leads to the sales team.

How is this sales outreach AI workflow structured?

Inbound lead arrives → SDR adds lead in Salesforce → Outreach routes to sequence → Multi-touch sequence delivered → Automated appointment booked → Activity logged in Salesforce.

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