Outbound Vendor Scorecard

• Separate sending domains, never your main oneOutbound should run on purpose-registered domains so your corporate domain is insulated. If reputation takes a hit, your team's day-to-day email keeps working.Ask “Will campaigns send from our primary domain or from dedicated sending domains?”
• Mailboxes allocated to you, not pooledPooled mailboxes mean your messages leave from the same reputation as everyone else's campaigns. One careless sender in the pool degrades results for the whole group.Ask “Are our mailboxes shared with other accounts or provisioned for us alone?”
• SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configured before launchThese records prove to receiving servers that mail claiming to be from your domain actually is. Without them, filtering is aggressive and inconsistent.Ask “Who configures SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and when in onboarding does it happen?”
• A real warm-up window before volumeNew mailboxes need a few weeks of gradually increasing, low-volume activity before campaigns. Skipping warm-up damages the domain before the first real send.Ask “How long do mailboxes warm up before live campaigns start?”
• Every address verified before it is contactedBounces are the fastest way to lose sender reputation. Lists should be validated immediately before send, not whenever the data was originally pulled.Ask “Do you verify addresses right before send, and with what tool?”

Sending infrastructure · 0 / 5

• Account definition work happens before list buildingIndustry, size, titles, triggers, and disqualifiers should be written down and agreed before anyone builds a list. That document is the campaign's foundation.Ask “Walk me through how you define the target account list. What do you need from us?”
• More than one data source behind the listAny single database has coverage gaps and stale records. Cross-referencing sources produces a cleaner list and catches contacts that one provider missed.Ask “Where does contact data come from, and do you cross-reference providers?”
• Enrichment and validation, not raw exportsRaw records are usually incomplete. Enrichment fills in firmographics and context that make personalization possible; validation confirms the record is still accurate.Ask “What enrichment and validation runs on the list before campaigns go live?”
• Suppression lists honored on every sendExisting customers, active deals, partners, and competitors should be excluded automatically. Suppression is not a one-time upload; it needs to apply to each new list.Ask “How do you handle our do-not-contact list across every campaign?”
• You see the list before it is contactedReviewing the account list catches targeting drift early and lets you pull names your team is already working. It costs an hour and prevents awkward conversations.Ask “Do we review and approve the account list before sending starts?”

Targeting and data · 0 / 5

• Copy written for your offer, not filled into a templatePositioning, buyer, and competitive context differ per company. Sequences should be drafted from research into your market rather than adapted from a house template.Ask “Is copy written from scratch for each account, or adapted from templates?”
• You approve every message before it sendsThese emails represent your brand. Nothing should reach a prospect without your sign-off, including follow-ups and any mid-campaign rewrites.Ask “Do we approve all copy, including revisions made after launch?”
• Several angles running, not one message to everyoneRunning a few distinct angles against comparable segments is how you learn which problem framing resonates. A single blast burns the list and teaches you nothing.Ask “How many angles run in parallel, and how do you decide what to test?”
• A stated point of view on offer and positioning"We will email your target market" is an activity, not a strategy. There should be a clear argument for why this buyer would give up thirty minutes.Ask “What is your reasoning behind the angle you would run for us?”
• Follow-up designed as part of the sequenceA large share of replies arrive after the first message. Follow-ups should each add something new rather than repeat the opener with a nudge.Ask “How many follow-ups per sequence, and what does each one add?”

Messaging and strategy · 0 / 5

• A defined onboarding path with datesThey should be able to describe every step from signature to first send, including what they need from you and when. Vague onboarding usually means improvised onboarding.Ask “What does the timeline from signing to first send look like, step by step?”
• A named person accountable for the accountYou should know who runs your program and be able to reach them directly, rather than filing into a shared support queue each time.Ask “Who owns our account day to day, and how many other accounts do they run?”
• A predictable reporting rhythmWeekly or biweekly numbers covering volume, reply rate, positive reply rate, and meetings held, with commentary on what changed and why.Ask “How often do we get reporting, and which metrics does it include?”
• A direct channel with a stated response timeWhen a message needs pulling or a segment needs pausing, hours matter. There should be an agreed channel and an agreed turnaround.Ask “What is the fastest way to reach you, and what response time do you commit to?”
• Ongoing iteration rather than set and forgetCampaigns decay. Someone should be actively adjusting targeting, angles, and volume based on what the data shows, not letting a launch coast.Ask “What has changed in a typical account between month one and month three?”

Operations and communication · 0 / 5

• The retainer breaks down into line itemsInfrastructure, data, copy, tooling, and management should be separable. If nobody can itemize it, you cannot judge whether the price is reasonable.Ask “What does the retainer cover, line by line?”
• A commitment length that matches how outbound worksPrograms generally need roughly 90 days to move through setup, tuning, and steady operation. Very short terms invite corner-cutting; very long ones with no exit shift all the risk to you.Ask “What is the minimum term, and what are the exit terms after it?”
• No costs appearing after signatureData, mailboxes, tooling, and setup are sometimes billed separately on top of a low headline retainer. The full monthly cost should be clear before you sign.Ask “What will we be billed beyond the retainer in a typical month?”
• Deliverables specific enough to check"We will generate leads" cannot be verified. Campaign count, send volume, reply handling, and reporting cadence can be.Ask “What specifically are we owed each month?”
• Ownership and exit terms written downSome engagements are fully managed on the vendor's infrastructure; others build assets in your accounts. Either can be legitimate. What matters is that the contract states which one you are buying, and what you keep if you leave.Ask “Which assets sit in our accounts, which sit in yours, and what transfers at the end?”

Pricing and terms · 0 / 5

• Honest expectations for the first 90 daysA credible operator will tell you month one is largely setup and learning. Promises of immediate pipeline signal either inexperience or a sales script.Ask “What should we realistically see in months one, two, and three?”
• Documented work you can actually inspectFull context beats a headline number: starting point, market, what was run, and what came out. A conversation with a current client is stronger still.Ask “Can you show a full before-and-after, and can we speak to a current client?”
• Defined metrics, including what counts as qualifiedSends, reply rate, positive reply rate, meetings booked, meetings held. "Leads" with no definition is the easiest number in this industry to inflate.Ask “How exactly do you define a qualified meeting, and do you report meetings held?”
• A stated plan for when results lagUnderperformance happens. What matters is whether there is a diagnostic process behind the response rather than a request for more patience.Ask “If we are below target at day 60, what specifically do you change?”
• No guaranteed meeting countOutcomes depend on your offer, market, and deal size. A guaranteed number is usually met by loosening the definition of a meeting.Ask “Do you guarantee a meeting volume, and if so, what counts toward it?”

Evidence and accountability · 0 / 5

• Pricing far below what the inputs costMailboxes, data, verification, and tooling have real costs. When the retainer is a fraction of the market, something is being removed, usually infrastructure quality or human oversight.
• A guaranteed number of meetings per monthThe number is either padded with unqualified conversations or it is a promise made without control over your market and offer.
• Little curiosity about your business on the first callIf discovery is mostly pitch and few questions about your buyer, deal size, and current motion, you are being sold the same playbook as everyone else.
• The process cannot be explained in detail"Proprietary system" in place of an answer about targeting, copy, or infrastructure usually means there is no documented process behind it.
• No case detail, references, or reporting samplesClaims that cannot be substantiated in any form, not even a redacted report, should be treated as marketing copy.
• Willingness to send from your primary domainThis puts your company's everyday email deliverability directly at risk to save a small setup cost. It should never be on the table.
• Manufactured urgency in the sales process"Two slots left" and expiring pricing are closing tactics. A confident operator lets you take the time to check references.
• Campaigns promised live within daysDomain setup, warm-up, list building, and copy approval take weeks. A 48-hour launch means several of those steps were skipped.

Warning signs · 0 / 8