130: Two Automations That Changed Our Outbound Workflow

Save hours each week, and make the most of every reply

Author

Jed Mahrle
October 26, 2025

Welcome back to The Practical Prospecting Newsletter!

This week, I want to walk you through two automations we’ve added recently that made an immediate difference in how we handle replies.

Both are simple to build, and I recorded short videos showing exactly how we set them up. You’ll find the links inside each section below.

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Agenda:

  • Automation #1: Turning Out-of-Office Replies into New Leads

  • Automation #2: Auto-Replying to Positive Replies

P.S. If you want us to set up automations like these for you, you can book time here

Automation #1: Turning Out-of-Office Replies into New Leads

If you send enough cold emails, you know how common out-of-office replies are.

Most people delete them and move on. But inside those OOO replies is often a goldmine of leads.

Think about it: most OOO messages include a backup contact or alternate person to reach out to. That’s someone who likely works on the same team, cares about the same problems, and might even be easier to reach.

So we automated the whole process.

Here’s how it works:

  1. When someone replies with an OOO message, we automatically push it to Clay.

  2. We enrich the alternate contact mentioned in that message.

  3. We pull their email address and LinkedIn URL.

  4. Then we instantly push that person into a new sequence. One for email and one for LinkedIn.

With this automation, we’ve turned what used to be a dead end into a steady stream of new prospects every week.

The video I shared breaks down exactly how we set this up in Clay, plus the message templates we use to make the outreach feel natural.

Resources:

Automation #2: Auto-Replying to Positive Replies

The second automation has been even more impactful.

We’ve started using Smartlead’s subsequences to automatically reply to (and follow up with) every positive response we get.

Here’s why this matters.

When you get a positive reply (“Sure, send me more info” or “Sounds interesting”), the clock starts ticking.

Every minute that passes reduces your odds of booking the meeting.

There are two main problems that usually kill your positive reply to meeting conversion rate:

1. Speed to Lead

Automated replies go out within minutes, keeping the conversation warm while the prospect is still engaged.

2. Follow-Up

Sometimes it takes three or four nudges to actually get the meeting booked.

Smartlead’s subsequences make sure every reply gets the right amount of follow-up automatically. No manual tracking, and no forgetting to follow up later.

Since adding this, we’ve seen a noticeable jump in booked meetings from replies that would’ve otherwise gone cold.

It’s not for everyone, though. I’d only recommend setting this up if your reply volume is high and the positive responses you’re getting are fairly straightforward. If your replies tend to be nuanced or require custom responses, you’ll want to keep handling those manually.

This 3-minute video walks through exactly how to set up subsequences inside Smartlead and the messaging we’re using for those instant replies.

Recap

Both of these automations tackle the same problem from different angles: they eliminate manual work and make sure no good lead slips through the cracks.

Automation #1: Turns every out-of-office into a potential new lead.
Automation #2: Ensures every positive reply gets a fast response and consistent follow-up.

Together, they’re saving us hours each week and creating a smoother system for the reps we work with.

You can watch both videos here:

Give them a try and let me know how they work for you.

Thanks for reading,
Jed