2026-04-sales-electric-suppliers-switchgear

LinkedIn path (connection accepted)
Step 1: DM #1 (after accept)
Hey {{firstname}}, thanks for connecting. I'm building a takeoff solution for electrical industry in construction. It automatically ingests PDF blueprints and spits out switchgear BOM and all other electrical equipment on the job. I'm purposefully going out to folks like yourself to validate my product approach and the problem space, acting as a soundbing board more than anything else.

Would you be open to call to a 15 minutes call and give me feedback on what I've got so far?

Step 2: DM #2 (if no reply)
You can also send me a sample project and I'll send back the bill of materials it produces so you can see how it works on your projects. My email is alexei@usevawn.com.

Step 3: DM #3 (if no reply, no email)
I'm now inviting a handful of people to try it out for a couple of weeks so they can experience it on their projects. What's a good email to send the invite to?

Email path (accepted, has email)
Step 4: Email #1
Subject: Building automated takeoff tool for electrical industry

Hey {{firstname}},

I'm building a takeoff solution for electrical industry in construction. It automatically ingests PDF blueprints and spits out switchgear BOM and all other electrical equipment on the job. I'm purposefully going out to folks like yourself to validate my product approach and the problem space, acting as a soundbing board more than anything else.

Would you be open to call to a 15 minutes call and give me feedback on what I've got so far?

Alexei

Email path (NOT accepted)
Step 6: Email #1
Subject: Building automated takeoff tool for electrical industry

Hey {{firstname}},

I'm building a takeoff solution for electrical industry in construction. It automatically ingests PDF blueprints and spits out switchgear BOM and all other electrical equipment on the job. I'm purposefully going out to folks like yourself to validate my product approach and the problem space, acting as a soundbing board more than anything else.

Would you be open to call to a 15 minutes call and give me feedback on what I've got so far?

Alexei

Step 7: Email #2 (if no reply)
Subject: 
You can also send me a sample project and I'll send back the bill of materials it produces so you can see how it works on your projects. 

Alexei

Step 8: Email #3 (if no reply)
Subject: 
I'm now inviting a handful of people to try it out for a couple of weeks so they can experience it on their projects. What's a good email to send the invite to?

Alexei

Targeting suppliers/manufacturers that had "switchgear" in the descriptions.

# Retro: 2026-04-sales-electric-suppliers-switchgear
**Persona:** Sales @ Electric Suppliers/Manufacturers (switchgear focus) | **Dates:** 2026-04-06 — ongoing | **Hypothesis:** Targeting companies with "switchgear" in their description would produce more relevant leads than the broader supplier campaign.

## Summary

161 leads, 11 replies (6.8%). Higher volume and reply rate than the sibling campaign (2026-04-sales-electric-suppliers: 85 leads, 4.7%). Cross-referencing with CRM data reveals 3 leads that progressed to real conversations: **Austin Creswell** (PEECO) is the strongest — had a discovery call, outcome interested, tagged for next preview. **Juan Pimentel** (NAX Electrical) had 2 calls and provided detailed competitive intel on Drawer.ai. **Eli Stratton** (Capital Electric) initially interested but fizzled — Gink doesn't yet support multi-family buildings, which is his segment. The "switchgear" keyword filter in company descriptions did not meaningfully improve targeting — leads with "switchgear" in their own bio actually replied at a lower rate (3.2%) than those without (7.7%).

## Channel metrics
| Metric | LinkedIn | Email |
|---|---|---|
| Contacted | 21 (connected from 138 requests) | 100 |
| Accept/Delivered | 38 accepted (27.5%) | 98 received (98%) |
| Replies | 8 | 3 |
| Reply rate (of contacted) | 38.1% (of connected) | 3.0% |

Connection acceptance rate of 27.5% is slightly below the sibling campaign (31%) and below the best campaigns (~40%). Email open rate was strong at 68.4% (67/98) but only 3 email replies.

## Per-message performance

**DM#1 (80 words):** This is the longest DM#1 across all campaigns. It violates both proven playbook rules: (1) no founder story — leads with product description, and (2) over 60 words. Uses "15-minute call" CTA which has 0% probability of being the best CTA per Bayesian analysis. Despite this, 8 LI replies came through — likely driven by targeting relevance rather than message quality.

**DM#2:** "Send me a sample project" — offers a tangible demo. Low-friction.

**DM#3:** "Inviting a handful of people to try it out" — exclusivity/urgency angle.

**Email sequence:** Mirrors the DM content. 3 email replies, 2 from non-connected leads.

## Leads analysis

### Who replied (11 replies)

| Name | Title | Company | Industry | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Creswell | Regional Sales Manager | PEECO | Electrical Mfg | **Strongest lead** — discovery call completed, outcome interested, tagged for next preview. Switchgear manufacturer. |
| Juan Pimentel | Owner | NAX Electrical Services | Construction | **Active lead** — 2 calls, uses Drawer.ai (~60% accuracy), detailed product feedback. Wants higher accuracy + downstream procurement. |
| Eli Stratton | Area Sales Manager | Capital Electric | Wholesale | **Fizzled** — initially interested ("sending you an email") but Gink doesn't support multi-family buildings, his primary segment. |
| Mark Jones | Regional Sales Rep | Power Solutions Group | Design Services | **Deferred** — "First chance I get" |
| Zachary Mcintosh | CEO of US Ops | Phoenix Grid Enterprise | — | **Forwarded** internally |
| Michael Fox | Switchgear Sales | Benfield Control Systems | Wholesale | **Unknown** (HTML auto-reply) |
| John Giordani | Switchgear Sales Manager | Feldman Brothers | Electrical Mfg | **Out of office** auto-reply |
| Stephanie Schoor | Sales | Essential Formulas | Wellness | **Wrong fit** — no longer in electrical industry |
| Chris Sibeveih | Sales Engineer | Balluff Americas | Automation | **Wrong fit** — has own engineering, generates own BOM |
| Michael Heller | Sr Inside Sales Rep | Gexpro | Electrical Mfg | **Wrong fit** — works on datacom, not power |
| Nicole D. | SW Regional Sales Mgr | Ekoenergetyka | Electrical Mfg | **Wrong fit** — now only sells EV chargers |

**Reply quality breakdown (enriched with CRM data):**
| Category | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| Converted to active pipeline | 2 | 18% |
| Interested but fizzled (product gap) | 1 | 9% |
| Deferred (may follow up) | 1 | 9% |
| Forwarded internally | 1 | 9% |
| Auto-reply / out of office | 1 | 9% |
| Wrong fit | 4 | 36% |
| Unknown (HTML reply) | 1 | 9% |

3 of 11 replies (27%) represent genuine interest when cross-referenced with CRM. Austin Creswell's initial reply ("might have time tomorrow") looked weak, but he converted to an active pipeline lead with a discovery call and future preview. This highlights why reply message sentiment alone is misleading — CRM follow-through matters more. 4 of 11 (36%) are wrong-fit, indicating a targeting problem.

### Who didn't reply

The non-replier pool (150 leads) skews heavily toward generic sales titles: Business Development Manager (5), Sales Director (3), Branch Manager (3), Outside Sales Rep (3), VP (3), President (3). These are leadership/BD titles who don't do hands-on quoting.

### Title patterns

| Title | Leads | Replies | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales (generic) | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Regional Sales Manager | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| Sales Engineer | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| Owner | 5 | 1 | 20% |
| Business Dev Manager | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Branch Manager | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| VP | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| President | 3 | 0 | 0% |

The titles that responded are mid-level sales roles with some technical depth (Sales Engineer, Regional Sales Manager). Executive titles (VP, President, Branch Manager) produced zero replies — consistent with the cross-campaign finding that decision-makers don't engage with cold outreach.

### Sub-persona discovery

**Switchgear-in-bio hypothesis failed:** 31 leads had "switchgear" in their LinkedIn bio. Only 1 replied (3.2%). The 130 leads without switchgear in their bio replied at 7.7%. The switchgear keyword selected for people who *specialize* in switchgear — these are often deeply embedded in existing workflows and tools. Generalist sales people at electrical companies were more open to exploring a new tool.

**Industry signal:** "Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing" (30 leads, 4 replies = 13.3%) and Wholesale (17 leads, 2 replies = 11.8%) outperformed other industries. These are the core electrical supply chain industries.

**Connected vs pending:** Connected leads replied at 23.7% (9/38) vs pending at 1.6% (2/123). Confirms the cross-campaign pattern — LinkedIn connection is essentially a prerequisite for getting a reply.

## Hypothesis verdict

**Hypothesis:** Targeting companies with "switchgear" in descriptions would produce more relevant leads.

**Verdict: Rejected.** The switchgear keyword filter did not improve targeting quality. Leads with switchgear in their own bio replied at half the rate of those without (3.2% vs 7.7%). The filter captured specialists who already have established workflows and tools — exactly the people least likely to adopt something new. Meanwhile, 4 of 11 repliers were wrong-fit (changed industries, work on different product lines), suggesting the audience list included stale LinkedIn profiles.

The 6.8% overall reply rate is slightly above the sibling non-switchgear campaign (4.7%), but this is driven by a larger connected pool (38 vs 26), not better targeting.

## Recommendations

1. **Drop the switchgear keyword filter for future supplier campaigns.** It selected for entrenched specialists rather than open-minded evaluators. Instead, filter by title: "Quotations Specialist", "Account Manager", "Project Specialist" — the roles that actually do takeoff work at distributors.

2. **Rewrite DM#1 urgently.** At 80 words with product-first framing and a "15-minute call" CTA, this message violates every proven playbook rule. The estimating-services campaign (13.7% reply) used 57 words, founder story, and an open question. Apply the same formula.

3. **Continue nurturing Austin Creswell** (PEECO) — strongest lead from this campaign. Discovery call completed, tagged for next preview. Switchgear manufacturer who can validate the product on real projects.

4. **Leverage Juan Pimentel's competitive intel.** He uses Drawer.ai (~60% accuracy on complex projects, 90%+ on standard). His feedback: accuracy must be significantly higher or it's not worth switching. His pain points (poor vendor support, price hikes, wanting downstream procurement) are product roadmap signals.

5. **Eli Stratton (Capital Electric) fizzled** due to multi-family gap. If/when multi-family support ships, re-engage — he was genuinely interested initially.

6. **Follow up with Mark Jones** (Power Solutions Group) — "First chance I get." Send a gentle nudge.

5. **Clean up audience list quality.** 4 wrong-fit replies (36% of all replies) indicate stale or miscategorized LinkedIn profiles in the Sales Navigator filter. Consider adding negative keywords: exclude "EV", "datacom", "no longer" in bios.

## Proposed playbook updates

**DM#1 word count + CTA reinforcement.** This campaign provides additional evidence for existing playbook rules (80 words with "15-minute call" CTA produced only 1 genuinely interested reply from 161 leads). No new universal insight — the rules are already documented. No update needed.

## Proposed persona updates

**Electrical distributor persona:** Add a note under "Who they are NOT":
- Switchgear specialists (people with "switchgear" prominently in their bio) — they have established workflows and are less receptive to new tools. Target generalist quotation specialists instead.
- People who've transitioned out of electrical (EV chargers, datacom, wellness) — LinkedIn profiles don't always reflect current role.

No leads linked to this campaign yet.