Case Study: A Machinery Manufacturer Built a Pipeline From Zero in 6 Months

The company

A mid-size Chinese machinery manufacturer with a strong product line and exactly zero export pipeline. Sales came from two sources: a domestic network and one underperforming agent in the Middle East.

The problem

The company had tried everything they were told to try: a trade show in Germany ($30K, 6 leads, 0 orders), a bought list of “manufacturing companies” (0.3% reply rate), and a marketplace store (price war, no margin). Their conclusion: “export doesn’t work for us.”

What we did

Month 1 — Targeting. Defined the real buyer: regional distributors and rental fleets in 8 infrastructure-heavy markets. Built a list of 1,100 companies from Maps, trade data, and LinkedIn — filtered by imports, active websites, and company size.

Month 1 — Domain health. Set up authentication, warmed up two sending domains, and verified every address. Bounce rate: 1.4%.

Month 2-4 — Sequences. Problem-first emails referencing each prospect’s equipment lines and market. Three touches per prospect, each adding value: spec sheets, market data, jobsite case photos.

Month 5-6 — Conversion. Follow-up shifted to samples and technical discussions with serious distributors.

The results

• 1,100 prospects contacted over 5 months
• 31% open rate, 6.8% reply rate
• 23 qualified conversations with distributors and rental companies
• 8 sample shipments
• 2 distributor agreements signed by month 7

What changed

The product didn’t change. The market didn’t change. What changed was the system: right targets, healthy domains, human messaging, patient follow-up.

That’s the difference between “export doesn’t work for us” and “we own two new markets.” The service that built this pipeline, or the engine behind it.