sales-skills/sales-smartlead

Smartlead Platform Help

Help the user with Smartlead platform questions — from campaign setup and SmartSenders through SmartInfra, SmartAgents, SmartDialer, SmartProspect, SmartDelivery, agency/white-label, API, and integrations.

Step 1 — Gather context

If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.

Ask the user:

1. What area of Smartlead do you need help with?

   • A) Campaigns — creating, managing, or optimizing email campaigns (for strategy, hand off: /sales-cadence {your question})
   • B) SmartSenders — automated mailbox provisioning, rotation, daily limits
   • C) SmartInfra — dedicated-tenant infrastructure, private IPs, DNS config
   • D) SmartAgents — no-code AI agents for research and personalization
   • E) SmartDialer — parallel dialing, local presence, call recording
   • F) SmartProspect — verified leads with intent signals
   • G) SmartDelivery — inbox placement testing, spam test reports
   • H) Agency & White-label — master inbox, client workspaces, unified reporting
   • I) Integrations — HubSpot, Salesforce (via OutboundSync), Clay, Zapier
   • J) API — automation, lead import, campaign management
   • K) Admin — billing, plan features, account settings
   • L) Something else — describe it

2. What's your role?

   • A) Sales rep / AE / BDR
   • B) Sales manager / team lead
   • C) RevOps / Sales Ops
   • D) Agency owner / account manager
   • E) Admin / IT
   • F) Founder / solo seller
   • G) Other

3. What are you trying to accomplish? (describe your specific goal or question)

If the user's request already provides most of this context, skip directly to the relevant step. Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions at the end — don't gate your response behind gathering complete context.

Note: If the user needs a specialized skill, route them there with a brief explanation of why that skill is a better fit.

Step 2 — Route or answer directly

If the request maps to a specialized skill, route:

• List building / prospecting → /sales-prospect-list
• Contact enrichment / data hygiene → /sales-enrich
• Cadence strategy / sequence design → /sales-cadence
• Cross-platform deliverability → /sales-deliverability
• Tool integration architecture → /sales-integration
• Multi-client agency architecture → /sales-agency-outbound

Otherwise, answer directly from platform knowledge using the reference below.

Step 3 — Smartlead platform reference

Provide module-by-module guidance based on the user's area:

Campaigns

• What it is: A campaign in Smartlead is a multi-step email sequence — an initial email plus follow-ups sent on a time-delay schedule
• Key concepts: Campaign = sequence, email steps with time delays between them, lead statuses track engagement
• Campaign statuses: draft, active, paused, completed
• A/B testing: Built-in variant testing — create up to 26 variants (A-Z) for subject lines and email body. Smartlead auto-distributes across variants and tracks performance.
• Lead management: Leads are tracked by interest status within campaigns — interested, not interested, not contacted, do not contact, wrong person, completed
• Best practices: Keep initial emails under 125 words, use merge fields ({{first_name}}, {{company}}), test one variable at a time across variants

SmartSenders

• What it is: Automated mailbox provisioning and management — bulk-create Gmail/Outlook mailboxes via OAuth or connect SMTP accounts
• Mailbox rotation: Smartlead automatically rotates sends across connected sender accounts in a campaign
• Daily limits: Configure per-sender daily sending limits (recommend 30-50/day per mailbox for cold outbound)
• Provisioning at scale: Connect 20+ mailboxes via OAuth in bulk — each gets its own warmup, limits, and reputation tracking
• Best practices: Use real names ([email protected]), not generic (sales@). One mailbox per 30-50 cold emails/day. Enable warmup on every new mailbox immediately.

SmartInfra

• What it is: Dedicated-tenant email infrastructure — private IPs and auto DNS configuration for high-volume senders
• Shared vs dedicated: Shared infrastructure is fine for <500 emails/day. Above that, IP neighbor risk increases — one bad sender on a shared IP affects everyone.
• Auto DNS config: SmartInfra auto-configures SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your sending domains
• When to use: High-volume senders (1,000+ emails/day), agencies managing multiple clients, anyone who needs IP isolation

SmartAgents

• What it is: No-code AI agents that research prospects and generate personalized email content at scale
• How it works: Configure a prompt, point to data sources (LinkedIn, company website, news), and SmartAgents research each prospect to generate custom email content
• Use case: Research-grade personalization — finding specific talking points, recent company news, mutual connections, or industry insights for each prospect
• Not for: Simple merge-field personalization ({{first_name}}, {{company}}). SmartAgents are for Level 3-4 personalization at scale.

SmartDialer

• What it is: Built-in parallel dialing with local presence numbers, call recording, and voicemail drop
• Key features: Dial multiple prospects simultaneously, automatic local number matching, record calls for coaching, drop pre-recorded voicemails
• Integration: Calls logged within Smartlead campaigns alongside email activity

SmartProspect

• What it is: Built-in lead database with verified contacts and intent signals — an alternative to external list-building tools
• Verification: 3x email verification (syntax, domain, mailbox) to reduce bounces
• Intent signals: Identifies prospects actively researching relevant topics
• Credit model: Pay per verified lead — credits deducted on export/use

SmartDelivery

• What it is: Inbox placement testing — send test emails to seed accounts and measure inbox vs spam placement
• Pre-campaign testing: Test deliverability before launching a campaign to catch issues early
• Ongoing monitoring: Run placement tests periodically during active campaigns to detect reputation changes
• Reports: Spam test reports showing placement by provider (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo), authentication status, and content analysis

Agency & White-label

• Master inbox: Single view across all client campaigns — manage replies, leads, and activity from one interface
• Client workspaces: Isolate campaigns, sender accounts, and data per client. Each workspace operates independently.
• White-label: Custom branding — your logo, colors, and domain on the Smartlead interface for client-facing access
• Unified reporting: Cross-client analytics — compare performance, spot trends, identify at-risk campaigns across all clients

Smartlead data model

Core entities — understand these to navigate the UI and work with the API:

| Entity | What it represents | Key relationships | |---|---|---| | Campaign | A multi-step email sequence | Has email steps, has Leads, uses Sender Accounts | | Lead | A contact enrolled in a campaign | Belongs to a Campaign, has activity tracking | | Sender Account | A connected email mailbox | Used by Campaigns, has warmup status | | Client/Workspace | A client account (agency) | Has Campaigns, has Sender Accounts | | SmartAgent | An AI research/personalization agent | Linked to Campaigns for content generation |

API & Integrations

For detailed API documentation including all endpoints, authentication, rate limits, and webhook event payloads, always consult references/smartlead-api-reference.md. Point the user to this file for the full endpoint catalog, request/response schemas, and rate limit details.

Quick reference: Base URL https://server.smartlead.ai/api/v1/, API key auth (api_key query parameter). Key capabilities: campaign CRUD, lead management, sender account management, analytics, webhooks, client/workspace management (agency).

For broader integration architecture help beyond Smartlead's native connectors (e.g., building multi-tool workflows, Zapier/Make recipes, or webhook pipelines), use /sales-integration.

Native integrations

• CRM: HubSpot (native — push leads, sync activity), Salesforce (via OutboundSync, a paid third-party connector — not native like HubSpot; alternatively use Zapier as a lighter-weight option). For broader integration architecture, see /sales-integration.
• Enrichment: Clay (native — enrichment pipeline integration)
• Automation: Zapier (triggers for replies, opens, bounces; actions for adding leads)
• Email: Gmail OAuth, Outlook OAuth (direct mailbox connection)
• Communication: Slack (campaign notifications)

Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Based on the user's specific question:

1. Step-by-step instructions — numbered steps to accomplish their goal in Smartlead
2. Configuration recommendations — specific settings to change, with navigation paths
3. Common pitfalls — what can go wrong and how to avoid it
4. Verification — how to confirm the change worked
5. For API questions — always include a pointer: "For the full endpoint catalog, request/response schemas, and rate limits, see references/smartlead-api-reference.md."

Gotchas

• Don't skip SmartInfra evaluation for high-volume. Shared infrastructure has IP neighbor risk at scale. If you're sending 1,000+ emails/day or managing multiple clients, evaluate SmartInfra's dedicated IPs. One bad neighbor on a shared IP can tank your deliverability overnight.

• Don't conflate Smartlead campaigns with Salesloft cadences. Smartlead campaigns are email-only by default. Phone steps require SmartDialer, and LinkedIn touchpoints need external tools. Don't promise multi-channel capabilities that require add-ons.

• Don't use SmartAgents for simple merge-field personalization. SmartAgents are for research-grade personalization — finding company news, analyzing LinkedIn profiles, generating custom talking points. For simple {{first_name}} and {{company}} merge fields, just use standard campaign variables. SmartAgents add cost and latency for no benefit on simple personalization.

• Don't assume Salesforce integration is native. Smartlead connects to Salesforce via OutboundSync, a paid third-party connector. It's not built-in like the HubSpot integration. Users need an OutboundSync subscription or can use Zapier as an alternative.

• Don't skip warmup. Ultra Premium Warmup must run 2-3 weeks on new mailboxes before they're added to campaign rotation. Sending cold emails from unwarmmed mailboxes will land in spam. This applies even if the domain is established — new mailboxes need their own warmup.

• Self-improving: If you discover something not covered here, append it to references/learnings.md with today's date.

Step 5 — Related skills

• /sales-cadence — Design outbound cadence strategy (platform-agnostic, works with Smartlead campaigns)
• /sales-deliverability — Cross-platform email deliverability — SPF/DKIM/DMARC, warmup, inbox placement
• /sales-prospect-list — Build prospect lists to import into Smartlead
• /sales-enrich — Enrich contacts with emails/phones before importing
• /sales-integration — Connect Smartlead to other tools via webhooks, Zapier, or API
• /sales-agency-outbound — Multi-client agency architecture — infrastructure, client isolation, onboarding
• /sales-mailshake — Mailshake platform help (if using Mailshake instead of Smartlead)
• /sales-apollo — Apollo.io platform help (if using Apollo instead of Smartlead)
• /sales-salesloft — Salesloft platform help (if using Salesloft instead of Smartlead)
• /sales-do — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill.

Examples

Example 1: Campaign setup with warmup

User says: "How do I set up a new campaign in Smartlead with 10 mailboxes?" Skill does:

1. Walks through creating a campaign with email steps and time delays
2. Explains connecting 10 sender accounts via SmartSenders (OAuth or SMTP)
3. Stresses enabling Ultra Premium Warmup on all 10 mailboxes immediately — minimum 2-3 weeks before campaign launch
4. Configures daily limits (30-50/mailbox), rotation, and scheduling
5. Recommends running SmartDelivery inbox placement test before going live Result: User has a campaign ready to launch after warmup period with proper mailbox rotation

Example 2: SmartSenders provisioning 20 mailboxes

User says: "I need to set up 20 new mailboxes for outbound in Smartlead" Skill does:

1. Recommends domain strategy — 1 domain per 3-5 mailboxes, dedicated outbound domains
2. Walks through bulk Gmail/Outlook OAuth connection via SmartSenders
3. Configures per-mailbox daily limits (30-50 each = 600-1,000 total daily capacity)
4. Enables Ultra Premium Warmup on all 20 with staggered start dates
5. Advises on SmartInfra evaluation at this volume — 20 mailboxes may benefit from dedicated IPs Result: User has 20 mailboxes provisioned with warmup plan and capacity planning

Example 3: API lead import

User says: "I want to use the Smartlead API to add leads from our CRM to a campaign" Skill does:

1. Points to references/smartlead-api-reference.md for full API docs
2. Explains the POST /campaigns/{id}/leads endpoint — email required, custom_fields for merge variables
3. Shows authentication method (api_key query parameter)
4. Recommends batching for large imports and monitoring rate limits
5. Suggests setting up webhooks for LEAD_REPLIED and LEAD_INTERESTED to sync back to CRM Result: User knows the endpoint, auth method, required fields, and how to build a bidirectional sync

Troubleshooting

Low open rates

Symptom: Campaign open rates below 30% Cause: Insufficient warmup, missing domain authentication, poor sender reputation, or weak subject lines Solution: Check warmup status on all sender accounts — reputation should be 80+ before campaign sends. Verify SPF/DKIM/DMARC (SmartInfra auto-configures these, but verify in DNS). Run SmartDelivery inbox placement test. A/B test subject lines across variants. See /sales-deliverability for a full diagnosis framework.

SmartAgent personalization quality

Symptom: SmartAgent-generated content is generic or inaccurate Cause: Poorly configured prompts, insufficient data sources, or using SmartAgents for simple personalization Solution: Refine the SmartAgent prompt with specific instructions (what to research, what angles to find). Add more data sources (LinkedIn, company website, news). Review a sample of 10 outputs before launching at scale. If personalization needs are simple (name, company), skip SmartAgents and use standard merge fields.

Warmup stalling

Symptom: Sender reputation not increasing after 2+ weeks of warmup Cause: DNS misconfiguration, mailbox connectivity issues, or daily volume set too low Solution: Verify DNS records (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) are correct. Check mailbox connectivity — re-authenticate OAuth if needed. Ensure warmup daily volume is at least 20-30 emails. Check if the mailbox is also being used for non-warmup sends that could hurt reputation.