Cold email isn’t dead — most people are just doing it wrong.
In this episode, Matt Haycox sits down with Kevin Downey, founder of a recruitment business specialising in sales hires and business development, and a guy who’s sent 100–110 million B2B cold emails for clients over 8 years. His rule is simple: stop measuring opens and clicks, measure replies, because replies tell you if your targeting and offer are working.
What you’ll learn:
- Why replies are the only metric that matters in cold email.
- The cold email format that works in 2026 (plain text, call-style, reply CTA).
- Why sequencing/drip campaigns often fail for lead gen.
- How to protect email deliverability and scale outreach properly.
- Why “lazy closers” drain businesses (and what to hire instead).
- How to structure sales roles so pipeline doesn’t die.
Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro
0:54 – 100 Million Emails
8:55 – Cold Email Infrastructure: Tools, Domains & Data
16:41 – Cold Email vs Marketing: Lead Gen, CRM & Nurturing the Right Way
26:56 – Why Hiring Sales Reps for the Wrong Role Kills Performance
28:51 – How to Recruit Sales Talent That's Actually Wired to Perform
31:04 – How Outsourced Sales Teams Work
33:58 – What It Really Costs to Outsource a Sales Team
35:52 – What Sectors & Clients Kevin Works With
37:31 – Where to Find Kevin & Final Thoughts
If you’re a founder who needs more leads, more booked calls, or a sales team that actually performs, this is the blueprint.
Follow Kevin:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmdowney/
Website: https://www.kevinmdowney.com/
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Connect with Matt Haycox, No BS Business Podcast Host & 8-Figure Entrepreneur.
I’m Matt Haycox, entrepreneur, investor, and your straight-talking guide to building a business that actually works. I’ve raised over £750M, built (and rebuilt) 8-figure companies, and learned the hard way what it really takes to win.
On No Bollocks with Matt Haycox, I cut through the bollocks to bring you raw conversations with 7–8 figure founders, investors, and experts who’ve been there, done it, and got the scars to prove it. No hype, no theory, just actionable strategies you can use today to start, grow, and scale your business.
Whether you’re stuck in your 9–5, building your side hustle, or trying to hit your first £100k month, this is your go-to podcast for entrepreneur tips, startup growth strategies, raising capital, building a personal brand, and avoiding the costly mistakes most founders make.
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