HUMAN RESOURCES
How 3rd Degree Screening Closed 3 Enterprise Clients in 30 Days by Targeting Companies Posting 10+ Jobs Per Month
3 new enterprise clients in 30 days
new clients in 1 month
Reply Rate
Outbound channel used
CLIENT REVIEW
Hear it straight from the client
Jimmy Waters
CEO at 3RD DEGREE SCREENING
THE CHALLENGE
Where they were stuck
3rd Degree Screening provides comprehensive background check services in a crowded market where most vendors compete on price and speed alone. Their core challenge was differentiating their superior compliance capabilities and 24-hour turnaround in front of HR leaders who were already locked into incumbent vendor relationships.
HR decision-makers buried under vendor pitches from commodity screening providers
No systematic way to identify companies actively scaling hiring volume
Compliance-focused value proposition lost in generic background check messaging
THE SYSTEM WE BUILT
How we solved their problems
Build High-Intent Prospect Lists
Identified the highest-intent prospects using a specific signal: companies posting 10+ job openings per month. That volume means they're actively hiring at scale and either unhappy with their current vendor or processing checks manually. Six-provider waterfall verification ensured outreach reached actual HR decision-makers, not recruiters or office managers.
Lead With Compliance Risk
Cold email messaging led with compliance risk, highlighting the liability exposure companies face when background checks are slow, inconsistent, or incomplete. Each sequence pivoted to 3rd Degree's 24-hour turnaround as the solution, with industry-matched client examples making the proof tangible rather than abstract.
Add AI Calling Layer
AI cold calling targeted HR directors at the highest-volume hiring companies, using brief, compliance-focused scripts that created urgency without being pushy. Enterprise infrastructure (2 USA IPs, 100 Outlook inboxes on Azure) maintained 98% deliverability into corporate HR inboxes throughout the campaign.
3rd Degree Screening operates in one of the most commoditized markets in B2B services. Background check providers compete relentlessly on price and speed, and HR leaders have learned to tune out vendor pitches that all sound the same. To break through, 3rd Degree needed outreach that reframed the buying decision entirely, shifting the conversation from cost to compliance risk.
The targeting strategy centered on a specific behavioral signal: companies posting 10+ job openings per month. That hiring volume meant they were either already working with a background check vendor they might be dissatisfied with, or processing checks manually and absorbing the operational pain. Six-provider waterfall verification ensured outreach reached the actual HR decision-makers who control vendor selection, not recruiters or office managers who lack buying authority. Enterprise infrastructure maintained 98% deliverability into corporate HR inboxes with aggressive spam filtering.
Cold email messaging led with compliance risk. Every organization that hires at scale faces liability exposure when background checks are slow, inconsistent, or incomplete. Sequences then positioned 3rd Degree's 24-hour turnaround as the direct solution, with each email including a relevant client example matched to the prospect's industry. AI cold calling targeted HR directors at the highest-volume hiring companies, using brief, compliance-focused scripts that created urgency without being pushy.
The campaign delivered a 24% response rate, 15+ qualified leads, and three new enterprise clients within 30 days. As CEO Jimmy Waters put it: "When we get a lead from OS we're on it right away because we know they are quality leads."
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this case study, answered.
How effective is cold email for reaching HR decision-makers in the background check space?
Extremely effective when done right. 3rd Degree Screening achieved a 24% reply rate and landed 3 new enterprise clients within 30 days. The key was leading with compliance risk messaging rather than generic vendor pitches, which HR leaders are conditioned to ignore.
What kind of targeting works best for background check companies doing outbound?
The highest-converting signal was identifying companies posting 10+ job openings per month, indicating active high-volume hiring. Combined with six-provider verification to reach the actual HR decision-makers (not recruiters or office managers), this targeting approach produced 15+ qualified leads in the first month alone.
Can outbound work in a commoditized market like background screening?
Yes, when messaging elevates the conversation beyond price and speed comparisons. By leading with compliance liability exposure and following with 3rd Degree's 24-hour turnaround as proof, the campaign cut through commodity noise and secured enterprise-level clients who valued quality over cost.
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EQUITY FRONT CAPITAL
PRIVATE EQUITY
122
meetings booked in 10 months
21%
Reply Rate
Strategy
Reaching agency owners who might be open to investment or acquisition requires a different kind of outreach. These aren't people responding to "let's hop on a call." They're founders who get pitched constantly and delete anything that smells like a template. We mapped the agency landscape through multi-provider verification to build a high-fidelity picture of each prospect: revenue signals, team size, growth trajectory, and recent milestones. Outreach was anchored to those milestones. A recent award, a notable client win, a team expansion. That level of specificity demonstrated that Equity Front had done their homework, not just pulled a list. Cold email messaging was crafted around funding milestones and successful exits in the agency space, positioning Equity Front as a partner who understands the specific dynamics of scaling and exiting a services business. Inbox placement was maintained through infrastructure discipline, ensuring that every email landed where it needed to. LinkedIn outreach targeted agency founders with engagement around growth strategy and M&A content, creating multiple touchpoints that built familiarity over time. AI cold calling was deployed for agency owners who showed strong engagement signals but hadn't booked, using brief, peer-level conversations about growth plans and exit timelines. The campaign sustained a 21% reply rate and connected Equity Front with 122 qualified agency owners over 10 months, building a pipeline of relationships that compound over time as owners move closer to their exit window.
Read The Full Case Study →
"The leads have been terrific."
Walker Espy
Principal Owner at EQUITY FRONT CAPITAL
VIGUR
EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS
42
Leads in 3 months
$317k
Qualified pipeline built
Strategy
Vigur is building a performance health platform that combines diagnostics, telehealth, and personalized protocols, serving employers, executives, and high-performance individuals. Derek needed a reliable channel to reach HR leaders, benefits decision-makers, and executive health buyers without diverting his team away from product. We aligned on the highest-fit ICP (HR Leaders) and built segmented lists by company size, benefits structure, and recent wellness investments. Email infrastructure was set up with 350+ Microsoft inboxes to ensure enterprise deliverability at scale. Outreach led with Vigur's specific differentiation (lab-driven, AI-personalized protocols rather than generic wellness perks), anchored in concrete outcomes for comparable executives and teams. LinkedIn outreach reinforced email touchpoints by engaging prospects through performance health and longevity content before any direct pitch. Cadences were timed to mirror peer-to-peer outreach rather than vendor pitches, which is the only thing that lands with senior HR and benefits buyers. We refined targeting monthly based on which segments and angles were producing the highest-intent replies. The campaign produced 42 qualified leads worth $317K in pipeline in 3 months.
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"I enjoy working with you personally and the team I have met so far! I think a lot of the value here is the collective wisdom of the Outbound System team to advise and optimize the campaigns. That’s premium is worth is weight in gold."
Derek Merrill
CEO & Founder at VIGUR
