We Let an AI Agent Run Our Sales Pipeline for a Week. Here's What Happened.

Key Takeaways

• An AI sales agent (Flowbee) discovered and qualified 67 leads in 4 days with zero human prospecting
• 25+ personalised interactive prototypes were built automatically for each prospect — not templates, bespoke demos
• Multi-channel outreach across email, SMS, and voice generated 2 warm replies from completely cold outreach
• The entire system ran autonomously: research at 6am, prototype building at 7am, follow-ups at 8am, SMS at 9am
• Estimated cost saving vs a human SDR team: $12,000–$18,000/month for equivalent output
• Best-performing verticals were trades and childcare — industries we didn't initially target

We talk a lot about AI agents at Flowtivity. We help Australian businesses build them, deploy them, and measure the results. But there's a difference between recommending something and living with it.

So we decided to eat our own dog food.

We pointed our AI growth agent — Flowbee — at our own sales pipeline and let it run for a week. No hand-holding. No manual intervention. Just an autonomous agent with access to our tools, a brief, and a target market.

Here's exactly what happened, with real numbers, real screenshots, and an honest assessment of what worked, what didn't, and what surprised us.

Why We Did This

Every AI consultancy in Australia will tell you their solutions are transformative. Most of them have never actually used AI agents for their own operations.

We wanted to answer a simple question: Can an AI agent genuinely replace (or augment) a human sales development representative?

Not in theory. Not in a controlled demo. In the real world, with real Australian businesses, sending real emails to real people.

The rules were straightforward:

1. Flowbee would handle the entire top-of-funnel sales process
2. A human (our founder, AJ) would only step in for actual sales conversations
3. Everything else — research, qualification, outreach, follow-ups, content creation — was the agent's job
4. We'd run it for one week and report honestly on the results

The Setup: How Flowbee Works

Flowbee isn't a single tool. It's an orchestrated system of AI capabilities working together. Here's the tech stack:

Core Intelligence

• OpenClaw — The agent runtime that manages Flowbee's autonomy, scheduling, and decision-making
• Claude (Anthropic) — The large language model powering research, writing, and strategic decisions

Data & Enrichment

• ContactOut — For finding direct phone numbers and personal email addresses of decision-makers
• Dropcontact — Secondary enrichment layer for Australian business contacts
• Web research — Automated analysis of company websites, LinkedIn profiles, and industry data

Outreach Channels

• Email ([email protected]) — Personalised cold outreach via Google Workspace
• SMS via Twilio — Australian mobile number (+61 483 962 753) for text follow-ups
• Voice agent — AI-powered inbound call handling with full lead context on the same number

Content & SEO

• Blog publishing — Automated SEO content targeting industry-specific keywords
• Microsite deployment — Standalone landing pages for domain network strategy

The Daily Pipeline

Flowbee operated on a fixed daily schedule:

The outreach cadence for each lead followed a structured sequence:

• Day 0: Initial personalised email with prototype link
• Day 3: Follow-up email referencing the prototype
• Day 5: SMS message (different channel, same personalisation)
• Day 7: Breakup email ("last chance" framing)
• Day 10: Final SMS

This multi-channel, multi-touch approach meant every lead received up to five touchpoints across two channels over ten days.

Week 1 Results: The Numbers

Let's get straight to the data. Here's what Flowbee accomplished in its first week of autonomous operation:

Lead Generation & Qualification

Multi-Channel Activity

Content & SEO

Response Rates

Now, let's be honest: a 3.8% warm reply rate from cold outreach isn't going to break any records. But context matters.

These were completely cold leads. No prior relationship. No warm introduction. No inbound interest. Flowbee found them, researched them, built them a personalised prototype, and reached out — all without human involvement.

For comparison, industry benchmarks for cold email reply rates in B2B sit between 1% and 5%. Flowbee landed right in that range on its first attempt, with zero optimisation of messaging or targeting.

What Worked

1. Personalised Prototypes Were the Secret Weapon

This was the standout finding. Flowbee didn't just send emails saying "we can help your business with AI." It built actual interactive prototypes and dashboards tailored to each prospect's business.

A childcare centre received a mock parent communication dashboard. A trades business got a job scheduling prototype. Each one was functional, interactive, and clearly built for them.

The effect was immediate. Prospects who received prototypes engaged differently. They clicked. They explored. They replied.

This is something a human SDR almost never does — the time investment is too high. But for an AI agent that can generate these in minutes? It's a completely viable strategy at scale.

2. Multi-Channel Outreach Compounds

Email alone would have generated fewer responses. Adding SMS as a second channel — particularly for Australian businesses where mobile is king — created additional touchpoints that felt natural rather than spammy.

The voice agent added another dimension. When a prospect received an email, then a text, and then could call back and speak to an AI that already knew their business context, it created a surprisingly cohesive experience.

3. Speed of Execution Was Inhuman

In four days, Flowbee did what would take a human SDR team weeks:

• Researched and qualified 67 leads
• Built 25+ bespoke prototypes
• Sent 74 personalised emails
• Published 36 SEO blog posts
• Deployed 8 microsites
• Secured a guest post on a Tier 1 Australian business publication

A single human couldn't produce this volume without sacrificing quality. A team of humans could match it, but at significantly higher cost (more on that below).

4. The Content Flywheel

While direct outreach generated immediate results, the 36 blog posts and 8 microsites created a long-tail SEO asset. These pieces target industry-specific keywords that will continue driving organic traffic for months.

The BizWitty guest blog was particularly valuable — a Tier 1 Australian business publication carrying our content creates backlink authority and brand credibility that compounds over time.

What Surprised Us

Trades and Childcare Were the Best Verticals

We didn't specifically target these industries. Flowbee identified them through its research phase and prioritised them based on signals like:

• High operational complexity relative to digital maturity
• Decision-makers accessible via direct contact
• Clear pain points that AI could address (scheduling, communication, compliance)

Trades businesses — plumbers, electricians, builders — responded because the prototypes showed immediate practical value. "Here's how AI could handle your job scheduling" resonated more than abstract promises.

Childcare centres responded because compliance and parent communication are genuine pain points, and seeing a working prototype made the value tangible.

Prototypes Get Clicks (and Replies)

We expected personalised emails to perform better than generic ones. We didn't expect the prototypes to be the primary driver of engagement.

In retrospect, it makes sense. Every business receives cold emails promising to "transform their operations." Almost none receive a working prototype built specifically for them. It's a pattern interrupt that earns attention.

The Agent Improved Its Own Approach

By Day 3, Flowbee had started adjusting its targeting based on early signal data. It deprioritised verticals showing low engagement and doubled down on trades and childcare. This wasn't pre-programmed — it was the agent making strategic decisions based on observed outcomes.

What We'd Do Differently

1. Warmer Lead Sources

Pure cold outreach is the hardest possible starting point. Next time, we'd layer in:

• LinkedIn engagement before email (warm up the connection)
• Event attendee lists (people already interested in the topic)
• Inbound content leads (people who've read our blog posts)

2. Tighter Initial Targeting

Flowbee cast a wide net deliberately — we wanted to see what stuck. In future, we'd start with a narrower ICP (ideal customer profile) and expand based on data, rather than starting broad and narrowing.

3. More SMS, Earlier

SMS had a disproportionately high engagement rate relative to email. We'd move it earlier in the sequence — perhaps Day 1 or Day 2 — and test SMS-first approaches for certain verticals.

4. Human-in-the-Loop for High-Value Leads

For the top 10% of qualified leads, having a human review and personalise the outreach before sending would likely improve conversion. The agent handles volume; the human adds nuance for the best opportunities.

5. A/B Testing From Day 1

We ran a single approach throughout the week. Building in systematic A/B testing of subject lines, prototype styles, and outreach timing would accelerate optimisation.

ROI Calculation: AI Agent vs Human SDR Team

Let's talk money. Here's what it would cost to achieve equivalent output with a human team in Australia:

Human SDR Team (Equivalent Output)

And that's before you factor in:

• Recruitment costs (typically 15–20% of salary)
• Onboarding time (4–8 weeks before full productivity)
• Leave, superannuation, and other employment costs (add ~25%)
• Management overhead

Flowbee (AI Agent)

That's roughly 10% of the cost for equivalent output. And the agent works 24/7, doesn't take sick days, and scales linearly.

Now, to be fair, the agent doesn't replace a senior sales closer. It replaces the top-of-funnel work — the research, qualification, initial outreach, and follow-ups that consume 80% of an SDR's time. You still need humans for relationship-building and closing.

But for the grind work? The AI agent is dramatically more cost-effective.

Lessons for Australian Businesses

If you're considering AI agents for sales automation, here's what we learned:

1. Start with a specific, measurable goal. "Generate leads" is too vague. "Qualify 50 leads in one week across trades and childcare" is actionable.

2. Multi-channel matters. Email alone isn't enough. SMS, voice, and content create a compound effect.

3. Personalisation at scale is the unlock. The prototypes were our differentiator. Find yours.

4. Australian businesses respond to practical demonstrations. Don't tell them what AI can do — show them.

5. The agent gets better over time. Week 1 results are the floor, not the ceiling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an AI agent really run a sales pipeline?

Yes, but with caveats. AI agents excel at top-of-funnel activities: lead research, qualification, personalised outreach, follow-ups, and content creation. In our test, Flowbee discovered and qualified 67 leads in 4 days and sent 74 personalised emails across 53 unique leads. However, human involvement is still essential for relationship-building and closing deals.

What reply rate should I expect from AI-driven cold outreach?

Industry benchmarks for B2B cold email reply rates range from 1% to 5%. Our AI agent achieved a 3.8% warm reply rate from completely cold outreach on its first attempt with zero optimisation. With refinement — warmer lead sources, tighter targeting, and A/B testing — this rate would be expected to improve significantly.

How much does an AI sales agent cost compared to a human SDR?

Based on our testing, an AI sales agent costs approximately $1,000 to $2,800 AUD per month for infrastructure, API costs, and tool subscriptions. A human SDR team producing equivalent output would cost $19,500 to $23,750 per month in Australian salaries alone.

What industries respond best to AI sales outreach in Australia?

In our testing, trades (plumbers, electricians, builders) and childcare centres were the best-performing verticals. These industries share common traits: high operational complexity, lower digital maturity, accessible decision-makers, and clear pain points that AI solutions can address.

Is AI sales automation legal in Australia?

Yes, AI sales automation is legal in Australia, but you must comply with the Spam Act 2003, the Privacy Act 1988, and the Australian Consumer Law. Our system was designed with these requirements built in.

What tools does Flowbee use?

Flowbee uses OpenClaw as its agent runtime, Claude (by Anthropic) as its AI model, Twilio for SMS and voice, ContactOut and Dropcontact for lead enrichment, and Google Workspace for email.

Want an AI Agent Running Your Pipeline?

We built Flowbee to prove that AI agents can genuinely handle sales pipeline operations for Australian businesses. The results speak for themselves: 67 qualified leads, 25+ personalised prototypes, and multi-channel outreach — all in a week, at a fraction of the cost of a human team.

If you're curious about what an AI agent could do for your sales pipeline, book a free discovery call with Flowtivity. We'll build you a prototype before we even send a proposal.

No pitch decks. No mystery quotes. Just a working demo of what's possible.

Talk to Flowtivity →