Frequently asked questions
Everything screening firms ask before working with us. Don't see your question? Just ask.
What is a Sales Ready Lead (SRL)?
A Sales Ready Lead is a decision-maker who matches your ideal customer profile and has replied to our cold-email outreach expressing genuine interest in learning more about your screening service. We only count a lead when the reply shows real interest and intent, so you pay for opportunities, not activity.
How is pay-per-lead different from a monthly retainer?
With a retainer, you pay a fixed monthly fee regardless of results. With Surfaced, you pay a one-time setup fee of $800, then $150 only for each Sales Ready Lead we deliver. If we don't produce leads, you don't keep paying. It aligns our incentives with yours: we only win when you win.
What does the $800 setup fee cover?
A one-time cost that covers everything needed to launch: prospect research and list building, email copywriting and sequence creation, sending infrastructure setup (domain configuration, warm-up and deliverability checks), and campaign launch. There are no recurring platform or management fees on top of this.
How long before we start seeing leads?
Typically 3 to 6 weeks from kickoff. The first 2 to 3 weeks go toward setup, copywriting and domain warm-up, a process that can't be rushed without hurting deliverability. Once campaigns are live, leads start arriving as replies come in. Most clients see their first leads in week 3 or 4.
Do you send from our domain and brand?
Yes. All outreach is fully white-labeled: emails go out under your brand name and domain (or a dedicated sending subdomain we set up to protect your primary domain's reputation). Prospects see your name, your company and your email address. No one knows a third party is involved.
Do you only work with background check and screening firms?
Yes. Surfaced works exclusively with background check, employment verification and pre-employment screening firms. That focus is the point: we already understand your buyers, your objections and your compliance language.
Which markets do you target?
Worldwide. We build the target list around wherever you can actually serve and win clients, whether that's one country or several.
Can we approve prospects before outreach begins?
Yes. You review and sign off on the target criteria and the messaging before campaigns go live, so outreach only ever goes to companies you're happy to work with.
Will you contact our existing customers?
No. You give us a suppression list of current customers and any accounts you want left alone, and we exclude them from every campaign.
How do you handle follow-ups and objections?
Follow-ups and common objections are built into the sequence from the start. We typically run 2 to 3 step campaigns, and we manage incoming replies, filtering out unsubscribes, auto-replies and out-of-office messages so that only genuinely interested prospects reach your inbox.
What conversion rate should we expect from lead to closed client?
Cold email creates demand rather than capturing existing intent, so conversion rates are structurally lower than inbound channels. Most clients close 10% to 20% of Sales Ready Leads, depending on offer strength, pricing and their sales process. The math works well when your average contract value is meaningfully higher than the cost per lead.
Is cold email legal?
Yes. B2B cold email is legal in most markets when done correctly. In the US it's governed by CAN-SPAM; in Europe, GDPR permits outreach to business contacts under legitimate interest in a professional context. We follow best practices including transparent sender identification, opt-out compliance, and targeting only relevant decision-makers at relevant companies.
What do we need to provide to get started?
Three things: a clear description of your ideal client (industry, company size, decision-maker title), a description of what you offer and the problem it solves, and sign-off on the sending domain setup. Everything else (research, copy, infrastructure, sending and follow-ups) is handled by us.
Can we cancel anytime?
Yes. There's no long-term contract or monthly commitment. You can pause or stop campaigns at any time, and you only ever pay for Sales Ready Leads that are actually delivered.