The Birthplace of SAVAGE SENDER: Wheel Lab Case Study

Executive Summary

Wheel Lab began as a performance e-commerce brand, but beneath the surface, it was a proving ground for the outbound sales engine now known as Savage Sender. Built from scratch by James Curtis with zero ad spend, Wheel Lab scaled to over $2M in revenue through relentless, high-discipline direct outreach and a refined Sandler-based sales system. The success of that engine—and its ability to convert cold DMs into revenue—became the foundation for what now drives Savage Sender.

THE SAVAGE SENDER ORIGIN STORY
From 2014 to 2023, James lived inside the sales machine:
• Prospecting
• Closing
• Handling customer success
• Building internal systems

Using Instagram and Facebook, he hand-crafted 25 to 75 personalized DMs every day—no bots, no automation, just grind and strategy.

Key Results:
- 15,000+ total outbound DMs
- 2,300+ warm leads generated
- 700+ closed sales (13.5% conversion)
- $1.5M in average annual revenue
- 30%+ average profit margin
- Peak revenue year: $1.68M

This wasn’t “influencer marketing.” This was elite direct selling, powered by emotional intelligence and process mastery.

THE OUTREACH ENGINE
James reverse-engineered and refined a pipeline machine with these components:

Metric                | Volume Estimate (Annually)
----------------------|----------------------------
Outbound DMs          | 5,200–15,600
Warm Leads Generated  | ~2,300 total
Closed Sales          | ~700 deals
Overall Conversion    | ~13.5% from warm leads
Platform              | IG + FB (DM-first strategy)

Every message had a job: close with class and convert with trust. The most successful campaigns used:
- Emotional and technical pain triggers
- Humor, rapport, and strategic follow-ups
- Real-time voice notes and manual discovery questions

THE SANDLER SPINE
Sandler Methodology was the foundation:
- Pain Discovery – Emotional + technical problem extraction
- Upfront Contracts – Mutual expectations before pitch
- Solution Selling – Tailored offers built from the buyer’s own words

Every team member—from SDR to fulfillment—was trained in this rhythm, making it repeatable, scalable, and ruthlessly effective.

TECH STACK & AUTOMATION
Despite the manual nature of outbound, Wheel Lab was built on smart backend systems:

- HubSpot Sales Pro – Full CRM + pipeline automation
- BigCommerce & WooCommerce – Platform integrations
- Custom APIs – 45,000+ SKUs synced and indexed
- PowerBI Dashboards – Daily KPIs and conversion tracking
- 1Password for Team Access – Secure credential workflows
- SOP Libraries – For training and operational precision

This allowed James to operate lean, scale tactically, and prepare the system for sale.

EXIT & LEGACY
After a major car accident in 2023, James made the decision to exit Wheel Lab. But the outbound machine he built lived on—profitable, automated, and sale-ready.

That same machine now powers Savage Sender:
- Rebuilt for mission-driven founders, B2B teams, and nonprofits
- Upgraded with AI, omnichannel prospecting, and a specialized rep force
- Battle-tested under fire, now offered as a done-for-you outbound solution

WHY THIS MATTERS
This isn’t just another sales agency.

Savage Sender was built in the fire—DM by DM, deal by deal. It delivers:
- Done-for-you sales outreach
- Elite Sandler-based messaging
- Manual + AI-assisted high-trust prospecting
- Strategic client acquisition for B2B and founder-led brands

Others hand you templates. We hand you weapons.

CERTIFICATIONS & SKILLS
✅ Sandler Sales Certified (2025)
✅ HubSpot Sales Suite Expert
✅ Social Selling (IG + Facebook)
✅ Manual Prospecting & Messaging Optimization
✅ BigCommerce & WooCommerce API Integration
✅ Sales Coaching, Team Training, Strategic Execution