Growth

The Outbound-to-Demo Stack

Turn cold prospects into booked demos — with interactive proof that closes before the call.

High integration depth Low-Code setup Days to value AI-assisted

What's in the stack.

Apollo.io logo
Apollo.io

Find prospects, verify contact data, and run outbound sequences from one platform.

from $49/mo (Basic) — check pricing

Tool profile Visit Apollo.io → Documentation-verified
Storylane logo
Storylane

Build interactive product demos that prospects can explore before a call.

from $40/mo (Starter) — check pricing

Tool profile Visit Storylane → Documentation-verified
Close logo
Close

A CRM built for outbound sales — built-in calling, SMS, and email sequences.

from $49/mo (Startup) — check pricing

Tool profile Visit Close → Documentation-verified
PandaDoc logo
PandaDoc

Create, send, and e-sign proposals and contracts — with built-in tracking.

from $35/mo (Essentials) — check pricing

Tool profile Visit PandaDoc → Documentation-verified

The rationale.

Apollo finds and sequences the prospects. Storylane gives each cold sequence a clickable demo that filters out low-intent leads before anyone picks up the phone. Close manages the pipeline and follow-up. PandaDoc closes it with a trackable proposal the moment you get to terms. Together they cover the full outbound loop — from first contact to signed contract — with one handoff per stage.

The handoffs.

Apollo.io Storylane

Embed the Storylane demo link in Apollo sequence step 2 (after the initial cold email). Prospects who click and complete the demo are tagged 'demo-engaged' in Apollo.

Manual link embed
Storylane Close

Storylane webhook fires on demo completion. Use Zapier or the Close Zapier integration to push the prospect (name, email, company, demo-completed flag) into Close as a new lead with a follow-up task.

Zapier
Close PandaDoc

Close has a native PandaDoc integration. From any Close lead, click 'Create Document' to push contact data into a PandaDoc proposal template. Signed doc status syncs back to the Close activity feed.

Native integration

Where tools overlap.

Minor overlap — Apollo has basic email sequencing built in; lemlist-style personalisation overlaps with Storylane's video features if you're already using both. In this stack, Apollo does the finding and sequencing, Storylane does the demo — no meaningful overlap.

Where AI speeds this up.

Use Claude or ChatGPT to personalise Apollo email sequences at scale — feed it the prospect's LinkedIn headline and recent post to generate the opening line. Use Storylane's built-in AI to generate demo scripts from your product screenshots. This removes the biggest manual bottleneck in cold outbound.

What to watch for.

  • The Zapier step (Storylane → Close) requires a paid Zapier account if you exceed the free-tier Zap limit. Budget ~$30/mo extra.
  • PandaDoc's CRM integrations (including Close) are only available on the Business plan ($49/mo). The Essentials plan covers e-sign only.
  • Storylane demo analytics (completion rates, time-per-step) require the Growth plan — not the Starter. Factor this into your cost.

How we scored this stack.

Integration depth
High
Integration method
Mixed
Setup skill required
Low-Code
Time to value
Days
Overlap
Minor
AI layer
Assisted
Lock-in risk
Medium
Team fit
Smb

You get the deal, we get a referral — it funds the research. Same tool, often a better price. Full detail on how we make money.

Last reviewed: 2026-06-12

Evidence basis: Documentation Verified