A client of ours, an industrial manufacturer, had been selling into the same sectors for years. Using artificial intelligence, we mapped 55 potential sectors organised into 9 categories within days, complete with trade associations across three countries and the first introduction emails ready to send. A method that works for any SME.
A good product, always the same customers
It is the most common situation among SMEs: the product is solid, long-standing customers are happy, but revenue depends on a few familiar sectors. Exploring new markets takes time: weeks of research, lists and contacts built by hand.
Our client was in exactly that position. Excellent technical products, a solid sales network, but demand concentrated in the usual industries. We started from a simple question: who else in the world has the very problem this product solves?
From a handful of sectors to 55 potential markets
We had artificial intelligence read the client's entire catalogue and website, reasoning by problem solved rather than by product. The result: 55 potential sectors organised into 9 categories, each with the right commercial angle and the trade associations to start from in Italy, Spain and France.
Reasoning by problem surfaces markets nobody in the company had ever considered: sectors far removed from the historical ones yet sharing the same technical need, some with practically no competitors offering an equivalent solution. And for each sector, the AI indicated how to speak to that market: you do not sell the product, you solve the specific problem of whoever is listening.
From the map to the emails: automation does the rest
A list of 55 sectors remains theory until it becomes real contacts. The second part of the work is connecting, via API, the tools that turn research into commercial action: data flows from one system to the next on its own.
In practice: companies in each sector are gathered from public sources and professional databases, addresses are verified automatically, and everything flows into the CRM, already organised by market. From there, the first-contact emails go out, tailored to the right angle for each sector, with scheduled follow-ups. At Dedalix we start from the tools the company already uses: exactly the integration we built for our client, connecting the platforms he already had, without changing software.
The point is not quantity but precision: every sector receives a message built around its problem, and every sequence is reviewed by a person before activation. The salesperson stops hunting for contacts and simply replies to companies already interested.
A method that works for every sector
This approach is not reserved for industry. According to a UBS study published in May 2026 covering 2,500 Swiss companies, around 60% already use artificial intelligence, but SMEs lag behind: moving now still gives a concrete advantage over direct competitors. The same source reports the Dun & Bradstreet survey: 69% of Swiss companies with AI projects are already seeing measurable returns.
One more figure puts the fear of "dehumanising" sales into perspective: per Gartner research from May 2026, 69% of business buyers still want a person to validate information gathered through AI. Technology opens the doors; the negotiation stays human.
A fiduciary firm can map the industries most in need of its services, an estate agency the owners of specific property types, a manufacturer any market sharing the same technical problem. Automating the commercial side is among the highest-return areas we configure, with results measured in replies and open negotiations. And the quality of your starting data matters most: we covered it in our piece on the company brain, the business knowledge base.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need technical staff in-house to use this method?
No. Market analysis, tool connections and email sequences are configured by Dedalix and delivered in working order. Your team keeps doing what it does best: replying to interested companies and closing deals.
Won't automated emails end up in spam?
The risk is managed with low, gradual volumes, copy tailored to each sector and carefully selected recipients: this is not mass mailing, and every list is verified before activation.
Is it allowed to contact companies cold?
Targeted business-to-business outreach is established practice, carried out in compliance with Swiss and European data protection rules: selected professional recipients, transparency about the sender and the option to decline further contact.
Does it work for a small local business too?
Yes. The method scales: a craftsman can identify public bodies and companies that tender work, a shop can find the right suppliers and partners in its region. The scope changes, the principle does not.
How long does a project like this take?
Mapping the markets takes a few days. Connecting the tools and launching the first sequences is usually completed within a few weeks, with human review before every send.