From Cold Leads to Clients: Cedarville Senior Launches Misogi AI Solutions

Turn "dead" leads into paying clients with AI-based SMS follow-up

September 29, 2025

Every sales org has a graveyard of leads. Names paid for, contacted once, then left to rot in the CRM as reps chase fresh prospects.

Aaron Perry, a senior economics student from Overland Park, Kansas, built a simple fix: reuse what you already own. His company, Misogi AI Solutions, reengages those inactive contacts through AI-based SMS conversations and hands warmed-up responses back to your team.

"Businesses have already paid for the leads. I make the most of them." - Aaron Perry

What Misogi AI Solutions does

Most services stop at list generation. Misogi focuses on what happens after the first no-response - the part sales teams rarely have capacity to handle.

Perry automates follow-up with authentic, one-to-one style messaging at scale. Agents are built to match your brand voice and customer goals, then run targeted SMS conversations that nudge contacts to take the next step.

Why SMS for lead nurturing

SMS gets noticed and answered more than most channels. It cuts through crowded inboxes and feels conversational, which makes it ideal for second-touch and third-touch follow-ups.

Most importantly, it frees your reps to focus on discovery, demos, and closing - the high-value work that moves pipeline.

The origin story

Perry started building the service in February and launched Misogi AI Solutions five months later. The name "Misogi" comes from a Japanese practice of taking on one annual challenge that influences the rest of the year - a philosophy Perry lives out as an endurance athlete.

He previously founded Ultra Lyte Running in 2023, selling lightweight hats with small pockets. Moving from product to service tested him in new ways, but the core idea stayed the same: solve a real problem people feel every day.

Backed by a builder's community

Throughout the shift, Perry worked with classmates and Dr. Kary Oberbrunner, Berry Chair and Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship. The Robert W. Plaster School of Business and Entrepreneurs for Christ created a support system that helped him pressure-test ideas and ship faster.

Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, serves 7,265 students across residential and online programs. It is recognized by The Wall Street Journal as one of the nation's top three evangelical universities and is known for a vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and strong graduation and retention rates.

How sales teams can apply this now

• Pull a segment of "no response" leads from the last 6-12 months. Exclude anyone who unsubscribed or asked not to be contacted.
• Define a single action you want (reply, book a call, claim an offer). Keep it specific.
• Create a short, plain-language SMS sequence (3-5 messages) that sounds like a helpful rep, not a blast.
• Personalize with only what adds value (recent intent, industry, role, last touch). Skip fluff.
• Route positive replies to human reps immediately. Speed matters.
• Measure weekly: reply rate, meeting set rate, cost per reactivated lead, and time saved per rep.

Messaging checklist for better replies

• Lead with context: "We spoke in May about X."
• Offer a next step that takes under 30 seconds: "Want me to resend pricing or set a 10-min review?"
• Use one question per message. Don't stack asks.
• Respect the opt-out. Always include a simple way to stop messages.
• Keep tone human, concise, and helpful. No jargon.

What success looks like

• Old contacts book fresh meetings without new ad spend.
• Reps spend more time in conversations, less time chasing ghosts.
• Pipeline quality improves as you squeeze more value from leads you already paid for.

If you're building AI skills for sales outreach and automation, explore focused training here: AI courses by job.

Dead leads aren't dead. They're waiting for the right nudge - and the right channel - to say yes.