If your LinkedIn inbox has started to look like a graveyard of unread cold pitches, you’re not alone. Sales teams everywhere are trying to stand out—but most emails still read like they were written by a robot. Enter Lavender, a B2B GTM (go-to-market) software tool that promises to fix your outbound messaging and help reps write better, faster. But does it actually help, or is it just another browser extension vying for a spot in your already-crowded stack? Here’s an honest, hands-on breakdown for sales leaders, SDRs, and anyone else tired of “personalized” emails that never get replies.
What Is Lavender—and Who Actually Needs It?
Lavender bills itself as an AI-powered writing assistant for sales. The idea: plug it into your email workflow, and it’ll give you real-time feedback, scoring, and suggestions to make your cold emails more human and less cringe-worthy. Think of it as Grammarly, but trained on the kind of messages that actually get responses—at least in theory.
Who should look at this?
- SDRs/BDRs sending high volumes of cold outreach
- AEs who want to sharpen their messaging and not sound like everyone else
- Sales managers trying to coach teams with data, not just gut feel
- Anyone stuck rewriting the same tired intro lines over and over
If your sales motion is 100% inbound or you’re doing only phone/social, Lavender isn’t your tool. But if email is a major channel, it’s worth a closer look.
Key Features: What Lavender Actually Does
There’s a lot of marketing speak out there, so let’s keep it to what you’ll actually use day-to-day. Here’s what stands out:
1. Real-Time Email Grading
- As you write in Gmail, Outlook, or your sales engagement tool, Lavender scores your email on clarity, tone, length, and more.
- Color-coded feedback so you instantly see what’s off (e.g., “Too formal,” “Way too long,” “Passive voice detected”).
- Live suggestions pop up—sometimes helpful, sometimes a bit generic.
Pro tip: The grading is most useful for new reps or anyone learning the ropes. Seasoned sellers might find it nags a bit, but it’s good as a gut check before you hit send.
2. Personalization Suggestions
- Pulls research and tidbits about your prospect from LinkedIn, news, and company sites.
- Suggests ways to tailor your opener or call-to-action, rather than just “Hi, {FirstName}.”
Reality check: The suggestions are only as good as what’s out there publicly. Sometimes you get gold (“Mentioned in TechCrunch last week”), sometimes you get fluff (“Appears to like coffee”).
3. Spam & Deliverability Checks
- Flags words or phrases that could trigger spam filters.
- Highlights missing elements like subject lines or signature.
Worth noting: This can save you from rookie mistakes, but it’s not a foolproof deliverability tool. If you’re sending huge campaigns, you’ll still want a dedicated email health platform.
4. Writing Analytics
- Tracks open, reply, and positive response rates tied to specific email templates or rep behaviors.
- Lets managers see which types of messaging actually get results (not just “activity for activity’s sake”).
Caution: Attribution is always fuzzy. Just because one email scored high doesn’t mean it closed the deal. Use the data as a guide, not gospel.
5. AI-Powered Rewrite & Suggestions
- Click a button, and Lavender will rewrite a sentence or suggest alternate phrasing.
- Can adjust tone (e.g., more formal, more concise, more friendly).
Honest take: Sometimes the AI nails it. Other times, it spits out corporate speak or sounds off. It’s a starting point, not a finished product.
The Setup: How Easy Is It to Get Going?
No one wants another tool that takes a week to learn. Lavender mostly gets this right.
- Browser extension: Installs in Chrome or Edge in a couple minutes. No IT ticket required.
- Integrations: Works directly inside Gmail, Outlook, Salesloft, Outreach, HubSpot, and a few others. If you’re using something super niche, double-check compatibility.
- Onboarding: There’s a quick walkthrough, and most reps will be up to speed in 30 minutes or less.
Downsides: Some integrations can be a little buggy (especially Outlook on Windows—shocking, I know). And if your company is strict about browser extensions, you might have to run things up the flagpole.
Workflow: What’s It Like Day to Day?
Here’s how a typical SDR might use Lavender:
- Start writing a cold email in Gmail.
- Lavender’s sidebar pops up, grading your draft and flagging issues.
- Stuck on an opener? Pull in a suggested line or research nugget.
- Rewrite clunky sentences with the AI’s help.
- Get a final score—aim for the “green zone,” but don’t obsess.
- Hit send, and track how your emails perform over time.
What’s good: The feedback is fast, visual, and usually helpful. You don’t have to leave your inbox or switch tabs.
What gets old: If you already know what you’re doing, Lavender’s nags about word count or “too many I’s” can feel a bit much. There’s also a risk of over-optimizing—don’t forget that a B+ email sent now beats an A+ email you never send.
Pricing: Is It Worth the Money?
Lavender isn’t free, but it’s not outrageous either. As of early 2024:
- Individual plans: Start around $29/month per user (with a limited free version).
- Team plans: Scale down a bit per user, plus admin controls and analytics.
- Enterprise: Custom quotes, white-glove onboarding, SSO, etc.
Is it worth it?
- If you’re coaching new reps or scaling a team, the data and feedback are genuinely useful.
- For solo AEs or seasoned sellers, it’s more of a nice-to-have. Some will use it mainly as a gut check.
- If your company is pinching pennies, the free version covers the basics—just expect limited analytics and fewer AI features.
Not-so-fine print: You’ll need buy-in from users. If reps see Lavender as “big brother” watching their writing, adoption drops off fast.
What Lavender Does Well
- Immediate, actionable feedback: No waiting for a manager to review your email.
- Saves time: Cuts down on back-and-forth editing, especially for newer reps.
- Keeps messaging fresh: Personalization tools help avoid the “same old, same old.”
- Plays nice with your inbox: Minimal switching between tools.
Where Lavender Falls Short
- AI suggestions can be generic: Sometimes you’ll get “helpful” rewrites that sound like everyone else.
- Not a silver bullet for deliverability: It’ll catch obvious spam triggers, but can’t replace full email infrastructure tools.
- Can nag experienced reps: If you know what you’re doing, some feedback will feel redundant.
- Integration hiccups: Especially in Outlook or less-common sales tools, it can be buggy.
What to Ignore
- Don’t obsess over the score: It’s a guide, not a rulebook. Some of the best cold emails break the “rules.”
- Don’t buy into AI hype: It’s a helper, not a replacement for actual human judgment.
- Don’t treat analytics as gospel: Use trends to coach, but remember that sales is still a numbers game with plenty of luck and timing.
Final Thoughts: Should You Add Lavender to Your GTM Stack?
If your team relies on outbound email and you care about continuous improvement, Lavender is worth a spin. It’s not going to magically 10x your reply rates, but it will help reps write tighter, less robotic emails—especially if you’re onboarding new folks or looking to standardize quality. Just keep your workflow simple, don’t chase a perfect score, and remember: at the end of the day, the best email is the one that actually gets sent.
Try it, tweak your approach, and see what sticks. Tools are only as good as the habits you build around them.