Failure mode: oversized batches kill quality

Failure mode: oversized batches kill quality
Mistake: you queue 500 prospects, automate the whole send, and personalization collapses to a mail-merge token. Reply rate craters.
Fix throughput control:
— 1. Cap batch size at 40-60 prospects per cycle.
— 2. Stage 1: bulk-verify status + Wayback context (automated).
— 3. Stage 2: manual personalization pass — one specific line per prospect.
— 4. Stage 3: send, then log.
— 5. QA gate: spot-check 10% for a genuinely unique opening line before release.
Automation handles Stage 1; humans own Stage 2. Never invert that.
Definition of done: every sent email has at least one non-templated, prospect-specific sentence.