Stages of Prospecting with Cold Email

In 1 month, we generated 9 qualified meetings for a Seed Fintech from Hong Kong. (4 steps we followed) 👇 My client's top 4 challenges: 1. No sales team. 2. No experience with outbound 3. They rely exclusively on inbound referrals to generate leads 4. Their targeting is fragmented: Their clients are different. Their ICP is unclear Step 1: ICP / Persona: Unclear ICP will lead you to send the wrong emails to the wrong people: Results: - No meetings - Waste time/money Good news: - Our client has clients - But they're all different To solve this pain, we ran tests We classified their different clients into specific buckets e.g. Client typology 1: → Demographic/Psychographic information → Pain points/challenges → Goals/aspirations → Buying behaviour → Communication preferences → Value proposition alignment - How’s your solution helping them? We applied this to each client they have. Step #2- Map their ICP/Persona Daily, I receive 15/20+ irrelevant cold emails Most salespeople don't do their targeting properly. 3 problems: - Poor Targeting - Low Deliverability Rates - Damaged Sender Reputation Quality data: Backbone of successful outbound campaigns - We reflected on the analysis done in Step#1 to get the right data - We validated the info with the client Step #3- Wrote problems’ centric cold emails Cold email framework: 1. Start with an observation. 2. Share a problem you derive from the observation. 3. Add credibility 4. How do you solve that problem? 5. Interest-based CTA The Secret: WIIFT W: WHAT’S I: In I: IT F: FOR T: THEM Deliver value to your prospect Step #4: Run 14 days tests Sending emails to the wrong ICP is risky when done massively. - Reaching out to a lot of wrong people, might still seduce a tiny portion of it. - That portion is not relevant To avoid it, we ran tests: - Per ICP, we selected a small sample of people - We personalize the outreach - We iterate. We: → Monitor metrics → Experiment: different subject lines, email copies → Use analytics to refine the approach. → Analyze what works best/optimize accordingly 1 month performance: → 359 emails sent → 228 emails opened → 9 meetings scheduled All within trusting the process of outbound. Pretty nice, in 2023, it was 0. TL;DR: Step #1: ICP / Persona: Step #2- Reflect that ICP/Persona into LinkedIn Sales Navigator / Apollo etc... Step #3- Wrote problems’ centric cold emailing campaigns Step #4: Run 14 days tests This is what we have used with our clients since May 2020 No magic. Execution, iteration -- PS: If you want similar start-of-the-year results running cold email campaigns in Q1 DM me “cold email” and we'll have a chat Happy Monday 🙂 Arnaud!

Cold Email Outreach? Yucks 😝 I used to stay away from it like how I stayed away from the fat girl who liked to bully me in kindergarten. 🥲 But sending emails are a necessity. I've significantly improved over the years and one thing for sure - personalization is key. Now I love follow up emails 🥰 ===================== Here are the steps I take to personalize my emails: 1️⃣ Research First, Reach Out Later Understand the prospect’s company, role, challenges before you hit send. This builds relevance. 📍Check out their LinkedIn posts, company news, industry trends. Mention something specific about their business in the first sentence. 2️⃣ Your Subject Line The subject line is the first thing they’ll see. So, make it count. A generic subject line screams “mass email.” 📍 Use their name or company in the subject line. Example: “Quick Idea for [Company Name]’s Expansion Strategy. 3️⃣ Focus on Their Problems, Not Your Product Prospects care about how you can help them solve their problems, not how great your product is. Shift the focus to them, not you. 📍 Open with a question about their challenges. “I saw that [Company Name] is growing fast—how are you handling [specific challenge]?” 4️⃣ Use Relevant Social Proof Don’t just throw random case studies at them. Use examples from companies in their industry or businesses with similar challenges. Pro Tip: “We helped [Competitor] increase efficiency by 25%. I’d love to see if we could do the same for you.” 5️⃣ Keep It Short and Simple No one wants to read an essay. Respect their time by keeping your message concise and straight to the point. 📍 Stick to 3-4 sentences max. Highlight the problem, hint at the solution, and ask to set up a time for a deeper discussion. 6️⃣ Add Value Early Before asking for their time, offer something useful. An article, insight, or case study relevant to their business. This builds trust and credibility. 📍 “I came across this article on [industry trend] and thought it might be helpful. Happy to chat more if you’re interested.” 7️⃣ Follow Up with Purpose The key to great follow-up isn’t just persistence - it’s value. Each follow-up should offer something new and relevant, not just a “checking in” email. 📍 In follow-ups, offer fresh insights or address any shifts in their industry. Example: “Saw [industry news] - thought it might impact your [specific challenge]. 8️⃣ Personalize the CTA (Call-to-Action) Make your ask specific to them. A vague, generic CTA like “Let me know if you’re free to chat” won’t cut it. Be clear about what you want and why it matters to them. 📍 “Would you be open to a 10-minute call next week to explore how we can help with [specific challenge]?” =================== Personalizing emails is about showing you’ve done your homework, understood their challenges, and can offer real value. Remember this: Cold outreach that feels warm gets results. Sales Tips, Stories & PoV > Sufi R.

startup growth isn’t magic. it’s math. here’s how we used cold email to triple our growth rate: 1. traffic: we targeted 2,000 ideal prospects via cold email campaigns. crafted personalized, problem-focused emails that grabbed attention. 2. conversion rate: sent 3 emails per lead on average. results? 7.5% reply rate. 20 discovery calls booked. 3. retention: pitched a clear, fast "aha moment" on those calls. focused on delivering quick wins for first-time users. 4. monetization: nurtured early customers. upsold additional services in month 2. this how you can fill $50k in sales pipeline in just 90 days. all you need is: clear icp, personalized outreach, and data-driven follow-ups.

If I had to start cold email all over again, here's exactly what I would do: Start by understanding that cold email success comes down to just three things: Sending, List Building, and Campaign Strategy. Nail those, and you'll win. 1. Sending Use a real outbound platform like Smartlead.ai or Instantly.ai — not MailChimp, HubSpot, or private SMTPs. Send from Google or Outlook inboxes, not from sketchy servers. Buy .com or .co domains only. Don’t worry too much about how the domain looks, it doesn't matter nearly as much as you think. Buy your domains from Porkbun or Dynadot, not GoDaddy. They often have domain sales. (one right now for .co domains for $2 and .com for $7). Use a vendor like Zapmail.ai or Hypertide.io to spin up inboxes, you want to have admin console access. Warm up your inboxes properly, especially for Outlook (sometimes for 4–6 weeks if you are targeting large enterprises.) 2. List Building Realize that most list building platforms are just scraping LinkedIn and guessing emails. If you’re targeting local businesses, Google Maps scraping works well. Generic emails like contact@ can work — especially with small businesses. 3. Campaign Strategy (What You Say) Use a proven format that you can iterate on weekly. Use ChatGPT to mimic styles like John Barrows, Josh Braun, or Will Allred. If campaigns fail, adjust your template and list filters fast. Usually after sending to 1,000 contacts. Don’t rely on seven-step sequences. Two or three emails max — most replies come from email one. Prioritize sending more net-new emails over sending tons of follow-ups. Misc. Advice Ignore LinkedIn screenshots bragging about reply rates. Most of the people bragging are running campaigns they can't run for more than a week. Use open tracking when you're unsure about deliverability. It's not the boogie man people make it sound. It can tell you within a day if you're having real issues with deliverability. Always use custom tracking domains. Don’t obsess over fake open rates from Apple devices — it still gives a good sense of inboxing. Think about what's in it for the prospect. If they respond, what will they get in return.

𝟵𝟬𝗞 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝟱% 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲,  𝟯𝟬𝟬 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝟭𝟭𝟬 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟲𝟬 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱? 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻. If you're nodding along with the chorus of "email doesn't work anymore," it's time to hit pause. We just turned 90,000 cold emails into 60 new enterprise logos, and we're here to spill the beans on how we did it. Buckle up; this is how we turned the tide: S͟t͟e͟p͟ ͟1͟:͟ ͟I͟C͟P͟ ͟t͟o͟ ͟P͟e͟r͟f͟e͟c͟t͟i͟o͟n͟ ͟🎯 We don't just target companies; we laser in on people within those companies. We identified three key personas: Users, Managers, and CXOs. Then, we tailored our messaging to their specific pain points and motivations. S͟t͟e͟p͟ ͟2͟:͟ ͟P͟e͟r͟s͟o͟n͟a͟-͟S͟p͟e͟c͟i͟f͟i͟c͟ ͟E͟m͟a͟i͟l͟s͟ 💌 Generic emails get generic results. We used Clodura.ai's inbuilt email writer to craft personalized messages that resonated with each recipient. It's faster than GPT and delivers far superior results. S͟t͟e͟p͟ ͟3͟:͟ ͟C͟a͟m͟p͟a͟i͟g͟n͟s͟ ͟T͟h͟a͟t͟ ͟D͟e͟l͟i͟v͟e͟r͟ ͟V͟a͟l͟u͟e͟ ͟🚀 We built a 5-phase campaign where each email added more value to the reader. No "did you see my last email?" nonsense. Here's a sneak peek: • Phase 1: Platform intro and benefits ( Intro ) • Phase 2: Case study showcasing success ( Social Validation ) • Phase 3: Market leadership proof points ( Credibility building ) • Phase 4: Cost and time-saving potential ( Fear of making mistake , fear of missing out) • Phase 5: Last-ditch effort with humor and an irresistible offer  ( Desperate attempt) S͟t͟e͟p͟ ͟4͟:͟ ͟N͟u͟r͟t͟u͟r͟i͟n͟g͟ ͟S͟o͟f͟t͟ ͟L͟e͟a͟d͟s͟ ͟📞 We track opens, clicks, and forwards like hawks. Then, we follow up with calls. Persistence is key; we don't give up until we've called at least 8 times (spread out, of course). S͟t͟e͟p͟ ͟5͟:͟ ͟T͟h͟e͟ ͟L͟i͟n͟k͟e͟d͟I͟n͟ ͟N͟u͟d͟g͟e͟ 👋 Our final touch is a friendly LinkedIn message. By this point, they're familiar with us from emails and calls, increasing the chances of engagement. The results? Predictable and repeatable success. This process works like a charm. The ratios stay consistent, and we close deals. So, tell us, how do you approach cold outreach? What are your numbers like? Let's swap stories and learn from each other! #coldoutreach #sales #emailmarketing #b2b #success