Discover the 3-step process behind our $312M sales pipeline

Author

Nick Verity
November 02, 2024

Read time: 3 minutes

Welcome To The Clever Letter!

Every Saturday, we’ll share an actionable lead generation guide that’ll help get your first (or next) 100 customers so you can take your business to the next level. This newsletter will remain Free forever. We hope you enjoy!

At Cleverly, we’ve helped 7,500+ customers book 224,700+ sales qualified leads generated with cold outreach. If you are struggling to grow your business, click here to learn more about how we can help.

Some people think cold email is a waste of time- let them think that.
Cold emailing can be a goldmine IF you do it right.

The key? A high-quality list.

Here's our proven 3-step process for building lists that convert (...this helped us generate $51.2M in client revenue)

(You can read text below, or watch a video here)

1️⃣ Define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

Focus on these 5 criteria:

  • Vertical/Niche

  • Geography

  • Company Size

  • Job Title

  • Function

Let's break this down with an example:

Imagine you're selling project management software. Your ICP might look like this:

  • Vertical/Niche: Tech startups

  • Geography: United States

  • Company Size: 50-200 employees

  • Job Title: Project Manager, Operations Manager

  • Function: Project Management, Operations

By clearly defining your ICP, you ensure that every person on your list is a potential customer. This increases your chances of success and prevents wasted effort.

2️⃣ Use the right tools

We recommend Apollo.io. It's affordable ($99/mo) and combines list building with sending capabilities.

Here's how to use Apollo.io effectively:

  1. Sign up for an Apollo.io account

  2. Go to the "Search" tab

  3. Enter your ICP criteria (e.g., job title: "Project Manager", company size: 50-200 employees)

  4. Apollo will generate a list of matching contacts

  5. Click on a contact to view their email

  6. Use the "Select All" and "Export" buttons to download your list

Pro tip: Use Apollo's Chrome extension with LinkedIn Sales Navigator for even more targeted results. Simply search on Sales Navigator, then use the Apollo extension to grab emails directly from LinkedIn profiles.

3️⃣ Verify and clean your list

This is non-negotiable:

  • Always verify emails

  • Prioritize quality over quantity

  • Only send to actual people (avoid generic addresses)

Here's why this step is crucial:

Email verification:

Use a tool like NeverBounce or ZeroBounce to check if emails are valid. This prevents bounces, which can harm your sender reputation.

Quality over quantity:

It's better to have 100 highly targeted contacts than 1000 loosely related ones. A smaller, more focused list will yield better results and protect your email reputation.

Avoid generic addresses:

Never send to addresses like [email protected] or [email protected]. These are often monitored by multiple people and rarely lead to conversions.

Following these steps, we've helped clients generate:

  • 224.7K leads

  • $51.2M in revenue

  • $312M in pipeline

The secret? It's not about the tool. It's about your copy, targeting strategy, and constant iteration based on open/reply rates.

Here's a quick breakdown of how we achieve these results:

  1. Write compelling copy: Focus on the recipient's pain points and how your solution can help.

  2. Test different targeting strategies: Try various combinations of ICP criteria to find what works best.

  3. Monitor and improve: Keep a close eye on open and reply rates. Adjust your approach based on what's working.

Remember, cold emailing is a numbers game, but it's also about quality. By following this process, you're setting yourself up for success from the start.

Want to see exactly how we use Apollo.io to build high-converting lists?

See you next week!

If you found this useful check these out:

Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways we can help you:

  1. Cold Email Lead Generation - Get booked sales calls with your ideal clients on a pay-per-lead basis. You pay a fixed fee whenever you get a response from your ideal customer. Click here to learn more.

  2. LinkedIn Appointment setting - Want a trained sales rep in your Linkedin inbox, speaking to prospects & booking sales calls onto your calendar? Our appointment setting service will do just that. Click here to learn more.

  3. LinkedIn Paid Advertising - Want to get in front of prospects you never thought possible? Our irresistible LinkedIn Ad funnels will help you grow your business rapidly. Click here to learn more.