Skill: staybased/cold-outreach (version 2.0.0)

# Cold Outreach — Intent-Based Conversion Framework Generate high-converting cold outreach (email, SMS, LinkedIn DM) using battle-tested frameworks from Hormozi's $100M Leads, Cleverly, Hypergen, and SalesHandy analysis of 100K+ campaigns. All outputs go to `workspace/artifacts/`. ## Use when - Writing cold emails/SMS to prospects (B2B or local service businesses) - Crafting multi-touch follow-up sequences - Personalizing outreach at scale for a specific ICP - Evaluating/rewriting existing outreach copy - Building lead magnets to pair with cold outreach - Generating Upwork proposals or freelance pitches ## Don't use when - Warm introductions or inbound leads (they already know you — just be helpful) - Mass newsletters or marketing blasts (different discipline: content marketing) - Internal team communication - Responding to existing conversations or support tickets - Social media posts or ads (different format, different psychology) ## Negative examples - "Write me a blog post" → No. This is for 1:1 outreach, not content marketing. - "Send a thank-you email to a client" → No. That's relationship management, not cold outreach. - "Create a landing page" → No. Wrong funnel stage entirely. - "Help me respond to this customer complaint" → No. That's support, not prospecting. ## Edge cases - Upwork proposals → YES. It's cold outreach to a job poster. Use Template E. - LinkedIn connection request + message → YES. Use Template F (under 300 chars for request). - Re-engaging a dead lead (6+ months cold) → YES. Treat as cold — they've forgotten you. - Warm intro that went cold → Borderline. If >30 days no reply, treat as cold with context. --- ## The Science: Why Most Cold Outreach Fails Most cold emails go unanswered — Hunter.io reports 95.9%, though real rates vary by industry and targeting quality (80-95% is the realistic range). The failures share common patterns: ### Instant-Delete Triggers (never do these) 1. **Ego-centric opener**: "We're the leading..." / "I'm excited to share..." — Nobody cares about you yet. 2. **Generic spray**: Same message to 1,000 people → 2.1% reply. 50 targeted → 5.8% reply. 3. **Hard sell in email #1**: Pricing, demos, "book a call" before establishing any value → pushy, dead. 4. **"Hope this finds you well"**: Signals mass send. Prospect's brain auto-deletes. 5. **"Just checking in" / "Circling back"**: Zero value added. Each touch must earn attention. 6. **Wall of text**: Cold emails over 125 words lose 50%+ of readers. Ideal: 50-100 words. ### The Psychology That Works - **3-Second Rule**: Prospects decide in 3 seconds whether to keep reading. First line must prove you researched THEM. - **Reciprocity**: Give value before asking (Hormozi's lead magnet principle — solve a small problem free, they want your paid solution). - **Pattern interrupt**: Break the template feel. Specificity is the antidote to spam. - **Loss aversion**: "You're losing X" hits harder than "You could gain X." --- ## Hormozi's 4-Step Cold Outreach System From $100M Leads (generates 20,000+ leads/day): ### Step 1: Build the List (ICP-First) Define your Ideal Customer Profile BEFORE writing a single word: - **Who**: Industry, company size, role/title, geography - **What pain**: Specific problem they face (not generic "grow revenue") - **What signal**: What indicates they need help NOW? (hiring, expanding, bad reviews, no automation) - **Where to find**: LinkedIn Sales Nav, Google Maps, industry directories, job boards **Quality check**: If you can't describe their specific daily frustration in one sentence, your ICP isn't sharp enough. ### Step 2: Personalize to Trigger Response Go beyond `{FirstName}`. Reference: - Their company's recent news, hire, or milestone - A specific page on their website (proves you looked) - A mutual connection or shared experience - A problem visible from the outside (no online booking, bad Yelp response, etc.) ### Step 3: Lead with Value (The Lead Magnet Principle) Every cold email should give something: - An insight they didn't have ("businesses like yours are losing X because of Y") - A quick win ("here's one thing you can fix today") - Social proof ("we helped [similar business] achieve [specific result]") **Hormozi's rule**: If your free stuff isn't good enough to charge for, it's not good enough to give away. ### Step 4: Automate the Sequence One email doesn't convert. Build a 3-5 touch sequence: - Most positive replies come after follow-ups (commonly cited as 60%, though real rates vary — the principle holds: persistence pays) - Each follow-up adds NEW value (never "just bumping this") - Space touches 3-5 days apart - Mix channels when possible (email → LinkedIn → email → SMS) --- ## Copywriting Frameworks Pick the framework that matches your prospect's awareness level: ### PAS — Problem, Agitate, Solve **Best for**: Prospects who KNOW they have a problem but haven't fixed it. ``` [PROBLEM] Noticed [Business] doesn't have [specific thing]. [AGITATE] Most [business type] in [area] lose [X customers/dollars] monthly because of this — and it compounds. [SOLVE] We built a [solution] for [similar business] that [specific result in timeframe]. Worth 10 minutes to see how it works? ``` ### BAB — Before, After, Bridge **Best for**: Prospects who don't realize they have a problem. ``` [BEFORE] Right now, [Business] is [current state — manual booking, no reviews, etc.]. [AFTER] Imagine [desired state — automated scheduling, 5-star reviews flowing in, phone never missed]. [BRIDGE] We help [business type] get there with [method]. [Similar business] made the switch in [timeframe]. Quick look? ``` ### AIDA — Attention, Interest, Desire, Action **Best for**: Prospects you need to grab with a hook. ``` [ATTENTION] [Surprising stat or observation about their business] [INTEREST] We've been studying [their industry] and found that [insight]. [DESIRE] [Similar business] used this to [specific desirable result]. [ACTION] Can I share the playbook? Takes 2 minutes to read. ``` ### The Goated One-Liner **Best for**: Busy executives, second/third follow-ups, SMS. ``` [Observation] + [Result for similar company] + [Soft ask] Example: "Saw [Business] is still using [old method] — helped [competitor] cut [pain] by [X%]. Worth a look?" ``` --- ## Templates ### Template A: Local Service Business (Alfred-style) ``` Subject: Quick question about [Business Name] Hi [Name], I looked at [Business Name] online — [specific observation: no online booking, reviews stopped 3 months ago, website doesn't show availability]. I help [business type] in [area] fix exactly this. One client went from [X missed calls/week] to [Y booked appointments/week] in [timeframe] with automated [SMS/booking/reviews]. Would it help to see a 2-minute walkthrough of how it works? [Signature] ``` ### Template B: B2B SaaS / Tech ``` Subject: [Their company] + [your solution category] Hi [Name], Noticed [Company] just [trigger: raised funding, hired for X role, launched Y]. When [similar companies] hit that stage, they usually struggle with [specific pain]. We helped [reference client] solve it — [specific metric]. Want me to send over the case study? [Signature] ``` ### Template C: Follow-Up #1 (Value Add, Day 3-4) ``` Subject: Re: [original subject] Hi [Name], Quick thought — [industry stat or tactical tip they can use regardless of buying]. This is what [specific client] did before working with us, and it alone moved the needle [X%]. Happy to share more if useful. [Signature] ``` ### Template D: Follow-Up #2 (Breakup, Day 12-14) ``` Subject: Closing the loop Hi [Name], I've reached out a couple times about [topic]. Totally fine if the timing's off. If [pain point] becomes a priority down the road, I'm here. Otherwise I'll get out of your inbox. [Signature] ``` ### Template E: Upwork / Freelance Proposal ``` [Opening]: Reference THEIR specific project details (proves you read it, not mass-applying) [Credibility]: One relevant result — "[Similar project] → [outcome] in [timeframe]" [Differentiator]: What you'll do that other applicants won't [De-risk]: "Happy to do [small first milestone] so you can evaluate before committing" [CTA]: Specific next step, not vague ``` ### Template F: LinkedIn Connection Request (<300 chars) ``` Hi [Name] — saw your [post/company/role]. Working on [relevant thing] and thought we'd have good overlap. Would love to connect. ``` --- ## Sequence Blueprint | Touch | Day | Channel | Framework | Purpose | |-------|-----|---------|-----------|---------| | 1 | 0 | Email | PAS or BAB | Problem-aware opener | | 2 | 3 | LinkedIn | — | Connect + engage their content | | 3 | 5 | Email | Value-add | Share insight/case study | | 4 | 10 | SMS/Email | One-liner | Brief personal touch | | 5 | 14 | Email | Breakup | Close the loop gracefully | --- ## Metrics & Benchmarks | Metric | Bad | Average | Good | Great | |--------|-----|---------|------|-------| | Open rate | <30% | 40-50% | 50-65% | 65%+ | | Reply rate | <2% | 3-5% | 5-8% | 8%+ | | Positive reply | <1% | 1-2% | 2-4% | 4%+ | | Meeting booked | <0.5% | 0.5-1% | 1-2% | 2%+ | **Diagnostic**: - Low opens → subject line problem - Opens but no replies → message relevance or CTA problem - Replies but no meetings → offer or timing problem - Meetings but no close → sales conversation problem (outside this skill's scope) --- ## Deliverability Checklist - [ ] SPF, DKIM, DMARC records configured on sending domain - [ ] Sending from secondary domain (protect primary brand domain) - [ ] Domain warmed up 2+ weeks (start with 5/day, increase 5/day) - [ ] Under 50 emails/day per mailbox - [ ] No spam trigger words ("free," "guarantee," "act now," "limited time") - [ ] Plain text or minimal HTML (no heavy images/formatting) - [ ] Unsubscribe link included (CAN-SPAM / GDPR compliance) - [ ] Bounce rate under 3% (verify list before sending) - [ ] Track engagement: opens, replies, unsubscribes — adjust weekly --- ## Key Numbers - Cold email ROI: $30-50 per $1 spent depending on execution (Litmus: $36, ProfitOutreach: $42, others: $30-50 range) - 50 targeted emails outperform 1,000 generic by 2.7x on reply rate - Most conversions require 2+ follow-ups (the exact % varies, but single-touch outreach consistently underperforms) - Ideal cold email: 50-100 words - Best send times: Tuesday-Thursday, 8-10 AM recipient's timezone


Security scan verdicts — ClawScan: clean | static analysis: clean | VirusTotal: clean | SkillSpector: clean (LOW)