Skill: jk-0001/outreach-and-prospecting (version 0.1.0)

--- name: outreach-and-prospecting description: Run cold and warm outreach campaigns to find and engage potential customers or partners. Use when building a prospecting pipeline, writing cold emails or LinkedIn messages, identifying and qualifying leads, planning an outreach strategy, or scaling lead generation as a solopreneur. Covers lead identification, qualification frameworks, cold email writing, LinkedIn outreach, multi-touch sequences, and tracking. Trigger on "cold outreach", "prospecting", "find customers", "cold email", "LinkedIn outreach", "lead generation", "outreach strategy", "build a pipeline", "find clients". --- # Outreach and Prospecting ## Overview Outbound outreach is one of the most powerful but most abused channels. Done well, it surfaces high-value opportunities that inbound alone will never find. Done poorly, it damages your reputation. This playbook gives you a repeatable system: who to target, how to find them, what to say, and how to follow up — all tuned for a solopreneur doing this alongside everything else. --- ## Step 1: Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Before reaching out to anyone, know exactly who you're looking for. A vague ICP = wasted outreach on the wrong people. **ICP template:** ``` COMPANY / PERSON PROFILE: Industry: [specific — not "tech"] Company size: [e.g., 10-50 employees] (if B2B) Job title / role: [the person who feels the pain AND has budget authority] Location: [if relevant] Revenue range: [if B2B — indicates budget capacity] PAIN SIGNALS (how to know they need you): - [Observable behavior that indicates they have the problem] - [Tool they currently use that you can improve upon] - [Content they publish or engage with that reveals the pain] - [Life event or business event that triggers the need] DISQUALIFIERS (do not reach out if): - [Signal that means they're not a good fit — saves time] - [Signal that means they can't afford you] - [Signal that means they already have a perfect solution] ``` --- ## Step 2: Find and Qualify Leads **Lead sources (ranked by quality for solopreneurs):** 1. **Warm introductions** — Someone you know introduces you to someone who needs you. Highest conversion. Ask your network regularly: "Do you know anyone dealing with [specific problem]?" 2. **LinkedIn Sales Navigator or free search** — Filter by job title, industry, company size. Check their profile for pain signals. 3. **Job postings** — Companies hiring for roles related to your problem space often have the pain you solve. The job posting itself is your conversation starter. 4. **Content engagement** — People who comment on or share content about your problem. They're signaling the pain publicly. 5. **Tool review sites** — People leaving negative reviews on competitor tools are actively frustrated and open to alternatives. 6. **Reddit / forum posts** — People asking questions related to your problem. If the thread is old, they may have solved it — if recent, they haven't. 7. **Newly funded companies** — Crunchbase alerts for funding in your industry. Funded companies have budget and growth pressure. 8. **Newly registered domains / new companies** — Tools like Instantly or Apollo can surface these. New businesses need everything. **Qualification checklist — only outreach leads that pass ALL of these:** - [ ] They have the specific pain you solve (evidence, not assumption) - [ ] They have budget (company size, funding, or individual income indicates ability to pay) - [ ] They are reachable (you can find a way to contact them) - [ ] They are the right person (decision-maker or influencer, not someone with no authority) --- ## Step 3: Write Cold Emails That Get Replies Most cold emails fail because they're about the sender. Flip it: make every sentence about the recipient. **The anatomy of a cold email that works:** ``` SUBJECT LINE: Specific, curious, not salesy. Avoid: "Quick question", "Synergy opportunity", "Intro" Good: "[Specific observation about them]", "Saw your [thing] — thought of something" LINE 1 (the hook): Show you did research. Reference something specific about THEM. "I noticed you just hired 3 new sales reps at [Company]." "Your blog post on [topic] mentioned [specific challenge]." This proves you're not mass-blasting. LINES 2-3 (the bridge): Connect their specific situation to a problem you solve. "That usually means [specific pain that comes with their situation]." One sentence. Don't over-explain. LINE 4 (the value): State what you do in terms of THEIR outcome. Not your features. "I help [company type] [achieve specific result] in [timeframe]." One sentence. LINE 5 (the ask): Make it tiny. Low commitment. Easy to say yes to. NOT: "Can we hop on a 30-min call this week?" YES: "Would it be worth a quick 10-min chat if this is relevant?" YES: "Want me to send over a quick example of how I did this for [similar company]?" SIGN-OFF: First name only. No title. No company logo. Keep it human. ``` **Subject line formulas that work:** - `[Specific observation about their business]` - `[Their competitor] is doing [X] — are you?` - `Question about [specific thing on their site/profile]` - `[Mutual connection] suggested I reach out` **Length rule:** Under 100 words in the body. If you can't make your case in 5 sentences, you haven't distilled it enough. --- ## Step 4: LinkedIn Outreach (Same Principles, Different Format) LinkedIn messages get higher open rates than email but have stricter formatting constraints. **Connection request message (if not already connected):** - 1-2 sentences max. Specific. Not "I'd love to connect." - "Saw your comment on [post] about [topic] — had a relevant thought. Mind connecting?" **After connection is accepted — the message:** - Same structure as cold email but even shorter (3-4 sentences max). - Reference WHY you connected (the specific thing that triggered it). - End with a low-commitment ask. **LinkedIn outreach mistakes:** - Sending a pitch immediately after connection. Wait. Send a value-first message first (share something useful, no ask). - Writing long paragraphs. LinkedIn messages get skimmed. Short wins. - Using templates so obviously that they feel automated. Personalization is the entire point. --- ## Step 5: Build a Multi-Touch Sequence One message rarely converts. Build a sequence of 3-5 touchpoints across different channels over 2-3 weeks. **Example sequence:** ``` Day 1: LinkedIn connection request (with personalized note) Day 3: LinkedIn message (value-first, no ask) Day 5: Cold email (the main pitch — references the LinkedIn interaction) Day 10: LinkedIn comment on one of their posts (genuine, helpful comment) Day 14: Follow-up email ("Just wanted to bump this — still relevant?") Day 21: Final email ("Last note from me — if the timing isn't right, totally understand. Happy to reconnect later.") ``` **Rules:** - Never more than one touchpoint per channel per week. - Each touchpoint adds something new — a different angle, a new piece of value, a different case study. Don't just repeat the same message. - The final touchpoint gives them a clean exit. No guilt, no pressure. This protects your reputation. --- ## Step 6: Track and Manage Your Pipeline Outreach without tracking is guesswork. Use a simple system (spreadsheet or CRM): ``` COLUMNS: Lead Name | Company | Source | Date First Contacted | Last Touchpoint | Stage | Notes | Next Action | Next Action Date STAGES: Identified → Contacted → Replied → In Conversation → Proposal Sent → Closed Won → Closed Lost → Not Now (re-nurture later) ``` **Pipeline hygiene rules:** - Review your pipeline weekly (10 min). Move leads between stages. Delete dead ones (no response after full sequence = done). - "Not Now" is not "No forever." Flag these for re-contact in 3-6 months. Timing matters — a lead that said no in January might say yes in June. - Track your conversion rates at each stage. If "Contacted → Replied" is very low, your messaging needs work. If "In Conversation → Proposal Sent" is low, your discovery process needs work. --- ## Step 7: Outreach Volume and Time Management As a solopreneur, you can't prospect full-time. Time-box it. **Recommended cadence:** - **Daily (20 min):** Research and qualify 3-5 new leads. Add to pipeline. - **Daily (15 min):** Send or follow up on 3-5 touchpoints. - **Weekly (30 min):** Pipeline review. Update stages. Plan next week's outreach. **Volume targets:** - 3-5 new leads entering the pipeline per day - 15-25 active leads in your pipeline at any time - 1-3 discovery calls per week (depending on your capacity) **If outreach is taking more than 45 min/day, you're spending too much time on research. Use better tools or tighter ICP criteria to reduce the search time.** --- ## Outreach Mistakes to Avoid - Blasting the same template to 500 people. Personalization is not optional — it is the entire strategy. - Giving up after one message. Most replies come on touchpoints 3-5, not 1. - Pitching immediately. Lead with value or curiosity. Earn the right to pitch. - Ignoring "not now" responses. These are warm leads for the future. nurture them. - Not following up on replies fast enough. If someone replies, respond within the same day. Speed signals professionalism and interest.


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