From Zero to $10M ARR: Breaking down our cold outbound tech stack & why I'm doing cold outbound in 2024 (+ the Devil's Advocate argument AGAINST cold outbound as as strategy)

+ breaking down Marc Andreesen's Moby Dick theory for SMBs should work with enterprise clients  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Welcome back to issue #12 of the Zero to $10M ARR newsletter. Next week we're launching a pillar of Helply's GTM strategy -- cold outbound... ​ Cold outbound has become somewhat of a "dirty word" amongst founders and operators, but there's nuance with this strategy that I believe is worth paying attention to. Now I do agree, the bad wrap is somewhat warranted but there's a right way and a wrong way to do cold outbound in 2024... Today I want to go over the foundations of how to prepare a cold outbound campaign on a technical level + dive into the controversy around cold outbound as a strategy. So, without further ado. Here is what we have on the docket for today's newsletter: - Helply's cold outbound technical stack: the what, the why, and the how for each tool. (We go even more in-depth on this with [today's LinkedIn post]()). - How we prepared Helply's technical infrastructure for the campaign. - The Devils Advocate argument AGAINST cold outbound. ​ Let’s dive in! Helply's cold outbound technical stack (the what, the why, and the how for each tool). At Helply we're launching our cold outbound strategy at the end of September. We will be sending out high volume cold emails every week to qualified leads. (I can hear the SaaS LinkedIn community gasping in horror). But, I think the strategy requires a more nuanced assessment. I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water. Email is still the most effective sales channel to this day. I believe cold outreach requires an approach that's more akin to how people treated SMS marketing 5 years ago IMO (what does this mean? Your offer has to be irresistible). If you're reaching out cold the following is table stakes and non-negotiable: - Outstanding copy - Smart sales sequences - Amazing offer - Incredible offer - Irresistible offer (I think we’re getting the picture here...) - Extremely tight and enriched segmenting of your ICPs ​ You're always marketing and selling your company (otherwise you wouldn't be sending a cold email, or doing anything else from paid channels to founder led marketing). But the offer has to be outstanding and the copy needs to accomplish this: Helping people rationalize the decision through education and framing the immense value being offered (this doesn't need to be overblown it can be kept concise). Because if you truly believe your deal is transformative, then educating people on those outcomes is what closes the deal (and doesn't come off as “sleazy”, “salesy”, “pushy” - or the thorn in everyone's side, canned AI drafted emails asking you if you have this problem). These are the X factors with cold outreach today. What worked in 2018 is DOA in 2024. The massive problem with cold outreach in 2024? We all get inundated with ChatGPT drafted cold outreach and it's 90% of the time an instant delete and mark as spam. ​ End of the day, if you want to do cold outbound, the plays you make need to become more sophisticated (not to mention your volume still has to be through the roof AND sent to the right people...). So my verdict (as of today): Cold outbound has become controversial, but it still works (if you do it right)… Here is every tool in Helply’s cold outbound tech stack: BuiltWith - Usage: List building for qualified companies. - How it’s used: BuiltWith is used to gather information about the technology stack (e.g., platforms a company uses) to identify and qualify target companies. - Process Step: BuiltWith is used at the beginning stages of the process for building a list of qualified companies based on the technology they use (eCommerce platforms, tools, etc). eCommerce Databases (Apollo, Crunchbase, and others) - Usage: List building for eCommerce companies. - How it’s used: These databases provide a list of companies operating in the eCommerce space, serving as a source for qualified leads. - Process Step: Used in the early stages for building a qualified list of target companies based on their role in the eCommerce space. This data is further enriched and segmented with Clay. Clay - Usage: Data enrichment and segmentation. - How it’s used:... Head over to [today’s LinkedIn post]() to read about the rest of the tools in our cold outbound stack. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments - what’s your take on cold outbound in 2024 - DOA or still a powerful strategy? How we prepared Helply's infrastructure for the campaign. Ok! So much of executing a cold outbound strategy is in the more "mundane" aspects of the setup. Here is the 7 step process of everything we did to prepare the campaign for deliverability and execution on a technical level. Note: Future issues of the newsletter will go IN-DEPTH into things like how we draft our copy + templates for our email sequences, how we craft irresistible offers + our real-time data and how we’re adjusting, etc. We'll be doing this for EVERY activity and strategy we use at Helply -- not just could outreach :) But for now, let’s start here: Domain Setup and Warm-Up: We purchased and configured 4 new domains, which are now being warmed up. This process takes 14 days, where we mimic normal email behavior to show email providers that we are legitimate. This helps ensure that our emails land in the inbox instead of being marked as spam. We’re using smartlead{dot}ai for this, they make the process a breeze. Deliverability Foundations: We’ve set up the necessary technical records (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) to help validate the emails and establish trust with email providers. These records are critical for preventing our emails from being flagged as spam. Jimmy Kim of Sendlane has the best and most in-depth tutorials on this I’ve ever seen. Definitely shoot him a follow. Email Signatures and Daily Sending: We also configured the email signatures and planned out daily sending routines. This will help with follow-ups and ensure that our emails appear professional and trustworthy. Master Reporting Setup: We’ve established a master reporting system in our Notion workspace. This allows us to track the progress and evaluate key metrics like response rates. Note: If enough people ask I’ll share it with everyone later this week :) Response Rate Focus: Since Gmail no longer allows open tracking due to how it handles tracking links, we are focusing on tracking response rates instead of open rates. Response rates will be the KPI of our success. Weekly Reporting: We’ve set up automatic weekly reports using the Smartlead API. These reports will give us a detailed view of how our campaigns are performing and help us make adjustments as needed. Key metrics: open rate, click through rate to survey, response rates, bounce rate and spam. Keep this simple. Market Sizing: We’ve finalized the market sizing analysis to understand the total market potential. This helps us decide how to adjust our outreach volume. ICP criteria: -Employee size 3-100 -Revenue below $30Mil Keep this lean... We are going after SMB in this case, so no enterprise/big segments due CAP limit on revenue + employee size - Segment 1 is SaaS - Segment 2 is ecommerce The Devil's Advocate argument AGAINST cold outbound. Ok! Let's look at a different perspective. I believe in balance and stress testing assumptions. So, I wanted to provide the counterpoint argument. Now, here I am telling your cold outbound is viable in 2024, but (obviously) not everyone feels that way... I just read [Kieran Snyder's blog post](=) about how AI turned cold outbound into the scourge of marketing strategies. Don't panic, I haven't gone soft. But she's making some points that are worth considering. Kieran analyzed 4 years of her inbox, and noticed a major trend in what AI has done, and I'm not going to lie, canned AI outreach has gotten a little over the top... ​ My takeaways: - AI's taking over our inboxes. The irony: it's mostly pitching AI sales tools. Kieran's got the charts to prove it's exploded since ChatGPT showed up. - These AI emails are all starting to sound the same. It's like they're all reading from the same playbook (spoiler: they are). - Early 2023, only 24% of software pitches mentioned AI. Now? A whopping 91%. - Kieran's wondering if anyone's even reading this stuff, let alone buying. Fair question, right? - She's basically writing outbound's obituary, and AI drafted copy is the cause of death. Ouch. ​ ​ Now, I know what you're thinking. "Alex, didn't you just tell us cold outreach was viable in 2024". Yeah, I did. And I still believe it. But Kieran's post is something worth paying attention. Kieran's primary takeaways? - ChatGPT launches, the rate of cold sales mail surges, and it's mostly people selling sales and marketing software - Over the same period of time, AI-as-value-prop completely takes over the pitches - Because all the pitches are themselves written with the same AI tools, they all sound exactly the same ​ So, are we killing a golden goose here? Are we so lazy with AI that we've forgotten how to actually connect with people? I'm not going to throw out the baby with the bath water on cold outreach. But we need to step up our game. The plays need to be more sophisticated. Blasting out emails and over compensating with volume isn't enough anymore. What do you think about cold outbound? Is Kieran onto something? Or is this just growing pains as we figure out how to use AI without sounding like robots? Leave me a comment on [today's LinkedIn pos]()t with your thoughts. This could get interesting... Alright, that does it for issue #12 of the Zero to $10M ARR newsletter! See you next week! Alex CEO & Founder, [Groove](=) & [Helply]()​ P.S. I’ll also be posting on LinkedIn seven days a week, 365 days a year. I’d love to hear your feedback on the new newsletter in the comments of my latest post. I read and reply to every single one. ​ Don't want to hear from us? You can [unsubscribe here](.