
Since my last post on Off-Market deal sourcing was so popular, I received quite a few DMs asking where would I start from the list I gave. I'll do you one better; below is my formula, swipe it, use it, enjoy the leads.
# New CFO LinkedIn Trigger | Weekly SOP
## 1. Ideal Target Filters
- Headcount: 30–250 employees
- Geography: Same time-zone or ≤3-hour flight
- Sector: <INSERT YOUR THESIS VERTICAL>
- EBITDA proxy:
1. Grab headcount from LinkedIn.
2. Multiply by industry rev-per-employee (e.g., $200k SaaS, $150k services).
3. Multiply by industry EBITDA margin (e.g., 20% SaaS, 15% services).
→ Keep if estimated EBITDA ≈ $1-8M.
## 2. Build LinkedIn Alerts
- Sales Navigator → Saved Search
Title contains: ("Chief Financial Officer" OR CFO OR Controller)
Changed jobs: past 30 days
Company headcount filter: 11-200
Industry: <INSERT>
Save search and set weekly email.
## 3. Capture Leads
- Export new profiles via Wiza CSV → Google Sheet “New CFO Leads”.
Columns: Company | Website | New CFO | Hire Date | Headcount | Founder | Founder Email
## 4. Quick Screen (1-Minute Check)
- Crunchbase: raised >$5M? (skip VC-heavy)
- Founded ≥7 years ago? (maturity signal)
- Multiple finance hires in last 60 days? (strong exit-prep signal)
## 5. Outreach Sequence
Email + LinkedIn DM (≤75 words):
Subject: Congrats on the new CFO at {{Company}}
Hi {{Founder}},
Noticed you just welcomed {{CFO Name}}, a smart move when gearing up for a transaction.
I run {{Search Fund}}, backed by operators who acquire and grow businesses like yours.
If external capital or succession is on the 12- to 24-month horizon, could we grab 15 minutes?
– {{Your Name}}, {{Calendly Link}}
Follow-ups: Day +3, +7, +14. Stop after 3 touches.
## 6. Triage
- Any reply mentioning “valuation / price / timeline / EBITDA” → auto-send Calendly link
- No reply → move to Nurture tab; revisit if another CFO or Controller change occurs
## 7. Weekly Cadence
Mon: Pull Sales Nav alert → add to Sheet
Tue: Screen and tag HOT leads
Wed: Send first-touch emails and DMs
Thu: Check replies; book calls
Fri: Log metrics (# leads, replies, calls, NDAs)
Target: 30 new leads → 6-8 intro calls → 1-2 NDAs per week
## 8. Automation (Optional)
- Zapier: Sales Nav email → Airtable row
- n8n: Airtable HOT tag → Woodpecker sequence
- Slack webhook: Calendly booking → instant Slack ping
from University of Southern California in North Palm Beach, FL, USA