Setting up a partial or fully Automated outbound email lead gen system (updated with results!)

August 02, 2019

by a searcher from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management in Los Gatos, CA, USA

Hey Folks - I'm looking to get smarter on setting up an end-to-end email-based lead gen system and wondering what tools people are using and their various trade-offs. I'm mainly focused on developing a B2B direct sales outbound email lead gen system for my office plant company (targeting a geo, company size, and type of person within that company), but seems like this could also apply just as well to developing proprietary search acquisition deal flow. This space seems super crowded and with Zapier, it seems like there's almost an infinite universe of possibilities to set something up that is reasonably low touch, high volume and reasonably high quality.

Would appreciate any pointers, or if someone has what they deem to be the ultimate amazing setup that they are willing to share with me or the community, that'd be awesome.

Oct 2019 Update
This post led me down a meandering journey talking with people, collecting perspectives, and experimenting with different systems. The system that I've now settled on and made operational is as follows. I'm including my affiliate links to these systems which pay a small commission to me for referrals. Happy to demo my system to anyone. Email me at redacted to introduce yourself and get some time.

- LinkedIn Sales Navigator - I'm using the Saved Searches to find people and get them onto an appropriate list.

- Snov.io - I'm using the chrome add-in to snag email addresses off LinkedIn Sales Navigator and from the company webpages. It then automatically gets them onto a prospect list, retrieves and verifies their email addresses. From there I have different drip campaigns setup to run off of each list. The campaigns are logic driven and are very easy to customize based on the user interaction (such as opening an email, clicking on a link, or not opening at all). Drip marketing runs directly through my GSuite Email system, and the system tracks emails automatically until I get a reply, which I then handle manually. You can limit the emailing activity by enforcing sending caps and sending intervals in order to avoid spam classification. You can also experiment with from addresses, schedules, subject lines, copy, etc and get a good feel for what works with live experiments.

-Pipedrive - My Snovio work syncs with Pipedrive and my GSuite Email to create profiles and tie individuals to deals with email history). I'm also creating a series of response templates I can deploy and customize using PD email to streamline the interaction after the drip marketing system does its job of getting someone engaged. Pretty slick!

Happy Searching,

Nick

Reply by a searcher
from Wuhan University in Walvis Bay, Namibia

I've been using Cerebria. Tech ( https://www.cerebria.tech) alongside Google Sheets to automate a large part of my outbound email lead gen system, and it's been a game changer, especially for deal flow. Here's why: Verified Leads: It verifies email addresses in real-time, ensuring your outreach lands in the right inboxes. This reduces bounces and wasted effort, keeping your email-sending reputation sparkling. Data Enrichment: Cerebria Tech goes beyond verification, enriching your leads with additional contact details. You can build more targeted outreach based on specific criteria. Using Cerebria Tech, I can focus on mass sending emails with personalized content instead of chasing down accurate contact information. This translates to: Faster Lead Qualification: Validated emails mean you're reaching the right people, increasing the odds of a positive response. More Targeted Outreach: Enriched data lets you personalize emails for better engagement and higher conversion rates. Scalability: Automation frees up your time to nurture qualified leads and close deals.

Beyond Nick's Setup While Nick's system with Snovio and Pipedrive sounds great, Cerebria Tech can be a powerful add-on, especially for data validation and enrichment. It can integrate with various CRM and marketing automation tools to find a solution that fits your workflow.

Reply by a searcher
from Cornell University in Denver, CO, USA

To Simon's post, I think Mailchimp is a great product but if I understand this correctly they send from their servers to maximize GDPR compliance; however, these emails are more likely to get caught in spam and they just look a lot more like a bulk email. Klenty emails send from your email client, provide a lot of room to personalize a bulk message, and look like a private message (prospect.io does this too).. This may or may not be important to you. Also, for Streak, I really like that product. It would be my first choice if it weren't for the fact that it just doesn't integrate well with other products / services. Great to see the handful of perspectives here. Thanks all.

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