A simple but effective lead gen strategy

1. Create a list of 100 target companies that fit your ICP
2. Find at least one – ideally two – contacts at each company (depending on your revenue requirements this is likely either the Founder or Head of Marketing)
3. Craft a simple 3-4 sentence cold pitch template with a "hole" in the middle for personalization (here’s what I’d include in that)
4. Spend 5-8 minutes finding specific opportunities/issues with their website
5. Copy and paste the template copy into an email and add the customization (this email should be from YOUR actual personal business inbox)
6. Send at least two of these emails each day.

HustleTong said:

One could use AI to automate pitches as well

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Geasy said:

Spend 5-8 minutes finding specific opportunities/issues with their website

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I asked GPT to further detail the approach and here is what I got.​

1. Create a List of 100 Target Companies​

• Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator or Apollo.io to filter companies based on industry, location, and size.
• Export this list to a Google Sheet with basic details (company name, website, contact person).

2. Find Key Contacts at Each Company​

• Use LinkedIn to find the CEO or Head of Growth at a SaaS startup, or leverage Hunter.io to uncover their email addresses.
• Pro Tip: If their email isn't public, tools like Clearbit or RocketReach can help find verified email addresses.

3. Craft a Cold Pitch Template​

4. Personalize the Middle Section​

• If their website loading speed is slow, mention it. “I noticed your homepage took over 3 seconds to load. This can lower your SEO ranking and drive potential customers away.”
• If their content seems under-optimized, point it out. “Your blog posts are great, but I noticed there’s no clear CTA for potential leads to take the next step. A simple update could increase conversions.”

5. Send Emails Daily (2-3 per Day)​

• Tools like GMass or Yesware can help track opens and follow-up reminders without it becoming spammy.
• Stick to a light schedule to keep each email highly personalized.

6. Follow Up​

Practical Outcome:​

• 40 pitches a month with 2-4 warm leads (5-10% response rate).
• If you close just 1 in 4 leads, that’s 1 new client a month, which can grow your business significantly over time.

Topiano said:

I asked GPT to further detail the approach and here is what I got.​

OP - does this still align ?

1. Create a List of 100 Target Companies​

Start by clearly defining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). For example, let’s say you're selling a marketing automation tool to tech startups. Your ICP might be companies with 10-50 employees, generating $500k to $5M in revenue, and located in North America or Europe.

Example Tools:

• Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator or Apollo.io to filter companies based on industry, location, and size.
• Export this list to a Google Sheet with basic details (company name, website, contact person).

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2. Find Key Contacts at Each Company​

You'll want the Founder or Head of Marketing—who are decision-makers.

Example:

• Use LinkedIn to find the CEO or Head of Growth at a SaaS startup, or leverage Hunter.io to uncover their email addresses.
• Pro Tip: If their email isn't public, tools like Clearbit or RocketReach can help find verified email addresses.

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3. Craft a Cold Pitch Template​

Your email should be short, respectful of their time, and have a value-based hook. Here's an example:

Subject: {{First Name}}, I found an opportunity on your website
Hi {{First Name}},
I was looking at {{Company Name}}'s website, and I noticed something that might be costing you some leads. It seems like [insert personalized observation here].
I work with similar companies (like {{competitor}}) to help them solve this exact issue, and I’d love to share a few quick wins I think would help you. Would you have 10 minutes to discuss this next week?
Best,

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4. Personalize the Middle Section​

This is the most important part of the email. Spend 5-8 minutes finding something that matters—a hole in their marketing, product, or website.

Example Customizations:

• If their website loading speed is slow, mention it. “I noticed your homepage took over 3 seconds to load. This can lower your SEO ranking and drive potential customers away.”
• If their content seems under-optimized, point it out. “Your blog posts are great, but I noticed there’s no clear CTA for potential leads to take the next step. A simple update could increase conversions.”

These personalized insights should give them immediate value and show you’ve done your homework.

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5. Send Emails Daily (2-3 per Day)​

Send these emails from your personal business email to establish credibility and trust.

Pro Tip:

• Tools like GMass or Yesware can help track opens and follow-up reminders without it becoming spammy.
• Stick to a light schedule to keep each email highly personalized.

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6. Follow Up​

No response? That’s okay. A polite follow-up 5-7 days later can work wonders. For example:

Subject: Re: Quick question about {{Company Name}}’s website
Hi {{First Name}},
I wanted to follow up on my last email. Did you have a chance to check out my thoughts on {{personalized insight}}? I’m still confident we can make a big impact on your {{relevant department}}. Let me know if a 10-minute chat makes sense.
Best,

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Practical Outcome:​

• 40 pitches a month with 2-4 warm leads (5-10% response rate).
• If you close just 1 in 4 leads, that’s 1 new client a month, which can grow your business significantly over time.

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Setox said:

Nice one, I'd like to add about something that I see a lot of marketers pitching to companies misses, there's something called the Means End chain theory, which means basically: rather than focusing on the problem itself (you need x & y for your website), focus on what they'll benefit from that or what opportunity they are missing, do a little research about their business model, activity ...etc & go from there, you don't need a full analysis but just enough to stand from the crowd.

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CharityA11 said:

A basic yet successful lead age procedure is to make top caliber, important substance, for example, digital books, whitepapers, or online classes, and deal it free of charge in return for contact data.

Advance this substance through your site, web-based entertainment, and email missions to draw in and catch leads.

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Geasy said:

Lead gen doesn’t need to be complicated.

Here’s a simple and effective process that will serve you well till you hit around $1M/year

1. Create a list of 100 target companies that fit your ICP
2. Find at least one – ideally two – contacts at each company (depending on your revenue requirements this is likely either the Founder or Head of Marketing)
3. Craft a simple 3-4 sentence cold pitch template with a "hole" in the middle for personalization (here’s what I’d include in that)
4. Spend 5-8 minutes finding specific opportunities/issues with their website
5. Copy and paste the template copy into an email and add the customization (this email should be from YOUR actual personal business inbox)
6. Send at least two of these emails each day.

That will take you about seven hours in total, and you’ll have about 40 pitches to show for it.
At a 5% response rate that's two qualified leads a month.

This may not sound very exciting. And it's not the LinkedIn BS you see all the time about “100 booked appointments a week!". But the fact is, those services mostly book you crap in high volume that's completely unqualified.

Put in the time to treat this more like ABM and it will work.

This is hard to scale. But to be honest, you don't need offers that scale until you're well past $1M/year.

Happy pitching

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Setox said:

Means End chain

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