Systematically map your network for connections to target accounts and ask for warm intros. Warm intros convert to meetings at 5-10x the rate of cold outreach for substantially less effort once you find the connection.

1. 1

   Define the ICP narrowly — 500 named accounts beats 50k generic ones; intent signals beat firmographics.

2. 2

   Enrich and verify before sending: bad emails poison your sender reputation faster than anything else.

3. 3

   Warm new sending mailboxes for 14 days at <50 sends / day before ramping.

4. 4

   Write 4 touches over 14 days; each must add new value, never just 'bumping this up.'

5. 5

   A/B subject lines weekly; bodies monthly. Subject is the biggest reply lever.

6. 6

   Track reply rate by template, not open rate (opens are unreliable since Apple MPP).

• ✗Buying volume before the funnel converts — paid traffic into a broken funnel is just a fast way to burn cash.
• ✗Underbudgeting creative production; the platform is now 10% of the work, the creative is 90%.
• ✗Watch-out from the playbook: Make the ask easy — provide a forwardable intro paragraph the connection can copy-paste; vague asks rarely get acted on.

Founders and salespeople with significant existing networks