sales

# Founder-Led Sales & Outreach

Your first 100 customers won't come from inbound. You have to go get them. This skill helps you build prospect lists, write outreach that gets replies, and close early sales — one person with a laptop and a compelling message.

> **If `ABOUT-ME.md` and/or `MY-ICP.md` exist in the project root**, read them before writing outreach. Lead with founder credibility from ABOUT-ME.md (Domain Expertise, Key Stories). Frame the message around ICP pain from MY-ICP.md (Their Pain, Their Language). If the founder has a strong network (ABOUT-ME.md Network & Distribution), prioritize warm channels over cold outreach.

## Core Principles

- Your first 100 customers won't come from inbound. You have to go get them.
- Outreach that leads with "I built a thing" fails. Outreach that leads with "I noticed you have this problem" converts.
- Volume matters, but relevance matters more. 10 personalized messages beat 100 generic ones.
- Every reply — even a rejection — is data. Objections are product requirements in disguise.
- Founder-led sales is temporary. The goal is to learn the sales motion well enough to eventually hand it off or replace it with product-led growth.
- Consistency beats intensity. 10 messages a day, every day, for 30 days (300 messages) beats 300 messages in one blast.

## Building a Prospect List
### Where to Find Prospects

**LinkedIn (best for B2B SaaS):**
- Search by job title + industry + company size matching your ICP.
- Look at who follows your competitors.
- Check who's posting about the problem you solve.
- Groups related to your problem space.

**Communities:**
- Reddit: Search subreddits where your ICP hangs out. Look at who's asking questions your product answers.
- Indie Hackers, Hacker News: People building things often need tools.
- Slack/Discord communities in your niche.
- Facebook Groups (surprisingly active for many B2B niches).

**Review sites:**
- G2, Capterra: Look at who's reviewing competitor products — especially negative reviewers.
- Product Hunt: People who upvoted similar products.

**Job boards:**
- Companies hiring for roles that your product makes easier are actively feeling the pain.
- "Hiring a data analyst" = might need a better analytics tool.

**Existing networks:**
- Your own LinkedIn connections who match the ICP.
- Former colleagues, industry contacts.
- Alumni networks.

### Prospect List Structure

Build a spreadsheet:

```
| Name | Title | Company | Company Size | Source | Email | LinkedIn | Pain Signal | Status | Last Contact | Response | Notes |
```

**Pain signal** is the most important column. It's the specific reason you believe THIS person has the problem you solve:
- "Posted on Reddit about struggling with X"
- "Left 2-star review of [Competitor] complaining about Y"
- "Hiring for a role that your product automates"
- "Company just raised Series A (scaling pain incoming)"
- "Commented on a LinkedIn post about the problem"

### Finding Email Addresses

- Hunter.io: Find emails by domain.
- Apollo.io: Search + email + sequencing in one tool.
- LinkedIn connection + direct message (no email needed).
- Company website: Check /about, /team, or /contact pages.
- Pattern guessing: Most companies use firstname@domain.com or first.last@domain.com. Verify with Hunter or NeverBounce.

Minimum viable list: **100 prospects** before you start sending.

## Writing Problem-First Messages
### The Structure

```
[1-2 sentences showing you know THEM and THEIR problem]
[1 sentence connecting to your experience with that problem]
[1 sentence introducing your solution — what it does, not what it is]
[1 sentence with a specific, low-commitment ask]
```

### Template

```
Subject: [Specific to their situation — NOT your product name]

Hi [First name],

I noticed [specific observation about them — their company, a post they
wrote, a job listing, a review they left]. [One sentence about why that
caught your attention, connecting it to a problem you understand.]

I ran into the same issue when I was [your relevant experience]. That's
why I built [Product] — it [one sentence on the specific outcome, not
features].

[Concrete proof point: "We've helped X companies reduce Y by Z%" or
"Here's a 2-minute demo: [link]"]

Would a quick 15-minute call make sense to see if this fits your situation?

[Your name]
[Product — one-line description]
```

### Message Examples by Channel

**Cold email:**
```
Subject: re: your [specific pain signal]

Hi Sarah,

I saw your G2 review of [Competitor] — sounds like the reporting
limitations are costing your team real time. I heard the same thing
from 3 other marketing ops leads this month.

I built [Product] specifically to solve that gap — it [specific
outcome]. [Company X] cut their reporting time from 4 hours to 20
minutes.

Worth a 15-minute look? I can show you exactly how it'd work for
your setup.

— [Name]
```

**LinkedIn DM:**
```
Hi [Name] — I noticed you're leading [function] at [Company].
Curious: are you still using [current tool/process] for [task]?
I've been building something specifically for teams your size
and would love your take. No pitch — genuinely looking for feedback
from people doing this work daily.
```

**Community reply (Reddit, HN, Discord):**
```
I dealt with exactly this. [Share your genuine experience with the
problem — 2-3 sentences of value.] I actually ended up building a
tool to fix it for myself: [link]. Happy to answer questions if
you're exploring options.
```

### What NOT to Do

- Don't lead with your product name, features, or company story.
- Don't send the same message to 500 people. Personalize at least the first two sentences.
- Don't use fake urgency ("Limited spots!") — you're a solo founder, not a used car lot.
- Don't write more than 150 words. Respect their time.
- Don't ask for a 30-minute call. Ask for 15. (You can always go longer if it's going well.)
- Don't follow up more than 3 times. Sequence: Initial → +3 days → +5 days → stop.

## Tracking & Follow-Up System
### Daily Routine

```
Morning (30-45 minutes):
  1. Send 10 new outreach messages (personalized).
  2. Send follow-ups to previous messages (per sequence rules).
  3. Reply to any responses from yesterday.
  4. Log everything in your spreadsheet.

End of week (15 minutes):
  1. Review response rate: Target 10-20% reply rate.
  2. Review objections: What are people saying?
  3. Refine message based on what's working.
```

### Follow-Up Sequence

```
Day 0:  Initial message (the full problem-first message)
Day 3:  Follow-up #1 — Short, add new value
        "Hi [Name], following up on my note about [problem].
         I just published [relevant resource] that might be useful
         regardless — [link]. Still happy to chat if it makes sense."
Day 8:  Follow-up #2 — Even shorter, different angle
        "Hi [Name], one more thought — [different proof point or
         angle]. If the timing isn't right, no worries at all."
Day 15: Follow-up #3 (final) — Breakup email
        "Hi [Name], I'll assume this isn't a fit right now.
         If [problem] comes back up, I'm at [email]. Good luck
         with [something specific about their work]."
```

### Response Handling

**Positive reply ("Sure, let's chat"):**
- Respond within 2 hours. Send a Calendly link or propose 2-3 specific times.
- Before the call: Research their company, prepare 3 specific questions about their workflow.
- On the call: Listen 70%, talk 30%. Ask about their current process, not about your product.

**Objection reply:**
- Log the objection verbatim.
- Respond with empathy, not defense.
- "Totally fair — [acknowledge objection]. Out of curiosity, what are you using now for [task]?"
- Every objection at 3+ frequency becomes a product or marketing priority.

**No reply (most common):**
- Follow the sequence. Don't take it personally.
- If reply rate < 5% after 50+ messages: your targeting or message is off. Fix before sending more.

### Directory Submission as Outreach
Apply the same systematic approach:

```
| Directory | URL | Category | Submitted | Status | Backlink? | Traffic? |
```

Batch this work: dedicate 2-3 focused sessions to submit to 100+ directories. Write 3 variations of your product description (short, medium, long) and reuse across submissions.

Priority directories: Product Hunt, BetaList, DevHunt, Uneed, MicroLaunch, AlternativeTo, SaaSHub, GetApp, G2 (free listing), Capterra (free listing).

### Metrics to Track

```
Weekly outreach metrics:
  Messages sent:        ___
  Reply rate:           ___%  (target: 10-20%)
  Positive reply rate:  ___%  (target: 3-8%)
  Calls booked:         ___
  Demos given:          ___
  Conversions:          ___

Objection frequency:
  [Objection 1]:  ___ times
  [Objection 2]:  ___ times
  [Objection 3]:  ___ times
```

## Related Skills

- **niche-advantage** — If you're selling to your own industry, use warm channels instead of cold outreach
- **validate** — Validate demand before investing in outreach
- **customer-research** — Understand your ICP before reaching out
- **email** — Automated email sequences for nurturing leads
- **copywriting** — Write stronger outreach messages
- **content** — Build-in-public as an alternative to cold outreach