The Kiln

Here are 10 Sales Myths that are holding back your business: 1. Myth: Cold Email is Dead Many think cold emails no longer work, but that’s far from true. Blasting generic emails to thousands doesn’t work anymore, but strategic, personalized emails still perform well—especially with tools like Google and Microsoft making filters even more strict. Focus on quality over quantity, and you'll see results. 2. Myth: You Need a Large SDR Team for Success Bigger isn't always better. A large SDR team doesn’t guarantee more sales. In fact, a lean, focused team equipped with tools like Clay and Instantly can be just as effective, delivering high-impact results without the hefty overhead. 3. Myth: AI-Written Emails Don't Work While fully AI-generated emails may feel impersonal, AI-driven snippets and personalization can significantly enhance templated emails. Tools like Twain are helping sales teams fine-tune their outreach for better engagement. 4. Myth: Cold Calling is Dead Think no one picks up their phone anymore? Think again! Cold calling is far from dead, especially for high-value sales. With fewer competitors using this tactic, your calls may stand out. Leverage AI tools like Aurum to enhance your approach and maximize success. 5. Myth: All Salespeople Are Extroverts You don’t need to be an extrovert to be successful in sales. In fact, introverts often excel by focusing on value and thoughtful conversations rather than aggressive pitches. 6. Myth: High Volume Equals High Sales More outreach doesn’t always mean more sales. It’s about targeting the right prospects with personalized messages. A small, well-segmented email campaign can drive more conversions than a generic blast to a huge list. 7. Myth: Always Try to Close Not every prospect is a fit for your product, and pushing for a close can hurt your reputation. Sometimes, being honest and recommending an alternative leads to trust and referrals that benefit you in the long run. 8. Myth: Sales is All About Relationships While relationships are key, you don’t need to have a pre-existing connection to close a sale. Authentic, value-driven conversations can build strong relationships with new prospects, leading to successful deals. 9. Myth: AI Will Replace Salespeople AI can handle initial outreach, but the human touch is irreplaceable in closing deals. People buy from people they trust, and no AI can replicate that trust-building dynamic. 10. Myth: Personalization is Essential While personalization helps, a strong offer can sometimes be more important. If your offer is compelling, it can break through the noise even with less personalization. That said, for more generic offers, personalization boosts engagement. Debunk these myths and watch your sales evolve. Understanding the realities will help fine-tune your strategies and drive business growth. Feel free to reach out if you'd like to discuss how to apply these insights to your business. Happy selling! #sales #coldemail

The easiest way to supercharge your outreach in 2024? It’s with Claygent—a powerful feature designed to give you the insights you need on potential leads. Here’s how you can make the most of it: Key Use Cases 1. Find Funding Information Need to know if a company has raised capital? Claygent can pull funding details with just a company domain, including information about rounds and investors. For example, I found that one company raised $2.2 million in a round backed by three investors, with clickable sources for verification 2. Track Upcoming Events Looking to time your outreach perfectly? Claygent uncovers upcoming events—webinars, conferences, or in-person gatherings—hosted by target companies. Just input the domain to get event details, like “Startup Showcase 2023,” with host information and confidence levels 3. Identify Competitors in Seconds Claygent helps you find a company’s top competitors, offering quick insights backed by clear reasoning. Ideal for staying ahead in conversations and research 4. Pinpoint Company Headquarters Whether you need the company’s headquarters address or location details, Claygent can pull this information from a company’s domain, making your outreach more specific Additional Features • Open Job Listings: Discover active job openings to spot growth areas or challenges within a company • Social Media Posts: See recent posts from founders or key personnel on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn • Competitor Pricing Info: In some cases, Claygent can retrieve product or service pricing from websites or videos • Employee Names: Build contact lists by finding employee names from target companies (best results in certain industries) Have questions or want to learn more? comment and we’ll walk you through how it can fit into your workflow #sales #outbound #clay

Personalization alone won’t book you calls with prospects. Yes, personalization matters—but without relevance, it’s not enough. Personalizing emails for the wrong prospects won’t get you results. Personalization + relevance with high-intent prospects = success. Here are 5 tools/sources to help you target the right prospects: • RB2B: Tracks website visitors. • LinkedIn enrichments in Clay: Company Headcount Growth, recent posts by users • Crunchbase: Company Funding Info • PredictLeads: Find recent news • Trigify.io: Company hiring trends Get the right signals, then personalize effectively for real impact. #sales #b2b

Here are 5 ways to increase conversion for cold emails: 1.⁠ ⁠Enhance Deliverability ⁠⁠• Use multiple email accounts to avoid spam filters. ⁠• Keep emails simple—avoid images and links. ⁠⁠• Ensure proper authentication (DMARC, DKIM, SPF) for better deliverability. ⁠• Choose reliable email providers - stick with reputable email providers like Gmail and Microsoft 365, avoid cheaper alternatives that promise the world. 2.⁠ ⁠Include personalization in your copy ⁠The goal of personalization is to make your prospect feel understood. Tailor your personalization specifically to the pain points of the recipients Use templates as a base but customize them to enhance engagement. 3.⁠ ⁠Increase Volume, Track metrics & optimize Set realistic email sending goals and track response metrics to refine your approach. Experiment with different subject lines and email styles through A/B testing. ⁠• Test Subject Lines ⁠• Vary your email body ⁠• Vary personalizations ⁠4. ⁠Inbox Management ⁠Always keep a track of replies you get & answer to those replies quickly You might conisder using automated follow up tools if you don’t have a team Push positive replies bottom to your funnel so that you don’t miss on the warm lead. ⁠5. Follow-Up Strategically Following up is a game changer. Often, a lack of response doesn’t mean disinterest; the prospect might simply be too busy to reply. It’s an additional opportunity to provide more value. Send follow-ups within a few days of your initial cold email to keep your message fresh in the recipient’s mind. Each follow-up should offer something new—whether it’s a relevant article, case study, or an answer to a potential question they might have. Hope this helps 🚀 #sales #coldemails

Here’s how to build an effective cold email system: Cold emailing can transform your outreach, but how do you build an efficient system that drives results? 1.⁠ ⁠Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): Know your audience before you hit send! Identifying firmographics, psychographics, and demographics ensures you’re speaking to the right people. 2.⁠ ⁠Use the Right Tools: Sourcing leads is easy with these tools: • Apollo.io: A goldmine for B2B leads. •⁠ ⁠Crunchbase and Ocean.io: Find data-driven insights. •⁠ ⁠Google Maps API: Perfect for targeting local businesses. 3.⁠ ⁠Write Compelling Cold Emails: Keep it short, personal, and packed with value. Always include a clear CTA to spark engagement. 4.⁠ ⁠Don’t Forget to Follow Up: Follow-ups increase your chances. Use them to reframe your offer, provide better deals, or even ask for referrals if your contact isn't the right fit. 5.⁠ ⁠Automate Your Outreach: Tools like Instantly.ai and Smartlead let you scale your campaigns without sacrificing personalization. Bonus: Focus on email deliverability to avoid spam folders. Clean your lists regularly and monitor sender reputation. Master these steps, and you’ll be well on your way to building a cold email system that drives results in record time! #coldemailing #leadgeneration #sales

Inbound vs. Outbound – Which Strategy Should You Focus On? Sales is complex, and knowing whether to focus on inbound or outbound strategies can make all the difference. Inbound sales attract prospects through content and marketing efforts. When a prospect signs up for your newsletter, downloads an eBook, or books a meeting, they’re showing interest and naturally moving down your sales funnel. Key inbound techniques include: • Content Marketing: Create valuable content that educates and engages potential buyers. • SEO: Ensure your business is easily discoverable by optimizing your website for search engines. • Social Media Engagement: Leverage platforms like LinkedIn to create meaningful interactions. Key tools? • Beehive for newsletters • Common Room for social media engagement • RB2B for tracking website visitors Outbound sales require you to reach out directly to potential customers who may not be aware of your business yet. This is crucial for high-ticket items or targeted accounts where waiting for leads isn’t an option. Common outbound strategies include: • Cold Emails: Personalize your outreach with tools like Apollo and Clay to identify and message the right prospects. • Cold Calling: Real-time conversations allow you to address objections and build rapport, and their value cannot be understated for some sales systems. • Social Media Messaging: Use platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter to connect directly with decision-makers. Key outbound tools: • Clay, Ocean.io, Apollo.io for finding high-value prospects • Clay for data enrichment and personalization • Smartlead for automating email outreach • HeyReach for LinkedIn outreach So, which approach works best? Both. The most successful sales teams combine inbound efforts to attract leads and outbound strategies to proactively engage high-value accounts. For example, use inbound techniques like content marketing and SEO to attract leads, then follow up with outbound tactics like cold emails or LinkedIn messages to close the deal. Here’s how you can make both inbound and outbound work better for your team: • Segment Your Audience: In both inbound and outbound sales, knowing your audience is key. Use tools like Clay to segment your audience into different groups based on use case and intent • Personalization: Customize your outreach with insights gathered from inbound data (e.g., website visits, social media interactions) to make your outbound messages more relevant. • Follow-Up Consistently: Often times, a sales cycle requires multiple touchpoints, so don’t stop after the first cold email or call—stay persistent. • Track and Optimize: Monitor metrics like response rates and conversion rates using tools like Apollo and SmartLead to continually refine your strategies. Final Thoughts: Leveraging both inbound and outbound sales strategies gives you the best chance at consistently driving growth. Checkout the video for more detail! #inbound #outbound #sales

Here's a step-by-step guide for building a surprisingly simple outbound machine that floods your inbox with QUALIFIED leads. After sending 1M+ emails, we’ve nailed down a few things that all successful outbound campaigns have: quality data source(s), high-intent prospects, and hyper-relevant messaging This evergreen allbound workflow not only checks all three of these boxes, but also: - Can be propped up in a weekend - Is extremely intuitive and therefore easy to develop copy/messaging for - Doesn't require a crazy expansive tech stack Step 1: Use RB2B to track website visitors Step 2: Filter down visitors your ICP (can be done in either RB2B or Clay) Step 3: Find lookalikes of ICP visitors using Ocean.io Step 4: Reach out with cold emails using Smartlead Plain and simple. #intent #outbound

This one simple addition can bring you high-paying clients A good client has one blocker before converting: the trust that you can deliver results and ensure a great engagement. Giving a glimpse of your knowledge and expertise is key. And how do you do that? By using LEAD MAGNETS. Lead magnets are tools that offer value—like eBooks, webinars, or exclusive templates—designed to capture your prospect’s attention and information in exchange for delivering relevant, useful content. Here’s the good part: Not only do they build trust, but they also showcase your expertise, setting you apart from competitors. IMPORTANT: Your lead magnet should offer so much value it feels almost too generous—like a free in-depth guide, exclusive report, or free consultation to build trust and convert leads. What Lead Magnets Can You Use? 1. eBooks: In-depth guides that solve a specific problem or dive deep into a key topic. 2. Webinars: Live or recorded expert sessions that provide actionable insights. 3. Templates: Time-saving resources like ready-to-use spreadsheets or project frameworks. 4. Checklists: Simple, step-by-step guides to help users achieve a goal. Reports: Data-driven insights that give your audience valuable industry knowledge. Once your lead magnet is ready, ensure your audience knows how to access it with a clear, bold CTA. Use direct phrases like “Download Now” or “Get Your Free Guide,” and make it prominent to encourage immediate action. Lead magnets help you by capturing qualified leads, warming them up, and ultimately shortening your sales cycle. In the video, I’ve also covered what copy to use for lead magnets, how to optimize the lead capture process, and much more. Check it out now! #leadmagnets #sales

How to scrape leads that you KNOW will be interested Cold outreach can be a time sink, with prospects having little patience for unsolicited emails and too many unqualified leads. So, how do you fix it? Shift your strategy to focus on two key approaches: 1. Warm Leads These are people who’ve already engaged with your brand. They know you, and that familiarity increases your chances of a positive response. • Social Media Engagement: Tools like Common Room help you identify those who regularly interact with your posts—perfect for outreach. Tools like PhantomBuster help you scrape profiles who engage with content • Website Visitors: With tools like RB2B, you can track who’s visiting your site, gathering data on job titles and LinkedIn profiles to target prospects showing genuine interest. • Email Replies: Prospects who have already replied to your emails are prime for a follow-up. 2. Near Bound Leads Near bound outreach targets companies already using your partner technologies—making them easier to convert. • Partner Companies: Tools like Reveal let you access your partner’s customer base, like HubSpot, giving you leads familiar with related products. For instance, if you partner with a marketing automation platform, you can use Reveal to see which companies are currently using the platform. This data allows you to tailor your outreach messages to address specific pain points related to marketing automation, increasing the likelihood of conversion. • Technology Stacks: With tools like Phantom Buster and Clay, you can find companies using complementary technologies, ideal for your outreach. By focusing on warm and near-bound leads, you’ll drastically improve your results. Bonus: Watch the video where I explain how to personalise these strategies for even better engagement. #leadgeneration #sales

Cold emails work best when the first lines are relevant and personalized. Here are 5 intent-based personalizations that actually deliver results: → First line for someone newly hired → Mentioning their recent LinkedIn post (one-line AI summary of their recent and relevant post) → Referring to recent company news → Highlighting a company’s headcount growth → Tying your value prop to the prospect’s information Get all the personalizations in one table. Hit Follow & Comment “Intent Signals” and we’ll DM it straight to you!