With an average user rating on G2.com of 4.9 (wow!), Instantly is a great choice for sales intelligence and sales engagement. They have 80 million business contacts. If you want to compare other options, go to the G2 site: https://www.g2.com/products/instantly/competitors/alternatives
G2 is great for comparing software and other offerings.
The first step is to integrate your email.
Enter your email address.
Leave the set reply-to unchecked.
Building a Campaign
Let’s start with a campaign. The campaign goal is to schedule an interview for a B2B sales role.
I’m naming my campaign Get a Real Job, since that’s my purpose.
You’ll then be prompted to add leads.
Instantly allows you to either import a CSV file or use the lead finder. Let’s use the Lead Finder.
You won’t be able to search for leads on the free trial, but if you have the paid subscription, you can click on Lead Finder.
In this case, we’ll look for Sales Directors in the software industry.
Once you’ve checked the contacts you wish to connect with, you can either add them to a campaign by clicking the Add to Campaign button, download them as a .csv file, or Add to list.
We’ll use the example of the free version CSV upload and import a list of existing contacts from a .csv. If your contacts are in an .xls spreadsheet, go to file > save as > CSV
Hit the down arrow until you find CSV from File Format.
CSV is this format highlighted in green. After highlighting, click Save.
Upload your CSV to Instantly AI
If the column name matches, it will populate under Select Type. If not, it will say Do not import.
Scroll down to the bottom, and you can verify the leads. Click UPLOAD ALL.
If you click Verify leads, you can either purchase credits or pay monthly. Don’t click the checkbox though, because you can use another service to verify email addresses prior to uploading to Instantly, like Bouncer.
It will ask if you’re sure, click Upload.
Begin your Sequence
Now you can begin your sequence. An Instantly sequence is a powerful tool that allows you to automate follow-up communication with leads based on specific conditions. Let me break it down for you:
Subsequences: These are like mini-sequences within your main campaign. You can set them up to automatically follow up with leads based on certain conditions. These conditions can be triggered by lead statuses or specific keywords in a reply. For example:
- Automatically send more info to leads tagged as interested: Create a subsequence triggered by the condition “if a lead is marked as Interested.” Craft the sequence you want to send to these interested leads, set a schedule, and launch. You can even add a follow-up step to the subsequence.
- Ask for the right contact if you’ve emailed the wrong person: Set up a subsequence triggered by the condition “if lead is marked as wrong person.” Write an email asking for the correct contact, and the subsequence will send it out whenever a lead is assigned the “wrong person” status.
- Provide additional information to those requesting it: Create a subsequence triggered by specific words or phrases (e.g., “more info”). The subsequence will automatically send relevant content to leads who express interest
Creating Sequences: When you’re building your email campaigns, sequences are the backbone. They allow you to define the steps, timing, and content of your communication. You can personalize lines, attach files, and set the number of days to wait between steps. Additionally, you can use sequence templates to streamline your email content
Using ChatGPT For the Email Verbiage in the Sequence
Now we’re going to turn to ChatGPT to generate the verbiage we should use for the four email sequence job reach out.
Go to https://openai.com and click ChatGPT, or the direct URL is https://chat.openai.com/
I am a salesperson in the technology industry with experience selling data center, cloud infrastructure-as-a-service, Software-as-a-Service, and backup and recovery services. I am writing emails seeking employment to the CEOs of managed IT service providers, encouraging them to take a look at my LinkedIN profile and see if I’d be a good fit for either sales or marketing roles in their organization. The email will be cold, i.e. I do not know the CEO personally. Please generate four emails with three being follow-ups to the first email, and recommend how many days should I pause between each of the emails.
The ChatGPT Response
Subject: Exploring Opportunities: Experienced Tech Sales Professional Interested in Joining Your Team
Dear [CEO’s Name],
I hope this email finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I am reaching out to introduce myself and express my interest in potential opportunities within your esteemed organization.
With a solid background in sales within the technology industry, particularly in areas such as data center solutions, cloud infrastructure, SaaS, and backup and recovery services, I am confident in my ability to contribute effectively to your team’s success. I have a proven track record of driving revenue growth, building strong client relationships, and exceeding sales targets.
I invite you to take a moment to review my LinkedIn profile [insert LinkedIn profile URL here] to gain a better understanding of my professional background and accomplishments. I believe that my skills and experience align well with the goals and vision of your company, and I am eager to explore how I can contribute to your continued success.
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss potential opportunities further and learn more about how I can add value to your organization. Please let me know if there is a convenient time for you to connect for a brief conversation.
Thank you for considering my candidacy. I look forward to the possibility of working together.
Best regards, [Your Name]
Follow-Up Email 1: Subject: Re: Exploring Opportunities: Experienced Tech Sales Professional
Dear [CEO’s Name],
I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to follow up on my previous message regarding potential opportunities within your organization. I understand that you likely have a busy schedule, but I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to connect and discuss how my skills and experience could benefit your team.
Please let me know if there is a convenient time for you to chat. I am eager to explore potential synergies and see how I can contribute to your company’s growth and success.
Thank you for considering my candidacy.
Best regards, [Your Name]
Follow-Up Email 2: Subject: Following Up on Our Previous Correspondence
Dear [CEO’s Name],
I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to touch base once again regarding the possibility of exploring opportunities within your organization. I remain enthusiastic about the prospect of joining your team and contributing to your company’s success.
If you have had a chance to review my LinkedIn profile, I would love to hear your thoughts and discuss any potential openings that align with my background and skill set. Your insights would be invaluable as I continue my job search.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards, [Your Name]
Follow-Up Email 3: Subject: Final Follow-Up: Exploring Opportunities with [Company Name]
Dear [CEO’s Name],
I hope this email finds you well. I understand that your time is valuable, and I appreciate your consideration over the past few weeks. As I continue my job search, I wanted to send one final follow-up to express my genuine interest in joining your team.
If there are any upcoming opportunities or if you foresee any changes in your hiring needs, I would welcome the chance to discuss how I can contribute and add value to your organization. Alternatively, if you have any feedback or suggestions for me as I navigate my job search, I would greatly appreciate your insights.
Thank you once again for considering my candidacy. I wish you and [Company Name] continued success in all your endeavors.
Best regards, [Your Name]
As for the timing between each email, I recommend waiting approximately one week between the initial email and the first follow-up, then another week between subsequent follow-up emails. This allows for adequate time for the recipient to review your initial message and consider your candidacy before receiving additional communication from you.
Building The Sequence in Instantly.AI
Enter the Subject, and then the body of the email. Click on variables to insert the CEO’s first name after Dear _____
Add Steps
Once you’ve edited your first email of the sequence in Instantly AI, click add step, then do the other two until you complete the first sequence. If you’re using this approach for outbound business development, it’ll take at least 5-8 touches on average to get a meeting or a software demonstration.
Add Your Calendly
One suggestion I would add for the second stage is to add your personal Calendly invite for a 30 minute chat.
Preview Email
Once you’ve completed all four Steps (or eight if you’re doing outbound business development campaigns), click Preview Email in the upper right for each step, to ensure the email will look good.
Looking at the Email Preview makes me realize I neglected to add my Calendly as a call to action in the first email. If you want to read up on good examples of calls to action, check out the Hubspot blog: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/call-to-action-examples
Final Result for Email #1 – The Instantly AI Sequence Introduction
Click Send test email, or add your marketing manager or another reviewer first. You also have the option to check the deliverability score. For deliverability, you’ll need to upgrade to the paid version (of course).
Now let’s click on Schedule, and name it. Remember to click the Save button.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the best days to send emails. Tuesdays get the best response, and between 9-12 Eastern is the best time of day, according to marketers: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/best-time-to-send-email
Make sure to take ChatGPT’s advice to send once a week for four weeks, so might as well send the Instantly AI sequence on Tuesdays. Enter 7 Days for Send next message in.
Make sure to click Save.
Now click on the Options tab. It’s recommended to not check Link Tracking, and instead check Delivery Optimization, which sends emails as text-only with no HTML.
Make Sure on the Leads tab that you’ve selected the emails you’ve uploaded.
Select which email account to use to send from.
Now let’s launch. At the bottom of the Options tab, click Save, then Launch.
You’ll get a confirmation message, and Instantly will offer up these best practice resources:
https://help.instantly.ai/en/collections/3460657-best-practices
Happy job hunting!
