“Is cold outreach dead?” 

If you’re in sales, you’ve probably heard this question a few too many times.

This question keeps coming up because people define 'cold' differently.

The short answer: YES, if you're doing it wrong. Here's what we mean.

1. Define cold

2. Always check your thermometer

3. Layer up => stay warm

Step #1: Define cold

We can’t answer the questions if we disagree on a definition.

Here’s our definition of “cold outreach”:

When you reach out to a prospect that has never heard of you or your company, AND there is no indication that they should have any particular interest in buying your product.

Here’s an example:

Whether this works for you or not, there's a better approach (even if it DOES work 1 in 100 times)

If you follow steps 2 and 3 that follow, things should start to get a bit warmer.

Step #2: Always check your thermometer

You have to get a temperature check on all your leads. You’ll get a sense of who’s most likely to push for the purchase of your product. Here are some examples:

‍Demo requests ‍

Demo requests are your hottest leads. These buyers are actively looking for a solution and expect quick follow-up from SALES.

Past customers and users

People who've used your product before are usually some of the quickest to spread the word to their new company - all you have to do is ask.

Past prospects ‍

People who considered buying your product in the past have a pretty high likelihood of doing so again. They are most likely to fall into one of the two buckets:

• Still at the same company

• Or switched to a new company; these are the perfect ones

Customer referrals

Building on the previous category, when your customers refer their network to your company, you start with built-in credibility.

Other people

People who probably haven’t heard of your company but are more likely to be in buying stage:

• New hire/promotion

• New funding (inundated with sales, but fight for mindshare early, don’t be pushy, then circle back after the initial noise has died)

• Recent acquisition/merge (inundated with sales, but fight for mindshare early, don’t be pushy, then circle back after the initial noise has died)

*You could have other lead types not shown here, based on your sales motion and available data, i.e., freemium users, MQL scored leads, etc.

Step #3: Layer up

Now prioritize and act on what matters most.

Demo requests come first, obviously

Time is everything; buyers expect immediacy. Every second you wait after that demo request comes in, your chances of landing a meeting and subsequent sale go out the door. Make your follow-up count; take 30-seconds to research who requested a demo and tailor your messaging to recapture their interest.

Examples might be to reference companies they care about; does their competitor use your product? Does their previous company use your product? Does a shared connection use your product? Etc.

Try our playbook for reaching previous customers at a new company

Past customers/users come next

80% of sellers prioritize leads that know their company, and the reps who do it well are 2.7x more successful. These are your biggest influencers.

No surprise here, people who already used or bought your product in the past are way more likely to buy again and buy faster since they already know and trust your business. 

Two things to keep top of mind when targeting these past champions:

Be fast, but be thoughtful. You have a built-in advantage over other vendors. Don't waste it by rushing to close. at the end of the day, no one likes being pitched. New hires get dozens of congratulations emails, and they open most of them. Use that window, but make yours different.

Capture mindshare by offering value instead of pitching. Instead, stand out by offering value. Send meaningful resources and maybe a personalized gift to stand out. Capture mind-share early and let them come back to you naturally, or make the ask when they’re more settled in their role after a few weeks.

Follow both economic buyers and end-users. Often the folks who most love your product are end-users. This might seem counterintuitive if you're focused on BANT qualification. they don’t have the budget or authority, but they’ve got a voice and a love for your product. That’s the best thing you can ask for. They’ll sing your praises and bring you to their boss and colleagues!

Past prospects should come as no surprise as well

Yeah, they haven't developed a love for your product yet, but they're certainly already quite familiar after a deep evaluation that ended in a closed-lost opportunity.

People don't buy for many reasons. And often, the things that blocked them from buying previously disappear later on. Focus on prospects who reached later stages of the funnel and were “closed lost” for good reasons, i.e., no budget, no bandwidth, missing functionality (that you now have), etc.

Now check in on these closed lost opportunities every quarter to see if things have changed.

The best-case scenario is they change jobs; this often wipes the slate clean for them… and Even better: New hires are in a buying mindset and are more open to exploring new tools, services, and tech.

Customer referrals take a little more work to get and are harder to come by

Capture these hot leads! 

Most happy customers willingly introduce their friends to your product when prompted; they simply need a reminder amid their busy lives. All they need is a gentle nudge to make it happen.

The key here is to keep your relationships strong with them, so when the time comes, and you know they're happy, you feel comfortable asking.

Other sales trigger events you can leverage

People in a buying mindset are more willing to explore new offerings.

New hires and promotions are great sales triggers. Someone has a budget and will be looking to shake things up. Just be quick since new buyers spend 70% of their budget in their first 100 days of the new role.

Other potent triggers might be new funding or new mergers/acquisitions. These are often the busiest times for people, but they're still a great time to capture mindshare and get your name in front of them.

Did we mention that “Congrats” emails have some of the highest open/response rates according to Mixpanel?

Just be unique and valuable while things are noisy. You'll stand out. Your goal should simply be to create two-way dialogue, allowing you to make the ask for their time after the commotion has died down.

Use this email campaign template for congratulate new hires

‍

So, is cold outreach dead?

Only after you've worked through your warmer leads should you go cold. 

So, is cold outreach dead? 

The theoretical answer differs from the practical one. In practice, yes, absolutely.

Your access to warm prospect data has never been easier to find. Reach out to people who actually want to hear from you. Your response rates will thank you.

Learn about cold leads vs. warm leads

‍

Why UserGems

UserGems combines accurate contact data with buyer signals and AI-powered outreach to help you identify and engage prospects who are actually ready to buy. The result: bigger pipeline, faster deals, and better win rates. With UserGems, customers get a bigger pipeline and win more often.