We just did a workshop in SaaS accelerator, which is where I work one-on-one with founders to help grow their SaaS companies. 

We do these cool workshops every quarter. One of the workshops we did last quarter was called The Dream Client Catcher, and it’s our strategy for getting in touch with high-value customers (your dream client) and getting them to respond.

We had so much fun. We had SaaS founders in the group that have been emailing for months and not having any success and finally started getting responses and the demo calls scheduled. 

Really, really cool.

I’m going to build out a process for you and do multiples videos in this series so you can also start getting responses to emails.

There’s probably like 12 or 15 different major parts to this process, but I wanted to start today with mindset. 

I think the biggest takeaway from the workshop was the idea that your mindset is what’s keeping you from really getting and finding your ideal customers.

If you think about it, you have customers that you’d love to work with, right? They’d be the ultimate dream clients for you.

Here’s the thing, though—your dream clients are not out there searching Google looking for you.

Most of the time, they are busy. They have problems that need to be solved.

You’re probably the same way. You have a problem that needs solving so you look for referrals. It’s doubtful that you’d spend hours and hours searching for the company that can best help you, right?

It doesn’t need to be the perfect company—the problem just needs to be fixed. 

One of the biggest mindset things that we talk about in The Dream Client Catcher in the SaaS Accelerator is that in your cold outreach, your number one goal should be to get and start a conversation that moves them further into the buying cycle.

Let me give you an example of what that doesn’t look like.

In most cold outreach it’s done with email. I get it, email is free and it’s easy to use. You got stuff like Mailshake and Reply, all these great tools that will let you do email. Most importantly, EVERYONE has an email.

That being said, trying to close your ideal customer with just email is kind of like trying to fix a car with just a screwdriver.

Sure, there are some things that will work with a screwdriver. You can unscrew some bolts with a screwdriver, take some panels off and do some cleaning and all that. Small stuff.

But there’s no way you’re going to do something big, like fix the transmission, with just a screwdriver.

As founders, sometimes we use cold email and think its this magic screwdriver that can do everything and anything.

Sadly, it’s not. We need more tools than that.

That’s not to say that the screwdriver isn’t an important part of successful cold email and cold outreach campaigns.  It’s a great tool!

But, email is ONE tool in our toolbox.

The goal for cold outreach has changed from what it used to be in the past. People get so much spam—email spam is the worst, but they also get tons and tons of junk mail from different companies selling their product or service.

You have a lot more competition to get the attention of your ideal customer.

Simply starting a conversation with a customer is the biggest mindset change you can have when you’re doing cold outreach.

What most people do is send out an email or a message with everything about their offer that they can possibly think of, along with four or five calls to action.

Ask yourself this:  when was the last time someone handed you a brochure in town and you read the whole thing- front and back, including the tiny print.

Never. That’s when.

Its too much information at once! #ain’tnobodygottimeforthat.

Plus, why would you read it all if it’s not something you were looking for and already knew you were interested in?

That’s the same when you sent a giant email to a potential customer. We’ve already established that they’re busy—they’re not going to read your massive email about how great your company is and oooh look at my long list of referrals, blah blah blah.

Especially from someone they don’t know. 

How many times have you gotten an email or text from a stranger trying to sell you something and they’re trying to be friendly and personal but its mostly just super awkward?

It’s usually something like, “Hey Joe, how are you today? I hope you are doing well! Just wanted to drop in and tell you about Amazing Offer at Business!” 

I get it, they’re trying. But swiftly moving through the “pleasantries” and then right on to their sales pitch sounds so fake and off-putting.

So, if it’s weird for YOU to get messages like that, understand that its just as weird when you send them to potential clients.

I don’t mess around with that stuff.

That’s not to say that being personal doesn’t work. That’s not it at all!

Being FAKE personal doesn’t work.

You can send an email like, “Hey, I really loved your blog post about XYZ topic. I think it was really interesting and I love how you position yourself, blah blah blah”, and then you can kind of go into your offer from there.

It shows that you really DO know that person specifically. You read something that they wrote and started a conversation about it. Your email is no longer a generic message, and it will be more likely to get a response.

If someone sent me a message and was like, “Hey, I read your blog on this. And I think that was really fascinating. I love it, I implemented it and it worked!”  

That stuff really gets my attention, and I always try to respond to those messages.

The big mindset change that I want you to have is that your goal and the initial outreach is not to bombard your client with information about your service, or to send a novella of all the things you can do for them, or to give them a Call to Action list that’s longer than a Walgreens receipt.

The goal is to just start a conversation. Imagine that.

There are so many ways to get a conversation going.

I mean, you’ve been on a date, right? It’s like that, but with (probably) less hand-holding.

If not, well, think about when you’re at a networking event (or any event at all, really), and how you connect with new people.

Conversation with emails is a little trickier than meeting in person at an event because you’re sending them a message and they have no idea who you are, but you’ve done the research on their business and you know you can help them.

In this business, it’s flattering to be cyber stalked. The more info you know about them and their business, the better.

We don’t need to beat around the bush. We’ve stalked them and have a lot of information, so we can make it personal and specific.

“Hey Joe, I noticed you have a [retail store or brick and mortar store or whatever]. We help [specific customer type] with [specific problem they have]. We help web developers to launch their products with zero vulnerabilities. Not sure if it’s something that you need right now. But if it is, would it make sense to chat?”

That’s a great example of a cold email that is personalized to the recipient.

A warm email, if you will.

Depending on the responses we’ll get, I might not put CEO of whatever company at the bottom signature of the email.

If we get a bunch of responses from people who are like “Hey, who are you and why are you emailing me?” then yeah I’ll put my signature and information on who I am at the bottom.

Remember, the goal is to start a conversation.

This method has worked phenomenally well for us. Notice that our first email didn’t mention our tool at all. We didn’t say how we solved their problem, we just said that we could solve their problem.

Quick recap:

–       Don’t sound like a robot, talk like you normally would if you were face to face.

–       Be as specific and personal as you can be.

–       Short and sweet messages are the best.

–       The goal is to just start a conversation, you don’t need to pitch yourself yet.

Let’s be real– Elon Musk is not going to send you a seven-page email talking about his product.

It’s Elon Musk. He’d probably be like, “Hey, Elon here! I looked at your product, we should chat. Give me a call.”

That’s what works right now.

Just talking like a person.

Ask a simple yes or no question. Get to the point. Remember, your whole goal is to start a conversation.

So hopefully that was helpful.

That’s all for today! See you all next time.