/gtm-outreach — Sales Outreach & Pipeline Generation

Build multi-channel outreach sequences, prospecting strategy, personalization frameworks, and reply handling playbooks. Focused on the outbound motion — distinct from content marketing.

When to Use

User says "outreach", "cold email", "sequences", "prospecting", "SDR playbook"
Building outbound pipeline generation
Designing multi-channel sequences (email + LinkedIn + phone + video)
Need prospecting criteria or reply handling playbooks

Before Starting

Check for existing context:

Read projects/<project>/gtm-context.md — master context
Read projects/<project>/icp-personas.md — buyer language and personas (critical for personalization)
Read projects/<project>/competitive-intel.md — competitive messaging gaps
Read projects/<project>/positioning.md — messaging pillars

ICP and positioning are critical for good outreach. If missing, flag it.

Process

Step 1: Intake — Outreach Context

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "What kind of outreach do you need?"
  header: "Outreach Type"
  options:
    - label: "Cold outbound"
      description: "Building outbound sequences from scratch for cold prospects"
    - label: "Warm follow-up"
      description: "Sequences for leads who've shown interest (inbound, event, referral)"
    - label: "Re-engagement"
      description: "Reviving cold leads or lost deals"
    - label: "Full playbook"
      description: "Complete outreach system — prospecting criteria, sequences, reply handling"

Then gather:

Target persona — Who are you reaching? (Reference ICP if available)
Channels available — Email, LinkedIn, phone, video? Which tools do you use?
Current state — Any sequences running? What's working/not working?
Goal — Meetings booked? Demos? Trials? Pipeline generated?
Proof points — Case studies, metrics, or quotes to use in outreach?
Team — Who's sending? Founder, SDR team, AE?

Step 2: Research — Parallel Outreach Intelligence

Launch 2 agents IN PARALLEL:

Agent 1 — Prospect Persona Research

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", model: "sonnet", description: "Research prospect persona")
prompt: Research what resonates with [TARGET PERSONA] in outbound outreach.
  - What hooks get their attention? (common pain points, triggers, trends they care about)
  - What channels do they prefer? (email response rates vs LinkedIn vs phone)
  - What tone works? (casual, professional, data-driven, provocative?)
  - What turns them off? (common outreach mistakes for this persona)
  - What subject lines and opening lines have worked for similar products?
  Return structured persona-specific outreach recommendations.

Agent 2 — Competitive Outreach Analysis

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", model: "sonnet", description: "Research competitive outreach")
prompt: Research how competitors in [SPACE] do outbound sales.
  - What messaging do their SDRs use? (check LinkedIn outreach, G2 reviews mentioning sales experience)
  - What claims do they lead with?
  - Where are the messaging gaps? (what they don't talk about)
  - What do prospects complain about in competitor outreach?
  Return competitive outreach intel with differentiation opportunities.

Step 3: Build — Outreach System

1. Prospecting Strategy

Target account criteria (firmographic, technographic, behavioral signals)
Signal-based triggers (hiring for X role, raised funding, posted about Y problem, uses Z tool)
Account prioritization framework (Tier 1/2/3 based on fit and signal strength)
Data sources and enrichment tools

2. Multi-Channel Sequence Architecture

Build sequences for each scenario (cold, warm, re-engagement). Each sequence includes:

Cold Outbound Sequence (12-18 touches over 3-4 weeks):

Day 1: Email 1 — The opener (under 80 words, specific hook)
Day 2: LinkedIn connect + note
Day 4: Email 2 — Value add (insight, data, resource)
Day 7: LinkedIn engage (comment on their content)
Day 9: Email 3 — Proof (case study, specific result)
Day 11: Phone attempt + voicemail script
Day 14: Email 4 — Different angle (new hook or persona pain point)
Day 18: LinkedIn message (direct, reference previous touches)
Day 21: Email 5 — Breakup (leave door open, final value)

For each email:

Subject line (2-3 options for A/B testing)
Body with personalization slots marked: [COMPANY], [PAIN_POINT], [TRIGGER]
CTA (low commitment: 15-min call, quick question, relevant resource)

3. Personalization Framework

Tier 1 (1:1): Fully custom — for top accounts. Research the person, reference their content, their company's specific situation.
Tier 2 (1:few): Segment-personalized — same pain point, customize company name and trigger.
Tier 3 (1:many): Template with variable insertion — industry, company size, role.

What to personalize and where to find it:

Personalization Element	Source
Recent company news	LinkedIn, Crunchbase, news
Their content/posts	LinkedIn activity
Tech stack signals	BuiltWith, job postings
Trigger events	Funding, hiring, product launch
Mutual connections	LinkedIn
Industry-specific pain	G2 reviews, forums

4. Reply Handling Playbook

Reply Type	Response Strategy
Positive / interested	Respond within 1 hour. Confirm next step with specific time. Don't over-explain.
Objection	Acknowledge, address briefly, redirect to value. Use language bank objection responses.
Not now / timing	Acknowledge, ask when to follow up, add to nurture sequence with specific date.
Not the right person	Thank them, ask for referral: "Who on your team handles [specific area]?"
Negative / unsubscribe	Remove immediately. Professional close: "Understood — thanks for letting me know."
Auto-reply / OOO	Note return date, schedule follow-up for 2 days after return.

5. A/B Testing Plan

Test 1: Subject lines (benefit vs curiosity vs question)
Test 2: Opening lines (personalized vs pain-focused vs data-driven)
Test 3: CTA (meeting ask vs resource offer vs question)
Test 4: Sequence length (shorter vs longer)
Minimum sample: 100 sends per variant before drawing conclusions

Step 4: Validate

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "How do these sequences feel? Does the tone match your brand?"
  header: "Outreach Review"
  options:
    - label: "Strong"
      description: "Tone and approach are right — finalize"
    - label: "Too aggressive"
      description: "Need a softer, more consultative approach"
    - label: "Too generic"
      description: "Need more personalization or specific hooks"
    - label: "Wrong channel mix"
      description: "Need to adjust the channel balance"

Step 5: Save

Save to: projects/<project>/outreach/

sequences/cold-outbound.md
sequences/warm-follow-up.md
sequences/re-engagement.md (if applicable)
reply-playbook.md
prospecting-criteria.md

Methodology

See references/outreach-frameworks.md for sequence architecture, personalization frameworks, and founder-led sales methodology.

Output

Saves to: projects/<project>/outreach/

Next Steps

Need competitive battlecards? → /gtm-competitive-intel
Meeting booked? → /gtm-meeting-prep for specific meeting preparation
Need content to support outreach? → /gtm-marketing for awareness and nurture content