Hey everyone,

I recently launched a SaaS product in the middle of this month. The product allows users to create interactive product demos in just minutes. Initially, I developed this product out of my own need. While there are already several similar products in the market, I saw the potential in this space and had some unique plans to integrate into my product. However, before proceeding, I felt it was important to gather feedback from real users.

To validate the product and gather feedback, I quickly developed a minimum viable version with basic features. I offered an LTD (Lifetime Deal) to early adopters and conducted market research to identify the demand. Since then, I made over $1000 from the early adopters.

I had planned to do cold outreach, but I didn’t follow through. Starting today, I am planning to engage in cold outreach. Prior to this, most of the users were coming from Product Hunt and LinkedIn.

Just curious if anybody has tried cold outreach through Apollo and what their experience was like?

  • hammraj@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    You should promote your website organically as well as with some paid ads, keep the momentum of money coming.

  • sturbovsky@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I love Apollo. Have used it for a few startups now. Highly effective for cold outreach and sequences, we use it as top of funnel and then move warm contacts into hubspot.

    Be aware of any sending limits that your email service has as Apollo can really get cranking for ya. Also be sure to use the custom tracking subdomain feature to improve delivery rates and to protect your domain from getting banned.

    • Tanzirulhuda@alien.topOPBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      Did you verify the leads from another software, or did you use the ones marked as verified by Apollo directly?

      • SublimeSupernova@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        Research your target and anticipate needs by asking questions that they want to answer. This varies by industry and person, but one of the most frustrating parts of cold outreach is that the person you’re contacting feels like they’re doing you a favor by listening and/or responding.

        Using the OP’s product as an example:

        • “Has your workflow for creating product demos become a bottleneck for getting more clients?”
        • “What have you done to standardize and streamline your product demos across your company?”
        • “How do your client demos represent the value of your product?”

        Regardless of how they answer these questions, if you get them to answer them you’re on track to a qualified lead. All you need to do is surround these key questions with that research I mentioned at the start.

        How large of a company are they? If they’re big, focus on how hard it can be to make improvements to your internal processes. If they’re small, focus on how hard it can be to overcome bottlenecks when it falls to one or two people to prepare things.

        How long have they been in business? If they’re new, they’re going to want every edge they can get to get on par with their competition. If they’re old, they’re due for some upgrades to their internal systems.

        The process can be easy if you understand the industry you’re targeting.

  • SnooObjections6359@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    You didn’t specify what you need the software for. Each tool addresses slightly different needs for cold outreach. The best cold outreach tool for finding contacts is ZoomInfo as they have the largest database on the market, but they know they have a monopoly and charge about $20K per year for it. Hubspot is the superior cold outreach email campaign management tool by far and is also the industry standard. Tools like FreshWorks and Apollo have similar functions but are not as renowned.

  • unknownimoz@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Not totally direct on the service since we do lead generation to our client, but Based on what he said they got 90% of customers via cold calling compared to email marketing.

  • ErikCaligo@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I am not familiar with Apollo, but since you have a fairly specific customer profile, you could increase your network on LinkedIn, and then rather than cold-calling them, simply post content about how your product works. If interested, they will reach out to you.

    Increasing your LinkedIn profile takes time, but you can automate part of that process with a tool like LinkedHelper. You basically provide a LinkedIn search URL and they will try to add all contacts in that list.