Apollo.io is a great choice for implementing an outbound motion for B2B SaaS and startups (see my video for a full breakdown on Apollo vs. ZoomInfo/Clay/Smartlead and how to consolidate your outbound tech stack). Apollo.io is an all-in-one tool that can be used to build lists, create sequences, automate and execute multi-channel, account based outreach programs and generate a pipeline of warm leads. Apollo.io has integrations with most major CRMs (Hubspot, SFDC), LinkedIn, GMail, etc.
SaaSBoost.io will work with you to understand your business, ICPs, competitors, messaging, etc. and partner to setup a strategic and automated outbound engine using Apollo.io. Jump to our "Done with you as a Service" section to have this all impemented on your behalf.
Targeting the right Accounts (Account Based Marketing approach) is the critical first step to any outbound efforts. Depending on your ICPs, targeting options beyond the usual demographic (company size, industry, etc.) might include:
For more detailed information on see our Apollo.io Onboarding Document - Using ICPs, Personas, Messaging, Signals to Set Up an Automated Outbound Engine for the information we gather up front to build a custom Apollo.io instance.
An Account Based Prospecting strategy includes identifying the different personas at your target accounts and surrounding the account with personalized and appropriate messaging and content offers based on different personas. For example you may target CIOs at SMB accounts, but at larger enterprises target Directors of IT or more granular job titles might be more appropriate. A CIO may care more about ROI and security and respond to a . This can all be setup and automated with Apollo.
Setup and A/B Test campaigns based on segmented lists. Apollo's custom variables and if/then logic can be used to create highly personalized messaging based on contact and account data.
There are several steps to take to protect your main domain and maximize email deliverability and response rates. See Cold Email Best Practices for SaaS Companies for more details.
At any one time, roughly 15% of the accounts in your ICP may actually be in market and researching options. Other accounts may have a solution in place, outside of budget and planning cycles, other priorities, etc. See How to Use Intent Data to Book Demos with Apollo.io for a more detailed approach on using intent data sources to identify the right accounts at the right time and market to them.
Setup Bi-directional synch with CRMs (Hubspot, Salesforce), data sources, and other sales and marketing tools. Custom contact and account stages can be helpful to make the tech stack work together.
Apollo.io "Plays" can automate many actions in your outbound setup. Automating email marketing delivers a steady flow of responses and leads when set up correctly.
Examples of ways we've used Plays for B2B SaaS clients:
-Connect with Dealfront (Leadfeeder) to identify accounts that visit your website, automatically find the right contacts at those accounts that match your buyer persona(s), add them to targeted, outbound personalized email sequences. See How To Identify B2B Website Visitors for Sales Follow Up for more details.
-Connect with Bombora or Leadsift Intent Data to identify net new accounts that are researching topics related to your company's software and services, identify and add those decision makers to email sequences.
See Automating Outreach with Apollo.io Plays for a DIY video tutorial.
All of the Account and Contact targeting options above can be used in Apollo to automatically identify Accounts and Contacts that are excellent fits to target, on an ongoing basis.
Example - in this instance NetApp is an excellent account account to target because they have visited specific high value website pages (Dealfront data), have shown intent (G2 third party data), are hiring for a key role, and meet other demographic filters that match the ICP. The plays will automatically find the right contacts at this account based on our personas and add them to an outbound sequence:
See our video tutorial on How to Create a Custom Account Score in Apollo.io.
Don't have in house SDRs or BDRs to follow up and nurture some of the warm leads and initial interest Apollo is producing? Consider adding Outsourced SDR and BDR Services.
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Listly is a plugin for Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Naver Whale that enables users to scrape the web without needing to write any code. This makes it easier for you to gather a large amount of information and export it into either Excel or Google Sheets, for your benefit!
Admina (previously known as IT Management Cloud) simply helps companies discover, manage and optimize SaaS applications. It allows businesses to gain complete visibility of SaaS applications and help them understand what SaaS apps they have, what those apps cost, and how they’re used, allowing them to identify underused and unused applications, provision & de-provision users, as well as discover Shadow ITs.
Symmetry Corporate Finance is a UK based M&A advisory services firm. Symmetry was using a lead agency and getting pretty good outbound results. The problem is it was a monthly recurring cost regardless of results, the amount of leads were dwindling, and the program was mostly a black box with no inputs. They did not own any of the data or infrastructure. We helped Symmetry:
The results:
“Before partnering with Jeremy, we had been utilizing Apollo for 12 months, thinking we were fully leveraging its capabilities. However, Jeremy revealed a whole new level of potential. His deep understanding of Apollo and expertise in crafting outbound engines are exceptional - with the right blend of personalization/customization and scalability.
Since Jeremy came on board, our success in booking meetings with targeted personas and accounts has skyrocketed. His insights have not only met but exceeded our expectations, driving significant growth for our business.
We wholeheartedly recommend Jeremy to any organization aiming to maximize their use of Apollo. His input has been a game-changer for us."
“Before partnering with Jeremy, we had been utilizing Apollo for 12 months, thinking we were fully leveraging its capabilities. However, Jeremy revealed a whole new level of potential. His deep understanding of Apollo and expertise in crafting outbound engines are exceptional - with the right blend of personalization/customization and scalability.
Since Jeremy came on board, our success in booking meetings with targeted personas and accounts has skyrocketed. His insights have not only met but exceeded our expectations, driving significant growth for our business.
We wholeheartedly recommend Jeremy to any organization aiming to maximize their use of Apollo. His input has been a game-changer for us."
David Larter, Founder of Jolly
Symmetry Corporate Finance is a UK based M&A advisory services firm. Symmetry was using a lead agency and getting pretty good outbound results. The problem is it was a monthly recurring cost regardless of results, the amount of leads were dwindling, and the program was mostly a black box with no inputs. They did not own any of the data or infrastructure. We helped Symmetry:
The results:
Outsourced SDR Services - email, phone, LinkedIn outreach.
Apollo.io Setup, Automations, Sequences, List Building; integrated with Hubspot CRM.
Built initial cold call, demo, email scripts, sales FAQs, objection handling. A/B tested, refined over time.
Cold Email Domain Setup for Outbound Outreach and to protect primary domain.
Intent Data - used intent data sources Bombora and Leadsift to identify in-market accounts researching relevant software (debt collection software); automated outreach to right contacts at those accounts .
Dealfront setup, integration to identify anonymous website visitors (accounts) and automate cold outreach to matching buyer personas to convert to traffic to demos.
SEO Analysis, Content Mapping - Identified high intent keywords like “chatgpt for debt collection” and “ to drive traffic and support outbound efforts.
Software Directory Submission Service - posted Arrears on 10+ software directories including G2, Capterra, SoftwareAdvice for product discovery, links, traffic.
Outcome: Setup, Logistics
Outcome: Account, Contact Lists.
Framework to connect sequences, plays, reports.
Setup Apollo.io as an automated lead engine with custom reporting
By end of Week 4 Apollo.io should be running smoothly and ready for full handoff
By the end of month
More info on process here, including why you don’t want to use your primary domain for cold outreach, DNS settings, factors for email deliverability, # of emails per domain/mailbox here: Cold Email Best Practices for SaaS Companies
Includes:
On call Fine tuning, troubleshooting, consult after initial setup (up to 5+ hours a month)
Book an hour call anytime to troubleshoot, optimize, setup, strategize about all things Apollo.io and outbound sales
Independent Web Publishers, media companies, and website owners and operators that are considering outsourcing or hiring dedicated ad sales sales help and expertise to grow revenue with limited risk/up front investment. The focus is on moving beyond programmatic display and into more integrated, strategic ad products to expand revenues.
For Direct Sales to work, a web property generally must have realistic potential for at least $10K/month (ideally more) in direct ad sales revenue beyond programmatic display. There is not necessarily a specific monthly traffic level - niche B2B, purchase focused websites will command much higher premiums and advertiser demand than B2C or less focused, news oriented sites.