/prd-v09-cold-outreach-tiered

name: prd-v09-cold-outreach-tiered
description: >
  Build Tier 1/2/3 cold outreach sequences differentiated by personalization depth and research
  signal strength during PRD v0.9 Go-to-Market. Triggers on requests to plan cold outreach,
  founder-led sales, or when user asks "cold email sequence", "outbound campaign", "founder
  outreach", "LinkedIn outreach", "Tier 1 personalization", "predictable revenue", "sales
  cadence", "BDR sequence". Outputs GTM-OUT-* sequence entries and lead-list references.
context: fork
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Write
  - Edit
  - Glob
  - Grep
  - WebSearch
  - WebFetch

execution_modes:
  default: standard
  supports: [quick, standard, deep]

Cold Outreach (Tiered: 1:1 / 1:few / 1:many)

Position in workflow: v0.9 Offer Construction → **v0.9 Cold Outreach (Tiered)** → v0.9 Launch Metrics

Execution Mode

Default is **standard**. See [`.claude/rules/08-skill-execution-modes.md`](../../rules/08-skill-execution-modes.md) for selection logic.

| Mode | What this skill produces | |------|--------------------------| | **quick** | One tier (typically Tier 2); 3-touch sequence; lead-list scoring rubric | | **standard** | All three tiers; 3–5 touches each; lead-list scoring + tier-assignment logic; reply-handling guide | | **deep** | All tiers + A/B subject lines per tier; channel mix (email + LinkedIn + voicemail); reply-rate baselines; objection library |

What This Does

Builds three differentiated cold-outreach sequences, each calibrated to a different ratio of research-per-lead:

• **Tier 1 (1:1, founder-led)** — Hand-researched. Highly personalized. Each touch references something specific. Volume: 10–30 contacts.
• **Tier 2 (1:few, semi-automated)** — Segment-personalized. Template with 3–5 dynamic variables per recipient. Volume: 100–500 contacts.
• **Tier 3 (1:many, automated)** — Broad-fit. Template only, minimal personalization. Volume: 1,000–10,000+ contacts.

The tiers are **not "good/better/best"** — each has its place. Tier 3 fills the top of the funnel cheaply. Tier 2 carries the bulk. Tier 1 closes the highest-value targets that templates can never reach.

How It Works

1. **Source lead lists from ICP** — Pull from the Positioning best-fit characteristics. Use enrichment tools (Apollo, Clay, Clearbit) or LinkedIn Sales Nav search anchored on firmographic + behavioral signals from PER-. 2. **Score each lead's signal strength** (1–5):

• **Trigger signal** — Recent funding, hiring, product launch, public pain (5)
• **Fit signal** — Strong firmographic/behavioral match without specific trigger (3–4)
• **Cold signal** — Broad-fit only; no specific signal (1–2)

3. **Tier assignment**:

• Signal 4–5 + opportunity size ≥ threshold → **Tier 1**
• Signal 3–4 → **Tier 2**
• Signal 1–2 → **Tier 3** (or drop if list is large enough)

4. **Build per-tier sequences** — Each tier gets its own template structure (see Output Template). Tier 1 is hand-drafted; Tier 2 is template + variables; Tier 3 is template only. 5. **End every sequence on the guarantee** — The guarantee from [prd-v09-offer-construction-hormozi](../prd-v09-offer-construction-hormozi/SKILL.md) is the reply-friction killer. Don't ask for a meeting cold; ask them to invoke the guarantee. 6. **Plan reply handling** — Define what counts as a reply (positive, ask, objection, unsubscribe), and have a response cadence for each. Tier 1 replies go to founder immediately. Tier 3 replies route through a templatized objection library.

Example

B2B SaaS founder launching, ICP = Series A SaaS PMs.

**Tier 1** (20 hand-picked targets):

• Touch 1 (Day 0, email): Reference specific recent blog post + offer specific insight on their problem
• Touch 2 (Day 4, LinkedIn): Connect with a one-line follow-up referencing the email
• Touch 3 (Day 10, email): Share a relevant case study from a similar company; mention the guarantee
• Touch 4 (Day 18, email): Soft breakup — "want me to circle back in a quarter?"

**Tier 2** (200 mid-signal leads):

• Touch 1 (Day 0, email): Template with 3 variables ({company}, {pain point}, {peer company}). 6–10 sentences max.
• Touch 2 (Day 3, email): One-line bump
• Touch 3 (Day 7, email): Case study + guarantee mention
• Touch 4 (Day 14, email): Breakup

**Tier 3** (2,000 broad-fit leads):

• Touch 1 (Day 0, email): Template only. 4–6 sentences. Lead with category insight, not pitch.
• Touch 2 (Day 5, email): Case study
• Touch 3 (Day 12, email): Breakup ("last note from me")

Expected reply rates: Tier 1 = 30–50%; Tier 2 = 8–15%; Tier 3 = 1–3%.

What You Get Back

• **GTM-OUT-\* entries** (one per tier sequence) — Tier metadata, per-touch templates, channel mix, timing
• **GTM-OUT-touch-\*** entries — Individual touch templates with subject line, body, channel
• **Lead-list scoring rubric** (single GTM-*) — How to assign tier
• **Reply-handling guide** — What counts as a reply; routing rules

When to Use It

| Trigger | Mode | |---------|------| | B2B / founder-led sales motion | standard | | Post-launch acquisition push | standard | | Paid channels too expensive (high CAC) | standard | | Specific ABM-style campaign against named accounts | deep, Tier 1 only | | Mass-market consumer product with no individual-buyer relationship | **do not use** — wrong channel |

Consumes

• **GTM-\* positioning** + **PER-\* best-fit characteristics** — Source for ICP and message anchoring
• **GTM-\* offer card** + **GTM-\* guarantee** (from v0.9 Offer Construction) — Sequences end on the guarantee, not a meeting ask
• **CFD-\* customer stories** (from v0.1–v0.4 + post-launch) — Case studies for touch 3
• **BR-POS-\* constraints** — Tier targeting must honor "not for" rules
• **KPI-\* targets** (from v0.3 + v0.9 Launch Metrics) — Reply rate and meeting-booked targets per tier

Produces

• **GTM-OUT-\* tier entries** — One per tier with sequence metadata
• **GTM-OUT-touch-\* entries** — Per-touch templates (subject, body, channel, timing)
• **GTM-\* lead