14-Day Kickoff Companion
Audience: new clients in their first 14 days post-kickoff
Format: 14 emails, one per day, automated
Sender: the client's named strategist (variable: {strategist_name})
Mirrors: the 8 cards on /kickoff page, paced over time
Length per email: 200-350 words, one specific action
SECTION 01Day 1
Subject: Welcome. Here is what happens over the next two weeks.
{first_name},
Kickoff is done. The system is being built behind the scenes. Over the next 14 days you are going to get one short email a day from me, walking you through exactly what is happening and what you need to do.
This is not a drip campaign. It is a working document. Each email tells you what we are doing on our end and what one thing I need from you on yours.
Here is the rough shape of the next two weeks.
Days 1 through 4 are setup. We are pointing the LinkedIn account at the right list, building your first message variants, and getting Sales Nav configured. You will be reviewing things and giving thumbs up or thumbs down.
Days 5 through 8 we go live. The first messages start sending. You will start seeing connection requests being sent, then being accepted, then the first replies coming in.
Days 9 through 14 the inbox starts to fill. We will be triaging replies, escalating real conversations to you, and watching for the first booked meeting.
Most clients book their first meeting somewhere between day 10 and day 18. Some hit it sooner. Some need three weeks. Both are normal.
Today's action: reply to this email with one sentence. The sentence is the answer to this question: if a great prospect replies to your first message asking what you do, what is the one sentence you would want them to read?
This goes straight into your message library. We will use it.
Talk tomorrow.
{strategist_name}
SECTION 02Day 2
Subject: Your audience is being built today.
{first_name},
Today's work on our end: building your Sales Nav search.
This is the most important hour of the entire engagement. The search defines who gets messaged. If we get it wrong, nothing else matters. If we get it right, everything else gets easier.
We are working from the audience definition you gave us at kickoff. Title filters, geography, company size, industry, exclusions. Then we are doing something most outbound shops skip: pulling the actual list, scrolling through 100 random profiles, and asking ourselves "would this person buy from {first_name}?"
If the answer is no for more than 20 percent of the sample, we tighten the filters and run it again. We will keep doing that until the list feels right.
You will get a Loom from me tomorrow walking through the final search and showing you a sample of 30 profiles. Your job will be to tell me yes, no, or "tighter" on each one.
Today's action: open your Sales Nav account (we sent the login at kickoff) and confirm you can log in. If anything is broken, reply to this email and I will fix it before the end of the day.
That is it for today. Tomorrow we look at profiles together.
{strategist_name}
SECTION 03Day 3
Subject: Profile check. This is the day we catch problems early.
{first_name},
Before we send a single message, we need to make sure your LinkedIn profile is doing the job. The first thing every prospect does when they get a connection request is click your profile. If it does not match the message, the request gets ignored.
We just ran your profile through the audit. Here is what we are flagging:
{profile_audit_summary}
The most common things we catch on day 3:
- A headline that is a job description instead of a positioning statement
- A featured section that has nothing in it (or has the wrong thing)
- A banner image that was uploaded in 2019
- An About section that reads like a resume
None of these are emergencies. But fixing the obvious ones before we go live will lift your acceptance rate by 5 to 10 points.
Today's action: spend 15 minutes on whichever flagged item is the easiest to fix. Even one improvement helps. If you want a hand, reply to this email and I will do a quick rewrite for you.
Tomorrow we look at your message variants.
{strategist_name}
SECTION 04Day 4
Subject: Your first messages are written. Approve or push back.
{first_name},
We just finished writing your message variants. Three opener variants, three follow-up variants, two responses for the most common reply patterns. Total of about 12 short messages.
We wrote these in your voice based on the kickoff call, the LinkedIn posts you have published, and the one sentence you sent me on day 1. They sound like you. If they do not, we will rewrite until they do.
A draft document is now in your client folder. Please open it and read all 12 messages.
You have three options for each one:
- Approve. Move on.
- Comment. Tell me what is off (too formal, wrong angle, missing context, etc.) and I will rewrite.
- Rewrite yourself. Some clients prefer to take the pen. Both work.
We will not send a single message until every variant has a green check from you.
Today's action: open the message doc, read all 12, and mark each one. Should take 15 minutes. The fastest path to going live is doing this in one sitting today.
If you want to talk through any of them on a call instead of comments, my calendar is in the dashboard.
{strategist_name}
SECTION 05Day 5
Subject: Sales Nav verify. The 5-minute check that prevents 5-week problems.
{first_name},
Today is the most boring email in the sequence. It is also the one most likely to save us from a problem in week three.
We need you to log into Sales Nav and verify three things:
One: the search is what you expected. Open the saved search labeled "{client_slug} - primary." Scroll through the first three pages. Are these the people you want talking to? If not, reply to this email with what is off.
Two: the seat is healthy. Look in the top right of Sales Nav. You should see your full name and a "Sales Navigator Advanced" or "Advanced Plus" badge. If you see a warning banner, screenshot it and reply.
Three: the LinkedIn account itself is in good standing. Go to linkedin.com on a different browser tab. If you see any restriction notice, any "verify your identity" prompt, or any "your account has been temporarily restricted" banner, screenshot it and reply.
These three checks take five minutes. They prevent the most common reason a campaign stalls in week two: a Sales Nav seat that was never actually upgraded, a search that was saved to the wrong account, or a LinkedIn flag we did not know about.
Today's action: do the three checks. Reply to this email with "all good" or with the specific thing that is off. We will not send messages tomorrow if any of the three are unresolved.
{strategist_name}
SECTION 06Day 6
Subject: We are going live tomorrow.
{first_name},
Final pre-flight check.
The audience is approved. The messages are approved. Sales Nav is verified. Your profile got a polish pass. Tomorrow morning the first messages go out.
Here is what to expect on day 7 and the few days after.
Day 7: the first batch of connection requests starts sending. Quietly. You will not see anything in your inbox yet. You will see your "pending invites" count tick up in LinkedIn.
Day 8: acceptances start coming in. You will get a few LinkedIn notifications. Do not reply to anyone yet. If someone replies first, forward it to me and I will tell you what to do.
Day 9 to 10: the first inbound replies show up. We start triaging. Anything that looks like a real conversation gets escalated to you with a suggested response.
Day 12 to 18: first booked meeting, on average.
There is one thing I need from you between now and tomorrow morning.
Today's action: turn on push notifications for LinkedIn on your phone, but only for messages, not for likes/comments/etc. When a real prospect replies, you want to know within an hour, not within a day. Speed of response is the single biggest lever in week one.
Tomorrow at 9am ET I will send you a "we are live" note. Then we wait.
{strategist_name}
SECTION 07Day 7
Subject: We are live. First replies are coming.
{first_name},
It is happening.
The first batch of connection requests went out at 8am this morning. Acceptances are already coming in. By tomorrow you will start seeing replies in your inbox.
Here is the rule for the first week of replies: do not panic-respond.
Most outbound campaigns die not because the prospects are bad, but because the founder gets a reply, gets excited, and types a 200-word essay back. That essay kills the conversation.
The replies you are about to get fall into four buckets:
One: "what does your company do?" This is a soft yes. They are open. Your reply is two sentences. We have the script in your message doc.
Two: "not a fit / not right now." This is a no. Your reply is one sentence: "Totally understand, thanks for taking a look." Then move on. Some of these become yeses six months later if you are gracious.
Three: a question that requires real thought. Forward to me. I will draft a reply you can send.
Four: an immediate calendar request. Rare but it happens. Send the calendar link and confirm the time. Do not over-explain.
Today's action: when the first reply comes in (could be today, could be tomorrow), do not reply for 30 minutes. Take a breath. Look at your message doc. Find the closest matching script. Then reply. That 30-minute pause is the difference between a conversation and a pitch.
{strategist_name}
SECTION 08Day 8
Subject: Acceptance rate update. Here is where you stand.
{first_name},
Quick numbers update.
In the first 48 hours of sending, your acceptance rate is sitting at {acceptance_rate}%. The benchmark for your industry is around 28 to 35 percent. {acceptance_assessment}
Acceptance rate is the first signal we look at. It tells us whether the audience and the connection-request angle are matched. If acceptance is below 25 percent, we usually adjust within the first week. If it is above 40 percent, we know we have a strong fit and we lean in.
You do not have to do anything with this number. I am sending it because part of working with us is seeing what we see. There will not be surprises in month two about how the program is performing. You will know each week.
Today's action: none required. But if you want to check the live numbers any time, the dashboard at the link below updates every hour. Bookmark it.
{strategist_name}
SECTION 09Day 9
Subject: First conversations are happening. Here is how to not blow them.
{first_name},
By now you have probably had your first one or two real back-and-forth exchanges with a prospect. Maybe more.
The single biggest mistake at this stage is jumping to "want to hop on a call?" too fast. The prospect is not ready yet. They are still figuring out if you are a real person who knows what you are talking about. The second you ask for time, you stop being a person and start being a process.
Here is the pattern that works best in the first 5 to 7 messages of a real conversation.
They reply with a question. You answer the question, and you ask one question back. The question back is light. "What does your team do for outbound today?" "Are you running anything in-house right now?" Something they can answer in a sentence.
You do this 2 to 3 times before you suggest a call. The conversation has shape. They have invested some time. Now when you suggest a call, it lands.
Today's action: look at any open thread you have right now. Count the number of back-and-forth exchanges. If you suggested a call before exchange 3, that is fine, you are learning. Next time, wait one more turn. The booked rate on calls suggested at exchange 3 to 4 is roughly double the rate at exchange 1 to 2.
{strategist_name}
The 5-stage conversation framework
SECTION 10Day 10
Subject: The inbox is getting full. Here is the triage rule.
{first_name},
Most clients hit "inbox panic" around day 10. The early-week trickle becomes a steady flow, and suddenly you have 15 open conversations and you are not sure which ones to focus on.
Here is the rule.
Every reply falls into one of three buckets, and the bucket determines your priority.
Bucket 1: hot. They asked a specific question, suggested a time, or said something like "tell me more." These get a same-day reply. We escalate these to you within an hour of arrival.
Bucket 2: warm. They replied with something neutral or curious but did not ask a clear question. ("Interesting, what kind of clients do you work with?") These get a reply within 24 hours.
Bucket 3: cool. They replied politely but with no real interest. ("Thanks but not right now.") These get a one-line response and a tag for re-engagement in 6 months. Do not chase. Do not try to convert. Tag and move on.
If you are spending more than 20 minutes a day on the inbox, you are probably doing too much on the cool ones. The cool ones do not need essays. They need a graceful close.
Today's action: look at the open conversations in your inbox. Tag each one as hot, warm, or cool. Reply to the hot ones today. Schedule the warm ones for tomorrow. Send the cool ones a single line and let them go.
{strategist_name}
SECTION 11Day 11
Subject: A quiet day. Here is why that is normal.
{first_name},
You might notice today is quieter than the last few. Fewer replies. Less inbox motion. This is normal and it is built into the program.
LinkedIn rate-limits how many connection requests can be sent in a week. We are pacing yours to stay well below the limit, which means there is a natural rhythm: a heavy send day, a few medium days, then a lighter day. The rhythm prevents your account from being flagged. A flagged account is the only thing that can actually break this program in week one.
What this means for you: the inbox flow is not perfectly even. Some days you will get 5 replies. Some days you will get 1. Look at the rolling weekly number, not the daily number, to see how things are going.
You do not need to do anything to make tomorrow's flow heavier. The system is paced. Trust it.
Today's action: take a break from the dashboard. Do something else for the day. Come back tomorrow and look at the weekly rolling acceptance rate and reply rate. Those are the numbers that matter.
{strategist_name}
SECTION 12Day 12
Subject: First booked meeting watch.
{first_name},
We are inside the window where most clients book their first meeting. Could be today. Could be later this week. Could slip to next week if your audience runs slower.
A few things to remember when the first meeting books.
One: do not over-prepare. This is a discovery call. You have done thousands of these. Your normal discovery process works. Do not invent a new one because the lead came from outbound.
Two: know how they got here. When you join the call, the first question they will ask (or will be thinking) is "remind me what your company does." Have a 30-second answer ready. Practice it once before the call.
Three: ask how they make decisions. Before the call ends, ask one question: "If we both think this could work, what does the next step usually look like on your end?" Their answer tells you whether this is a 30-day deal or a 6-month deal.
Four: send a recap. Within 2 hours of the call, send a short note. "Thanks for the time. Here is what I heard, and here is what I think the next step should look like." Even if they do not buy, this note is the difference between "good call" and "I'm sending this to my team to read."
Today's action: if you have a meeting booked, prep using the four points above. If you do not, refresh the dashboard and tag any new conversations.
{strategist_name}
SECTION 13Day 13
Subject: Two-week check-in tomorrow.
{first_name},
Tomorrow is the official two-week mark. I am going to send a recap email with the actual numbers for your first 14 days. Acceptance rate, reply rate, conversations, meetings booked.
Before that lands, I want to ask you for one thing.
Reply to this email with three sentences:
- What is working that I should keep doing?
- What is not working that we should change?
- What do you wish was happening that is not?
Be honest. The first two weeks are the most important data we get on how to run your program for the next year. If something is rubbing you the wrong way, I want to know now, not in month three.
Today's action: the three sentences. Five minutes. Reply to this email.
{strategist_name}
SECTION 14Day 14
Subject: Two weeks in. Here is where you stand.
{first_name},
Two weeks is a milestone. Here is the snapshot.
Acceptance rate: {acceptance_rate}% (industry benchmark: 28 to 35%)
Reply rate: {reply_rate}% (industry benchmark: 8 to 14%)
Conversations opened: {conversations}
Meetings booked: {meetings_booked}
Pipeline value (your estimate): {pipeline_estimate}
This is the foundation. Most of what happens between week 3 and month 6 is iterative tuning of what we built in week 1 and what we learned in week 2.
The 14-day daily emails stop here. Going forward you will hear from me weekly with a numbers update and any decisions I need from you. The dashboard is always live if you want to peek.
If you ever want to jump on a call to talk through what you are seeing, my calendar is in the dashboard. No need for a reason. "Just want to think out loud" is a reason.
Today's action: book a 30-minute strategy call for sometime in week 4. We will look at the first month of data together and decide whether to widen the audience, add a second variant, or adjust pacing. Calendar link below.
Welcome to the program. The first two weeks are the hardest. From here it is repetition and refinement.
{strategist_name}
Book your week 4 strategy call
