Today's B2B buyers are a whole different breed. In fact, rather than going straight to the sales rep to learn more about the product or service they are interested in as they did before, 97% of them are more likely to dive into independent research first. But why the sudden change in behavior? It’s because AI-powered tools and digital content were never as accessible as they are now. And while the rise of technology has simplified the buyer’s journey, it’s also caused certain sales tactics to become less effective. Heck, some have even completely died off or were ineffective to begin with.

That said, we sat down with our Head of sales, Andrea, a veteran with 11+ years of experience, to discuss what the future of sales holds. While at it, she reassured us there’s more work to be done than ever before. Provided the right sales tactics are used, that is.

So, we picked her brain on the topic to bring you:

• 24 sales tactics that work in 2025,
• 12 approaches that are best left behind.

We’ll dive into them all in a second. But first, let’s explain what sales tactics really are and what constitutes ethical vs. unethical selling.

What are sales tactics?

Sales tactics are specific techniques that salespeople use to engage prospects, overcome objections, and ultimately close deals. They translate a company’s broader sales strategy into tangible, repeatable actions that drive results. In essence, while a sales strategy outlines your overall plan to reach targets, sales tactics are the day-to-day actions that make that plan work.

Ethical vs. unethical sales tactics

Sales tactics generally fall into 2 main categories: 

• Ethical sales tactics
• Unethical sales tactics

Ethical tactics imply putting your prospect first by listening, being transparent, and genuinely solving their problems. This means focusing on what’s in it for them instead of simply chasing a quick win. When you sell ethically, you build trust, forge lasting relationships, and let your product’s true value shine without the need for gimmicks.

Unethical tactics, a.k.a. high-pressure, aggressive, or manipulative tactics, lean on deception and manipulation. They might help you close a deal today, but they often leave a sour taste. They rely on exaggeration, bluffs, and sometimes even bad-mouthing competitors to force a decision. In the long run, such tactics erode customer trust and damage your reputation.

24 best B2B sales tactics you need to use in 2025

Now that you know the difference between ethical and unethical selling, it’s time to talk about the best sales tactics of the year 2025. 

So, without further ado, here are 24 of our top picks that are all about selling the right, a.k.a. ethical way!

1. Gap selling

When we asked our Head of Sales, Andrea, to talk about her favorite sales tactic, she mentioned ''Gap selling'' with no hesitation whatsoever.

Gap selling is a problem-centric B2B sales approach focused on identifying the gap between a prospect’s current state and their desired future state​. 

It was coined by a coach that goes by the name Keenan, who noted that this technique enables prospects to ‘’see its positive impact on their lives” by directly addressing their specific pain points​. That’s because, instead of pushing products or services, gap selling prompts you to uncover the buyer’s challenges and goals and then position your product/service as the bridge that fills that gap.

In practice, applying gap selling can involve mapping out the prospects’ challenges and goals side-by-side, then highlighting the exact “gap” your solution will close. For example, this can be reducing a manual process from 5 hours to 5 minutes or increasing ROI by a certain percentage. 

As you make this gap and its resolution crystal clear, you create urgency and excitement, which makes the prospect want to close that gap with your help. And because you’ve demonstrated a thorough grasp of their situation, you’ve built credibility and trust, making it an ethical yet high-converting sales tactic.

2. Flip the Script

This is a modern sales tactic popularized by Oren Klaff’s book ‘’Flip the Script,’’ which centers on reversing the typical sales dynamic. The idea is to get the buyer to feel that adopting your solution was their idea rather than feeling pressured by a salesperson​.

Practically, this means moving away from forceful persuasion and instead leading the conversation in a way that the prospect convinces themselves of the value you offer. 

The point is to establish yourself as an equal and a trusted advisor to them by aligning with their perspective and demonstrating insight into their business instead of pitching.

To paint a better picture, let’s say you were in a sales meeting. 

Instead of delivering a hard pitch, you share a case study of a common industry challenge and how it was solved. You ask smart questions about how the prospect sees that challenge in their world.

As they engage, you acknowledge their expertise and perspective (status alignment) and add your own opinions sparingly to fill knowledge gaps. The prospect then begins to draw the conclusion that your solution addresses their needs.

By the end, they might say something like, “It sounds like if we did X (your solution), we could achieve Y outcome, right?” – essentially voicing what you wanted to convey. At that point, they feel in control and confident about the decision, which is incredibly effective for conversion.

3. Challenge with insights (‘’Challenger sale’’ tactic)

Another high-impact tactic is the so-called Challenger sale approach—in essence, challenging your prospects with fresh insights that reframe their thinking.

The Challenger methodology uses a 3-step playbook often summarized as Teach – Tailor – Take control​.

But what does this look like in practice?

Firstly, you teach by sharing thought-provoking insights and educating the buyer about potential risks or possibilities in their industry. For example, “Did you know 52% of companies in your sector are doing X, which is leaving them vulnerable to Y?”. 

Then, you tailor this information to the prospect’s specific business, connecting the dots to their situation or pain points. 

Finally, you take control of the conversation by confidently guiding the next steps, thereby helping the prospect navigate decisions.

This tactic is very effective when used properly. And by properly we mean when you challenge constructively and back it up with facts or case studies, so it’s helpful, not arrogant.

4. Leverage social selling on LinkedIn

Social selling means using social media platforms to connect, engage, and build relationships with prospects before pitching.

In terms of LinkedIn, social selling typically involves sharing helpful content, commenting on your prospects’ posts, and sending them non-salesy messages that provide value. Over time, these interactions warm them up so by the time you do reach out to talk business, you’re already on their radar.

On top of engaging in this type of LinkedIn lead generation, you can also use this platform for research. Use it to learn more about your prospect’s role in their company, their interests, mutual connections, etc, so you can personalize your cold outreach.

Of course, don’t neglect your LinkedIn profile. Optimize it accordingly by changing your default LinkedIn URL, filling in your LinkedIn headline and LinkedIn summary, and upload a professional profile photo and LinkedIn cover photo. Also, don’t forget to keep your posts sharp and brimming with value!

This is important because when prospects check you out (and they will), a strong personal brand can make them more receptive to your message. Consequently, this may translate into more sales.

5. Use buyer intent signals to prioritize leads

Not all leads are created equal—some are WAY more ready to buy than others. So, how do you determine who’s closer to a sale? By studying so-called buyer intent signals, a.k.a. clues that indicate a prospect’s level of interest or urgency.

These signals can include behaviors such as:

• Visiting your pricing page,
• Downloading a whitepaper,
• Opening several of your emails,
• Engaging with your LinkedIn content.

So, what you want to do is strike while the iron is hot. In other words, reach out to these individuals as they are exploring your solutions to maximize the chance of conversion.

Luckily, there are plenty of sales intelligence tools that can help you identify these high-intent individuals, such as ZoomInfo, Leadfeeder, 6Sense, and our personal favorite — Sales Navigator.

6. Zero in on your ideal prospects through LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Speaking of Sales Navigator, it can be used for a lot more than simply identifying buyer intent. As a matter of fact, it’s THE tool for LinkedIn prospecting, meaning it’s where you can find prospects with laser precision.

Now, why are we talking about prospecting when the focus is mostly on sales tactics that help you CLOSE leads? Because no matter how polished your pitch is, if you’re talking to someone who isn’t the right fit, it won’t lead to a deal. 

So, how do you get to those individuals? Through LinkedIn Sales Navigator filters. Though advanced LinkedIn filters are useful, Sales Navigator has a lot more to offer in this regard. 

Specifically, it offers:

• 29 Lead filters
• 15 Account filters

…and 27 of these can be found only on the platform!

You can use this filter to narrow down your search and then save it so you can revisit it later. You can also save individual companies or prospects that perfectly match your ideal customer profile and buyer persona into a Lead list. 

What's more, you can even set up Sales Navigator alerts to notify you of when your target prospects change jobs or share content so you know exactly when to reach out.

In terms of reaching out, our very own Skylead is a LinkedIn automation and cold email software that lets you contact these individuals at scale.

Namely, you can connect the tool to your Sales Navigator account to target leads from a Sales Navigator search or a Lead list and then set up automated outreach sequences that include them.

But more on that in a bit. 🙂

7. Engage multiple stakeholders (a.k.a. multi-thread your deals)

In B2B sales, rarely does a single person call all the shots. There’s usually a buying committee or group – and that group has grown larger in recent years, often including managers, executives, end-users, and procurement all weighing in. As a matter of fact, research indicates that the average buying group now involves about 10 to 11 stakeholders.

That’s why one of the best sales tactics of 2025 is to multi-thread. In other words, contact multiple stakeholders in the target account instead of relying on a single person.

As an example, let’s assume you’re selling some type of software. In that case, you might need buy-in from:

• The IT director (who cares about security and integration),
• The end-user team lead (who cares about usability),
• And a VP or C-level executive (who cares about ROI and strategic impact). 

Multi-threading would mean reaching out to each of these personas in parallel, which, in turn, increases your chances of finding at least one internal person who will advocate for you.

Not to mention, when you build relationships across the organization, you create multiple support points for your proposal. If your main contact leaves or goes silent, the deal doesn’t die because you’ve got others on board. Plus, when decision time comes, you’ve already addressed concerns from every angle, making it easier for the group to say yes.

8. Take advantage of multiple channels

So, we’ve already established LinkedIn and its Sales Navigator as the primary places to chat with prospects. But one of the best sales tactics is to rely on multiple channels for your outreach.

Multichannel outreach implies using more than one channel to reach out to prospects. Chances are, if they’re inactive on one, they won’t be on other(s), so there’s a higher possibility of getting a response.

You can use our tool, Skylead, to reach out to prospects found through Sales Navigator, LinkedIn, and Recruiter. 

But what you may not know is that, using it, you can engage those same prospects through 2 channels—LinkedIn and email.

But how exactly does Skylead let you use multichannel outreach? Through Smart sequences.

Simply put, Smart sequences are coherent outreach flows that consist of different LinkedIn and email actions and if/else conditions. They unfold according to your prospects’ behavior to reach them in the fastest possible way. In turn, they maximize your touchpoints with them.

Here’s an example of a Smart sequence.

And here are the steps and conditions you can mix-and-match to create your ideal Smart sequence.

You can also connect as many email accounts to Skylead as you wish. The tool will automatically rotate between them while sending emails to help you send tens of thousands of those a month.

Don’t have your prospects’ emails? No problem! You can still take advantage of unlimited email outreach! Namely, Skylead has a native email discovery and verification feature that you can add as a step to your sequence. As a result, the tool will discover and double-verify your prospects’ emails without breaking your outreach flow or using 3rd party tools. And did we mention all of this comes at no additional cost?

9. Warm up cold leads with research and personalization

Cold outreach doesn’t have to feel cold. The trick is to warm up your leads by doing a bit of homework and adding a personal touch to your communication. 

So, before reaching out to a new prospect, spend a few minutes researching them and their company. Look for a recent achievement (e.g., a funding announcement or product launch), mutual connections, or even a hobby or interest you can find. As we mentioned, LinkedIn can be useful for this. Then use that tidbit in your LinkedIn message, email, inMail, even a cold call. 

For example, you might start an email with:

“Hi Jane, I saw on LinkedIn that you just spoke at the SaaS Summit – congrats! I loved hearing you talk about user retention…” 

…and then, move on to how your product might help with a relevant challenge. This way, you show the prospect that you’re not just batch-and-blasting thousands of people with the same spiel. It earns you a few extra seconds of their attention, which is often all you need to stand out.

Keep in mind that when using Skylead, it’s possible to scale personalized outreach. Namely, our tool has built-in variables that you can add to your messages, which will get populated automatically with the information coming from your leads’ LinkedIn profiles.

Or, if you’re setting up a campaign using a CSV file, you can even define custom variables with any detail(s) you uncovered during your research.

Want to boost your response rate? We’ve got you covered with a native Image and GIF personalization feature. Use it to personalize any image or GIF with you and/or your prospects’ LinkedIn profile image, company logo, or text of your choice, complete with variables.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so trust us when we say your leads will love it! Who knows? You may even get to beat our 76% response rate that resulted from using this feature!

10. Embrace video selling

You might find yourself in a situation where a message or a static image may not fully convey your enthusiasm or explain a complex solution.

That’s when you want to turn to video selling. This involves using video at various stages of your sales process – from sending quick introduction videos during initial outreach to conducting live product demos or personalized walkthroughs on Zoom to even shooting a short, customized “thank you” video after a meeting. 

But why video? Because it helps replace the face-to-face connection that traditional field salespeople would establish in person. It’s simple. Humans trust what they can see, and by putting your face and voice in front of a prospect, you build familiarity and rapport much faster than text alone. Not to mention, it’s novel and shows you put in the effort.

Want to take advantage of video selling all while using Skylead? Well, you can, as our tool integrates with the #1 video selling platform, Sendspark, to bring you AI-powered dynamic video functionality. This means you can create your videos and personalize them at scale using Sendspark, and then include them in your messages, LinkedIn inMails, or emails in Skylead as you would personalized images and GIFs.

11. Sell value, not features (Value-based selling)

Too many salespeople fall into the trap of pitching product features or using buzzwords, which prospects tune out. 

Value-based selling changes this narrative by focusing on the prospect’s needs and how your solution improves their situation (saves money, increases revenue, reduces risk, saves time, etc.). 

In practice, this means your conversations, proposals, and demos should continually answer the buyer’s unspoken question: “What’s in it for me/my company?”

For example, rather than saying:

“Our software has an AI-driven analytics dashboard,” 

You might say:

 “With our software’s AI analytics, you’ll identify sales pipeline bottlenecks in seconds, potentially recovering 10% of deals that would otherwise slip through – directly boosting your quarterly revenue.” 

See the difference? The latter speaks the language of value and outcomes. 

Implementing this tactic requires discovery because you must understand what the prospect values. Just keep in mind that different business decision-makers value different things. A CFO might prioritize ROI or cost savings, whereas an operations manager could care most about efficiency and ease of use. So, you’ll need to adjust your value points accordingly and use metrics or case studies to quantify them.

Value-based selling also means sometimes challenging the buyer if they focus too much on price. This is when you steer the conversation to total value instead. It’s also closely aligned with gap selling because you highlight the gap between where they are and where they could be and emphasize the value of closing that gap.

12. Turn discovery calls into consultations (Consultative selling)

The discovery call is often the first substantive conversation with a prospect – and how you handle it can set the tone for the entire sales cycle. A top-performing tactic is to approach discovery calls as free consulting sessions instead of a qualifying checklist or a sales interrogation. 

In a consultative discovery, your primary goal is to understand the prospect’s world: their challenges, objectives, and constraints. You ask open-ended questions and really listen to the answers. 

But equally important, you provide valuable insights and advice right on that call, even if it means sharing some expertise without an immediate return. Treat the prospect as if they’ve hired you for an hour to improve their business – that mindset shift unlocks a ton of good.​

13. Practice active listening

Andrea insists that truly hearing your prospect is as vital as presenting the perfect solution. 

And no, we're not talking about just nodding along or waiting for your turn to speak. Instead, you need to be all in. Absorb every word they share, then hit them with clarifying questions to confirm you’ve caught the whole meaning behind their words.

14. Study non-verbal cues

Sometimes, listening isn't enough; you also need to study your prospects' behavior to determine if they are receptive to your pitch. Although, this sales tactic only works if you're on a video call. 

If yes, then pay close attention to subtle changes. You'd be surprised by how much a raised eyebrow, a quick glance, or even a change in posture can reveal.

15. Address “elephants in the room” head-on

When something’s clearly off but no one’s mentioning it, just bring it up. In other words, if you sense a lingering concern, be it about budget, competition, or any other obvious roadblock, address it directly. Confronting these issues shows you’re confident and upfront, and it builds trust by clearing the air.

16. Ask for referrals and introductions

One of the quickest ways to generate high-converting leads is to tap into the networks of your satisfied customers and contacts. 

The concept is straightforward: if you have happy customers (or even just happy conversations with prospects who maybe weren’t a fit), ask them if they could refer your company to anyone else who could benefit from your solution.

You can even create referral incentives or programs. Just be careful as, in B2B, professional courtesy and reciprocity are often incentive enough.

The high conversion aspect comes from the fact that referred prospects come in with a positive bias. They’ve heard a success story about you from someone they trust, so half the battle (credibility) is won. Then, it’s up to you to deliver a similarly great experience.

💡 Pro tip: Build a habit of asking for 1 referral at certain milestones (post-implementation, after a big win, upon renewal, etc.).

17. Co-create sales content with the marketing team

Sales and marketing go hand in hand…one just can't exist without the other. As a sales rep, you probably rely on content like e-books, white papers, and case studies to showcase your expertise and build credibility with prospects. 

Imagine if you had to create all that on your own! You'd be bogged down and have little time left to actually close deals. Instead, the smartest move is to feed your insider knowledge to marketing. They’ll take that information and craft compelling content that lets you focus on what you do best—selling.

Speaking of which, we (marketing) teamed up with the sales team to build a Sales playbook that helped scale Skylead in as little as 9 months. Check it out below to pick up a few tricks up your sleeves!

18. Share customer success stories

Storytelling is the art of sales. And the most convincing stories you can tell are those of your existing customers’ success. Thus, it’s not surprising that incorporating customer success stories, case studies, and testimonials into your sales process can dramatically increase conversion. 

This might happen in a variety of ways: you can mention a relatable client example during sales conversations. Alternatively, you can share written or video case studies (the ones your marketing team created) that detail the problem-solution-result journey of a customer. 

You might also bring up testimonials or quotes from happy users when addressing a prospect’s concern. The idea is to prove with evidence that you’ve delivered the results your prospect is looking for to customers just like them​.

Here’s a quick snapshot from our customer success story with Dennis Goyal to paint a better picture of what we’d share:

19. Streamline and simplify the buying process

An often overlooked sales tactic is making it incredibly easy for the buyer to say yes and move forward. Even if you have the best pitch, a prospect’s enthusiasm can fizzle out if the purchasing process becomes painful or complicated. 

As a salesperson, you should advocate for a seamless customer journey, reducing friction at every touchpoint​. Tactics to do this include providing clear and concise proposals that are easy to understand and not filled with jargon or unnecessary info. 

You can also offer to guide the prospect through internal hurdles. For example, suggest you set up a meeting with their finance team if needed to explain pricing and ROI or provide security documentation upfront to satisfy IT reviewers. 

Then, if scheduling a demo or trial, use a simple booking link or be very accommodating to their calendar to avoid delays. You can also introduce self-serve resources for those who prefer it. Some prospects might not be ready for a live call early on, so have recorded demos or interactive product tours available as well. This way, the buyer can explore at their own pace without pressure, which can then lead to a more productive live conversation when they’re ready (and often filters out folks who aren’t serious). 

Being responsive is part of this, too, so answer messages promptly and follow up when you say you will to keep the process moving.

20. Take advantage of automation

Modern sales reps rely on automation tools a lot more than they care to admit. With reason! After all, they help you automate repetitive tasks (e.g., prospecting, initial outreach, scheduling meetings, etc.) so you can focus more on selling and less on admin work.

There are hundreds of automation tools available, starting from B2B prospecting tools and LinkedIn automation tools like Skylead to sales outreach tools and CRMs even.

Of course, the tactic here isn’t to replace the human touch but to support it. Automation can open doors, but it’s your personal engagement that will close the deal.

21. Follow up with customers

You know your job doesn't end once the deal closes, right? To really show you care, you need to keep following up! 

You can try the 3-3-3 rule here: reach out 3 days after the purchase, then 3 weeks later, and finally, 3 months in.

The first check-in, just 3 days after the deal, is your chance to make sure everything’s running smoothly during the onboarding phase. Then, at 3 weeks, you can see if any questions or issues have popped up and let them know that you’re there for them beyond the initial sale. 

Finally, the 3-month mark is your chance to make sure they’re still satisfied, but it’s also the perfect opportunity to ask for a referral, which is a sales tactic we previously discussed.

22. Tap into cross-selling and up-selling opportunities

After you've built a solid relationship with your customers, it's time to consider if they could benefit from additional products or upgrades.

In other words, it’s time to cross-sell or up-sell them.

Cross-selling involves suggesting complementary items that enhance their current solution, whereas up-selling means recommending a higher-tier option that offers extra value.

If a customer mentions a need or challenge that isn't fully addressed by their current setup, that’s your cue to propose a relevant option. 

Keep in mind that your goal is not to push more products on them but to genuinely help them achieve better results. So, present the option as a natural extension of what they already use, and make sure the recommendation aligns with their aspirations and pain points.

23. Collaborate across teams for a seamless buying journey

Complex deals can involve technical questions or unique challenges that a lone salesperson might not solve. Top-performing sales reps aren’t afraid to pull in colleagues from other departments to help close the deal​. After all, teamwork makes the dream work!

As you know, this blog is a direct collaboration between our marketing and sales team. However, there’s a lot more that marketing and sales can collaborate on. 

Remember the buyer intent signals we talked about earlier? Well, say that a marketing team notices that a specific prospect has downloaded multiple eBooks. In that case, they can flag this as a high-priority lead for sales.

Of course, collaboration isn’t limited to these 2 teams. Sales can also collaborate with developers, where they ask them to hop on a demo call to better explain a technical feature. Or, they can collaborate with the customer success team during the onboarding phase. Scenarios are infinite!

24. Audit and analyze sales calls to improve performance

Recording your sales call is not a direct sales tactic. It is, however, something that will help you determine if the other sales tactics you're using are working. Before you've started recording, though, it's important to ask for permission from your prospects. 

Once you have the green light, go through with it. Then, use these recordings to analyze your calls. Look for the moments where you nailed your pitch and, just as importantly, where you stumbled. Use these insights to fine-tune your strategy, improve your responses, and boost your overall performance.

12 sales tactics to avoid using 

Some of these are high-pressure, aggressive, and purely manipulative, while others are simply outdated. Regardless, they all share one thing: they should be left behind in 2025.

1. Overselling

When you push your product too hard, exaggerate its benefits, or promise more than you can deliver, you risk losing credibility and scaring off prospects. 

So, instead of turning your pitch into a desperate sales push, focus on authentic value. Let your track record and genuine benefits speak for themselves—as they should!

2. Fake enthusiasm

Trying to force excitement that doesn't feel real is a red flag—prospects can definitely see through it. 

Rather than going overboard with enthusiasm, it’s better to be genuine. Being authentic doesn’t mean you can’t show passion, but it should actually reflect how you feel about what you're offering. 

After all, real interest and trust are what resonate the most, not a manufactured act, so you better drop it.

3. Rushing leads through the sales cycle

Speed may seem like an asset, but when you rush your leads, you risk undermining the entire relationship. Moving too quickly can come off as pushy, and you might miss the subtleties of what your prospect really needs. 

So, take a moment to genuinely engage, ask questions, and let the dialogue unfold at its natural pace. When you respect your prospect’s timeline, you're more likely to build loyalty and seal the deal on solid ground.

4. Beating around the bush

When you're not rushing your prospect, you might end up dancing around the important points. But being vague and avoiding the heart of the matter leaves your prospect confused and frustrated. 

The trick is to strike a balance—be clear and direct about the value you offer while still allowing the conversation to breathe.

5. Selling to just about anyone

If you're trying to sell to everyone, you're missing the point, which is to focus on those individuals that truly need your solution.

So, target your ICP and buyer persona, and your pitch will become sharper and more relevant, leading to deeper connections and a significant increase in conversion rate.

6. Pitching products, not solutions

One of the biggest rules of sales is to not do to others what you don't want others to do to you. So, put yourself in the prospects' shoes. How would you feel if a rep was talking about product features on and on? Not great, we bet! 

Prospects aren't looking for a spec sheet; they're looking for answers to their problems. Rather than listing features, translate technical details into tangible benefits that directly impact their bottom line.

7. Playing on FOMO (the ‘’Takeaway’’ tactic)

Many reps swear by this tactic, and if we're being completely honest, it does work. But is it ethical? Not so much.

The Takeaway sales tactic plays on the fear of missing out (FOMO). You hint that what you're offering might vanish if the prospect doesn't act right away. Think along the lines of, “This deal is only available for a limited time” or “We might have to pull this offer soon.” The idea is to create a sense of urgency, which compels the prospect to make a quick decision.

Now, while this pressure can sometimes seal the deal, it often leaves prospects feeling cornered. What’s more, the moment a prospect senses that urgency is artificially created, their genuine interest takes a hit.

8. Ignoring objections

Some sales reps might think that if they simply let objections fade into the background, the issue will just disappear. But ignoring objections is a dangerous game that gives room for doubt to grow and for your competition to swoop in.

Instead of hoping the objection will vanish on its own, ask probing questions to understand exactly what’s behind the objection, then address it directly. 

Andrea says that every objection is an opportunity to show you’re listening and that you genuinely care about solving your prospect’s challenges. Neglecting these concerns not only undermines your credibility but can also cause the prospect to feel dismissed, which is something no one wants to experience during a sales negotiation.

9. Using the ‘’higher authority’’ as a bargaining chip

Some reps love to say, “Let me check with my superiors,” even when they already know the answer. This move is essentially a bluff—pretending that you need approval, even though the outcome is already a done deal. 

The idea is to soften the blow by implying that there's room to maneuver so you can later come back with a counteroffer that looks more appealing. 

This might work to ease the conversation momentarily, but it isn’t exactly ethical. Not to mention, it can make you seem like you’re hiding behind someone else’s decision, which may come off as lacking confidence or authority.

10. Overrelying on discounts

Discounts may provide a quick sales boost, but the long-term effects can be damaging. 

In fact, over-discounting can erode your brand’s perceived value and train customers to wait for price cuts instead of purchasing at full price. More often than not, they also signal that your product/service just isn’t worth its regular price.

So, instead of overusing discounts, the smart play is to focus on adding value to your offerings in the form of exclusive features, better service, or loyalty rewards that don’t undercut your brand’s image.

11. Bad-mouthing the competition

We know how tempting it is to highlight a competitor’s shortcomings, but bad-mouthing them is a definite no-no. 

Talking bad about your competitors shows you’re insecure about your offerings or that you’re biased even. What’s more, it’s possible your prospects used their products/services in the past and had a positive experience with them, which means your negative comments are more likely to alienate them.

Thus, a much better approach is to let the strengths and unique benefits of your product/service shine through on their own merits.

Bonus: Using the ‘’follow’’ step on LinkedIn as a touchpoint in an outreach sequence

Including an extra “follow” step in your outreach sequence might seem like it adds a personal touch. But, in reality, it's redundant. 

When you send a connection request, LinkedIn automatically follows that person for you. This means you're essentially duplicating an action that already happened, which clutters your sequence without driving additional engagement. Moreover, adding an extra follow step can dilute your message by interrupting a concise outreach flow. 

The only scenario where it might make sense is if you're at the very end of your sequence and have exhausted other touchpoints. Even then, the impact is minimal since the follow doesn’t create a new interaction.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

1. What are tactics in sales?

Sales tactics are the specific, actionable techniques that you use day-to-day to engage prospects, overcome objections, and ultimately close deals. Think of them as the practical steps you take to implement your overall sales strategy.

2. What is the difference between sales strategy and sales tactics?

A sales strategy is your big-picture plan—it outlines your target market, overall approach, and long-term goals. Sales tactics are the hands-on methods you employ every day to execute that strategy and drive results. Simply put, strategy sets the destination, while tactics chart the course.

3. What is the 3-3-3 rule in sales?

The 3-3-3 rule is a follow-up guideline that helps maintain customer relationships after a sale. It means reaching out 3 days after the purchase to ensure smooth onboarding, then 3 weeks later to address any questions or issues, and finally 3 months in to check satisfaction and ask for referrals.

4. What are aggressive sales tactics? (a.k.a. high-pressure sales tactics)

Aggressive or high-pressure sales tactics involve pushing prospects to make a decision quickly by using relentless follow-ups, urgent language, and sometimes even a confrontational approach. These tactics often leave prospects feeling cornered or overwhelmed, which can damage trust and hurt long-term relationships.

5. How to avoid high-pressure sales tactics?

To avoid high-pressure tactics, focus on building genuine, consultative relationships. Listen actively, provide clear and honest information, and let your prospects make decisions at their own pace. By emphasizing transparency and customer-centric solutions, you build trust without forcing a quick sale.

Unleash your full sales potential with the right sales tactics!

You've just discovered 24 sales tactics that can transform your approach and drive conversions in 2025. 

Now, it's time to put these into action—test, iterate, and fine-tune your process until you’re closing deals like never before.

But if we’re being completely honest, the above sales tactics perform best when combined with high-quality automation tools, such as Skylead. So, don’t wait a second longer! Sign up for your 7-day free trial with Skylead and see how you can pair it up with these proven tactics to make them work in your favor just about every time!

Nowadays, to get qualified prospects, you need a detailed plan and a few B2B prospecting tools. 

A detailed plan will make your lead generation smoother and increase your conversion rate. At the same time, B2B sales prospecting tools help you speed up lead discovery and lead management tasks that would otherwise take up much of your time.

The most widely known prospecting tool is, of course, LinkedIn, the #1 professional social media platform that encourages B2B interactions. Even though LinkedIn prospecting is the best way to find new prospects, a lot of manual work is still involved, such as finding their contact information. 

That said, there are other B2B prospecting tools that can help automate this process for you. And today, we’re bringing you no less than 18 of the best ones for you to analyze!

Disclaimer: Text and table updated on March 5th, 2025.

As a cherry on top, we’ll introduce you to 6 types of sales prospecting tools to help you decide which type(s) is the one you need.

Stick around till the end, as some of the options we’ve included are also free.

What is sales prospecting?

Sales prospecting is the process of identifying potential customers who might be interested in your product or service and then nurturing them into viable sales opportunities. At its core, prospecting is a proactive approach that consists of 3 main parts:

• Research
• Qualification
• Outreach (lead nurturing)

1. Research

This is the stage where you gather data on potential leads. It involves identifying companies and individuals within them that match your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and Buyer Persona.

During the research phase, you typically:

• Explore public records, social media, and business directories.
• Use B2B prospecting tools to collect information.
• Identify business decision makers within target organizations.

2. Qualification

Not every lead will be a good fit for your business, and that’s a fact. 

That’s why the qualification stage exists—to help you determine which ones have the potential to become paying customers.

Here, you:

• Evaluate their needs, budget, and decision-making process.
• Use criteria such as company size, industry, and past buying behavior.
• Prioritize leads based on how closely they match your ICP and their readiness to engage.

3. Outreach

After gathering and qualifying leads, it’s time to reach out and start building relationships.

For the cold outreach part, you can use LinkedIn, email, or combine both as part of the multichannel outreach strategy. You can also do it manually or on autopilot, courtesy of LinkedIn automation tools and cold email software.

But we’ll get to that in a bit.

What are B2B prospecting tools?

B2B prospecting tools are software designed to automate otherwise time-consuming prospecting activities, giving you more time to nurture qualified leads and close the deal. 

Speaking of specific prospecting activities, using these tools, you can:

• Build prospect lists
• Find their contact information
• Qualify prospects
• Schedule meetings
• Nurture them to conversion
• Manage deals

Some tools aim to cover multiple aspects of prospecting, whereas others specialize in specific parts of the process.

Thus, we divided the B2B prospecting tools into 6 different categories based on what they can help you do.

1. Social media prospecting tools

Social media prospecting tools, as their name suggests, are tools that help you find prospects on social media directly. In B2B, that’s typically LinkedIn and X. Most of these take the shape of Chrome extensions, which collect information as you browse these platforms. 

However, they aren’t the safest to use on LinkedIn. As you may know, LinkedIn is against using automation tools. And seeing as Chrome extensions inject code into the platform, they can easily detect when someone is using them. Thus, if you don’t want to get your LinkedIn account restricted, you may be better off using software that’s cloud-based and doesn’t inject code into LinkedIn.

2. Data scrapers

Similarly to social media B2B prospecting tools, data scrapers are designed to automatically gather information, but across the web. These tools crawl websites, directories, and other public sources to extract useful data (e.g., emails, phone numbers, company details, etc) to help you build detailed prospect lists. They are also typically Chrome extensions.

3. Data enrichment tools

The first 2 tool types are meant to help you find the information. Data enrichment tools, on the other hand, verify the accuracy of that same data—especially emails. Why is verifying emails, in particular, important? Because sending messages to invalid addresses can lead to bounces, which risk your domain reputation and hurt your overall outreach efforts.

4. Outreach automation software

You've got the verified prospecting list, and it's time to finally start reaching out to the individuals on them. The thing is, these lists can be extensive, and doing it manually can take weeks, if not months. That's why you need outreach automation software.

These tools allow you to scale your outreach across multiple channels on autopilot and save hours weekly at the same time. Not to mention, they also help you monitor your results since most come with advanced analytics tracking. Some even come with built-in inboxes that keep all your messages—regardless of the channel—in one place, so you can keep the conversations going without going back and forth between the platforms.

5. Sales intelligence platforms

Sales intelligence platforms use predictive prospecting (a type of machine learning) to track buyer signals and deliver actionable insights.

As such, they:

• Monitor when prospects are actively researching or engaging with products.
• Use advanced algorithms to sift through large amounts of data.
• Identify and prioritize prospects showing clear intent.
• Provide detailed reports that reveal market trends, competitive activity, and behavioral patterns.

In other words, these platforms turn complex data into clear insights that empower you to close deals faster.

6. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems

CRMs are not B2B prospecting tools in a traditional sense, meaning they don't help you find or contact your leads. But we did say that the sales prospecting phases cover 3 parts: research, qualification, and outreach. Well, the best CRM software for sales ties all these together. They centralize all your prospect and customer data to make sure every conversation, follow-up, and deal is tracked in one easy-to-access place. You can also connect them to your other prospecting tools to manage your pipeline efficiently and never let a lead slip through the cracks.

Benefits of using B2B prospecting tools

Ok, so you know what sales prospecting tools are. But why use them?

Because, with them, you can expect:

• Improved efficiency & results - They cut out manual tasks and speed up research so you can close 3 times the deals.
• Higher-quality prospects - They help qualify leads, making sure you’re targeting only the best matches for your business.
• A larger pool of prospects - With access to large databases and real-time insights, they help you uncover individuals that you might otherwise miss.

18 best B2B prospecting tools you need in 2025 [+free options included]

And that brings us to the best 18 B2B prospecting tools.

To clarify, all tools listed below are software as a service (SaaS), which means they are entirely delivered over the Internet and are accessible from anywhere on the planet. 

This makes them suitable for anyone interested in sales and marketing automation.

1. Skylead - Best for B2B prospecting overall

Prospecting stage to use it for: Initial outreach and lead nurturing

That’s us! 🙂

But despite that, Skylead is truly one of the best prospecting and sales outreach tools on the market. 

It’s a LinkedIn automation and cold email software that helps you find your B2B leads’ data, maximize touchpoints with your leads, and, therefore, reach them faster. 

How?

Firstly, Skylead connects to LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter accounts. This means individuals can search for prospects via these platforms and import them directly into a Skylead outreach campaign.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you need to search for prospects manually. Rather, you only need to give it the URL to one of the following:

• LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter search
• LinkedIn post
• Sales Navigator lead list
• Recruiter pipeline
• Recruiter talent pool

…and it will automatically extract the leads and pull them into a campaign.

Alternatively, you can import your sales leads via a CSV file or API.

Secondly, Skylead can find and double-verify your B2B leads’ emails without being connected to them, courtesy of a native email discovery & verification feature.

Once you’ve got the leads’ emails, you can use them to engage in unlimited email outreach. Namely, you can connect as many mailboxes as you want to the tool. Then, it will auto-rotate through them to help you send tens of thousands of emails a month at no extra cost.

But instead of using the email channel alone, why not combine it with LinkedIn? After all, with this multichannel outreach approach, you can maximize getting in touch with every lead. Luckily, you can do just that with our Smart sequences.

Smart sequences are a type of outreach sequences that combine LinkedIn and email actions with if/else conditions to form coherent outreach flows that unfold according to leads’ behavior.

The supported actions and conditions are as follows:

There’s no right or wrong way to build your Smart sequence; you can build it any way you like! But if you’re doing it for the first time, we advise you take a look at some of our proven-to-work Smart sequence templates for guaranteed results!

To further boost your outreach, we’ve got a native Image & GIF personalization feature. Using it, you can improve your response rate by 76% and more!

Pricing

Skylead has an All-in-one pricing plan of $100 per seat/month. In other words, you get all the features we offer, plus InboxFlare, at a single price.

Curious to see how it all works? Sign up for our 7-day free trial to test out all of Skylead’s features and then some!

2. LinkedIn Sales Navigator - Best for sales prospecting on LinkedIn

Prospecting stage to use it for: Research

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a Premium subscription plan built for salespeople to discover and connect with the most qualified leads for their business. However, Sales Navigator is different than other LinkedIn Premium plans in that it has its own platform.

It’s considered one of the best B2B prospecting tools for sales and comes with features such as:

• Buyer intent
• Persona
• Save search
• Lead lists
• Sales Navigator alerts
• Smart links
• Lead insights
• Single-click account research

But if we were to pick its standout feature, it’d definitely be LinkedIn Sales Navigator filters. Namely, the platform comes with a total of 29 Lead filters and 15 Account filters, 27 of which are unique to the platform. These are perfect for handpicking high-quality prospects, getting company data, segmenting target accounts, and so on. 

Sales Navigator is powerful alone, but it’s best when used with a LinkedIn automation tool and cold email software such as Skylead. To clarify, you can import leads through a Sales Navigator search result or a Lead list. Once you do, you can create the outreach sequence with the highest number of touchpoints with your leads. 

Pricing

LinkedIn Sales Navigator has 3 pricing plans:

However, bear in mind that these prices don’t include VAT (value-added tax), meaning the exact price for you will depend on your geolocation.

Thus, to inquire more about the LinkedIn Sales Navigator cost, especially its Advanced Plus plan, it’s best to schedule a demo with LinkedIn’s team.

3. Clearout - Best for AI-powered B2B sales prospecting

Prospecting stage to use it for: Research

Clearout is an AI-based sales prospecting tool that simplifies lead generation with its email-finding, real-time email verification, and LinkedIn prospecting features. 

It enables users to extract pre-verified contact information from LinkedIn profiles, Sales Navigator, and its in-app search. 

With bulk prospecting, auto-scraping from LinkedIn, and detailed analytics, Clearout helps businesses save time, improve outreach, and connect with the right prospects effortlessly.

Beyond LinkedIn and in-app prospecting, Clearout helps businesses find accurate leads with pre-verified contacts, a confidence score, and a strict domain check. It also provides an advanced email verification service that performs 20+ validation checks to ensure 99% accuracy and increase email deliverability rates.

Unlike other tools, Clearout ensures that every prospect matches your ICP, increasing engagement and boosting conversion rates. Its built-in data enrichment feature keeps your database fresh by updating contact details in real time, thereby preventing outdated or inaccurate information from degrading CRM data quality.

Clearout also offers both individual and team accounts, making it ideal for enterprises looking to scale their sales prospecting efforts while maintaining data accuracy and efficiency.

Pricing

Clearout has 5 pricing plans for both email verification and email finding:

4. HubSpot - Best for prospecting and lead management

Prospecting stage to use it for: Qualification and outreach

Another tool that is widely used for prospecting and lead management is HubSpot. They offer a free CRM solution to help anyone track their prospect lists and outreach stages. 

This free CRM helps you take complete control of your sales process, starting with creating your prospect lists. Once you import new prospects, Hubspot’s enrichment feature will give you essential company insights. 

Pricing

On top of the above free option, Hubspot also has a paid version within its Sales Hub product, a.k.a. all-in-one sales software.

They offer 2 plans:

While they differ in features slightly, the following are some of the main ones:

• Email sequences and email campaigns;
• ABM tools & tools to automate lead generation; 
• Workflow integration with other apps;
• Target accounts dashboard;
• Website visitor identification to send personalized emails or live chat replies;
• Sales forecasting based on data from contact databases.

5. ZoomInfo - Best for gathering extensive company and contact data insights

Prospecting stage to use it for: Research

ZoomInfo is a B2B database and a Chrome extension used by salespeople, marketing, and talent acquisition professionals. Accordingly, it has 3 pricing plans:

• Sales - offers sales teams company data, such as insights, buying intent signals, and accurate emails and employees’ phone numbers.
• Marketing gives contact information, advanced company insights, and digital marketing solutions for display advertising. What’s more, marketers gain access to plugins, website chat, and forms management for lead generation. 
• Lastly, Talent provides recruiters with advanced candidate search with accurate contact information, candidate alerts, and different engagement apps and integrations.

Keep in mind that it's not entirely necessary to buy contact data from companies such as ZoomInfo, though.

Instead, you can use Skylead's "Email finder & verifier" feature as part of your outreach workflow. This way, you can gather all B2B contact data such as company name, business email & domain.

Pricing

To get pricing for each plan, you must leave your contact information and jump on a call with their sales representative. 

In addition, the word on the street is that ZoomInfo makes contracts with companies, not single users, which implies the pricing is high. So, if a minimum of 3 seats per contract is not for you, you should consider using other solutions.

6. ContactOut - Best B2B prospecting tool for quick LinkedIn contact extraction on a free plan

Prospecting stage to use it for: Research

Inspired by ZoomInfo, ContactOut is a subscription-based Chrome extension database for LinkedIn prospecting suitable for occasional searches.

Namely, it has a free plan that allows you to search up to 5 emails and 5 phone numbers and works for basic LinkedIn profiles only. 

ContactOut’s free plan can also be an excellent way to test the database before committing to a paid pricing plan. 

Pricing

Speaking of pricing, ContactOut has 3 paid plans, billed monthly:

• Email plan costs $49 per user a month. It offers unlimited email searches and up to 300 contact exports. In addition, it gives you access to their email campaign features, which lets you use the platform for outreach as well.
• Email + Phone plan goes for $99 per user a month. This plan offers unlimited email and phone searches. In addition, with this plan, you can verify your prospects’ emails and use its AI email writer for email campaigns.
• Lastly, a customized plan, Team/API provides you with API access, allows for team collaboration, and connects with Recruiter Pro accounts. However, you need to contact their sales reps to get a quote on this one. 

7. Lusha - Best for getting accurate contact details from LinkedIn profiles

Prospecting stage to use it for: Research

Another solution similar to ZoomInfo is Lusha. This B2B prospecting tool helps you find prospects that belong to your ideal customer profile and respective decision-makers. 

Lush does this by accessing your LinkedIn account and using the Chrome extension to scrape your leads’ contact information, like company name or email. 

However, remember that Chrome extensions are not the safest since they inject code into this social media platform. In other words, LinkedIn can easily detect this code and get your account restricted.

Pricing

Lusha has 4 pricing plans, with the following main features:

• Free - 70 credits to enrich contacts and get phone numbers or email verifications. Surprisingly, with the free plan, you even get to automate your email outreach using their email sequencing feature.
• Pro - Starts from $19.90/mo and includes 3 seats and 200 shared credits. This plan also grants access to some of their more advanced features, including intent signals, intent filter, and job change alerts.
• Premium - Starts at $69.90/mo and includes 5 seats and 800 shared credits. The plan included everything in Pro,  but if you need additional credits, you can buy them at a 20% reduced rate compared to the former.
• Scale - Custom plan. It offers everything from the previous plans, plus contact enrichment in bulk, CSV enrichment, intent signals, Salesforce integration, and so on. However, Lusha requires you to schedule a call with their sales reps for pricing details.

8. SalesIntel - Best for its human-verified, reliable contact database

Prospecting stage to use it for: Qualification and research

Another database classified as a pretty good outbound sales prospecting tool is SalesIntel. They provide 95% accurate and human-verified account and contact data so you can search through and find your ICP or a decision-maker.

They have 90 million contacts and 22 million company records, including 17 million SaaS decision-makers. This is a nifty tool because you only need to insert the firmographic or demographic filters and let SalesIntel do its job. After you find your leads, you can import them to your outreach tool and create your LinkedIn, multichannel, or email sequences. 

Pricing

SalesIntel has one standard plan that offers:

• Unlimited emails and phone exports if you prefer cold calling; 
• Account and contact enrichments;
• Unlimited saved searches;
• Sales intelligence Account firmographic and technographic filters;
• Buyer intent signals;
• Integrations with popular CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce).

However, you’d need to contact their sales reps for a custom quote. 

9. Seamless AI - Best for real-time data verification

Prospecting stage to use it for: Qualification and research

Like SalesIntel, this outbound B2B prospecting tool is a simple database solution to find new leads. 

Sales professionals use Seamless AI to get real-time data verification, such as social media profiles and company insights, and use an email finder.

Salespeople can also use sales intelligence, aka buyer intent, to increase their prospecting efforts and determine their ICP’s needs. This way, they can write the right messaging and even follow-up emails after no response.

Lastly, Seamless AI offers data for social media advertising via lookalike audiences and retargeting to drive inbound B2B leads. 

Pricing

Seamless AI has 3 plans:

• Free - Up to 50 credits for email or phone number search and real-time search engine for 1 user.
• Pro - A pay-by-user plan that provides everything in Basic plus daily credit refresh, integrations, job changes, buyer intent data, live training webinars, priority support, and a dedicated success manager.
• Enterprise - Everything in Pro plus custom credits per user and phone support. 

They don’t reveal pricing details on their website. This means you need to reach out to their team for precise information.

10. Leadfeeder - Best for identifying website visitors and turning them into leads

Prospecting stage to use it for: Qualification and research

Leadfeeder is a prospecting software that helps ABM managers step up their lead generation game. To clarify, Leadfeeder has an IP enrichment API feature that can transform IP addresses into firmographic data in real time. 

In other words, once a lead visits your website, Leadfeeder can recognize the companies and filter out the ones that are not interested. 

In addition, it can filter visitors by country, industry, or pages they visited. You can then use the Leadfeeder Contacts feature to identify decision-makers from that company. Or you can personalize your chat to send particular messages depending on their behavior. 

Once you generate leads, you can integrate Leadfeeder with your CRM, such as Salesforce. This way, you can push the potential customers’ information along with the notification to your salespeople and help out their prospecting efforts.

Lastly, with Leadfeeder, you can monitor existing customers’ behavior. This way, if you see any anomaly, you can alert sales professionals, improve their sales process, and prevent potential churn.

Pricing

Leadfeeder has 2 pricing plans:

• Free - No time limit, data from the last 7 days only, up to 100 companies identification.
• Paid - Starting at $99 per month and is paid annually. It includes unlimited users, website visitor company identification, and other features listed above. 

11. Aeroleads - Best B2B prospecting tool for extracting contact information across the Web

Prospecting stage to use it for: Research

If you primarily run cold email outbound campaigns, then AeroLeads is for you. AeroLeads simplifies your sales process with the email verification feature that can find business and personal emails. In addition, this tool can even find phone numbers if you prefer cold calling. 

Only keep in mind that you’d need to use their Chrome extension to extract these emails from LinkedIn or Sales Navigator, Aeroleads search, and other websites. 

In addition, you can send your LinkedIn prospect to your CRM via a plugin, thus sending a notification to your sales team. 

Pricing

Aeroleads has 4 pricing plans:

• Take off - Goes for $49 a month per user. It gives you 2,000 monthly credits, which you can use to enrich emails. In addition, you get contact data such as company name, phone number, or title, integrations, and prospect discovery from LinkedIn, Crunchbase, etc.
• Climb - Costs $149 for 5 users per month. It offers everything in the previous plan, plus 8,000 monthly credits.
• Cruise - Costs $299 a month for an unlimited number of users and 20,000 credits.
• Enterprise - This is a custom plan, meaning it's tailored according to your requirements. You need to get in touch with Aeroleads’ team for a quote, though.

12. Rocketreach - Best for global contact and company database access

Prospecting stage to use it for: Research and outreach

This is one of the best sales databases, with 700M profiles and 60M companies that you can search by title, industry, and company details. 

In addition, with Rocketreach, you can find social media profiles and discover company connections from any platform. They also claim to have global email and phone coverage and an email finder with a 90-98% deliverability rate on found emails.

Rocketreach supports integrations with popular CRM and comes with a B2B intent data feature, which helps you find prospects who are actively exploring solutions like yours.

They’ve also added the sales engagement feature to their platform, which lets you create automated workflows to discover and engage with prospects.

Pricing

Rocketreach offers Individual and Team plans.

Individual plans come in 3 and include:

13. Salesloft - Best B2B prospecting tool with integrated sales engagement features

Prospecting stage to use it for: Qualification and outreach

This is a sales engagement platform that you can use to:

• Track your prospecting process, 
• Discover what stage your leads are in,
• Find out the next steps you need to take
• Calculate the closed deal value and LTV.

In addition, Salesloft makes it easy for you to make calls, create automated email sequences with follow-ups, and schedule meetings through the platform. Not to mention, it will automatically sync all information with your CRM. 

Moreover, Salesloft can identify sales leads’ buyer engagement on your website and in your communication so you can act on situations fast. 

Lastly, you can create a library of email templates, and the tool will keep track of the number of emails sent, clicks, and replies. This way, you’ll know what follow-ups or cold email templates are performing best. 

Pricing

Salesloft has 2 pricing plans:

• Advanced
• Premier

Both offer the same feature, though with Premier, users also get automatic forecast roll-up, submission, and AI-driven next actions.

They don’t disclose the pricing for each of these, however. Thus, you need to schedule a call with their sales team to get the pricing for each.

14. Datanyze - Best for B2B prospecting with contextual insights

Prospecting stage to use it for: Research

The next tool that can help your B2B prospecting process is Datanyze. 

Essentially, it's a Chrome extension to help you gather the sales lead info from LinkedIn and other company websites. 

In addition, Datanyze provides ideas for icebreakers by what is happening in a prospect's world, curated from personal social media feeds, current weather, etc.

Pricing

Datanyze has 3 clear pricing plans:

15. Voila Norbert - Best for precise email discovery

Prospecting stage to use it for: Research

Voila Norbert is an extension-based email finder tool that, in addition, offers email verification and enrichment services. In other words, if you want to collect data beyond emails, Voila Norbert can find the prospect’s location, job title, and social media profiles. All you need to start is a prospect’s name and company URL. 

With a 98% success rate and ease of use, Voila Norbert can find any email provider, including Gmail. And this is why it ranks among the best sales B2B prospecting tools for lead generation. 

Pricing

Voila Norbert has 4 basic pricing plans. Every plan includes 50 bulk workers and API usage, and:

• Valet ($49 per month) offers 1,000 leads per month;
• Butler ($99 per month) provides 5,000 leads per month;
• With Advisor ($249 per month), you get up to 15,000 leads per month;
• Counselor costs $499, and it offers 50K leads a month.

However, verification and enrichment services are charged separately: 

• One verified email costs $0.003, 
• and email enrichment costs $0.04 per email. 

16. Hunter - Best B2B prospecting tool with a free plan overall

Prospecting stage to use it for: Research and outreach

Another software on our best sales B2B prospecting tools list is Hunter. This is a Chrome extension tool that can find emails by company or name and verify them. It can also perform a domain search to find out who to contact within the company. 

Hunter also has a solution for email outreach called Hunter Campaigns that you can use to automate cold email campaigns and follow-ups from your Gmail and Outlook accounts. Nonetheless, they are still mostly used for email discovery.

Lastly, you can integrate Hunter with any other tool and, for example, push your high-quality leads to your CRM.

Pricing

Hunter has 4 pricing plans:

17. Evaboot - Best for scraping Sales Navigator

Prospecting stage to use it for: Research

Evaboot is a Sales Navigator scraper. To clarify, it is a Chrome extension-based tool that finds emails using Sales Navigator and adds additional data such as name, company size, and job title. Then, you can later export data via CSV and use it elsewhere. 

It can automatically clean emojis or symbols from names, job titles, and company names. Moreover, it can detect leads that do not fit your Buyer Persona and remove them automatically.

Pricing

Evaboot has a single plan that starts from $9 and builds to $499 a month, depending on the number of credits you get.

Credits correspond to either 1 lead or account exported or 1 email found.

To put it in perspective, $9 will get you 100 credits, whereas $499 will get you 50,000. For more information on costs and credits, be sure to check their pricing page.

18. GetProspect - Best B2B prospecting tool with simple email sequencing

Prospecting stage to use it for: Research and outreach

Last but not least, we have GetProspect. This is a simple email-finder solution that scrapes the contacts from LinkedIn using the Chrome extension.

Moreover, they have a B2B contact database, which you can access, find leads via 15 filtering options, and get real-time data and email verifications. 

They also have a cold email software built in, which you can use with your Gmail or Microsoft account. However, you can only use it to build simple email sequences with follow-ups.

Pricing

GetProspect has 3 pricing plans:

Frequently asked questions

How do you prospect in B2B?

B2B prospecting involves identifying potential customers and nurturing them into qualified leads. It requires researching companies and decision-makers, qualifying prospects based on fit, and engaging them through personalized outreach to build a strong sales pipeline.

What is a sales prospecting tool?

A sales prospecting tool is software that automates lead discovery and management. It compiles prospect lists, retrieves and verifies contact details, qualifies leads, and often integrates with CRMs, helping sales teams focus on closing deals.

What is the best tool for prospecting?

The best prospecting tool is one that meets your business needs. It should streamline lead research, verification, and outreach while integrating with your existing systems. Evaluate options based on functionality, usability, and scalability to optimize your prospecting process.

How do these tools ensure data privacy and comply with regulations like GDPR?

B2B prospecting tools prioritize data privacy and compliance with regulations like GDPR by implementing secure data-handling practices and providing features for consent management.

What integration capabilities do these tools have with existing sales and marketing platforms?

These tools often feature robust integration capabilities with popular CRM and sales platforms, facilitating seamless data flow and activity tracking across sales ecosystems.

For businesses with global outreach, how do these tools handle and segment data across different regions and languages?

For global outreach, many B2B prospecting tools offer functionalities to segment and manage data by region and language, enabling businesses to tailor their strategies to diverse markets.

Choose your ideal B2B prospecting tool with ease!

Choosing the right B2B prospecting tools can be challenging. But not necessarily—as long as you start the research by defining what you need. 

If, for example, you need an email finder only, then use tools such as Voila Norbert or GetProspect. However, if you need an entire database, check SalesIntel or ContactOut.

But if you find yourself in a situation where you need all the above plus the multichannel solution to reach out to prospects at scale, then choose Skylead. Simple as that!

Speaking of Skylead, do you want to try it out for free? Then sign up for a 7-day free trial, and we’ll onboard you in no time. 😊 

In business, no deal is made without one person: a decision maker. Business decision makers are the ones who have the power to turn your pitch into a yes—or shut it down completely.

But the thing is, they aren't always so easy to find and reach out to. Not to mention, even when you think you're talking to one, there’s a chance you’re not.

So, how do you actually get your product/service in front of those who call the shots?

Since our Head of Sales, Andrea, has plenty of experience talking to business decision makers, we consulted her on the matter. And now, we are bringing her findings to help you:

• Identify B2B decision makers based on role, hierarchy, and behavior,
• Find them in real-life situations,
• And reach out to them effectively.

We’ll also teach you the right way to pitch to these individuals to close 3 times the deals!

Shall we?

What are business decision makers?

Business decision makers are the people in a company who have the authority to make important calls. For example, they approve budgets, sign off on partnerships, and decide which products or services to buy. Without them, no major decision moves forward.

Why are decision makers important in business?

Decision makers are responsible for shaping the direction of a business. In other words, their choices directly impact a company’s success—or failure.

They are especially invaluable in B2B environments because they:

• Drive progress - By deciding where resources go, which strategies to pursue, which partnerships to form, and more.
• Maximize efficiency - They prioritize initiatives and allocate resources in ways that ensure teams focus on what truly matters without getting distracted.
• Shape the future - They identify trends and adapt strategies to keep the company ahead of the competition, thereby setting the foundation for long-term success.
• Create opportunities -  They explore new possibilities through strategic decision-making. This can include entering untapped markets, facilitating collaboration with key industry players, or supporting initiatives that lead to fresh revenue streams.
• Unlock potential - Their approval enables teams and companies to act on ideas, scale operations, and achieve goals faster.

Who are business decision makers by role and hierarchy?

Some titles have become synonymous with decision-making. 

But the truth is, whether or not someone is considered a decision-maker depends not so much on their title but more on the company’s size, structure, and the type of decisions being made.

Regardless, there are certain roles and hierarchical levels where they’re commonly found.

C-Level executives

These are the ultimate decision makers in most organizations and are defined by titles such as:

• CEO - Chief executive officer
• CFO - Chief financial officer
• CTO - Chief technical officer
• CMO - Chief marketing officer

C-level executives are responsible for the big-picture strategy, resource allocation, and final approvals on major decisions (e.g., high-stakes partnerships, significant investments, organizational changes).

Department heads and directors

Another type of decision makers are department heads (e.g., Head of Sales, Head of Marketing, IT Director, etc.). 

These individuals don’t have the final say in multi-million-dollar deals. Nonetheless, since they know their departments best, they often make decisions on a department level. This is especially true in larger organizations.

Managers and team leads

At a more granular level, managers and team leads can make decisions about operational matters. They don’t control the company’s overall direction, but they often influence decisions by identifying needs, shortlisting options, and providing feedback to higher-ups. If you’re pitching a service or product that solves everyday challenges, these individuals can be your entry point.

Hierarchy matters—but so does context

No company has the same structure, and who’s in charge will often depend on the size of the organization.

For example, in small business environments, decision-making may rest solely on the owner or founder. 

Meanwhile, in mid-sized companies, decisions typically involve multiple layers of authority, starting from managers to directors. 

As for enterprise-level organizations, these often require consultation between cross-departmental teams and C-level executives.

Thus, you need to understand where decision makers sit within the specific company’s hierarchy. Only then can you be sure you’re targeting the right individuals.

5 Types of business decision makers based on behavior

Job titles and hierarchy can clue you in on who decision makers might be. But it’s their behavior that tells the full story.

That said, here are 5 types of business decision makers according to the way they make decisions. You’ll also find questions they may ask to help you recognize them, actionable tips on how to approach them, along with message templates.

1. Brand centric

These decision makers are heavily influenced by a brand’s reputation and image. For them, trust in your company is just as important as the quality of your product or service.

They’ll ask questions like:

• What’s your track record in the industry?
• Who else have you worked with?
• Is your company seen as an industry leader?

How to approach them:

Highlight your brand’s credibility because that’s what they are drawn to. To do so, use case studies, testimonials, or showcase awards your company has received.

Template:

Hi {{FirstName}},

I’ve noticed how {{CompanyName}} consistently stands out in the {{Industry}} space. 

Companies like yours have, with our help, won industry awards, built credibility, and boosted customer trust by {{X%}} in under {{Timeframe}}.

I’d love to explore how we can enhance your brand’s reputation and set you apart from the competition. Would you be open to a quick call this week?

Best,

Real-life example:

2. Multifocal

Multifocal decision makers consider multiple angles when making a choice. They look at how a decision impacts various aspects of the business, including budget, operations, scalability, and team morale. 

They’re the ones saying:

• How does this fit with our long-term strategy?
• Will this disrupt existing workflows?
• What are the potential trade-offs?

How to approach them:

Show how your product or service benefits their organization across the board.

Template:

Hey {{FirstName}},

It must be hard juggling costs, operations, and long-term growth at {{CompanyName}}. 

At {{YourCompany}}, we specialize in {{YourSpecialty}} that {{SpecificBenefit}}.

I’d love to share a quick overview of how our platform adapts seamlessly across various departments, ensuring every angle of your operation is covered. Care for a quick demo or call?

Best,

Real-life example:

3. Aggregators

Aggregators are all about gathering data, input, and opinions before making a decision. In other words, they seek consensus and rely on feedback from their teams or peers. 

You’ll commonly find them saying:

• I’ll need to discuss this with my team.
• Can you provide more information for us to review?

How to approach them:

Equip them with detailed resources and supporting materials such as product demos, white papers, or detailed proposals they can share with their team. Be patient, though, as these process-oriented individuals value thoroughness over speed.

Template:

Hi {{FirstName}},

I understand you often gather input from various stakeholders before making big decisions at {{CompanyName}}. 

To help streamline that process, I have a comprehensive set of resources—{{SpecificResources}}—that you can share with your team.

Once everyone has had a chance to review, I’d be happy to discuss specific needs and concerns to ensure a perfect fit. 

Interested in getting these materials?

Best,

Real-life example:

4. Risk-takers

Risk-takers are bold business decision makers who prioritize innovation and speed. As such, they’re willing to embrace uncertainty for the potential of big rewards. 

You’ll hear them say things like:

• Let’s be the first to try this out.
• We’re looking for a game-changer.

How to approach them:

Focus on innovation and differentiation, all while emphasizing what makes your solution unique and how it can give them a competitive edge. Nonetheless, be ready to discuss contingency plans, to let them know you’ve considered potential risks.

Template:

Hi {{FirstName}},

I noticed your track record at {{CompanyName}}, and it shows me you’re open to bold moves that can give you a competitive edge. 

Our latest solution, {{YourProduct}}, is still in development but has already shown a {{X%}} increase in efficiency among early adopters.

If you’re interested in pioneering something fresh and innovative, let’s chat. I’d be happy to share how we handle any potential bumps in the road.

Best,

Real-life example:

5. Cautious

The opposite of risk-takers, cautious decision makers prioritize safety and predictability. Thus, they’re methodical and prefer to stick with tried-and-true solutions. 

Common phrases include:

• Has this been proven in similar industries?
• What’s the guarantee this will work?
• What’s the ROI, and how soon can we expect it?

How to approach them:

Provide reassurance. In other words, use proven results, ROI data, and clear timelines to put their minds at ease.

Template:

Hi {{FirstName}},

I noticed you value tried-and-true solutions with clear payback. 

{{YourCompanyName}}’s approach has helped clients across {{Industry}} achieve up to {{X%}} ROI within {{Timeframe}}—and we document every stage to keep you informed and reduce uncertainty.

I’d be happy to walk you through these results and answer any questions about the timeline or implementation. Interested in a brief call?

Best,

Real-life example:

How to find the right business decision makers for your business

Now that you know who business decision makers are and how they think, it’s time to find them. 

Decision makers may not always be visible, but they’re not hiding either.

That said, here are 3 steps to take to make sure you catch them where they are.

Step 1: Develop your ICP and Buyer Persona

Before you start searching for business decision makers, you need to know exactly who you’re looking for. And that starts with creating your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and Buyer Persona.

Although these 2 terms are interchangeable, they differ in that:

• ICP defines the perfect company for your product or service based on factors like industry, company size, revenue, and pain points.
• Buyer Persona focuses on the individual within that company, covering their role, goals, challenges, and decision-making behavior.

Why is it important to define both, though? 

Because, by doing so, you’ll know:

• Which companies to target (e.g., mid-sized tech firms with 200-500 employees facing scaling challenges).
• Who the decision makers are (e.g., CTOs struggling with operational efficiency).
• What messaging resonates with them (e.g., cost-saving benefits, operational improvements, or competitive advantages).

That said, to actually define both your ICP and Buyer Persona, start by:

1. Analyzing your existing customers and identifying patterns in their industry, company size, and pain points.
2. Talking to your sales and support team, seeing as they interact with potential and existing customers daily. Thereby, they can provide valuable insight into their requirements and common objections.
3. Defining key attributes. For ICP, these can be location, industry, revenue, and the growth stage. Meanwhile, when it comes to your Buyer Persona, you can concentrate on the job title, responsibilities, challenges, and goals.

We wrote 2 detailed blogs that explain exactly how you can create both your Ideal Customer Profile and Buyer Persona. So, be sure to check those out!

Step 2: Zero in on them using LinkedIn or Sales Navigator

Given that LinkedIn is home to over 65 million business decision makers across the globe, including over 10 million C-level executives, it's clear it's THE place to hunt them.

There are a few ways to go about it, and they involve using:

• LinkedIn search
• Sales Navigator
• LinkedIn Boolean search

That said, let’s show you exactly how you can use all of these for LinkedIn prospecting.

1. Finding business decision makers using LinkedIn search

The simplest way is to type specific job titles into the search bar (e.g., CEO, Head of Sales, Marketing Director, etc).

However, if you want to get more precise results, we recommend you further refine the search using LinkedIn filters.

To activate filters, type anything you want in the search bar, be that a job title, a company name, etc., and hit enter. Alternatively, you can run a blank search. 

Then, right under the Navigation bar, you’ll find a couple of highlighted filters, along with the ‘’All filters’’ button. 

Click it to open a sidebar menu that contains all filters you can apply to your search, such as:

• Current company
• Past company
• School
• Industry
• Location
• etc.

The next step is to select filters relevant to your ICP and Buyer Persona and click ‘’Show results’’. 

As a result, you’ll get a list of all LinkedIn profiles that match your requirements.

📝 Note: No matter how many profiles show up in your search, LinkedIn only lets you see the first 1,000 results (that’s 100 pages with 10 profiles each). So, it’s best to refine your search as much as possible. Or, better yet—use Skylead to discover leads. But we’ll talk more about that later.

2. Finding business decision makers using Sales Navigator

If you thought LinkedIn search filters were powerful, wait till you see what Sales Navigator has got!

In fact, LinkedIn Sales Navigator Filters include a total of 29 Lead filters and 15 Account filters that allow you to target decision makers with laser precision, 27 of which are exclusive to the platform. In other words, the latter aren’t available to subscribers to LinkedIn Premium, Recruiter, or basic LinkedIn users.

To get to these, go to the search bar and select either “Lead” or “Account” filters, depending on whether you’re looking for business decision makers directly or companies they work for.

Once you do, you’ll be able to apply any filters you wish to refine search results.

Here’s a sneak peek into all the available filters.

After applying filters, Sales Navigator will list all leads that fit your criteria on the right side of the screen.

What’s more, the platform even lets you save your search with all applied filters. Thanks to this feature, you can revisit your search anytime instead of setting it up all over again. 

To actually save your search, just toggle the corresponding button to the right.

Then, every time you go to the Saved search dashboard, you’ll see:

• The last time you accessed the Saved search.
• The number of new leads added since your last visit.

Rather than saving the entire search, you can also organize your leads into Lead lists.

To do so, identify leads you believe are the decision makers you wish to keep tabs on. 

Then, click “Save” and either create a new list or add them to an existing one.

Finally, the last way you can find business decision makers on Sales Navigator involves using its Personas feature.

To use it, go to the “Personas” tab (you can access it via search or the homepage).

Then, click “Create a new persona”...

…define the following:

• Job title (e.g., Director of Sales)
• Function (e.g., Marketing, Sales)
• Seniority level (e.g., Director)
• Current job title (e.g., Director of Sales Operations)
• Geography (e.g., North America)

…and save.

Once your Persona is created, Sales Navigator will automatically add leads that match these criteria.

By default, Sales Navigator provides 2 preset Personas: Director+ and CXO. Nonetheless, you can create up to 3 additional custom ones according to your LinkedIn sales strategy.

📝 Note: Much like LinkedIn, Sales Navigator also has a search limit, meaning you can only view up to 2,500 profiles per search. Thus, we recommend you refine your search as much as possible using the available filters.

Bonus: Monitor job changes to find new decision makers

People change jobs, get promoted, or switch roles, which can impact your targeted outreach strategy. 

To make sure this doesn’t happen (and stay ahead of your competition), it’s important to keep track of job changes.

One of the best ways to do so is by using the Sales Navigator Alerts feature, which notifies you of important updates related to your leads and accounts, including when a decision-maker moves to a new role or company (among other things).

All you have to do to receive alerts is save a lead or account. Then, you’ll find all the updates on the Sales Navigator homepage.

But why track job changes? Because doing so allows you to:

• Reach out to decision makers at the right time since new hires and promotions often come with fresh budgets and opportunities.
• Gain a competitive edge by reaching out to them before your competitors.
• Strengthen relationships. For example, you can congratulate these individuals on their new roles to build rapport naturally.

📝 Pro tip: Set up ‘’New Decision Makers’’ alerts for specific companies (accounts) to get wind of new business decision makers as soon as they enter the picture.

3. Finding business decision makers using Boolean search

Want to take your search up a notch? Boolean search is a powerful way to do just that.

It’s a simple search technique that helps you filter through large amounts of data and zero in on exactly what (or who) you’re looking for. What’s more, it works in any field where you can type keywords.

That said, these are the Boolean operators you can use across LinkedIn and Sales Navigator:

• AND – Shows results that include both terms. (e.g., CMO AND B2B)
• OR – finds profiles containing either term. (e.g., CEO OR Founder)
• NOT – Excludes unwanted terms from your search. (e.g., Manager NOT Assistant)
• Quotation Marks (“ ”) – Searches for exact phrases. (e.g., ‘’Chief Technology Officer’’)
• Parentheses ( ) – Groups search terms for more complex queries. ( e.g., (“Marketing Director” OR “CMO”) AND “SaaS”)

💡 Pro tip: To make the most of Boolean search, mix and match these operators.

Step 3: Research and compile lead data 

So, you’ve identified business decision makers through LinkedIn or Sales Navigator?

Then it’s time to research deep into them and compile data that you’ll later use for outreach.

You can do this manually by reviewing your leads’ LinkedIn profiles, focusing on their LinkedIn headline, LinkedIn summary, work experience, posts, and activity. 

While this manual approach can provide you with valuable information, it can be time-consuming. Thus, to speed things up, you are better off using LinkedIn automation tools. And our very own Skylead is one of the best such tools for the job!

Namely, Skylead has a handy Discover leads feature that automates the process of gathering valuable data about prospects. This feature collects all publicly available information from a LinkedIn profile, thereby helping you save 11+ hours a week on research alone.

What’s more, if you're using a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search URL as your lead source, Skylead can refresh the search periodically to capture new leads that fit your criteria and, thus, help you bypass the search limits. Provided you turn the option on, that is.

After gathering all the necessary details—whether manually or through Skylead—compile everything into a CSV file. Then, you can upload that same CSV file into Skylead to reach out to business decision makers at scale.

But more on that in a bit. 🙂

How to reach business decision makers

You know who you should be contacting. Now, it’s the time to actually do so.

You could go about cold outreach manually, but why not put it all on autopilot with Skylead?

Skylead is a one-stop-shop LinkedIn automation and cold email software that works with all LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter accounts

That said, it lets you create outreach campaigns that incorporate automated LinkedIn and email actions using:

• LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter Search URLs
• Sales Navigator Lead lists
• LinkedIn Post
• Recruiter Pipeline URLs
• Recruiter Talent Pool
• CSV files

Today, we’ll show you how to launch a CSV-based campaign. 

Start by manually reviewing your leads’ LinkedIn profiles, paying special attention to:

• Job title and responsibilities – To verify they truly hold the decision-making position.
• Company size, industry, and locale – To make sure they match your target market.
• Recent activity – Posts, shares, and engagement can give you insights into their interests and pain points.
• Connections – To see if you have any mutual connections who can introduce you.

Once you’ve got the details, it’s time to create a Skylead-friendly CSV file. 

Here, you can find detailed instructions on how to format it and what columns to include to ensure Skylead picks up proper information. This is especially true if you’d like to use our native message variables for personalized outreach, a.k.a. placeholders that automatically get populated with your leads’ information.

Skylead has these predefined…

…which you add to the file by including columns with names formatted like this:

Nonetheless, you can add as many columns as you want to to create your own custom variables that our tool will pick up. 

These can be custom icebreakers based on the information you compiled through their LinkedIn profiles, intros…or anything else you believe will catch the attention of business decision makers.

If you’re not quite sure what that something is, you can add multiple custom variables, and later A/B test them in up to 5 different versions of your copy.

On the other hand, if you used Skylead to discover leads, you can also download the CSV from the Leads page directly. It is preformatted to fit our tool, so you can immediately use it in your outreach campaign. Additionally, you can add more columns to it to serve as custom variables.

Now, to create a campaign, navigate to the Campaigns page and click ‘’Create’’ to start the process.

Give your campaign a name and import your CSV file. Then, click Next.

The next step is to define email, LinkedIn, and global settings.

Feel free to explore the options you have. 

Nonetheless, we’d like to emphasize that under email settings, you can find the option to select unlimited mailboxes to send tens of thousands of emails a month at no extra cost.

What’s more, each Skylead user gets to prepare these same mailboxes for outreach free of charge. How? By using an infinite email warm-up feature provided by our partner—an email warm-up tool, InboxFlare.

Once you’re happy with your settings, proceed to the Smart sequence builder page, where, on the right side, you’ll see different LinkedIn and email actions & conditions.

Drag and drop them into the white space and connect them to each other to create your Smart sequence. In other words, a coherent outreach flow that acts according to prospect behavior to reach them in the fastest possible way.

Here is an example of a Smart sequence.

If the goal is to combine both email and LinkedIn outreach, the best course of action is to have Skylead first discover and verify leads’ business emails.

If it does so successfully, it can proceed to send an email, as you can see above. 

Now, say a few days have passed, and you haven’t received any word. Has your email been opened? Skylead can check that. If yes, it can send a follow-up email after no response. Whereas, if not, it can also send a follow-up, but with a different copy.

But what if the tool wasn’t able to find your lead’s email to begin with? Then, it can continue down the LinkedIn lead generation road and send an invite to connect instead. If your lead accepts it, it can follow up with a LinkedIn message and another one if there’s no response.

However, if your connection request goes unanswered, the final resort can be a LinkedIn inMail, which you can also use to bypass the LinkedIn connection limit to get to as many business decision makers as possible.

Personalize your outreach for maximum impact

Want to truly stand out in the decision makers' inboxes? Take your outreach up a notch with our Image and GIF personalization feature to increase your response rate to 76% and more!

Using it, you can personalize visuals with:

• Custom text
• LinkedIn profile images
• Company logos

…and insert them into any message-based step.

After you’re done tweaking your sequence and personalizing your messaging, set delays between steps. 

And finally, launch your campaign!

Respond & track replies with ease

Skylead can help you reach out to business decision makers on autopilot. 

But it's up to you to nurture relationships after they reply.

Luckily, Smart Inbox makes this rather simple, seeing as it lets you:

• View all LinkedIn messages, inMails, and emails in a single dashboard.
• Respond to them directly without switching between different platforms.
• Label your conversations to keep track of conversions and measure ROI.
• Leave notes about leads so you don't have to memorize important details.

Want to know how many leads have replied without manually counting your chats?

Visit the Reports page, where you can keep track of your response rate, along with other metrics, such as:

• Acceptance rate
• Email open rate
• Email click rate
• Bounce rate
• Emails verified
• etc.

You can do so in 3 different view modes:

1. Graph — to get a visual overview of campaign performance and spot oscillations easily.
2. Table — to analyze your campaign day-by-date and identify patterns.
3. Side-by-side — to track each stage of your outreach sequence to see where prospects are engaging or dropping off.

How to pitch to business decision makers 

How you approach business decision makers and pitch to them will depend majorly on how they make decisions. In other words, it will depend on their behavior.

Nonetheless, here are some general sales tactics to help you pitch successfully.

1. Befriend the gatekeeper

Decision makers are often shielded by gatekeepers, a.k.a. assistants, coordinators, or even automated systems. Instead of trying to bypass them, work on building a rapport (unless they are a bot). Doing so can help you gain insider info and improve your chances of getting through.

2. Provide value first

Decision makers get bombarded with pitches every day, so standing out is all about showing what’s in it for them. Jumping straight into your product features won’t cut it. Instead, focus on how your solution solves their challenges or helps them reach their goals.

Want to make them even more receptive? Offer something valuable upfront—like a free resource, industry insights, or a quick audit.

3 Offer social proof

People trust what others have already validated. And what better way to make them trust you than to share case studies, testimonials, or data that prove your solution has worked for those in similar shoes?

4. Tailor your pitch 

By all means, don’t use the same pitch on everyone! Instead, customize your message based on your leads’ pain points, industry, and goals to make it more personal and relevant. The more aligned your pitch is with their needs, the more likely they are to engage.

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Frequently asked questions

What are B2B business decision makers?

B2B business decision makers are individuals within a company who have the authority to make decisions on behalf of the organization. They can be found across different levels of an organization, from C-level executives to department heads and managers, depending on the size and structure of the business.

What are examples of decision makers?

Decision makers can include C-level executives, department heads, managers, and business owners, among others. Their authority varies depending on the company's size and structure, with executives making high-level strategic decisions and department heads focusing on team-specific ones. Meanwhile, in smaller businesses, the owner or founder often takes on the role of the primary decision-maker.

How long does it take to reach a business decision-maker?

The time it takes to reach a business decision-maker depends on various factors, such as their role, the size of the company, and your outreach strategy. Generally, high-level executives may take longer to respond due to their busy schedules and gatekeepers filtering their communications.

Get in front of business decision makers in record time!

As you can see, finding and reaching out to business decision makers isn't as complicated as it seems to be. At least not when you're armed with the right resources and tools.

And what better tool to arm yourself with than Skylead? After all, it's your one-stop-shop solution that helps you get to more decision makers faster and do it at scale.

Sounds too good to be true? It’s not. But don’t just take our word for it—start your 7-day free trial now to get in front of the right people and grow your business like never before!

Are you searching for the best cold email software to generate leads, drive sales, and scale your business? However, with so many tools claiming to be the best, knowing which ones actually deliver is not exactly a walk in the park.

Recognizing how hard it is to find objective information, we’ve decided to give you some. Thus, we’ve tried a total of 21 of the best cold email software, evaluated them according to several criteria, and are bringing you our findings.

And if this is TL;DR for you, here’s a table for quick comparison.

However, if you’re curious to see which cold email software we ranked as the best and why, be sure to check out our hands-on experience with each one.

What is cold email software?

Cold email software is a type of tool designed to simplify and optimize the process of reaching out to prospects through email. It is commonly used by salespeople, marketers, recruiters, and agencies looking to connect with potential clients, partners, or candidates at scale.

What to look for in the best cold email software?

There are plenty of cold email software on the market, meaning the margin for error is high.

So, how do you choose the best cold email software out there?

It all boils down to the following:

1. Automation

Manual cold outreach is time-consuming, not to say exhausting. Thus, to save yourself more than 11 hours a week you’d spend on it, look for tools that do more than just send task alerts.

However, our advice is to go with a tool that has a Smart sequences feature, such as our Skylead. Smart sequences are outreach sequences that execute steps in a logical order according to the way your prospects' behave, thanks to if/else conditions. Using them, you can maximize touchpoints with leads to make sure your initial emails don't go to waste.

2. Deliverability

What good are your emails if they keep landing in spam?

That is to say, your software of choice should come equipped with features that ensure your emails make it to the Primary inbox. In other words, shop around for those with email warm-up, deliverability testing, blacklist monitoring, and similar functionalities.

3. Integration

For cold email software to be considered the best, it needs to work seamlessly with your existing tool stack (e.g., CRM, Slack, etc.). Otherwise, you are sure to experience workflow interruptions.

4. Personalization

Did you know that personalized email subject lines can see up to 20% higher open rates compared to those without personalized details?

For that reason, your best bet is to go with the software that lets you personalize your outreach. This may include the option to insert placeholders (a.k.a. variables) that auto-populate based on your leads’ information, such as first and last name and company name. The other handy feature is image and GIF personalization, which lets you personalize visuals with the text, logo, or name of your leads.

5. Analytics

You can’t know how good of a job the cold email software is doing without having insight into the data. Therefore, your go-to choice must have an Analytics dashboard that gives you the birds-eye-view of different metrics (e.g., open rate, click-through rate, reply rate).

6. Cost-effectiveness

The best cold email software for you is the one with the best price vs. feature ratio. In other words, a one-stop-shop tool that gives you the most value for your money. Simple as that.

Our testing methodology

So, you know what it is that makes a cold email software ‘’the best.’’ But you still need options. And options we’ll provide. Tried and tested ones, as a matter of fact.

But not before we’ve explained the criteria we used for the testing.

That said, we got hands-on with the most popular cold email tools to see what they’re really made out of, focusing on:

• Ease of setup - We signed up for each tool, went through the onboarding process, and tested how easy it was to get everything up and running.
• Key features - We poked around every feature to see if it actually worked as promised. Did the tools make life easier? Did they deliver on their big claims? We were bent on finding that out!
• Deliverability - We run actual email outreach campaigns to see whether emails would land in the Primary inbox or spam.
• User-friendliness - Some tools are so complicated they feel like they need a manual. Therefore, we made sure to assess how intuitive and easy-to-use each tool was.
• Price vs. features - Finally, we compared pricing to what each tool actually delivered. Our goal was to identify which tool was the best value.

The 21 best cold email software we tried

Now that you know what makes a great cold email tool and how we tested them, let’s get to the main event.

We’ve rounded up the 21 best cold email software on the market, carefully evaluating each one based on the criteria we laid out earlier.

With this in mind, for each tool, we’ll cover:

• User score
• Key features
• Pros
• Cons
• Pricing

And to keep it real, we’ll also share expert opinions—straight from the mouths (or keyboards) of actual users who’ve worked with these tools. 

So, let’s dive in!

1. Skylead - Best cold email software for salespeople looking for one tool that has it all

User score: ⭐ 4.7 / 5

Well, hello there! This is us! 🙂

Skylead is a LinkedIn automation and cold email software that’s consequently your one-stop-shop tool for all your outreach needs.

Key features

Why do we say Skylead is a one-stop-shop tool? 

Because it has everything you could possibly need for cold email outreach in one place and at one cost, including support for:

• Unlimited email outreach to send tens of thousands of emails at no extra cost;
• Email discovery and verification to reduce bounces and protect your domain;
• Image & GIF hyper-personalization to increase your response rate up to 76%;
• Email warm-up to keep your emails away from spam.

But what if we told you that, using our tool, you don’t have to settle for the email channel only?

Namely, Skylead is the 1st tool on the market to introduce Smart sequences. In other words, algorithms that combine if/else conditions with email and LinkedIn steps to form coherent outreach flows. Why? To find the fastest path to your leads.

It’s all thanks to Smart sequences that you can combine email automation with cloud-based LinkedIn automation.

Yours is just to choose a lead source from one of these…

…build your Smart sequence using these LinkedIn and email steps…

…and define your messages. While at it, you can even A/B test up to 5 versions of your subject lines, message copies, or CTAs and for email, LinkedIn messages, and inMails.

Thanks to an advanced Reports page, you can also easily evaluate the performance of all your campaigns in 3 modes (table, graph, step-by-step). 

Moreover, you can also review the performance of your A/B tests and see which version is performing best.

Here, you can also download reports in CSV and/or PDF. Or, you can push your leads’ data straight into your CRM of choice by integrating it with Skylead through Webhooks or API. The same goes for any other tool out there.

Finally, you don’t have to go back and forth between multiple mailboxes and LinkedIn accounts. You can keep track of all your messages in one place—our Smart inbox. This is also where you can write notes and label leads to, say, measure conversions and ROI.

Now, let’s get deeper into features that make Skylead one of the best, if not the best cold email software.

Unlimited email automation

With Skylead, you can connect as many mailboxes as you need, making it possible to send tens of thousands of emails a month at no extra cost.

There’s no cap on the number of active leads you can manage, either. That basically means you can reach out to as many leads as you want and expand your outreach without limits.

Curious how it’s possible to send so many emails? It’s all thanks to our inbox rotation feature, which alternates sending emails across multiple mailboxes that you connected (email accounts). This way, your email-sending volume is distributed evenly, which keeps your accounts within safe sending limits.

As a cherry on top, we have a handy guide that walks you through how to simply connect and set up your email account and get it ready for outreach.

Email discovery & verification 

Using email discovery and verification, you can find and double-verify your leads’ email addresses to reduce the chances of bounces that could harm your deliverability and sender reputation. But the best part? It won’t interrupt your campaign creation flow.

Simply add the Find & verify business email step to your Smart sequence, and the tool will automatically locate and double-verify your leads’ emails.

What sets this feature apart is its exceptional accuracy—one of the highest on the market. Plus, it’s unlimited and included in your subscription at no extra cost. That means you can use it as much as you need without worrying about additional fees.

Infinite Email warm-up

Cold email software can only bring desired results if the accounts used for outreach are ready for it. But to make sure that happens, they need to be properly warmed up. Otherwise, the risk of your emails landing in spam runs high.

And since we know how important email warm-up is to the outreach process, we decided to partner up with the email warm-up tool, InboxFlare, to bring you infinite email warm-up.

And yes, this is another feature you can use as a Skylead user at no extra cost.

With InboxFlare, you can:

• Warm up infinite mailboxes in 30+ languages
• Choose your own warm-up topics
• Perform regular deliverability testing
• Monitor blacklists

Once you’ve activated your InboxFlare seat, you’ll be able to connect it to your mailbox(es), be they with Gmail, Outlook, or another ESP. InboxFlare also lets you add custom SMPT. Once connected, it will use AI to craft a unique warm-up strategy.

Skylead pros

• Unlimited email outreach to send tens of thousands of emails per month at no added cost.
• Built-in email discovery and verification to reduce bounces and protect your sender reputation.
• Infinite email warm-up in more than 30 languages.
• Smart sequences combining email and LinkedIn to maximize getting in touch with leads.
• Image and GIF hyper-personalization to increase the response rate.
• Advanced reporting with export options and integration capabilities via Webhooks or API.
• Smart inbox to manage all email and LinkedIn conversations in one place.

Skylead cons

• InboxFlare isn’t built directly into Skylead.
• No native integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, and other popular CRMs (integration is possible, though, through Zapier or API).

Pricing

Skylead is one of the few software that has one pricing plan to rule them all. That said, for just $100 a month per seat, you get all of the above features, plus a 1-on-1 onboarding call to get you started and a targeting support call.

What more could you ask for?

Expert opinion

‘’I’ve been using emails, InMails, and LinkedIn connection requests and messages altogether. But emails and LinkedIn messages are giving me the best conversion rate.’’

—Dennis Goyal, Co-founder & COO

‘’If/else conditions in Smart Sequences are also great. It's low code, so it's great because I'm not good at coding yet. I also like the Find & verify business email step, which finds email addresses most of the time. So you get, like, two ways you can get in touch with the client.’’

—Toine Boelens, Founder

2. Smartlead - Best for in-app email warm-up

User score: ⭐ 4.3 / 5

Smartlead is a relatively new software that automates and streamlines cold email outreach.

Key features

Smartlead comes with support for unlimited mailboxes, inbox rotation, and a built-in email warm-up feature that helps build a strong senders’ reputation. We found it very reliable while testing the tool.

The software also has a Subsequences feature, a.k.a. email sequences that get triggered once specific conditions are met (e.g., if a lead bounces, if they reply, etc.).

Moreover, Smartlead has a Unibox, which lets you keep track of all emails and respond to them from one place. 

Finally, they have an Analytics dashboard where you can keep track of your email campaigns’ performance.

Pros

• Good deliverability rates, courtesy of the built-in email warm-up feature with ESP matching.
• Support for unlimited mailboxes, as well as mailbox rotation.
• User-friendly interface that doesn’t overwhelm.
• Unibox to keep conversations organized.
• Native integration with HubSpot and 3rd party integrations via Webhooks and API.

Cons

• You can’t use it for LinkedIn lead generation because it lacks real multichannel outreach capabilities. Namely, you can add multichannel tasks into your sequences but need to perform them manually.
• No options for personalization other than variables, thereby positioning Smartlead alternatives like Skylead as a better option.
• Lack of email verification and discovery.

Pricing

Expert opinion

‘’Smartlead's email follow-up automation is a time-saver for crafting and delivering outreach sequences. Pre-designed templates are cool and a helpful advantage, especially for those new to cold emailing. The interface isn't the most intuitive. If you're new to cold email platforms, there might be a learning curve involved.’’

— Stephen O., Director of Sales Marketing

3. Apollo - Best for its built-in lead database

User score: ⭐ 4.5 / 5

Apollo is a powerful multichannel sales engagement platform that allows users to combine email, LinkedIn outreach, and cold calls in their campaigns.

Key features

Using Apollo, you can set up simple campaigns with automatic or manual emails while leveraging LinkedIn automation features to send connection requests and messages and engage with your leads’ posts.

Additionally, the tool integrates natively with platforms like Pipedrive, HubSpot, and Slack to provide seamless data synchronization.

It also includes A/B testing capabilities to optimize your campaigns and an AI-powered feature for crafting personalized outreach messages.

Lastly, Apollo boasts a database of over 275M contacts, which you can use to pull leads directly into your campaigns, along with an email verification and inbox rotation features.

Pros

• Multichannel support for email, LinkedIn, and phone outreach.
• Access to a large database of 275M+ contacts.
• Native integrations with Pipedrive, HubSpot, and Slack.
• A/B testing capabilities to refine your outreach strategy.

Cons

• Limited number of connected mailboxes (up to 15 for users of the most expensive plan).
• Multichannel sequences lack conditional logic, a.k.a if/else conditions found in Smart sequences.
• The tool uses Chrome extension to scrape lead information on LinkedIn, which could get your LinkedIn account restricted.
• AI functionality for crafting personalized messages is fairly basic, as we found.
• They integrate with Hyperise for Image & GIF personalization, which adds costs to the subscription (+$69 a month per seat).
• Lack of email warm-up feature.
• The tool also doesn’t have an integrated inbox, which was pretty inconvenient for us.

Pricing

Expert opinion

‘’Apollo is an easy go-to tool for generating leads and understanding the size of your market. The user interface is a bit clunky and not super intuitive at times, though.’’

—Zack P, CPO

4. Instantly - Best cold email software for its ease of use

User score: ⭐ 4.6 / 5

Instantly is a cold email software and email management platform that has quickly gained popularity for its scalability and user-friendliness, which we couldn’t help but notice the moment we set it up.

Key features

Instantly allows you to connect and manage unlimited email accounts, like Skylead and Smartlead, making it possible to scale your outreach significantly. While all connected accounts can be used in the same campaign, inbox rotation alternates sending emails from different accounts, so you can send more emails daily.

The software includes a built-in unlimited email warm-up feature. They also offer a B2B Lead finder, a database of 160M contacts, with filters similar to LinkedIn Sales Navigator filters (e.g., job titles, locations, industries, etc).

Using Instantly.ai, users can also conduct A/Z testing with up to 26 email variations.

What’s more, the software’s Unibox consolidates all email conversations into a single inbox for easy management. Meanwhile, its built-in CRM allows users to track lead statuses, make calls, and send SMS directly from the platform.

Instantly users can also verify their leads’ emails to reduce bounces and protect domain reputation.

Pros

• Simple and fast set-up.
• User-friendly interface.
• Unlimited mailboxes with inbox rotation to enhance deliverability.
• Unlimited email warm-up feature included.
• Unibox for streamlined conversation management.
• A/Z testing to optimize email performance.

Cons

• Basic reporting features may not meet the needs of users seeking detailed analytics. Furthermore, we didn’t like how you cannot export CSV or PDF reports.
• B2B Lead database and CRM cost extra.
• Lacks email-finding capabilities.
• Instantly is a cold email software only, meaning it’s not suitable for those relying on LinkedIn prospecting and outreach across multiple channels.
• Some users complain using Instantly damages their domain reputation, though we cannot say we experienced this while testing it ourselves.

Pricing

Expert opinion

‘’I am really happy with Instantly this far. It is such a well-rounded platform. You do have to pay quite a bit if you want to get the full experience, though.’’

—Niryen Z., CEO

5. Lemlist - Best for advanced personalization in email outreach

User score: ⭐ 4.5 / 5

Lemlist is a cold email software with advanced personalization capabilities. However, higher-tiered plans turn it into a multichannel platform.

Key features

We tested Lemlist’s most expensive plan. Therefore, we could create multichannel sequences combining email, LinkedIn, and cold calls. Additionally, conditions can be added to sequences to cover multiple outreach scenarios.

But what the software is best known for is its personalization features. Specifically, using Lemlist, users can customize images, intro lines, and even create dynamic landing pages. 

Lemlist also offers Lemwarm, a built-in email warm-up tool that’s meant to keep emails out of spam folders.

To aid lead generation, Lemlist includes an email finder and verifier, as well as access to a B2B lead database with over 450M contacts.

Pros

• Supports multichannel outreach with LinkedIn actions and calls.
• Advanced personalization features, including custom images and dynamic landing pages.
• Lemwarm email warm-up tool to enhance deliverability.
• B2B lead database with as much as 450M contacts.

Cons

• Limited email discovery and verification, even with the highest-tier plan. Additional credits cost extra ($1 for every 100 emails found and verified).
• The quality of leads in the B2B database is inconsistent, as we found.
• For those who’d like to go beyond their lead database, the tool offers a Chrome extension for LinkedIn prospecting. This disappointed us, though, as using Chrome extensions on LinkedIn can lead to account restrictions.
• Cannot connect unlimited email accounts. Namely, the highest-paid plan lets you connect up to 15 mailboxes maximum.

Pricing

Expert opinion

‘’Lemlist is better than many other tools because it gives you the tools to actually be unique and send emails in a slick manner. I WISH WISH WISH they had unlimited email accounts. That's the only thing I don't like about it, it caps you at 5 email accounts (15 with the pro plan).’’

—Zach Y., Founder

6. Reply.io - Best for AI sales engagement

User score: ⭐ 4.5 / 5

Reply.io is a versatile sales engagement platform built for teams who prefer handling their entire outreach in one place.

Key features

Although primarily a cold email software, over the years, Reply.io has turned into a multichannel platform. That said, you can use it to create sequences with conditional logic that combine emails with automatic and/or manual LinkedIn actions.

Email-wise, we loved that, much like with Skylead, Smartlead, and Instantly, we could connect unlimited mailboxes to the tool, and it would later auto-rotate through these while sending emails. There’s also no cap on how many emails you can send monthly.

Moreover, each Reply.io user gets free access to Mailtoaster.ai for email warm-up.

In terms of integrations, the software natively integrates with some of the best CRM for sales, HubSpot and Pipedrive. Nonetheless, the support for 3rd party integrations via Zapier webhooks is there as well.

We found their Analytics dashboard intuitive and noticed that it contains a lot more details than some other sales outreach tools.

The newest addition to Reply.io is Jason, their AI SDR agent who finds leads, creates outreach sequences, personalizes interactions, automatically replies, and books meetings.

They also provide a sales AI chatbot to turn website visitors into traffic, although we haven’t tried this feature and can’t objectively rate it.

Pros

• Support for multichannel outreach combining email and LinkedIn tasks.
• Unlimited mailboxes and inbox rotation.
• Free Mailtoaster.ai seat for email warm-up.
• Native integrations with HubSpot and Pipedrive.
• AI SDR Jason for automated prospecting and engagement.
• Detailed analytics dashboard for performance tracking.

Cons

• AI SDR Jason requires an additional subscription. Moreover, the price heavily depends on the number of active contacts. Moreover, it’s not as advanced and certainly can’t replace human SDRs, as they claim.
• Full access to their +1M B2B lead database requires a separate subscription, and so does the AI chatbot.
• Chrome extension (Findy) to find leads directly on LinkedIn can cause account restrictions,.
• Message personalization is scarce (despite AI assistance), and the option for image and GIF personalization is lacking.

Pricing

Reply.io has 4 main pricing plans, whereas multiple sub-plans are available.

In the meantime, if you’d like to use their AI SDR agent, expect to pay $299 for 1,000 active contacts a month. However, if your needs exceed this, the price can easily skyrocket as it’s volume-based.

Expert opinion

‘’Reply is very easy to use, with a straightforward UX design and plenty of features for base-level users like me. I started using Reply for outreach campaigns in my role, and getting over the learning curve was a cinch. Unfortunately, as I'm writing this, Reply does not have a direct integration with Microsoft Outlook, which might inhibit some of my use cases.’’

—Ian L, Customer Success Manager

7. Expandi - Best for ESP integration

User score: ⭐ 4.3 / 5

Expandi is a cloud-based LinkedIn automation tool that also extends its capabilities to the email channel.

Key features

As opposed to Reply.io, Expandi was originally a LinkedIn automation tool that added the email channel into the mix. Thus, now, you can use it to create Smart sequences combining LinkedIn messages, inMails, and emails in a single workflow.

While testing Expandi, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that the tool lets you connect all email accounts, whether from major ESPs (Gmail, Outlook) or a custom SMTP.

Personalization-wise, this software comes with predefined variables, though you can also add your own. Additionally, provided you pay for Hyperise, you can even enrich your emails with personalized images and GIFs thanks to their direct integration.

Finally, if you wish to connect Expandi with other tools, the good news is that you can do so through Zapier webhooks or API.

Pros

• Smart sequences for multichannel outreach.
• Predefined and custom variables for message personalization.
• Integrates with major ESPs like Gmail and Outlook, as well as custom SMTP.
• Zapier webhooks for third-party integrations.

Cons

• Focused more on LinkedIn, with basic support for email automation.
• You can connect 1 mailbox at a time. We found this rather limiting.
• 100 emails a day sending limit.
• Expandi doesn’t have an email warm-up feature, nor does it offer it through a partner.
• The tool can’t discover and verify leads’ emails. It can only scrape publicly available emails on LinkedIn and only if you’re connected with someone.
• Image and GIF personalization, while there, is possible thanks to Expandi’s integration with Hyperise. Thus, it costs extra. Moreover, our impression is that it’s inconvenient to use.
• The UX is confusing, which is especially noticeable during the campaign creation.

Pricing

Expandi, like Skylead, has a single plan that will set you back $99 a month per seat. 

Nonetheless, if you want to combine it with Hyperise, count on paying an additional $69 a month. This brings the total cost to $168 per 1 seat. For this reason, certain Expandi alternatives are proving to be better cold email software.

Expert opinion

‘’Great automation for LinkedIn. Easy UX. Constant webinars to learn. Tons of new features are always being added. Email outreach is very limited, though. I cannot see if the lead booked a meeting on a calendar to trigger enrollment - if they had this, I would use it for email as well.’’

—Jacob M., SDR

8. Hunter.io - Best for email discovery and verification

User score: ⭐ 4.4 / 5

Hunter.io is a popular email discovery tool. Nonetheless, it has expanded its services to include cold email outreach capabilities through its Campaigns feature.

Key features

Hunter.io's strength lies in its ability to discover and verify email addresses associated with specific domains or individuals.

However, with the introduction of Hunter Campaigns, users can now create and manage simple cold email campaigns directly within the platform. This feature supports personalized email sequences with automated follow-ups. It also integrates seamlessly with Gmail, Outlook, and custom SMTP.

The number of mailboxes you can connect to Hunter.io depends on the plan. Nonetheless, all plans support mailbox rotation.

Moreover, we couldn’t help but notice how simple Hunter Campaigns are to use. Not to mention, you get access to the Reports page to track your campaign performance.

For integrations, Hunter supports Zapier webhooks and has a public API, making it easy to connect with other tools in your tech stack.

Pros

• Great email discovery and verification capabilities.
• Direct Gmail and Outlook integration for sending emails.
• User-friendly interface suitable for beginners.
• Free plan available for users with limited needs.

Cons

• Email outreach features are scarce compared to other cold email software.
• Email sequences are basic and lack if/else conditions.
• No built-in email warm-up feature.
• Limited email discovery and verification credits. It’s possible to purchase more, though the exact rate varies by plan. Moreover, the tool, while accurate, isn’t as successfully at finding and verifying emails as Skylead.
• Theoretically, you could connect unlimited mailboxes to the tool. However, this would cost you $10 for each additional mailbox, which is a con if you ask us.

Pricing

Hunter Campaigns is available under all 5 paid plans.

Expert opinion

‘’Email verifier and Email finder come in very handy whenever I upload bulk leads. Also, the option to follow up in the same thread just by keeping the subject line blank is something I like. There are a few downsides. First up, the UX could be far better, it takes a while to find simple options like cloning the campaign. Moreover, the follow-up frequency is confusing- it never shows you the date of sending. All the sent mails are also visible in my gmail sent-box.’’

—Vinayak H., Product Marketing Associate

9. Saleshandy - Best cold email software for email tracking

User score: ⭐ 4.4 / 5

Saleshandy is a go-to tool for anyone who values unlimited email capabilities and reliable campaign tracking capabilities.

Key features

Saleshandy is considered one of the best cold email software because it allows for unlimited email accounts, sequences, and email tracking. 

The tool also offers email warm-up through its partner, TrulyInbox. However, the daily warm-up limit varies by plan. We also didn’t find it to be very reliable during our testing since our emails landed in spam, regardless.

Additionally, Saleshandy includes email discovery and verification, as well as mailbox rotation.

Meanwhile, direct integrations with CRMs like HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Salesforce allow seamless workflow automation.

The platform also offers A/Z testing and detailed email performance analytics to help users optimize their campaigns.

Pros

• Unlimited email accounts, sequences, as well as email tracking.
• Email warm-up through TrulyInbox integration.
• Mailbox rotation to send more emails daily.
• Direct CRM integrations with HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Salesforce.

Cons

• The number of active prospects is limited by plan, and so is the number of emails sent monthly.
• We realized their ‘’unlimited mailboxes’’ claim isn’t exactly true because you can use a maximum of 50 mailboxes per campaign. And that’s with the highest subscription!
• Email discovery and verification credits aren’t unlimited, either, as is the case with Skylead. Instead, credits are capped by the plan.
• The subscription also determines the number of warm-up emails exchanged daily.

Pricing

Saleshandy offers 4 email outreach plans.

Expert opinion

‘’The price is very reasonable and has many features like unlimited email warm-up, email automation, analytics, and many more. I hope there will be some improvement in email warm-up features in the future.’’

—Shamim Ahmed A., SDR

10. Snov.io - Best for its real-time sentiment analysis

User score: ⭐ 4.7 / 5

Snov.io is a sales engagement platform rather than merely a cold email software. It’s meant to help you automatically find leads and reach out to them to close more deals in less time.

Key features

Snov.io’s email campaigns are enhanced by smart triggers that adapt based on recipient behavior. The platform also has an A/B testing feature, which lets you experiment with multiple variations of your subject lines and email bodies.

One feature we really liked is the AI sentiment analysis, which detects a lead’s interest level in real-time and suggests how to adjust messaging.

If you're interested in using multiple channels for your outreach, the good news is that Snov.io even offers an optional LinkedIn automation add-on. However, we were surprised to find it costs extra.

Additionally, Snov.io, much like Skylead, Smartlead, Instantly, and similar tools, allows you to connect unlimited mailboxes. Similarly, it supports unlimited mailbox rotation. 

The platform also includes email discovery and verification and directly integrates with HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Calendly.

Finally, it has built-in email warm-up, email tracking (for Gmail), and deliverability testing features.

Pros

• Unlimited mailboxes with rotation.
• Built-in email warm-up to improve sending reputation.
• AI-driven sentiment analysis for real-time adjustments.
• Native integrations with HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Calendly.
• Multichannel support with LinkedIn touches (via paid add-on).

Cons

• LinkedIn automation, while there, requires an additional fee.
• Slight learning curve due to the platform's broad range of features.
• Limited email discovery and verification credits.
• The Starter plan lets you warm up up to 3 mailboxes.
• Given that the Pro plan has volume-based pricing, the cost can easily skyrocket.

Pricing

The add-on for LinkedIn automation costs an extra $69 a month per account.

Expert opinion

‘’Reliable outreach and research tool. I like the efficiency and speed of searching and validating emails, ease of use, and customer support. However, lots of emails are not really in the database. There’s also a lack of detailed statistics and dark mode.’’

—Denis B.

11. Klenty - Best cold email software for video personalization

User score: ⭐ 4.7 / 5

Klenty is a cold email automation platform that helps sales teams hyper-personalize their outreach.

Key features

While testing Klenty, we were really impressed with their Liquid email templates. These templates use dynamic formulas to automatically adjust email content based on when prospects receive or open your emails. As a result, they make each touchpoint feel extra personalized.

And if plain text isn’t cutting it, Klenty lets you take it a step further with video personalization. Namely, you can embed videos into your emails with custom elements to further stand out.

We also appreciated Klenty’s flexibility when it comes to sequencing. You can reorder steps, adjust delays, and even clone successful sequences to save time and replicate winning campaigns.

Klenty also provides deliverability insights to help you understand how many emails land in the primary inbox, like a warm-up tool that you can use with Skylead.

Additionally, the tool includes email verification, supports unlimited mailboxes with inbox rotation, and has email tracking to keep you informed about engagement levels.

Lastly, the platform can be integrated with other software via API or Webhooks.

Pros

• Liquid email templates for advanced personalization.
• Video personalization to stand out in inboxes.
• Flexible email sequencing.
• Detailed deliverability insights to optimize campaigns.
• Email discovery and verification based on prospects’ name and company domain.
• Integrations via API and Webhooks.

Cons

• No monthly pricing plans; only quarterly or annual payments are available.
• LinkedIn automation, albeit there, relies on a Chrome extension, rendering it unsafe.
• If your bounce rate is high (which can happen if you’re using their tool to verify emails, as we experienced), the campaign won’t automatically stop.
• You can connect unlimited mailboxes to the tool, as we discovered, only if they share the same domain. You can add more domains if you’d like, but only if you pay an additional $30 per domain.
• There are no 1-on-1 onboarding calls. And seeing that the platform isn’t easy to navigate, this is definitely a disadvantage.

Pricing

Klenty only has quarterly and annual plans, with the latter being up to 20% cheaper.

That being said, there are a total of 3 pricing plans available.

Expert opinion

‘’I liked the ability to run campaigns through Klenty using salesforce data. However, I didn’t like that Klenty does not automatically stop a campaign if an email is bouncing.’’

—Matthew D., Distribution Manager

12. Woodpecker - Best for teams prioritizing email deliverability

User score: ⭐ 4.7 / 5

Woodpecker is a cold email software designed to maintain optimal email deliverability.

Key features

Woodpecker is best known for its focus on email deliverability. The platform includes a built-in email warm-up feature, auto-reply detection, and email verification (powered by Bouncer), which ensures your emails avoid the spam folder.

The tool also supports A/B testing, allowing you to experiment with up to 5 variations of subject lines and email content.

The good news for teams managing multiple email accounts is that Woodpecker also offers unlimited mailbox connections with auto-rotation to spread your sending load and protect your domain.

It also fits right into your tool stack through native integrations with HubSpot and Pipedrive, along with Google Sheets and Calendly.

Speaking of integrations, it can be expanded into a multichannel outreach platform through the integration with Dux-Soup, a LinkedIn automation tool.

Pros

• Built-in email warm-up for improved deliverability.
• Auto-reply detection to better manage follow-ups.
• Unlimited mailboxes with auto-rotation.
• Integrates directly with popular CRMs, plus Google Sheets and Calendly.

Cons

• The subscription limits the number of prospects you can contact, and costs can escalate quickly if you need to scale.
• The number of mailboxes you can warm up, and emails you can send monthly is capped. Unless you’re paying for the highest subscription.
• No built-in LinkedIn automation.

Pricing

Woodpecker offers 4 plans, albeit pricing depends on the number of contacted prospects, mailboxes warmed up, and emails sent. 

That said, prices start from:

Expert opinion

‘’Over the years, I have used all the major players, from the large SEPs to platforms with similar functionality and costs to Woodpecker. Woodpecker stands out for me due to the fundamental fact that it has deliverability at the forefront of everything it does. Nonetheless, the Hubspot integration is basic and does not allow activity tracking at the contact level. Moreover, the warm-up feature is new and works, but it needs more ability to monitor and control settings.’’

—Oliver K., Head of Sales Development

13. Mailshake - Best for its AI email writer SHAKEspear

User score:⭐ 4.7 / 5

Mailshake is a cold email software with support for multichannel outreach.

Key features

One of Mailshake’s unique selling points is SHAKEspeare AI Email Writer, which is included for free with every account. Its job is to help you write personalized emails at scale.

However, using Mailshake, you’re not limited to automating cold email outreach only. The tool supports outreach via multiple channels (LinkedIn and phone), although only under its Sales Engagement plan. This means you can seamlessly switch between email, LinkedIn, and direct calls within the same sequence. Still, these sequences are simple, as opposed to Skylead’s Smart sequences.

The platform also offers unlimited email warm-ups and mailbox rotation for better deliverability. Moreover, we found its A/B testing to be particularly helpful for testing different variations of messaging.

Finally, the tool integrates directly with Salesforce, Pipedrive, and HubSpot and supports over 1,000 additional integrations via Zapier webhooks. Therefore, it’s rather easy to fit into your workflow.

Pros

• SHAKEspeare AI Email Writer is included for free.
• Unlimited email warm-ups and mailbox rotation for improved deliverability.
• A/B testing to keep track of what’s working, as well as what’s not.
• Direct integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive.
• Supports more than 1,000 integrations via Zapier webhooks.

Cons

• SHAKEspear AI, though useful, can be easily replaced with Chat GPT for sales copywriting.
• The Starter plan doesn’t support multichannel outreach.
• There is no built-in email verification (you’ll need a 3rd-party tool).
• You can connect up to 5 mailboxes maximum. And that’s only if you’re subscribed to their most expensive Sales Engagement plan. Other than that, you’re left to work with only 2 email accounts.
• LinkedIn automation operates through a Chrome extension.
• Analytics can be hard to comprehend, in our opinion.
• Frequent bugs.
• Annual billings only and no free trial.

Pricing

Expert opinion

‘’Easy to get started and use, high deliverability, and great customer support team. Several cons are limited analytics, the fact that you can't create bespoke email sequences based on an action (e.g., a click,) and you can't upload lists for bulk deletion.’’

—Ayrton E.

14. Outreach.io - Best for enterprise-level sales engagement

User score: ⭐ 4.4 / 5

Outreach.io is a sales execution platform built for larger teams looking to scale their prospecting and closing efforts.

Key features

Outreach.io goes beyond your regular cold email software. In fact, it’s a full-fledged platform that you can use to engage prospects through email, phone, and Sales Navigator—all from one place. Moreover, its smart automation features make it easy to schedule, track, and analyze sequences for maximum efficiency.

While exploring the tool, we really liked its AI-powered insights, which provide recommendations for the best times to engage with prospects and suggest improvements to your messaging based on past performance. Additionally, Outreach.io’s predictive analytics help sales teams identify high-potential leads, forecast outcomes, and focus their efforts on deals most likely to close.

The platform also includes CRM integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot.

Not to mention, Outreach.io’s reporting and analytics capabilities provide a detailed overview of sequence performance to help teams optimize their outreach strategies.

Pros

• Multichannel engagement through email, phone, LinkedIn, and more.
• AI-powered insights for improving outreach strategy.
• Seamless integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot.
• Advanced reporting and analytics for performance tracking.
• Enterprise-grade scalability for large sales teams.

Cons

• Outreach.io lacks many features found in the best cold email software. This includes email warm-up, email discovery and verification, and inbox rotation.
• It’s impossible to connect more than 2 mailboxes to the tool.
• Pricing is on the higher end, making it less accessible for smaller teams.
• Steeper learning curve compared to simpler cold email tools.
• The integration with HubSpot doesn’t work very well.

Pricing

Outreach.io doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing. What we can tell you, though, is that connecting even 1 email account is expensive, way past $100 per email account. Moreover, there’s no monthly subscription, only annual, and they have no free trial.

Expert opinion

‘’It makes it very easy to manage a lot of prospects and keep track of who is being reached out to. I like that it enables you to be flexible and set up a lot of integrations. There are some functionalities that don't work as well as they should. For example, being able to edit steps of a sequence when emailing, having a small drafting window, and syncing activity.’’

—Benjamin S., Owner

15. QuickMail - Best for its customizable Analytics

User score: ⭐ 4.7 / 5

QuickMail is one of the best cold email software that stands out for its customizable Analytics dashboard.

Key features

Every QuickMail account includes free email warm-up via MailFlow to help keep emails out of spam folders. 

The platform also supports LinkedIn outreach (through a Chrome extension) via multiple LinkedIn accounts, as well as inbox rotation for email, which evenly distributes email loads across multiple inboxes to protect your domain.

Speaking of multiple inboxes, QuickMail allows you to connect up to 50 mailboxes on the highest subscription plan.

Moreover, it integrates with Hyperise to add custom images or GIFs to your emails. The option to customize the Analytics dashboard any way you look is another nice touch, in our opinion.

Finally, the software integrates directly with HubSpot and Pipedrive, supports Zapier for additional workflows, and allows you to import prospects from Google Drive or CSV files.

Pros

• Free email warm-up via MailFlow is included with every account.
• Inbox rotation to protect your domain.
• Customizable analytics dashboards.
• Native CRM integrations with HubSpot and Pipedrive, plus 3rd-party integrations via Zapier.

Cons

• Email verification is available through 3rd-party integrations and costs extra.
• LinkedIn outreach relies on a Chrome extension and requires higher subscriptions.
• Image and GIF personalization is outsourced through Hyperise, as is the case with Expandi. Thus, it costs extra.
• Limited to 50 mailboxes on the highest subscription.
• Capped monthly email sends and active prospects.
• The tool isn’t the simplest to set up.

Pricing

QuickMail has 2 plan types: Single & Agency.

Expert opinion

‘’All you have to do is write email copies and build prospect lists and Quickmail manages everything else such as inbox rotation and measurement of the campaign's results along with recommendations. Nonetheless, Quickmail is difficult to setup in the very beginning and would require some assistance if your team is not very technical.’’

—Nico Chiong M., Marketing Manager

16. Close - Best for its CRM with basic cold email functionalities

User score: ⭐ 4.7 / 5

Close is primarily a CRM but comes with built-in cold email functionalities.

Key features

Close simplifies email outreach by integrating it directly into its CRM. With it, you can create and use email templates and schedule emails with follow-up reminders to ensure timely communication with prospects.

On top of automating workflows, you can use Close to send bulk emails to multiple recipients at once. Additionally, the tool allows teams to create and share email snippets with each other.

Close supports A/B testing for subject lines and email bodies, much like many other cold email software on the list.

You can also track performance through the Sent Email Report page, which provides insights into open rates, click rates, and more.

Close integrates with HubSpot, Calendly, ChatGPT, and many others, making it a good choice for sales teams with extensive tool stacks.

Pros

• Combines CRM and cold email functionalities in one platform.
• Built-in A/B testing for subject lines and email content.
• Sent Email Report for performance tracking.
• Bulk email sending with team-wide email snippet sharing.
• Extensive integrations, including HubSpot, Calendly, and Chat GPT.

Cons

• Primarily a CRM, meaning the email functionalities are not be as advanced as in standalone cold email software.
• Bulk email sending lacks more sophisticated automation features like smart sequences.
• No email warm-up feature.
• No inbox rotation.
• Lacks advanced personalization features, like image and GIF personalization.

Pricing

Expert opinion

‘’I love how easy it is to use Close. I had never used it before in my current role, and it has been very simple to learn. I have found it's not as easy to create templated emails as I would like, and it's harder to include attachments in emails, though.’’

—Brianna G., Account Executive

17. Yesware - Best for automating cold email campaigns straight from your inbox

User score: ⭐ 4.4 / 5

Yesware is a cold email software with direct Gmail and Outlook integrations.

Key features

Yesware integrates directly into Gmail and Outlook through a Chrome extension. Once installed, you can send emails as usual while benefiting from Yesware’s tracking and engagement tools.

Moreover, Yesware enables users to create automated follow-up sequences to stay top-of-mind with prospects who don’t reply. The tool also supports multichannel campaigns that combine emails, calls, and social touches.

The platform offers email templates that can be personalized and saved for future use. You can also use placeholders (a.k.a. variables) to personalize emails at scale.

The email tracking feature notifies you when recipients read your emails, click on links, or view attachments, allowing you to focus on the most engaged prospects. Meanwhile, the Analytics dashboard gives you a weekly overview of your email performance.

Additionally, Yesware includes a B2B contact database with over 100M contacts for lead generation. However, this feature comes at an extra cost.

Pros

• Direct integration with Gmail and Outlook through a Chrome extension.
• Pre-defined email templates..
• Automated follow-ups for improved prospect engagement.
• Multichannel campaign support with emails, calls, and social touches.
• Detailed email tracking and engagement history for each contact.
• Weekly performance insights through Analytics dashboard.

Cons

• Does not track email deliverability rates.
• The B2B contact database is a paid add-on.
• Lacks email warm-up feature.
• Limited to Gmail and Outlook users.
• We noticed that Yesware is often buggy.
• The interface looks very outdated if you ask us.

Pricing

Yesware has a free plan that offers basic functionalities.

Meanwhile, there are a total of 4 paid plans:

Expert opinion

‘’Yesware makes it easier for me to track my emails and it also scans for viruses when I try to upload any files. The UI can be better. I mean, seriously, tools like Mailchimp have a much better UI.’’

—Johnson T., Senior Account Executive

18. HubSpot Sales Hub - Best for its connection to HubSpot

User score: ⭐ 4.5 / 5

HubSpot Sales Hub is a sales software that works seamlessly with its namesake CRM.

Key features

Using HubSpot Sales Hub’s automation features, you can connect up to 200 inboxes. You can use these to schedule emails and follow-ups at scale. Alternatively, the platform allows you to set reminders for manual actions, like:

• Sending LinkedIn invites
• Emails, 
• Or making calls.

Thanks to the A/B testing feature, you can fine-tune your messaging to maximize lead engagement. HubSpot also enables users to turn their best-performing emails into templates that can be optimized, personalized, and shared across the team.

Additionally, HubSpot’s email tracking notifies you when prospects open emails or click links to help you prioritize the most engaged leads. It also comes with email health reporting.

Meanwhile, the platform’s integrated dashboard lets you score deals, assign tasks, and monitor your pipeline in real time, so no opportunity is missed.

Pros

• Supports personalized, automated email sequences.
• Email tracking to monitor engagement.
• Run multiple A/B tests to refine email sequences.
• Create, optimize, and share team-wide email templates.
• Integrates with HubSpot CRM for end-to-end deal management.

Cons

• Not a full-fledged cold email software since features like mailbox rotation and email warm-up are missing.
• No email discovery or verification features are available.
• No image and GIF personalization.
• Pricing can be steep for small teams.
• We experienced lots of lagging while using the platform.

Pricing

Expert opinion

‘’It is very user-friendly, and dashboards and integrations are really easy to use even for people that have never used it before. I think the cost is a little bit high.’’

—Diego P., VP of Engineering

19. GMass - Best for beginners

User score: ⭐ 4.7 / 5

GMass is a cold email software that integrates directly with Gmail through a Chrome extension.

Key features

GMass allows users to send emails directly from their Gmail account. 

With its mail merge capabilities, you can customize emails using data from Google Sheets, making for more efficient and targeted outreach.

The platform supports automated follow-ups and email tracking to notify you when emails are opened or links are clicked. It also has a deliverability testing feature to check where your emails land in recipients’ inboxes.

GMass also includes tools like email verification to clean your list and reply detection to help manage responses.

Additionally, GMass integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace, meaning no external apps or complex setups are required. At the same time, you can connect GMass to other software via Zapier.

Pros

• Direct integration with Gmail for ease of use.
• Personalized bulk emails with mail merge from Google Sheets.
• Automated follow-ups to maintain prospect engagement.
• Email tracking to monitor opens and clicks.
• Integrations with 3rd-party software via Zapier.

Cons

• Limited to Gmail users. Therefore, it isn’t suitable for those using other email providers.
• You can use it on one email account at a time.
• No advanced cold email features like inbox rotation or email warm-up.
• Bulk email sending is capped by Gmail’s daily sending limits. Your account could get flagged if you try to ‘’bypass’’ the limit.
• Makes the Gmail interface seem kind of ‘’all over the place’’.

Pricing

GMass has Individual and Team plans.

Expert opinion

‘’It's better than mass email senders (i.e., Mailchimp/Hubspot) for sending organic emails directly from your Gmail. But it's not a substitute for mass email senders because it doesn't have all the features they do.’’

—Alejandro S., Executive Director

20. Mixmax - Best for teams after seamless email productivity tools

User score: ⭐ 4.5 / 5

Mixmax is an email productivity platform that integrates with Gmail, much like Yesware and GMass.

Key features

Mixmax offers features designed to make email outreach more efficient. Its email tracking provides real-time notifications when recipients open emails, click on links, or download attachments, giving users insights into engagement.

Mixmax allows you to use custom templates and insert dynamic fields to customize messages for recipients at scale. The platform also supports sequenced campaigns to automate follow-ups and nurture leads effectively. Moreover, you can add manual multichannel tasks into campaigns, including calls, LinkedIn connection requests, and inMails.

Another standout feature is Mixmax’s calendar scheduling, which lets users embed their availability directly into emails for easy appointment booking. This is complemented by the platform’s polling and survey tools, which gather feedback directly in email threads.

Mixmax integrates with Google Workspace and CRMs like Salesforce, thus allowing users to easily sync workflows and track leads. Finally, advanced users can leverage its rules and triggers feature to automate repetitive tasks and set conditions for outreach.

Pros

• Real-time email tracking for opens, clicks, and downloads.
• Calendar scheduling is embedded directly into emails.
• Automated sequenced campaigns for follow-ups.
• Dynamic fields for personalized email templates.
• Integrates with Salesforce and Google Workspace.

Cons

• The least expensive plan has no automation.
• The least expensive plan also lacks email personalization.
• Multichannel sequences are available to teams under their most expensive Scale plan. On top of that, multichannel tasks need to be executed manually.
• Its extension for Gmail and Outlook slowed our browser.
• There is no email verification, email warm-up, or inbox rotation available.

Pricing

Mixmax comes with Individual and Teams plans.

Expert opinion

‘’I've been using Mixmax almost every day for a while now, and it's been a game-changer for my workflow. This tool has significantly helped me automate my outreach campaigns, saving me a ton of time and effort. I'd like to be able to download reports for my different campaigns. It would be very helpful to have information on a target by target, especially to re-contact them if they haven't replied in a certain time, or if they never opened my emails.’’

—Ana A., Business Development Associate

21. Salesforge - Best cold email software for outreach in 20+ languages

User score: ⭐ 4.7 / 5

Salesforge is a cold outreach platform combining human effort with AI to manage email campaigns and personalize outreach at scale—in as much as 20+ languages.

Key features

Salesforge streamlines cold outreach with its Forge Ecosystem, which includes:

• Mailforge: A distributed email infrastructure with automated DNS setup.
• Infraforge: Customizable private email architecture with multiple IP addresses and domain masking for better deliverability.
• Warmforge: Automated, unlimited warm-up for Gmail and Outlook mailboxes.
• Agent Frank: An AI-powered SDR that handles everything from prospecting and outreach to booking meetings.

The platform allows users to connect unlimited mailboxes with smart rotation to guarantee even distribution of email loads. In the meantime, email verification protects your sender's reputation by verifying emails directly within the dashboard.

Salesforge also integrates with Slack, Clay, and other tools via Zapier webhooks, thus providing seamless workflow automation.

Pros

• AI-powered email personalization in more than 20 languages.
• Unlimited mailboxes with smart rotation.
• Automated email warm-up and email validation.
• Native integrations and those made possible through Zapier.
• All-in-one dashboard to manage mailboxes and sequences.

Cons

• Advanced features such as Infraforge may be too technical for beginners.
• Plans limit the number of active prospects.
• The maximum number of emails you can send monthly is 50,000 on the highest plan.
• Email verification credits are limited to 1,000 maximum, as well.
• Agent Frank, Mailforge, Infraforge, and Warmforge cost extra.

Pricing

Expert opinion

‘’Love how they utilize the power of AI to craft unique emails as well as increase delivery rate. It's a new product, so some features are missing.’’

—Simonas D.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What is cold email software and how does it differ from regular email marketing tools?

Cold email software is specifically designed to help businesses reach out to leads who may not have prior knowledge of their company. Unlike regular email marketing tools, which typically send bulk campaigns to opt-in subscribers, cold email software focuses on personalized, 1-on-1 emails to build connections and drive conversions. 

Is it legal to send cold emails?

Yes, provided that you adhere to regulations. In the US, the CAN-SPAM Act requires you to include an unsubscribe button, avoid misleading subject lines, and identify your email as an advertisement if applicable. Meanwhile, in the EU, GDPR requires a legitimate interest or prior consent to contact individuals.

How does cold email software help with email deliverability?

Cold email software includes features specifically designed to improve deliverability and keep your emails out of spam folders. These typically include features such as email warm-up, deliverability testing, inbox rotation, and domain authentication, among others.

Can I integrate cold email software with my existing CRM?

Generally speaking, most cold email software support integration with popular CRMs. These integrations enable you to sync contact data seamlessly, track engagement directly in your CRM, as well as manage follow-ups and tasks in one place. If a native integration isn’t available, tools like Zapier or API access can bridge the gap.

How do I personalize emails using cold email software?

The best cold email software allows for both basic and advanced personalization. In other words, most let you use placeholders (variables) to insert first names, company names, etc., to personalize your emails dynamically. Also, some cold email software, like Skylead, lets you personalize images and GIFs for greater impact.

What is the best cold email software?

Still here? Great! That means you’re probably wondering, What’s the best cold email software out there?

If you asked us, we’d say Skylead—and no, it’s not just because we built it. It’s because it truly checks all the boxes.

But truth be told, there's no single answer to this question, simply because you yourself best know your needs.

So, how do you figure out which software is right for you? You make a top 5 out of 21 on this list and test them out—just like we did.

For example, start with Skylead—our ultimate LinkedIn automation and cold email software that has all the essential cold email features you need. In one place, at that!

So, sign up for our 7-day free trial now, explore everything Skylead offers, and who knows? You might not even need to look anywhere else.

Using Chat GPT for sales has proved particularly useful for increasing productivity and efficiency. That’s because it can be a powerful tool for writing highly personalized sales templates that get replies and help you book more meetings, among others.

But, like any other tool, it only works if you know how to use it. Or, rather, if you give it correct prompts.

Our sales and marketing team at Skylead began using Chat GPT in November 2022, when it became widely accessible. Since then, we’ve had plenty of time to test what’s working and what isn’t. And now, we’re bringing all our findings here for you to explore.

Thus, in this blog, we’ll show you exactly how you can use Chat GPT for sales. More specifically, how to use ChatGPT for account-based selling—a strategy that focuses on hyper-personalized outreach to high-value accounts.

We’ll also cover:

• What Chat GPT is and how it works;
• Why you should use it for account-based selling;
• Specific sales use cases;
• Examples of how we give prompts to Chat GPT for prospecting, sales messages, and subject lines;
• What Chat GPT can’t do.

Off we go!

What is Chat GPT and how does it work?

What better way to explain what Chat GPT is than to go straight to the source? 

Thus, here is what Chat GPT had to say about itself:

‘’I am an AI language model developed by OpenAI. I process natural language prompts and generate text-based responses that aim to be coherent, informative, and relevant. My training involves analyzing large datasets of text to understand context, structure, and meaning, enabling me to assist with tasks such as answering questions, creating content, or solving problems.’’

And no, Chat GPT doesn’t "think" like a human. Rather, it’s a chatbot that uses machine learning technology (a type of AI called the "transformer model") to process and generate text. This technology allows it to analyze your prompts and predict the most likely responses based on the data it was trained on.

Speaking of data, GPT-3, which we were introduced to in November 2022, was trained on approximately 570GB of data derived from a larger dataset of about 45TB (terabytes). 

But, as impressive as GPT-3 was, it lacked up-to-date information and browsing capabilities. Therefore, it was much inferior to the models we have now, including:

• GPT-4, now a legacy model;
• GPT-4o and its faster variant, the GPT-4o mini, great for everyday tasks;
• o1 for advanced reasoning and o1-mini for faster reasoning;
• o1 Pro, the best model to date, capable of providing answers to the hardest questions. (*available only to Pro subscribers)

Not to mention, OpenAI has recently gifted us Search GPT, a search engine built directly into Chat GPT that delivers conversational responses complete with relevant sources.

So, as you can see, Chat GPT has come a long way since its inception. And while many things have changed, one thing remains the same: it is a powerful ally for sales reps.

Let’s see why!

Why use Chat GPT for sales?

According to HubSpot, 47% of salespeople around the globe have used Generative AI in 2024. What’s more, the majority of them decided to use Chat GPT for sales tasks rather than its competitors (Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, Claude, etc.).

Thinking about using it yourself? Here are a few compelling reasons to do so, particularly if you are doing account-based selling:

1. Scalability

Chat GPT can make the account-based selling process scalable by helping you come up with sales messages, emails, and follow-ups for individual leads or accounts. But not just any messages. We’re talking about hyper-personalized ones that hit the mark. As long as you feed it the right inputs, that is, such as your ICP’s pain points, goals, and industry details.

2. Speed and efficiency

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve tried your hand at writing sales messages. Thus, you know that doing it from scratch can be incredibly time-consuming. Well, not with Chat GPT. This chatbot can streamline content creation for various touchpoints, be it LinkedIn messages, LinkedIn inMails, cold emails, or follow-ups. 

Just think about it. Instead of spending 30 minutes on one cold email, you can spend 5 minutes giving prompts to Chat GPT and tweaking the response. Multiply that across your outreach strategy, and you’d be saving hours on end.

3. Consistent messaging

The average SaaS sales cycle lasts 84 days. When it comes to account-based selling, the process can last a lot longer, meaning it’s important to stay consistent all the way through. Chat GPT can help out with that by making sure your tone, messaging, and overall approach remain uniform. For example, once you’ve found successful prompts, you can reuse them to maintain brand voice while scaling your outreach.

4. Handling sales objections

Sales reps often face repetitive objections, typically concerning pricing, product/service fit, or timing. Lucky for you, Chat GPT can help generate objection-handling responses tailored to specific situations. Just provide it with the specific objection and a desired tone (e.g., conversational, formal, persuasive), and you’ll get replies that move the conversation forward.

5. Enhancing sales teams’ productivity

Let’s face it: salespeople perform at their best when they focus on…well, selling. In other words, building relationships and closing deals. Seeing as Chat GPT can take on repetitive tasks of generating ideas for outreach, drafting copy, summarizing lead insights, and more, it’s clear that it can be a serious productivity booster for sales.

Chat GPT for sales use cases

Using Chat GPT when trying to land high-value accounts (or any accounts for that matter) has its merits.

But the question is, what stages of the sales process should it be used for? Truth be told, all of them.

Nevertheless, let’s show you a few areas where it proved most useful for us at Skylead.

Prospecting assistance

If you’re thinking about using Chat GPT for sales prospecting, think again. This chatbot can’t help you find leads and accounts, and if you ask us, it will never be a good replacement for the best prospecting tool out there - Sales Navigator.

Nonetheless, it can complement your LinkedIn prospecting efforts by helping you refine and prioritize the right accounts through:

• Research – Essential in account-based selling is to approach each lead with deep insights. Chat GPT can help summarize information from a LinkedIn profile, company news, industry trends, etc, giving you a clear understanding of your prospects.
• Lead qualification – Not every account deserves your attention. By feeding Chat GPT key details, you can quickly validate if a lead aligns with your ideal customer profile and Buyer Persona before investing time and resources.
• Lead scoring – Prioritization is crucial when working with a small number of high-value accounts. Using Chat GPT, you can create sales frameworks that rank leads based on growth potential, industry fit, or other scoring criteria, helping you focus your efforts on the most promising accounts.

Lead generation support

Much like you can’t use it for direct prospecting, Chat GPT can’t magically generate leads for you. What it can do, however, is streamline the LinkedIn lead generation and lead gen process in general.

For example, you can use it to:

• Generate personalized ice-breakers (e.g., LinkedIn connection messages) according to, for example, your leads’ latest LinkedIn posts.
• Write compelling outreach messages that will resonate with your audience. Yours is to provide it with information on your ICP and Buyer Persona, their pain points, and your service/products’ USPs, and tweak the output accordingly.
• Draft effective follow-up messages that keep leads engaged without coming off as pushy.

Moreover, you can ask Chat GPT to provide several iterations for each of these. Then, you can engage in A/B testing to determine which brings about the best results.

What more control over your lead generation? Your best bet is to use Chat GPT in combination with LinkedIn automation and cold email software. And guess what? Our Skylead is one of the best such tools on the market for sales teams - and most complete!

Once you’ve got your Chat GPT sales copy ready, take it to Skylead to create an outreach campaign that incorporates both LinkedIn outreach and email outreach. 

This is possible thanks to our Smart sequences - the type of outreach sequences that combine if/else conditions with different LinkedIn and email actions. We call them ‘’Smart’’ because they unfold according to your prospects’ behavior, allowing you to reach them in the fastest way possible.

What’s more, while creating your sequence, you can A/B test your Chat GPT sales copy at scale. Namely, Skylead lets you A/B test LinkedIn connection requests, email and LinkedIn inMail subject lines, and any message body copy.

Additionally, Skylead’s advanced reporting system allows you to, aside from other analytics, review the performance of different message variants step by step and make data-driven decisions on what sales message worked best for your target leads. 

Sales enablement

Sales enablement tools empower your team with resources to close deals effectively.

Chat GPT is no such tool. But it can, once again, complement the process by generating content that helps sales reps communicate and strategize better among each other.

For example, you can use it to create onboarding material for new team members, sales playbooks, cold outreach templates, cold calling scripts, objection handling guides, and more.

Client onboarding

Closing a deal is only half the battle. If your clients aren’t onboarded properly, chances are, the deals will flop. This is where Chat GPT can come in handy. 

Namely, it can be used to generate guides that walk clients through setup, best practices, and product adoption so as to help them get used to it.

Additionally, you can use Chat GPT to create troubleshooting guides or answer frequently asked questions.

You can also use it to generate welcome emails and, thus, set the right tone at the beginning of the onboarding process. 

How to use Chat GPT for sales

There are plenty of ways you can use Chat GPT for sales.

But it’s not enough to just use it. You need to know HOW to use it.

One of the biggest problems is that not everyone knows how to communicate with Chat GPT, which is the key factor in successfully using this very advanced chatbot. 

Basically, the better prompts you give, the more satisfying results Chat GPT will bring back.

However, bear in mind that the prompt you give doesn’t need to be final. 

Once you give the initial prompt to Chat GPT, you can always adjust its answers in 3 ways: 

• By giving another prompt(s) a try;
• By feedbacking the answer and giving additional prompts to make Chat GPT adjust the answer;
• By editing the answer manually to fit your needs, especially if it needs a small tweak. 

Now, let’s go ahead and show you practical examples of how to engineer Chat GPT prompts for sales. 

How to give prompts to Chat GPT for sales prospecting

Before we get deeper into the topic, let me just clarify once again that Chat GPT can’t be used for prospecting on LinkedIn. 

It even confirmed so itself!

And here’s what it said when asked why it can’t find prospects:

So, as you can see, the reasons are purely legal and ethical.

Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean you absolutely can’t use Chat GPT for sales prospecting. You just need to be creative about it.

That said, let’s show you a few ways this advanced chatbot can lend a hand in the process.

Way #1: Have Chat GPT summarize leads’ information and identify pain points

Chat GPT is great at summarizing information. For that reason, it can be quite an ally when researching your leads.

Unfortunately, for the reasons above, you can’t give it a LinkedIn profile URL and expect it to extract the information you need.

I tested this out myself by giving it a prompt with my profile URL.

Here’s what it had to say:

Still, I wanted to double-check if this is something it really can’t do, so I gave it a different prompt.

Since I have no experience with ‘’artificial intelligence and machine learning,’’ I was fairly certain Chat GPT couldn’t get profile information from a URL alone. 

However, it can work with the information you copy-paste from profiles.

But since this would take a while (depending on how much information is there), the better approach is to download your lead’s profile in PDF format.

Once you’ve downloaded it, simply attach it to the chat and give a prompt.

This is what I got:

You can also ask Chat GPT to identify pain points your lead could be facing based on the information it collected, as I did here.

And if the response is too long, like mine was, you can always ask it to summarize it further.

Way #2: Feed your ICP and Buyer Persona information and give a prompt to qualify leads

The percentage of deals you close will depend on the quality of your leads.

Thus, before you invest time and resources into contacting the lead, you need to determine if they align with your ICP and Buyer Persona. In other words, you need to qualify them.

Luckily, Chat GPT can help you qualify leads by feeding it your ICP and Buyer Persona details.

Since it already helped me filter out information from my lead’s profile, I gave it the following prompt to see if we were the right fit.

Meanwhile, Chat GPT responded with this:

Not bad, Chat GPT, not bad!

Way #3: Input criteria of choice and give a prompt for lead scoring

Similarly to qualifying leads, this chatbot can also help you score them based on any criteria of your choice (e.g., job type, events attended, engagement level, etc.).

To get the desired results, create a prompt that includes your specific scoring criteria. Then, include lead data that aligns with it.

Here’s the prompt I gave.

And the response.

How to give prompts to Chat GPT for sales messages 

In this chapter, we will show an example of how we instruct Chat GPT to write a cold email. 

For the best results, we always advise our users to give precise instructions on the types of sales messages they want Chat GPT to write. 

Also, sometimes, you need to make it clear that you need Chat GPT to generate both a cold email and a corresponding subject line. Meanwhile, other times, by simply asking it to write an email, it will suggest the subject line as well. 

That said, Chat GPT is not perfect, and it cannot read your thoughts (thank God!), so always strive to be as precise as possible when giving prompts. 

So, let’s go ahead and see different ways to converse with Chat GPT for sales. 

Way #1 Copy & paste information and give a prompt

So, to start, assemble the following on a sheet of paper: 

• The characteristics of your ICP and Buyer Persona(s) within;
• Pain points of your Buyer Persona and how your problem solves those pain points;
• Unique selling proposition of your product or service. 

Then, you can copy and paste the relevant information, such as the desired length of your email, your buyer persona’s goals and pain points, how your product solves them, and/or your product's USP. 

So, this was my initial prompt.

This is what I got. 

I personally found this email to be a bit too salesy and kind of “dry.” And this is exactly what I mentioned as a feedback. 

So, there’s no need to write an entirely new prompt. You can give honest feedback to Chat GPT. 

Here’s what I’ve got. 

As you can see, you can go on and on like this.

You can give feedback to Chat GPT on any part of the sales message you get or even edit the initial prompt until you find the most satisfying results. 

Here’s where you can edit your prompt. 

I will again remind you that, sometimes, it’s easier and better to edit the email manually or even mix and match different parts of different sales messages generated by Chat GPT. 

Way #2 Copy & paste information and give a prompt to use messages in a sales automation tool

You can apply the same principle (or any other below) to prepare sales messages to use in sales automation software. 

Just make sure you tell Chat GPT which variables (placeholders) you would like it to use so that the sales automation tool you’re using can personalize your outreach at scale. 

I used the same prompt as above, just changed the instructions part. 

Here’s the prompt. 

This is what I got. 

I liked the answer, but I noticed it was above 80 words. (again, always check because Chat GPT is not perfect!)

So, I gave feedback and got another result. 

(Also, by clicking the “Try again” button, you can go on and get new solutions over and over again.)

Way #3 Upload your lead's LinkedIn profile and give a prompt

You can upload your lead’s LinkedIn profile and give the same instructions as above to write a more personalized message. 

Firstly, go to your lead’s LinkedIn profile and download it in PDF format.

Again, the reason why you want to download the PDF lies in the fact that Chat GPT is not ‘’on LinkedIn.’’ This means you can’t simply copy and paste someone’s LinkedIn URL because their profile isn’t publicly available information.

You can, however, copy-paste information from your lead’s LinkedIn profile or take a screenshot of their profile. You’ll get the same results.

Either way, for the sake of practice, let’s say you decided to download a file, as I have.

Once you’ve done so, upload the PDF to Chat GPT and give the instructions.

This is what I’ve got. 

I wasn’t very happy with the result, so I asked Chat GPT to give me a few other solutions. 

And another one. 

And another solution. 

Remember that you can also combine the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd way to give prompts for more precise instructions. 

That is, upload your lead’s CV and then write their pain points, goals, and your product's unique selling points in the prompt. 

Way #4 Use LinkedIn posts to personalize icebreakers in your cold emails

A great way to instantly connect with your leads and increase your response rates is to make a reference to their LinkedIn post that resonated with you and that (ideally) you can tie to your product or service. 

Just copy and paste the post to Chat GPT and give a prompt to use it in the introduction of your cold email. 

Again, the reason why you cannot just copy and paste the link to the post is that Chat GPT can only use publicly available information. As such, it cannot access LinkedIn profiles or posts published on them.

Here’s what my prompt looked like. 

This is what I’ve got. 

I have to be honest; I was pretty happy with it right away. 

Way #5 Use Chat GPT to fight the most common objections

The simplest way to use Chat GPT to address the most common objection handling situations is to upload the email you’ve sent, your lead’s objection, and instruct Chat GPT on how to answer it. 

You can copy/paste the majority of the information. 

Here’s what my prompt looked like. 

This is what I got from Chat GPT.

I felt as if it was selling right off the bat a bit, so I gave another prompt. 

Way #6 Use Chat GPT to write follow-ups after no response

Following the previous example, you can also ask Chat GPT to write a follow-up email after no response. 

The easiest way to give a prompt to Chat GPT is to copy/paste the email and give instructions. 

Of course, if you need something more specific, make sure you include details, too. 

My prompt was very simple this time. 

This is what I got. 

I didn’t like the answer because I wanted my lead to answer or start a conversation with me instead of pushing for a sales pitch. 

How to give prompts to Chat GPT for sales subject lines 

Whether writing an email or InMail, subject lines are the key factor to a higher open rate. 

That said, here are 3 ways to use Chat GPT for sales subject lines. 

Way #1 Copy & paste your cold email and give a prompt

Copy and paste the email to Chat GPT and ask it to suggest subject lines. 

Here’s what my prompt looked like. 

This is what I’ve got. 

You can go ahead and play with it just like we did in the previous examples. 

I asked Chat GPT to make the subject lines shorter, for example. 

Way #2 Insert keywords and important information and give a prompt

Describe your product (you can also copy and paste information regarding your ICP and Buyer Persona that you think should be included in your subject line) and give a prompt to Chat GPT. 

Here’s my prompt. 

Here’s what I’ve got. 

Best practices for writing ChatGPT prompts for sales

As you can see, if you want to get the most out of ChatGPT for sales, your prompts need to be of high quality.

Generally speaking, a vague or incomplete prompt will result in generic responses, while a clear and detailed prompt will produce satisfactory results. 

That said, here are some best practices to follow when crafting prompts for sales tasks:

• Be specific and detailed - The more information you provide, the better the response will be. Include details such as your leads’ characteristics (e.g., job title, industry, pain points), the purpose of the message, your USP, and your value proposition.
• Provide context - Give Chat GPT background information to help it generate appropriate responses. Context might include the goal of your message (e.g., book a meeting, respond to an objection) or the tone you want to achieve (e.g., semi-casual, formal, friendly).
• Break down complex prompts - If you need Chat GPT to generate multiple pieces of content (e.g., an email and subject line), make this clear in your instructions. You can also break prompts into steps to keep it focused.
• Ask it to act as a sales expert - For a more precise response, have Chat GPT walk a mile in your shoes. This primes it to approach your request with the tone, expertise, and structure a sales professional would use.
• Use examples and templates - If you have a preferred style or template, share it with Chat GPT as part of the prompt. This helps make sure the output aligns with your expectations.
• Give it feedback - Chat GPT rarely gets it perfect on the first try. Therefore, it’s best you treat the first output as a draft and refine it by giving feedback or further instructions.
• Keep it action-oriented - Sales messages require a clear call to action. So, to make sure the response drives the next step, include instructions for a CTA in your prompt.

Limitations of using Chat GPT for sales

While Chat GPT is a powerful tool that can improve various stages of the sales process, it’s not without its limitations. 

Therefore, when using it, it’s important to have realistic expectations and use it as a complement—not a replacement—for your existing sales strategy.

That said, here are a few areas where it falls short.

1. It can’t find or generate lead

Despite its versatility, Chat GPT isn’t a prospecting tool, as mentioned. That means it can’t browse LinkedIn, scrape data, or find new leads for you.

However, Chat GPT can help once you’ve collected lead information by, for example, summarizing profiles, generating outreach messages, or qualifying leads based on the details you provide.

2. It’s not always accurate or up-to-date

In the past, when Chat GPT didn’t have access to the Internet, it struggled to provide up-to-date information. That doesn’t seem to be the problem any longer, at least not by a high margin. However, it still tends to frequently ‘’hallucinate’’. In other words, this chatbot has a tendency to provide false information. Therefore, it’s important to fact-check every response it provides.

3. It requires clear prompts

Chat GPT doesn’t possess human reasoning and logic. So, if your prompts are vague, generic, or incomplete, the output will reflect that. Therefore, to get high-quality responses, you must provide clear instructions, context, and details.

To paint a better picture, here is an example of a bad and a good prompt:

• Bad prompt: “Write a sales email.”
• Good prompt: “Write a cold email for a SaaS tool that automates LinkedIn outreach. The target is mid-level marketers struggling with lead generation. Keep it under 100 words, friendly, and include a CTA.”

4. It lacks human nuance and emotional intelligence

No matter how advanced Chat GPT is, it can’t fully replicate human creativity, tone, or emotional intelligence. While it can generate effective outreach messages, it might miss subtle cues or context that a human would naturally pick up on.

So, if you want to use Chat GPT for sales, use it as a starting point, but always add your personal touch.

5. It can be too generic without refinement

While Chat GPT can quickly produce sales copy, the output may lack originality—especially if you don’t refine it. 

Generic messaging is a surefire way to turn prospects off, particularly in account-based selling, where hyper-personalization is key.

To avoid this:

• Continuously provide feedback to Chat GPT to improve the tone and content.
• Combine different outputs or edit manually to inject creativity and personalization.

For an added touch of personalization, we recommend using Chat GPT-generated sales copy with Skylead’s native image and GIF personalization feature.

Just upload your visual into the built-in editor in our tool, and enrich it with:

• Text;
• Variables (e.g, your leads’ first name, last name, company name, etc.);
• Your leads’ or your LinkedIn profile image;
• Your leads’ logo;
• Custom logo.

Feel free to play around with it as you see fit. And who knows? You may even beat the 76% response rate that we got using this feature!

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Chat GPT for sales?

Yes! Chat GPT is a powerful assistant for creating sales content, including LinkedIn messages, cold emails, and follow-ups. It streamlines repetitive tasks and helps you focus on strategy and relationship-building. However, it’s important to treat Chat GPT as a support tool and add your personal touch to ensure authenticity.

Can Chat GPT find sales leads?

No. Chat GPT isn't a replacement for prospecting tools like Sales Navigator. However, it can help you qualify leads, summarize research, and prioritize high-value accounts by analyzing lead details you’ve already collected. Think of it as a tool for organizing your lead list, not building one from scratch.

Are Chat GPT-generated messages GDPR/compliance-friendly?

Chat GPT itself does not guarantee GDPR compliance. Thus, it’s up to you to make sure your outreach follows GDPR. To ensure compliance, avoid using personal data without permission. Also, always include an unsubscribe button in cold emails. When in doubt, review messages manually or consult legal experts.

What are the costs of using Chat GPT for sales?

The cost depends on the Chat GPT subscription you choose. The free plan offers basic features with slower responses, while the popular Plus plan costs $20/month. In the meantime, Teams pay $30/user monthly, and the recently introduced Pro plan is $200/month. For the Enterprise pricing, contact OpenAI’s sales team.

How can you integrate Chat GPT with CRM software to streamline the sales process further?

Integrating Chat GPT with CRM software can be achieved through APIs or webhook integrations. This allows automated data exchange, enabling Chat GPT to personalize communications based on CRM data and improving the sales process by offering tailored interactions and insights.

Can Chat GPT be used to generate not just initial outreach messages but also to automate ongoing communication based on recipient responses?

Yes, Chat GPT can be used for more than initial outreach; it can automate ongoing communication by analyzing recipient responses and generating follow-up messages. However, this requires a sophisticated setup to interpret responses accurately and respond appropriately, maintaining a balance between automation and personal touch.

Make the most of Chat GPT for sales!

As you may see, your options for using Chat GPT for sales are infinite. 

Our only advice is not to be afraid to experiment and to give new prompts and feedback until you are completely satisfied with the result. 

Also, keep in mind that you can always manually adjust any response Chat GPT gives. 

But why stop there when you can pair it with one of the best LinkedIn automation tools and cold email software out there?

Yes, we’re talking about Skylead!

Make the most of Chat GPT for sales with Skylead and our 7-day free trial. Start landing more meetings, closing 3x more deals, and saving 11+ hours every week.

Got questions? Feel free to drop by our chat. Or, schedule a demo with our sales team and see just how powerful our tool is—live in action!

If you're in sales, chances are you've given social selling on LinkedIn a try. You may also be all too familiar with the following scenario: you spend hours sending invites to connect, crafting messages, and follow-ups only to realize the results are…nowhere to be found. Conversations die out before they've truly begun, engagement is flat, and you're left wondering if all this effort is even worth it. But LinkedIn isn’t the problem. It's how you're using it. LinkedIn is a powerful sales engine, but only with the proper LinkedIn sales strategy.

So, how do you create one? And, more importantly, how do you put it to work?

Since our sales gurus, Andrea and Pavle, are experts on sales (and LinkedIn), we thought we'd pick their brains to answer these. And now, we'll be using their knowledge and firsthand experience to break down:

• How to create and execute a LinkedIn sales strategy that gets results;
• How to track and analyze its performance;
• And what mistakes you need to avoid to minimize wasted efforts.

So, if you are ready to turn things around on LinkedIn sales-wise, it's time to dig in!

How effective is LinkedIn for sales?

Why bother using LinkedIn for sales to begin with?

Because it’s home to over 1 billion professionals spread across 200 territories. Out of these, a whopping 63 million are decision-makers and another 10 million C-level executives. This means your audience is definitely there. You just need to get to them.

Basic users are slightly limited when it comes to LinkedIn prospecting and LinkedIn lead generation. And while you can use any LinkedIn Premium subscription to get to sales leads, Sales Navigator remains your best bet.

That’s because it’s aimed precisely at sales professionals and equipped with over 50 lead and account LinkedIn Sales Navigator filters that simplify prospecting. Not to mention, it comes with advanced features that aren’t available to other Premium subscribers (e.g., Buyer Intent and Persona features).

We could spend hours talking about the LinkedIn Sales Navigator vs Premium differences. But instead, let’s focus on the stats that prove just how effective LinkedIn, or Sales Navigator, is for sales professionals.

Namely, its users manage to:

• Close 31% more deals
• Connect to 4x more decision-makers
• Save 65+ hours annually due to reduced tool switching

Moreover, Forrester Consulting conducted a study on Sales Navigator in 2023, where they revealed that this subscription yields an impressive 312% ROI over the course of 3 years. It also pays itself off in less than 6 months.

So, if you’re in sales and LinkedIn, especially its Sales Navigator, isn’t part of your strategy, it’s likely you’re losing out on some serious opportunities.

What is a LinkedIn sales strategy & why do you need one?

A LinkedIn sales strategy is a structured plan for using LinkedIn to find prospects, generate leads, and drive sales. It focuses on tapping into LinkedIn’s networking opportunities, sharing valuable content, and using sales tools to connect with potential customers, build relationships, and nurture them into clients.

In fact, with a LinkedIn strategy in place, you can:

• Target the right individuals who fit your Ideal Customer Profile and Buyer Persona.
• Build credibility and trust through thought leadership posts, insightful comments, and meaningful conversations.
• Increase efficiency by focusing on high-value activities like nurturing warm leads and minimizing time spent on low-potential prospects.
• Drive measurable results by converting these leads into paying customers.

On the other hand, without a clear and actionable LinkedIn sales strategy, the results are often wasted effort, time, and, ultimately, money.

What should you do before creating a LinkedIn sales strategy?

So, having a social selling strategy for LinkedIn is a must. That much we established.

But now, let’s show you what you should do before you create one, according to our sales team at Skylead.

Identify your sales objectives & goals

Every successful LinkedIn sales strategy starts with clear objectives. That’s because defining them upfront helps you measure success later on.

To establish them, think about what you are trying to achieve.

Are you looking to:

• Generate leads, 
• Increase product demos, 
• Or drive sales directly?

Objectives are meant to guide your strategy and point you in the right direction.

But a strong LinkedIn sales strategy also needs goals to keep you focused and on track.

Unlike objectives, goals are specific, measurable, and highly influenced by key performance indicators (KPIs).

For example, your goals could be to:

• Bring 250 warm leads from LinkedIn in Q1.
• Increase product demos by 30%.
• Bring $20K of sales directly from LinkedIn.

To track these goals effectively, you’ll need to define relevant KPIs.

Based on the examples above, your sub-KPIs could be to:

• Increase connection requests by 50%
• Reach a 30% response rate

When clearly defined, KPIs become measurable, allowing you to plan activities, allocate resources, and monitor progress efficiently. As you move closer to your goals—and, ultimately, your objectives—you can refine and optimize these metrics to improve your results over time.

Define your ICP and Buyer Persona

After you identify your objections and goals, it's time to figure out who to target. In other words, you should define your Ideal Customer Profile and Buyer Persona.

Your ICP represents the type of companies that benefit the most from your product or service. 

In the meantime, your Buyer Persona is a more detailed representation of decision-makers within those companies.

To paint a better picture, say you’re selling a CRM for small businesses. In that case, your ICP may include SaaS companies with 10-50 employees. As for your Buyer Persona, it could be a VP of Sales who struggles with pipeline visibility and wants to simplify the sales process.

With these two defined, you can focus on the right people and improve your odds of driving sales.

Optimize your LinkedIn profile

What’s the first thing your prospects will see after you’ve invited them to connect?

Your LinkedIn profile!

Thus, it needs to make a strong first impression. Otherwise, your entire efforts could be for nothing.

So, before creating and implementing a LinkedIn sales strategy, you need to optimize it for impact.

Firstly, begin with your profile photo. Use a high-quality, professional image where you look approachable and confident. Avoid selfies or overly casual pictures, as they don’t inspire trust.

You should also make your LinkedIn cover photo count. Use it to highlight your expertise, showcase your company’s branding, or feature an eye-catching tagline that tells prospects how you can help them.

Then, focus on your LinkedIn headline. Emphasize the value you bring or the problem you solve instead of simply typing out your title. For example, try ''Helping SaaS companies streamline their sales process and close more deals.’’

Your headline should be complemented by a strong LinkedIn summary. Focus on who you help and how and the results you’ve achieved. Keep it conversational but professional, and don’t forget to include keywords your audience might search for through Boolean search.

Finally, opt for a custom URL (e.g., linkedin.com/in/yourname). It makes your profile easier to share and looks way more professional in emails and on business cards.

Prepare supporting resources

Outbound outreach is one of the LinkedIn sales strategies. But truth be told, the chances of your closing a deal after the 1st message are slim, to say the least. Your prospects will likely have questions before they're ready to convert. Some of them may also object to what you're offering.

But, as our wonderful Head of Sales, Andrea, says:

''Hearing things like “I’m not interested” or “I don’t have time” doesn’t mean you’ve lost your prospect. It just means you need to handle their objection.''

Some objections you can handle on the spot. But it's better to be safe than sorry. In other words, you should prepare supporting resources.

For instance, Andrea commonly uses case studies that our marketing team has prepared to handle objections involving uncertainty about profitability. They demonstrate measurable results in terms of the ROI that Skylead has delivered to other businesses.

Some other resources you could create yourself or have your content team do to aid objection handling include:

• Blog posts that explore your prospects' pain points in detail and provide solutions to them
• Videos, such as product demos and how-to-guides
• Case studies that explain how you solved others’ problems
• eBooks or whitepapers that establish your expertise

A good practice is to also anticipate the most common questions or concerns your prospects may have and prepare materials/scripts to support your answer.

For example, if they say:

• ‘’This seems too expensive,” have a value breakdown or an ROI report ready to provide.
• ‘’I’m not sure this will work for my industry,” share industry-specific case studies or testimonials.
• ‘’I don’t have time to implement this,” explain how your solution saves time in the long run.

Having these resources ready in advance allows you to respond quickly and confidently. Thus, they minimize the chances of potential deals going to waste.

How to create a LinkedIn sales strategy

By now, you should know exactly who your target audience is. But you still need to think about the best way to reach them.

That said, you can use one or combine several prospecting strategies into a broader LinkedIn sales strategy.

To get you started, here are 4 prospecting strategies. Need more? Check out our LinkedIn prospecting blog, where we’ve covered a total of 18!

Different prospecting strategies to include in your LinkedIn sales strategy

1. Using Sales Navigator filters to zero in on ICP and Buyer Persona

Sales Navigator filters help you translate your ICP and Buyer Persona into actionable search criteria. 

That said, one of Andrea’s and Pavle’s LinkedIn sales strategies is to rely on account and lead filters to filter out ICPs and promising individuals inside them. 

Then, they build Lead lists that they later use to create outreach campaigns in Skylead.

But Skylead doesn’t only support campaign creation from Sales Navigator Lead lists—it also allows campaign creation directly from its search results. This is a faster approach, though not as detailed as the first. 

2. Fishing for leads through LinkedIn groups

Speaking of search filters, did you know that Sales Navigator, unlike standard LinkedIn, has a dedicated "Groups" filter? This one is especially useful since it allows you to isolate members of specific LinkedIn groups, which you can later outreach through a search-based Skylead campaign.

Before jumping into campaign creation, though, you’ll need to take a few preparatory steps:

• Identify groups your audience is likely a part of.
• Compile information about these groups into a single place for easy reference (e.g., CSV file).
• Consider joining these groups yourself to engage with members (if they are active).

That said, most LinkedIn groups are inactive these days. Nonetheless, the right groups can still be valuable sources of leads. You just need to be strategic about how you use them.

3. Setting up lead alerts to determine the right moment to reach out

Sales Navigator has a handy feature that helps you stay updated on your leads’ activity—alerts.

You can use these alerts, as our sales team does, to track when:

• Leads post or engage with content.
• They’re mentioned in the news.
• They switch roles or companies. 

This can help you identify whom exactly to reach out to and when with relevant, personalized messages. 

So, if you want to increase the likelihood of starting meaningful conversations, incorporate these alerts into your LinkedIn sales strategy.

4. Attracting prospects through thought leadership content

Thought leadership isn’t a direct prospecting strategy. Nonetheless, it plays a big role in warming up leads, increasing brand visibility, and making your direct outreach more effective.

At its very core is content. That’s because quality content grabs attention, starts conversations, and builds trust.

That said, your content should speak directly to your target audience's pain points, challenges, and goals. So, before you go about creating it, think about what your ICP and Buyer Persona would find valuable. Then, make a list of topics you could cover that aim to educate rather than only sell.

You'll also need to plan for different content formats, such as:

• Text-only posts
• Images
• Videos
• Carousels
• LinkedIn Pulse articles
• LinkedIn polls

From our experience and that of our sales team, videos and carousels drive the most engagement and have the highest reach on LinkedIn. Still, you want to balance them with other post types to keep your content appealing to those with different consumption preferences.

Moreover, LinkedIn's algorithm loves consistency. This means that to remain on people's radars, you need to post at least 2-3 times a week. Thus, it's important to create a posting calendar. And stick to it!

Of course, posting is only part of the equation. You’ll need to reply to comments you receive, keep conversations going by asking follow-up questions (this will increase your reach, too!), and comment on others' posts. That's how you’ll establish credibility and authority on LinkedIn and build thought leadership that sells for you.

How to prepare a LinkedIn sales strategy message according to the prospecting strategy

Your messaging is just as important as the strategy and sales tactics you’re using.

Since each strategy calls for a slightly different tone and structure to really connect with your audience, we’ve got you covered with some practical tips to simplify message creation.

And to make it even easier, we’ve included message examples for each strategy—personally approved (and used) by Andrea and Pavle!

1. Sales Navigator filters

Focus on personalization and contextual relevance when reaching out to prospects found through filters.

• Reference a detail from their profile or company to make your outreach feel extra personal.
• Keep your message concise, focusing on how you can address a specific challenge they face or offer value.

Template example:

‘’Hi {{FirstName}}, I came across your post about {{PainPoint}} and couldn’t help but think about the challenges that come with it. 

When I worked with {{SimilarCompanies/Professionals}}, we tackled this by {{Solution}}, leading to {{TangibleBenefit}}. 

I’d love to share a few insights or ideas that might help you achieve something similar if you're open to it.''

2. LinkedIn Groups

When targeting leads from LinkedIn Groups, establish a connection by referencing your shared interest in the group or ongoing conversations.

• Mention the group explicitly to build rapport.
• Position yourself as helpful and not overly promotional.

Template example:

“Hi {{FirstName}}, I saw we’re members of the same group, {{GroupName}} and wanted to reach out. 

I specialize in {{Expertise}} and thought it’d be great to connect and exchange ideas!”

3. Sales Navigator alerts

Timing is everything when using Sales Navigator alerts. Thus, craft your message around the alert to show you’re paying attention and reaching out with purpose.

• Acknowledge their recent activity, like a promotion or a post they shared.
• Use the alert as a conversation starter to build engagement.

Template example:

“Hi {{Name}}, congratulations on your new role at {{Company Name}}! 

Transitioning into {{Role}} must be exciting. But having worked with others like you, I know how tough it can be trying to handle {{SpecificChallenge}} while navigating new responsibilities.

One approach that’s proven effective for others in your field is {{Solution}}, which helped them achieve {{Result}}.

I’d be happy to share more details. Let me know if you’re open to a quick chat!”

4. Thought Leadership content

When reaching out after sharing thought leadership content, reference your post or their comment to bond immediately.

• Highlight shared values or goals to build credibility.
• Use the message to guide them toward exploring your expertise further.

Template example:

“Hi {{Name}}, I noticed you liked my recent post about {{Topic}}. It’s great to see others in {{Industry}} contributing to the discussion! 

I’d love to hear your thoughts—what’s been your biggest challenge with {{Issue}}?”

How to execute a LinkedIn sales strategy

After choosing one or more prospecting strategies we talked about, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and execute. This is where strategy meets action.

No matter which approach you take—leveraging Sales Navigator filters, finding prospects through LinkedIn groups, setting up lead alerts, or sharing thought leadership content—the next step boils down to one activity: outreach.

Here’s how you can effectively execute your LinkedIn sales strategy with outreach as the core focus.

1. Choose the right tool for execution.

Attracting sales leads naturally is the dream.

But you don’t want to rely on generating inbound leads only. And cold outreach is how you’ll get outbound leads.

You could do everything manually, for sure. But know that tools can simplify and speed up the process drastically.

When it comes to LinkedIn-specific tools, Sales Navigator is the gold standard, especially for prospecting, as we’ve explained earlier.

Then, you also need to decide on a tool to use for the actual outreach part. 

You have a number of LinkedIn automation tools to choose from. However, our advice is to go for Skylead. Not because it’s ours but because it’s truly the most complete tool on the market.

To paint a picture, our Skylead is your one-stop-shop LinkedIn automation and cold email software that sales teams can use to:

• Automate lead generation at scale.
• Combine LinkedIn outreach with unlimited email outreach to maximize touchpoints with leads.
• Find and verify emails of leads to reduce bounces.
• Increase response rates to 76% and more with hyper-personalized images & GIFs.
• Warm-up infinite emails thanks to our partnership with one of the best email warm-up tools, InboxFlare, to keep emails away from spam.

In essence, Skylead lets you make the most of your LinkedIn sales strategy and compliments it by introducing multichannel outreach into the mix. This is possible thanks to our Smart sequences. We were the first tool on the market to introduce this feature, which lets you combine LinkedIn and email steps with if/else conditions. As a result, you get coherent outreach flows that react according to your leads' behavior to reach them in the fastest way possible.

And did we mention you get all this at a single price?

On top of a reliable outreach solution like Skylead, you also need to choose a CRM. If you don’t use one already, that is. 

A CRM helps you connect all your leads’ details, track their progress through the sales funnel, and monitor conversions. Some of the best CRM software for sales include HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, and Monday.

If you want, you can also use content scheduling tools for LinkedIn, such as Hootsuite or Buffer. However, LinkedIn has its own post-scheduling feature. So, if other social media platforms aren’t part of your sales strategy, these may be redundant.

The point is to choose tools that fit your workflow and the ones that you’ll actually use.

2. Create an outreach campaign

After choosing the tools, it’s time to create an outreach campaign.

We’ll walk you through the process using Skylead and Sales Navigator search as a lead source. 

However, bear in mind that you can also use these lead sources with our tool:

• Sales Navigator Lead list (as mentioned)
• LinkedIn and Recruiter search result
• Recruiter Talent pool and Pipeline URL
• LinkedIn post
• LinkedIn event
• CSV file

That said, here’s how to create a campaign step-by-step.

Step 1: Use Sales Navigator filters to refine search

Narrow down your audience in Sales Navigator using filters like industry, job title, geography, company size, etc.

Once your search results are refined, copy the search URL.

Step 2: Begin campaign creation in Skylead

Now it’s time to hop into Skylead.

• Go to the Campaigns page and click Create New Campaign.
• Name your campaign.
• Paste the search URL into the corresponding field.
• Choose a connection degree.
• Hit Next.

Step 3: Define campaign settings

There are 3 types of settings to set up next:

• LinkedIn settings
• Email settings
• Global settings

Under LinkedIn settings, you get 2 options you can toggle on or off:

• Collect contact information - If turned on, Skylead will collect publicly available information from your leads’ profiles.
• Refresh search automatically - Turned on, it prompts Skylead to refresh search results and add new leads into a campaign if they appear.

If you’d like to use email as an outreach channel, use email settings to select the specific accounts. Skylead lets you connect unlimited mailboxes and rotates through them while sending emails. As a result, you can send tens of thousands of emails a month at no additional cost.

Finally, as part of global settings, you get to set a schedule Skylead will use for the campaign, along with targeting options. 

When you’re happy with the settings, click Create sequence.

Step 4: Create your Smart sequence

This is where you get to build your own Smart sequence.

Just drag actions and conditions from the right and drop them into the workspace. Then, connect them to each other to form coherent outreach flows. Don’t forget to set delays between steps while at it!

Here’s an example of a Smart sequence for inspiration.

Need more inspiration? We’ve got a library of Smart sequence templates that Andrea personally tested. So, feel free to check them out and use them in your outreach for guaranteed results!

Step 5: Add hyper-personalization

Message-based steps (e.g. Invite to connect, LinkedIn message, inMail, and email) allow you to use variables for personalization.

But we’ve got another feature that helps you truly stand out in your leads’ inboxes: native image & GIF hyper-personalization.

To enter the image & GIF editor, click the Add image button above the message field.

Then:

• Click Create new template
• Upload the image/GIF
• Submit

A new window will open where you’ll have the option to personalize the visual with:

• Your or your leads’ LinkedIn profile photo
• Your leads’ logo or a custom logo
• Custom text

Once you’re happy with the results, just click Save Image, and it will be added to your message for a chance at up to 76% response rate, as we had using this feature.

And if you’re happy with your entire sequence, this is consequently the time to kick your campaign running!

The tool will then reach out to your prospects on your behalf. If they reply, the chat will immediately appear in your Smart inbox, where you can take over the conversion and nurture away.

Smart inbox is consequently where you can label leads according to whether they are warmed up, if they booked a call, or converted. Thus, you can also use it to keep track of conversions and ROI.

How to analyze the success of your LinkedIn sales strategy

Crafting and executing a LinkedIn sales strategy is only half the battle. To make sure it’s working as intended—and to make improvements where needed—you need to track and analyze its performance.

That said, the first thing to do is analyze the KPIs that you defined in the strategy. Doing so will help you determine which parts of your strategy are driving results and which need to be refined.

Depending on the type of KPIs that you want to analyze, you can use LinkedIn’s native analytics to track:

• The demographics of your profile viewers (e.g., job titles, industries, locations).
• The performance of your posts and articles, including impressions and engagement rate.
• Trends in follower growth and audience interactions over time.

In terms of specific LinkedIn sales strategies, LinkedIn’s social selling index is a good indicator of whether your thought leadership strategy is working or not.

What’s more, if you’re using Skylead for outreach, you can easily keep track of different KPIs, like the number of leads you reached out to (connections sent), connections accepted, response rate, etc. These are available on our Reports page via:

• Graph view to spot oscillations at a glance;
• Table format to analyze day-to-day change in performance and sport patterns;
• Step-by-step mode to identify exact spots where prospects drop off or engage.

Furthermore, if you aren’t sure of the impact of the messages you prepared in a strategy, a good practice is to experiment with A/B testing. For example, while creating a Smart sequence in Skylead, you can define up to 5 different variants of your messaging and compare them against each other later on.

Of course, if results aren’t there immediately, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. Often, they take time to show. That said, Andrea suggests you give your LinkedIn sales strategy 2 to 4 weeks to reflect progress. Only then should you evaluate its performance and optimize it accordingly.

Common mistakes to avoid when creating and executing a LinkedIn sales strategy

Even the best-intentioned LinkedIn sales strategies can fall flat if certain pitfalls aren’t avoided. 

That said, here are some of the most common mistakes to watch out for—and how to steer clear of them.

1. Not adjusting your strategy to your audience

Your audience isn’t a monolith, so your approach shouldn’t be universal. After all, a generic strategy often leads to low engagement and missed opportunities. 

Avoid this mistake by:

• Tailoring your messaging and content to the specific needs and pain points of your ICP and Buyer Persona.
• Regularly revisiting your target audience criteria to make sure they’re still relevant.

2. Sending generic connection requests

Nothing screams “spam” more than a connection request that says “Let’s connect!” without context. These requests often get ignored or outright declined. 

Instead, personalize every connection request with a reference to something specific about the prospect, such as their recent post or a common interest.

For example:

"Hi {{FirstName}}, I loved your recent article on {{topic}}—it gave me some great insights! I’d love to connect and exchange ideas on {{shared interest}}."

3. Sending sales pitches right after connecting

The fastest way to lose a connection is by pitching your product or service immediately after connecting. Social selling is about building relationships above all. 

Therefore, engage with their content before sending a direct message. When you finally message them, focus on providing value first and your offerings second.

4. Neglecting to follow up with connections

Not everyone will respond to your initial outreach message. That doesn’t mean they’re not interested, though. In such a situation, a lack of follow-up can cost you some valuable opportunities. 

Avoid this by scheduling polite and value-driven follow-ups spaced a few days apart.

To follow up after no response, feel free to share a relevant blog post or case study with a message like:

"Hi {{FirstName}}, I thought this article might be helpful based on our earlier conversation about {{topic}}. Let me know if it resonates!"

5. Giving up too soon

LinkedIn sales strategies often take time to show results, as we pointed out earlier. Many give up after a few weeks of minimal engagement. By all means, don’t do the same! 

Instead:

• Be consistent with your efforts.
• Evaluate your performance occasionally and make data-driven adjustments.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How do you use LinkedIn effectively for sales?

Focus on building relationships. Optimize your profile, create engaging content that speaks to your audience’s pain points, and use Sales Navigator for targeted prospecting. Combine this with personalized outreach and consistent engagement to nurture leads and drive conversions.

What’s the recommended balance between inbound (content-driven) and outbound (cold outreach) efforts in a LinkedIn sales strategy?

A 60/40 split is often ideal, from our experience. This means you should devote 60% of your efforts to inbound (content-driven) strategies to build trust and visibility and 40% to outbound (cold outreach) to directly engage with prospects. Then, adjust as you go based on audience response and resource availability.

How can I make the most of a LinkedIn sales strategy if I’m working with a small team or limited resources?

You can maximize efficiency by using automation tools like Skylead to save time on manual outreach. This leaves you time to focus on high-impact activities like relationship-building. Also, prioritize connecting with your ICP and Buyer Persona and repurpose content (e.g., turning blog posts into videos or carousels) to maximize your reach with minimal effort.

Seal the deal with the proper LinkedIn sales strategy

Creating and executing a successful LinkedIn sales strategy is the difference between chasing leads aimlessly and actually closing deals.

So, take the time to plan it out and put it into motion when you're confident you’ve got it right. And whatever you do, don’t cut corners—success on LinkedIn is all about doing things the right way.

Just keep in mind that results may not come overnight. But that’s just part of the process. Be patient, stay consistent, and tweak things as needed. Over time, it’ll all start to click, and your hard work will pay off.

Need a little help along the way? Skylead can handle the repetitive outreach tasks for you, freeing up your time to focus on what really matters: nurturing those valuable connections.

The best thing is that you can try it out for 7 days free of charge! Got questions or just want to say hi? Our team’s here on live chat, ready to help and cheer you on on your way to becoming a social selling expert on LinkedIn.

Have you spent hours crafting those perfect emails for them to finally land…but in SPAM? We know how frustrating that can be! Email service providers nowadays are stricter than ever about what they let through, and if your email accounts aren't warmed up properly, chances are, your emails will never see the light of day. Worse yet, when your deliverability is affected, so is your sender reputation and, ultimately, your entire success in cold outreach. But that's what you've got email warm-up tools for!

Think of them as personal trainers, but for your email. They exist to gradually build up your sender reputation, helping you avoid those dreaded spam filters so your emails land directly where they belong—in your recipients' primary inboxes.

Many companies have decided to develop their own email warm-up tools, resulting in your having quite a pick. The question is, how do you choose from the bunch?

There are several criteria that you should consider when deciding on the perfect email warm-up solution. We’ll go through each one in detail, but first, let’s explain:

• What email warm-up is,
• Why you should warm up your emails,
• The ins and outs of email warm-up tools.

As a cherry on top, we’ll walk you through 12 email warm-up tools we personally tested to help you find the perfect fit and boost your deliverability today!

What is email warm-up?

Email warm-up is the process of gradually increasing the number of emails sent from a new or low-activity account. This helps you build a positive reputation with email service providers (ESPs).

During the warm-up phase, you start by sending a small number of emails, either manually or automatically, through an email warm-up tool. These tools usually have a database of email addresses, often from other tool users. What they do is automatically exchange emails between these addresses and reply to them to simulate real conversations. Moreover, they typically organize warm-up emails into dedicated folders in your inbox to keep them from cluttering it. 

This process helps make your email activity look natural to ESPs, showing them that your emails are valuable and wanted. As your engagement grows, you can safely scale your email outreach without risking your sender's reputation.

Benefits of email warm-up

In 2023, approximately 45.6% of all emails worldwide were marked as spam.

Want to make sure that doesn’t happen to yours? Start warming up your email accounts!

That said, here’s what you stand to gain from doing so!

1. Better deliverability

Warming up your account improves deliverability by building trust with email providers. When you start small and slowly increase your sending volume, providers recognize you as a reliable sender. This keeps your emails out of spam folders and makes sure they reach primary inboxes.

2. Lower bounce rate

When you warm up your account manually, you’ll probably take time to make sure you’re only sending emails to valid addresses likely to receive them. Email warm-up tools, however, already have a database of active and valid email addresses, helping you avoid sending to inactive ones. As a result, your bounce rate becomes lower. With fewer bounces over time, your account maintains a stronger standing reputation, ultimately supporting your long-term outreach success.

3. Improved sender reputation

Sender's reputation is like the credit score of email outreach. It’s the measure ESPs use to decide whether to trust your emails. Email warm-up builds this reputation steadily through positive interactions like opens and replies. A stronger reputation means your emails are more likely to reach their destination, helping you maximize your results.

What are email warm-up tools?

Email warm-up tools ''train'' your email account to handle large-scale outreach campaigns without triggering spam alarms. They automate the process of slowly ramping up your email-sending volume, which helps you establish a solid sender reputation with ESPs. By keeping your email activity consistent and boosting engagement, these tools improve deliverability, lower bounce rates, and set the stage for successful outreach.

How do email warm-up tools work?

Most email warm-up tools operate by sending emails from your account to a network of engaged contacts—often other users within the tool’s ecosystem. They also handle recipient interaction by opening emails, replying, and sometimes even marking them as ‘’Not spam.’’ This simulated engagement is what ESPs look for in trusted senders, making email warm-up tools a fast and reliable way to build credibility.

Common features of email warm-up tools include:

• Automated sending and replying: The tool sends a controlled number of emails each day, gradually scaling up. They also engage with these emails from the recipients’ side, mimicking real interactions that ESPs expect from reputable senders.
• Spam recovery: If any of your emails end up in spam, many tools can help pull them out to reinforce your sender's reputation.
• Customizable settings: Most tools offer flexibility, allowing you to adjust daily limits, warm-up duration, and engagement targets to align with your outreach goals.

Simply put, email warm-up tools make it easy to scale up safely. They handle the warm-up process automatically to allow you to run email campaigns that actually find their way to your audience.

Pros and cons of email warm-up tools

As you can see, email warm-up tools are pretty handy. But just like anything else, they are not perfect. 

Let’s break down their pros and cons to get a full sense of what they offer and where they fall short.

Pros of email warm-up tools

1. Automated process

Email warm-up tools take the manual work out of the equation. They automate the sending, replying, and engagement needed to build up your reputation, which saves you time and ensures a consistent process.

2. Improved deliverability

By gradually increasing your sending volume and facilitating positive engagement between you and other tool users, email warm-up tools help you avoid spam filters and boost deliverability. As a result, your emails are more likely to land in your leads’ inboxes, which means more of them will actually see them.

3. Reputation building

Warm-up tools make it easier to build and maintain a good sender’s reputation. Many of these tools simulate human interactions, which ESPs recognize as positive signals. This reputation-building function is particularly important for new accounts or accounts that have experienced deliverability issues in the past.

4. Customizable settings

Most email warm-up tools offer settings you can adjust according to your requirements. This may include making adjustments to daily sending limits or setting the warm-up duration.

Cons of email warm-up tools

1. Subscription costs

Email warm-up tools can come at a hefty price. This cost may feel like a barrier to some, specifically when other expenses are also in play.

2. Potential for over-reliance

While great for warming up new accounts or improving deliverability, email warm-up tools don’t have the same quality. Moreover, relying solely on one without considering email content quality, frequency, or list hygiene could lead to issues down the road.

3. Lack of instant results

Building a reputation takes time, and even with automated assistance, it may take weeks for a new account to reach full-scale sending. So, if you’re looking for a quick fix, a warm-up tool might not be the immediate solution you need.

4. Varying success across providers

Some email service providers are more receptive to warm-up techniques than others. Depending on the ESPs you’re targeting, you may see different levels of success.

Best email warm-up tools to boost deliverability and stay away from spam

So, you know what email warm-up is all about. But now it's time to find the right tool for the job.

Lucky for you, we’ve curated a list of 12 email warm-up tools, all so we can help you improve deliverability, reduce bounce rates, and stay clear of those pesky spam filters.

1. InboxFlare - Best for AI-powered, infinite email warm-up

InboxFlare is an email warm-up tool that is only integrated with partnership tools like our Skylead. As a result, you get everything you need for outreach without paying extra!

Skylead has long been your ultimate LinkedIn automation and cold email software. 

In fact, we were the 1st tool on the market to introduce Smart sequences—ground-breaking algorithms that let you take advantage of multichannel outreach to reach your leads wherever they are.

Smart sequences combine LinkedIn and email actions to form coherent outreach sequences that Skylead will follow to get in touch with your leads. This way, it makes sure you find the fastest path to your leads!

Now, thanks to our partnership with InboxFlare, we’ve taken Skylead to a whole new level! 

We've become a real one-stop-shop solution that lets you:

• Harness the full power of LinkedIn automation and unlimited email outreach,
• Discover & double-verify leads' emails to reduce bounce rates and protect your domain,
• Hyper-personalize GIFs and images to increase your response rate to over 76%,

...but also warm up infinite email accounts to keep your emails away from spam—forever!

That's right! You get all of this at one cost!

All Skylead users can create InboxFlare accounts to start warming up their emails in 30+ languages.

Once you’ve created the account, just add your email and let InboxFlare handle the rest. It's compatible with all major email providers, including Gmail, Outlook, and Zoho, and also supports custom SMTP.

InboxFlare’s AI crafts a warm-up strategy customized to your domain’s unique needs, improving your sender reputation on autopilot. 

But it doesn’t send just any generic warm-up emails—you can choose specific topics, and it will generate and send customized messages on your behalf, making the warm-up process even more authentic.

In addition to building reputation, InboxFlare continuously monitors your email health by checking blacklists, domain configurations, and inbox settings. 

Plus, you can run deliverability tests to assess whether your mailbox server is blacklisted, see where your emails land in different inbox providers, and adjust warm-up accordingly.

Pricing

InboxFlare comes at no extra cost! With a Skylead subscription, you can warm up an infinite number of emails and unlock every other feature Skylead offers—all for just $100 a month. 

That means full power to boost your deliverability, automate email and LinkedIn outreach, and manage leads in one package.

2. Lemwarm by Lemlist - Best for detailed deliverability insights

Lemwarm is an email warm-up tool developed by Lemlist. But since it’s an add-on rather than integrated into the platform, it’s available for standalone usage.

It works by sending automated emails to a network of over 20,000 users, gradually boosting your deliverability. 

The tool also offers alerts on your deliverability score, spam risk detection based on your email content, and daily insights with expert tips to optimize performance. 

Moreover, detailed deliverability reports help you stay on track and keep your emails landing in the right place.

However, the pricing structure is based on the number of emails you warm up, meaning costs can quickly add up. 

Not to mention, while our testing ran smoothly, one reviewer, Vinayak G., noted:

‘’All our warm-up emails were going to the spam and categories section, which was really frustrating.’’

So, while Lemwarm proved effective to us, specific cases suggest it’s not ideal.

Pricing

Lemwarm is free for Lemlist users.

If you’d like to use it alone, you can, but expect to pay the following amount:

3. Mailivery - Best for domain reputation tracking

Mailivery is an AI-driven email warm-up tool designed to boost deliverability by interacting with real emails behind the scenes. 

It removes emails from spam, generates positive replies, like Lemwarm, and works with a network of over 20,000 real users to simulate authentic engagement.

Its intuitive dashboard provides real-time insights into spam placement and detailed analytics to track your domain reputation. What’s more, you can check if you're blacklisted and get personalized recommendations for improvement.

While Mailivery offers full customization of warm-up volume and timing, which we liked, some users report there’s a bit of a learning curve to it. 

Additionally, the tool limits the number of warm-up emails sent daily despite allowing you to warm up unlimited mailboxes.

Pricing

4. Warmbox - Best for simple self-setup

Warmbox is one of the easiest email warm-up tools to use and is great for those who want a simple, self-setup experience.

The software automates the whole email-warm-up process using inboxes from real users and doesn’t interfere with your email routine.

Beyond improving deliverability, Warmbox also calculates your Reputation Score, compares it against a community benchmark, and suggests ways to improve. It even sends you alerts if your score drops below a certain percentage, so you can pause campaigns before things get worse.

However, it can get pricey, especially since you’re charged per inbox, and there’s no free trial available. 

Pricing

5. Mailwarm - Best for flexibility in warm-up intensity

Mailwarm helps raise your sender reputation by interacting with your emails daily. 

It automatically sends dozens of emails to over 1,000 Mailwarm accounts, where they get opened, marked as important, replied to, and pulled out of spam.

You can track everything through a dashboard that gives you insights into your email activity. You also have the flexibility to adjust Mailwarm’s intensity or pause the warm-up process if and when necessary.

Nevertheless, the major limitation we found is that even with the highest subscription plan, you’re capped at warming up a maximum of 10 inboxes. And considering its hefty price, you may be better off choosing a different email warm-up software.

Pricing

6. Folderly by Belkins - Best for keeping emails out of the Promotions folder

Folderly is developed by Belkins, a company known for its B2B lead generation and outreach services. 

Its main promise is to keep your emails out of spam and promotions folders with an impressive 99% inbox placement rate. It offers insights on why emails end up in spam, helps you optimize templates, checks your DNS records, and integrates with the most popular ESPs like Gmail and Outlook.

We haven't experienced major issues while testing Folderly, but multiple users have complained about it doing more harm than good.

And after reading this review left by Oguzhan U., in particular, we are seriously starting to question the tool’s reliability:

‘’Folderly sent 42,000 undelivered emails in 2 days (Saturday and Sunday) using 8 email addresses in our domain. Our team didn't realize the issue until Monday. Our email domain reputation is completely destroyed. That is completely the opposite of why we wanted to use Folderly.’’

Pricing

Folderly doesn’t have pricing plans, per se.

Instead, their rates depend on the number of mailboxes you’re warming up and are structured like this:

7. Instantly - Best for automated cold emailing with the built-in warm-up

Instantly isn't a standard email warm-up tool but one of the best cold email software with built-in warm-up functionality that can be activated with a click.

The software allows you to monitor your deliverability score, showing exactly how many emails land in the inbox or spam. You can also emulate human-like reading by enabling the read emulation feature, which scrolls through emails to simulate authentic interaction.

The tool sends a random number of warm-up emails daily, and you can choose specific open and response rates. 

Moreover, with a pool of over 550,000 real email accounts for warm-up, Instantly.ai's coverage is vast.

The price is reasonable, considering that, starting at $37, you can warm up unlimited emails. 

Nonetheless, some users have reported that its warm-up can blacklist your domain with certain ESPs, so exercise caution if you decide to use it.

Pricing

Instantly doesn’t have a dedicated email warm-up plan. 

Nonetheless, email warm-up is included in their following Sending & Warmup plans, along with email outreach.

8. Warm Up Your Email by Mailshake - Best for manual email warm-up

Mailshake, a popular cold email software, acquired the email warm-up tool ‘’Warm Up Your Email’’ in 2024 to ensure its customers' emails hit the inbox, not the spam folder. 

The team at Warm Up Your Email manually interacts with your emails by opening them, replying, and pulling them out of spam. This interaction helps signal ESPs that you’re a trusted sender.

All you have to do is connect your email account and set your daily send volume while they handle the rest. You’ll get insights on how many of your emails land in spam and track your progress with a 10-day spam pattern report that shows your account’s improvement over time.

The downside? The process isn’t fully automated—it’s done manually by the Warm Up Your Email team. This can feel a bit counterproductive if you’re looking for full automation.

Additionally, their top plan caps the number of email accounts you can warm up at 8. 

Not to mention, replies are sent as separate messages, not within the same thread, which might limit the natural conversation flow.

Pricing

Mailshake users can use Warm Up Your Email free of charge. 

As for those who’d like to use it separately, the available plans are as follows:

9. MailReach - Best for real-time reputation tracking

MailReach is an email warm-up tool designed to enhance your email deliverability, helping you hit more inboxes and land more deals. 

It automatically repairs, improves, and maintains your sender reputation by facilitating genuine, positive interactions with a network of high-reputation accounts.

Its main feature is consistent spam checking, which allows you to track inbox placement and measure deliverability performance. You can run these tests manually or automate them based on your preferred frequency.

MailReach comes with a Smart AI warming algorithm that makes sure your account is properly warmed up before hitting full-scale outreach. At the same time, the Reputation Tracking Dashboard gives you real-time insights into your email performance, allowing you to fine-tune your campaigns as needed.

MailReach works with any email service provider that supports SMTP. However, the setup process can be tricky, especially when connecting emails for the first time. 

Downsides-wise, since pricing is inbox-based and spam checker credits aren’t included in the base cost, you’ll need to account for those extras when budgeting.

Pricing

MailReach prices are based on the number of mailboxes you’re warming up, starting at $25 per mailbox. 

Spam credits are sold separately, starting at $28 for 100, though you get 20 free credits to start you off.

10. Smartlead - Best for email provider matching

Smartlead is another tool that bundles email warm-up into its larger cold outreach infrastructure. 

Its AI-powered warm-up emulates human conversations, allowing emails to appear natural and avoid automation detection. In addition to authentic AI conversations, the system delivers a gradual ramp-up for safe email sending.

One feature we really liked is how Smartlead automatically matches your email provider with that of your recipient. So, for instance, if you have both Gmail and Outlook accounts, and your recipient is using Gmail, Smartlead will use your Gmail account for optimal deliverability.

One downside, however, is the lack of customization—you can’t choose the topics or content for the warm-up messages. For this reason, and the fact that other warm-up tools offer more functionalities, you may be better off opting for one of the Smartlead alternatives.

Pricing

Much like Skylead and Instantly, Smartlead doesn’t have a sole email warm-up plan. 

Instead, this functionality is included in their standard plans, which also give you access to email outreach.

11. Mailflow by QuickMail - Best for blacklist tracking

Mailflow is QuickMail's email warm-up tool, primarily aimed at its users. Nevertheless, it can also be used separately.

The tool is designed to improve your email deliverability with features like a real-time auto-warmer score for each inbox, SPF and DKIM monitoring, and blacklist tracking across nearly 100 lists. The latter makes it easy to act quickly if any blacklist flags your domain.

Unfortunately, its analytics are somewhat limited for our taste. In addition, the support team is only accessible via email, which can delay issue resolution.

Pricing

The tool is free for all QuickMail users. 

Nevertheless, those who’d like to use it separately can expect to pay the following amounts:

12. Allegrow - Best for integration with CRM and outreach platforms

Allegrow is an email warm-up tool focused on delivering in-depth insights to help optimize your deliverability. 

It offers unique features like Spam Rate Analysis, allowing you to see exactly how much of your email traffic ends up in spam. Also, there’s the Safety Net™, which automatically stops emails that could damage your sender's reputation. 

With continuous DKIM, SPF, and DMARC testing, like InboxFlare in Skylead has, you’re also covered in authentication. At the same time, the Deliverability Leaderboard ranks users by spam rate to prevent one bad sender from affecting the whole team.

Another plus is that Allegrow natively integrates with popular CRM and sales outreach tools like Outreach.io and SalesLoft.

Not everything is ideal about Allegrow, though. The lack of pricing transparency is a con in our eyes. Moreover, the customization of warm-up messages is rather limited.

Pricing

Allegrow doesn’t share its pricing details publicly, so it’s likely they adjust prices based on the number of connected mailboxes. 

However, sources suggest their plans start at $300 for 10 inboxes, which is, consequently, also the minimum you can connect.

How to choose an email warm-up tool

You’ve seen the top email warm-up tools—now let’s show you how to pick the best one for your workflow.

1. Look for features you need

Not all email warm-up tools are created equal, meaning they come with different features. With that in mind, start by identifying the ones that matter most to you. 

Do you need automated sending and replying? 

Customizable warm-up settings? 

Or perhaps spam recovery features? 

Either way, the tool you choose should have the functionality you need. Otherwise, what’s the point of paying for it?

2. Verify ESP compatibility

Before you invest in a tool, check that it’s compatible with your ESP. Some tools are specifically suited for Gmail, while others are optimized to work better with Outlook, Zoho, or more specialized ESPs. This step saves you from potential headaches down the line.

3. Assess ease-of-use and setup

Your ideal warm-up tool shouldn’t have a steep learning curve. Instead, it should be simple to set up and easy to navigate. 

That said, look for intuitive dashboards, straightforward settings, and clear instructions. The less time you spend figuring out the tool, the sooner you’ll start seeing results.

4. Confirm support for multiple accounts and team usage

Running campaigns across multiple accounts and teams? You’ll want a tool that can handle it. So, make sure the tool supports multi-account use and includes team collaboration features. That way, you can streamline your efforts and keep everything organized.

5. Gauge the quality of customer support

Customer support can make or break your experience with any tool. After all, if things go sideways, you’ll need reliable help.

But how do you know the support quality if you haven’t used the tool yet? Check out reviews from real users. Their feedback usually reveals how responsive and helpful the support team is and whether they’re truly invested in resolving issues.

Ideally, the support team should be reachable 24/7 through multiple channels—live chat, email, phone, you name it.

6. Evaluate cost vs. feature ratio

Finally, consider whether the cost is appropriate for what you’re getting. Some tools are pricey but lack crucial features. Meanwhile, others offer everything you need at a reasonable rate. Compare pricing plans and weigh the cost against features to make sure you’re getting the best quality you can afford.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Is email warmup necessary?

Yes, if you want your emails to reach inboxes instead of spam folders. Skipping this step can result in poor deliverability and a damaged reputation. Both of these can seriously hurt your outreach.

How can I warm up my email?

You have 2 options: manually or with an email warm-up tool.

To warm up manually, start by sending a small number of emails each day to trusted contacts—people who will open, reply, and engage with your messages. Gradually increase the volume over several weeks, allowing email providers time to recognize your account as trustworthy.

For a faster and more efficient approach, consider using an email warm-up tool. These tools automate the process by sending emails to a network of engaged users who interact with your messages, helping to quickly build your sender reputation and improve deliverability with minimal effort.

What is the best email warm-up tool?

One person's best may be another person's worst. So, the best email warm-up tool for you is the one that has the features you need, all while fitting within your budget.

Did Google ban email warmup?

Google didn’t ban email warm-up outright. However, they have restricted the use of third-party tools that access the Gmail API, which is often used for email warm-up. However, this move is about enforcing their policies against unauthorized API access, not banning the concept of warm-up itself.

That said, this doesn’t mean you can’t use email warm-up tools altogether. Many tools offer warm-up services that comply with Google’s policies by avoiding direct API access or by using methods that align with Gmail’s guidelines. So, if you’re using Gmail, just make sure you choose a tool that follows these regulations to avoid any issues.

Email warm-up tools: Final comparison

Your search for effective email warm-up tools ends here!

By now, you should understand just why you should warm up your emails.

And sure, there are plenty of email warm-up tools out there. But here’s the bottom line: your emails deserve to be seen. So, why mess around testing each tool when there’s already one that does it all—Skylead?

Skylead is a one-stop-shop tool that can help you warm up an infinite number of emails, discover and verify your leads' emails, and automate your LinkedIn and email outreach—all at a single price!

Sounds too good to be true? 

Take it for a spin with our 7-day free trial to see the results yourself and start getting your emails exactly where they belong: in front of your audience!

If you are looking to scale your outreach, you've likely come across Instantly.ai. This cold outreach software, launched in 2021, promises to help you find, contact, and close your ideal clients.

But before you commit to it, there are a few things to consider. 

Is it worth the investment? 

What do others have to say about it? 

And how does it compare to other tools on the market?

If you're ready to get answers to these questions, dive into our review that reveals:

• Notable Instantly.ai features
• Downsides to using it
• Real users’ opinions on the tool
• How much it costs

We’ve even added a list of 12 alternatives, just in case Instantly features do not fulfill your business needs.

Let’s jump right in!

Instantly.ai or alternatives?

Instantly.ai is one of the best cold email software and an email management platform that’s quickly become popular for email outreach. 

This cloud-based tool allows users to set up automated email campaigns with follow-ups to reach leads at scale.

Users can add leads to their campaigns by either importing a CSV file with lead information or using Instantly.ai’s native B2B Lead Finder tool.

The software also offers a Unibox, which consolidates all email conversations in one place and various options for message personalization. 

Speaking of personalization, to enhance your outreach, you can use its:

• Pre-set or custom variables
• Spintax - multiple variations of a text to avoid repetition
• Liquid syntax - dynamic text based on data

Additionally, Instantly.ai supports A/Z testing, which lets you test up to 26 different versions of email copy.

Data from Instantly.ai can be pushed to different CRMs and tools via Zapier webhooks.

However, the platform also has a built-in CRM that helps track lead statuses and enables you to make calls and send SMS directly from the platform.

Finally, the software can verify your leads' emails, reducing the chance of bounces and protecting your domain's reputation.

With the basics covered, let’s take a closer look at Instantly.ai’s main features.

Instantly.ai features

Unlimited email accounts

Instantly.ai allows you to connect and manage unlimited email accounts.

As they like to say, this enables you to:

‘’Infinitely scale your outreach.’’

However, despite being able to connect unlimited email accounts, the tool caps the number of active leads and emails you can send per month based on the subscription plan.

Nonetheless, Instantly.ai is still useful for email outreach, especially for those who need to reach a large number of leads quickly.

Why? Because you can use all connected accounts in the same campaign. 

This is possible due to the software’s inbox rotation feature. This feature alternates sending emails from different accounts. In turn, it helps you send more emails daily without triggering automation detection.

Unlimited email warm-up

Instantly.ai is one of the few sales outreach tools (or outreach tools in general) with a built-in unlimited email warm-up functionality. 

This means that you can warm up every new email address that you connect to it to ensure that:

• Fewer emails end up in spam
• Your sender’s reputation remains optimal 

B2B Lead Finder

Instantly's B2B Lead Finder is a database with 160M contacts designed to help find leads that are highly relevant and accurate.

The feature relies on a range of filters — some of which match Sales Navigator filters. These include:

• Job Titles
• Location
• Industry
• Employees
• Revenue
• Domains
• ...etc.

What's more, the feature supports keyword-based searches and lets you apply multiple filters simultaneously. This helps you better narrow your search and pinpoint the most promising leads according to your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and buyer persona.

Another useful feature of the Lead Finder is Lead Enrichment. To use it, upload a list of contacts, and the system will enrich it with additional data. 

Instantly.ai disadvantages

Instantly.ai excels in many aspects. However, certain disadvantages make it less than ideal and position other tools as superior.

For example, while you can connect multiple email accounts to the software, the same can’t be said for multiple LinkedIn accounts. 

In fact, Instantly.ai doesn’t support LinkedIn automation at all. Hence, it misses out on the opportunities that social selling and multichannel outreach provide.

Moreover, email sequences that you can create with Instantly.ai are pretty basic. You can’t set them up to adjust based on your leads’ behavior. So, if your leads don’t respond, there’s not much you can do.

Why, yes, messages can be personalized. Unfortunately, rich media content, including images and GIFs, can’t.

Analytics could also be improved to provide deeper insight into campaign performance. Additionally, there is no option to export stats to CSV or PDF.

While Instantly.ai claims you can scale your outreach infinitely, that's not quite accurate. In fact, their basic plan lets you send 5,000 emails per month only. Consequently, the mid-tier plan limits you to 100,000 emails, and the top plan caps at 500,000 emails. 

Plus, they limit the number of leads you can upload to the platform. Depending on the plan, you can either upload 1,000, 25,000, or 100,000 leads.

Finally, while the tool can enrich your leads’ information, including their emails, this functionality will cost you extra. Not to mention, there are limits to how many leads you can enrich.