A client has asked you to "handle outreach" for them. Now you are sending email in someone else's name, to people they will meet at networking events, and any mistake lands on their reputation, not yours. The work is not hard, but it needs a tighter process than running outreach for yourself.
Here is a process you can set up this week.
Step 1: Agree on scope before you touch a list
Most client outreach problems start as unclear expectations. Before any sending, get written answers to these:
- Who is the target? Business type, location, size. "Dentists in Leeds and Manchester" is usable. "Small businesses" is not.
- What is the offer? One clear thing per campaign, such as a free audit or a fixed-price package.
- What counts as a result? Replies, booked calls, or something else. Agree on this now so reporting later is not a debate.
- Who handles replies? You, the client, or you first and then a handoff.
- What can you say? Claims, prices, and names of past clients they allow you to use.
Also confirm the client has a lawful basis to email these people. Cold email rules differ by country, and business-to-business contact is treated differently from consumer contact in many places. Read our GDPR for outreach primer and ask the client to check the rules that apply to them. This is not legal advice, and the client should own that decision.
Step 2: Set up sending that protects the client's main domain
Do not send cold email from the client's main domain, the one their invoices and staff email use. If something goes wrong with deliverability, you want the damage contained.
A common setup:
- Register a similar domain (for example, getacmeplumbing.com alongside acmeplumbing.com).
- Create one or two mailboxes on it with real names from the client's team.
- Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, and point the domain's website to the main site.
- Warm the mailboxes gradually with low volume before a full campaign.
Decide whether to use Google Workspace mailboxes or another SMTP provider. Our Gmail vs SMTP for cold email guide covers the trade-offs. Whatever you pick, keep each client's accounts separate from every other client's. One client's bad list should never affect another.
Step 3: Build the list yourself, then get it approved
You can buy a list or build one. For client work, building is usually safer because you know where every contact came from and you can show the client. The buy vs build comparison goes deeper.
For local service clients, Google Maps is often the best source because it shows real, operating businesses. Search by keyword and city, pull the business name, website, phone and any public emails, then filter. Our Google Maps lead generation guide walks through it.
Before sending:
- Remove duplicates and businesses outside the target.
- Remove the client's existing customers and anyone they ask you to exclude. Ask for that list.
- Verify email addresses so you do not send to dead inboxes.
- Send the client a sample of 20 to 30 rows to approve. They will spot a competitor or a friend you would never catch.
The lead list cleaning checklist is useful to run through every time.
Step 4: Write copy in the client's voice and get sign-off
You are writing as them. Ask for a few emails they have sent to customers and copy the tone: formal or casual, short or detailed.
A simple first email structure:
- Opening line about the recipient's business, not the client.
- One sentence on what the client does and for whom.
- One reason it is relevant to this recipient.
- One small ask, like "Worth a quick call next week?"
Keep it under about 120 words as a rule of thumb. Personalise with fields you can trust, like business name and city. Bad personalisation reads worse than none. See subject line personalization for ideas that do not feel forced.
Send the full sequence to the client as a document and get a written "approved". Every word that goes out should be something they have seen.
Step 5: Build a short follow-up flow
A sequence of three or four emails over two to three weeks is a reasonable starting point. Each follow-up should add something: a short example, a different angle, or a simple question. End with a polite close. The breakup email templates give you wording to adapt.
Set sending to business days in the recipient's time zone. The reasoning is in sending schedule: weekdays only.
Include a clear unsubscribe option and honour it immediately. Keep one suppression list per client so anyone who opts out is never emailed again in later campaigns.
If you want the list and the campaign in one place, GetClient lets you scrape Google Maps, verify emails, then send from connected Gmail or SMTP accounts with a visual flow of steps and delays. Follow-ups can branch on opened or not opened, and clicked or not clicked. Merge tags are written as {{params.name}} or {{params.city}}, and unsubscribed addresses are skipped automatically. You can start with free credits; details are on pricing.
Step 6: Handle replies fast and hand off cleanly
A positive reply that sits for two days goes cold. Agree on a response window with the client, for example the same business day.
Sort replies into simple buckets:
- Interested: pass to the client with the full thread and any notes.
- Not now: note the date and timing they mentioned.
- Not interested or unsubscribe: add to suppression.
- Wrong person: ask politely who handles it.
If you answer on the client's behalf, use a short approved script for booking calls. Do not negotiate price or make promises they have not agreed to.
Step 7: Report weekly, honestly
Send a short weekly update. Include emails sent, replies, positive replies, calls booked, and what you are changing next week. Treat open rates with caution, since tracking is unreliable with many mail apps. Replies and booked calls are the numbers that matter.
If results are weak after a fair test, say so and suggest one change at a time: a narrower target, a different offer, or new first lines. Clients keep agencies who are straight with them.