Prospecting falls apart when it depends on mood. You do a big push when work is slow, then client work fills up and the pipeline goes quiet for six weeks. The fix is a small, fixed routine you run every week whether you feel busy or not.
This plan assumes about 45 to 60 minutes a day. Adjust the numbers to your time, but keep the order of the days.
The week at a glance
| Day | Main job | Output by end of day |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Pick a segment and build the list | One clean list for this week |
| Tuesday | Check and enrich the list | Verified emails, notes on each lead |
| Wednesday | Write and launch the campaign | First email scheduled |
| Thursday | Replies and follow-up setup | Every reply answered, follow-ups queued |
| Friday | Review and plan next week | Numbers logged, next segment chosen |
Monday: choose one segment and build the list
Pick one niche in one area. "Dentists in Leeds" is a segment. "Small businesses" is not. A narrow segment lets you write one email that sounds specific to everyone on the list.
If you are stuck for a niche, browse Google Maps niche ideas and pick one where you have a past result or a clear reason to help.
Then build the list:
- Search by keyword and city. Add two or three related keywords (for example "plumber", "emergency plumber", "heating engineer").
- Keep a working size you can actually handle. A rule of thumb for a solo owner is 50 to 150 leads a week.
- Save the list in its own folder named with the week and segment, such as
2025-W14 plumbers Bristol.
In GetClient, the Google Maps scraper can run several keywords and cities in one search and save results straight into a My Leads folder, so the list is ready for Tuesday without exporting anything.
Tuesday: clean, verify and add one note per lead
A smaller clean list beats a bigger messy one. Work through this checklist:
- Remove duplicates and chains or franchises you cannot sell to
- Remove businesses with no website if your offer needs one
- Run email verification and drop invalid addresses
- Prefer a named person's email over info@ where you have it
- Add one specific observation per lead to a custom field (slow site, no booking button, few reviews, outdated photos)
That observation is what makes the email feel personal. Read more on filling gaps in lead enrichment.
For rules on who you can email and how, check CAN-SPAM and GDPR for outreach, and confirm what applies where you and your leads are. This is not legal advice.
Wednesday: write and launch
Use one offer for the whole segment. If you need one, see offer ideas for local businesses. Keep the email short, as covered in why short cold emails win.
Email 1 (day 0)
Subject: Quick question about {{params.name}}
Hi {{params.firstname}},
I was looking at {{params.category}} businesses in {{params.city}} and came across {{params.website}}.
[One line with your specific observation, for example: the booking page takes a few clicks to find on mobile.]
I help businesses like {{params.name}} [result you deliver, in plain words]. Would it be worth a 10-minute call next week to show you what I would change?
[Your name] [Business name, phone]
Email 2 (day 3, If NOT Opened)
Subject: {{params.name}}
Hi {{params.firstname}},
Sending this again in case it got buried. I had one idea for {{params.website}} that I think would help you [result]. Happy to send it over in a short email if a call is too much.
[Your name]
Email 2b (day 3, If Opened)
Subject: Re: Quick question about {{params.name}}
Hi {{params.firstname}},
No pressure at all. If it helps, I can write up the two changes I would make to {{params.website}} and send them free. Just reply "yes".
[Your name]
Email 3 (day 7)
Subject: Closing the loop
Hi {{params.firstname}},
I will stop here so I am not cluttering your inbox. If [problem] becomes a priority for {{params.name}} later, just reply to this and I will pick it up.
[Your name]
Before launching: preview each step, check the unsubscribe link is included, and set send-day limits so you are not sending everything at once. If you send through your own server, run the SMTP sending setup checklist first.
Thursday: replies first, then follow-ups
Open your inbox before anything else and answer every reply the same day, including the "no thanks" ones. A polite answer to a no costs nothing and sometimes turns into a referral.
Sort replies into three groups:
- Interested: suggest two specific times or send the promised write-up.
- Not now: note the month they mentioned and set a reminder.
- Wrong person: ask who handles it and thank them.
Then confirm your follow-up steps are queued for last week's list too. For when to stop, see when to stop following up.
Friday: review and choose next week's segment
Log the week in a simple sheet:
| Week | Segment | Sent | Opened | Replies | Positive | Calls booked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W14 |
Then ask three questions:
- Did this segment reply better or worse than last week's? Keep or drop it.
- If opens were low, look at subject lines and deliverability (fix a low open rate).
- If opens were fine but replies were not, change the offer or the observation line, not the whole email.
Pick Monday's segment now so you start the week without deciding. Old lists that went quiet can be reused after a few months; see reusing old lead lists.
Keeping it going
Miss a day? Do that day's job the next morning and skip nothing else. The routine works because each day only depends on the one before. Run it for four weeks before judging it.