Let’s cut to it. If you’re a fintech founder trying to build pipeline and you’re asking, “How do I get meetings with the right people without sounding like a bot?” Well, you’re not alone. And no, cold outreach isn’t dead. It’s just been ruined by spam. But done right, cold email and LinkedIn are still your fastest, most controllable path to booked meetings. The trick? Build a system that feels human at AI scale.
In this guide, we’ll walk through the exact cold outreach playbook we use with our clients. Email plus LinkedIn—step by step—built for fintech founders first. Let’s go.
Step 1: Nail Your Ideal Client Profile (ICP)
Before you touch a CRM or open a blank doc—stop. You don’t need a tool. You need clarity.
- Industry: Lending, payments, B2B SaaS
- Roles: VPs of Sales, CMOs, RevOps, Product Leaders
- Stage: Series A–C with growing sales pressure
- Pains: Broken funnels, manual sales cycles, compliance bottlenecks
Pro Tip: Roleplay your ICP in ChatGPT. Prompt: Act as a VP of Revenue at a B2B payment startup. What are your top three challenges this quarter? The language you get will beat your pitch deck 10x.
Step 2: Build the Right List
No scraping. No mass blasts. We’re sending excellent emails to the right 500 people.
Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to filter by:
- Role & seniority
- Industry & company size
- Geography, tech stack, funding stage
- Hiring signals
Then enrich with tools like Apollo or Clearbit. Segment by product line, vertical, or campaign. Rule of thumb: quality over quantity. You’re not selling sunglasses—you’re selling trust.
Step 3: Write Cold Emails That Get Replies
Here’s a simple formula for writing high-reply cold emails:
- Subject Line: Curiosity-driven
- Examples: Quick idea for [Company], Questions about your GTM strategy
- Examples: Quick idea for [Company], Questions about your GTM strategy
- Line 1: Personal Hook
- Saw you just raised Series A. Congrats.
- Saw you just raised Series A. Congrats.
- Line 2–3: Tease Relevance
- Most fintechs we work with struggle to scale outbound beyond the founder. Sound familiar?
- Most fintechs we work with struggle to scale outbound beyond the founder. Sound familiar?
- CTA: Make It Easy
- Worth a quick call to share what’s working in your space?
- Worth a quick call to share what’s working in your space?
- P.S. (optional): Social Proof
- Helped [Client Name] 3x demos in 60 days.
- Helped [Client Name] 3x demos in 60 days.
Keep it to one mobile screen. No attachments. No “just circling back.”
Step 4: Warm Up with LinkedIn
Before email, start with LinkedIn—no pitch, just presence. Use this 5-step cadence:
- View their profile – Sparks curiosity
- Like or comment – Show up organically
- Send a soft connection request
- Saw you’re in [industry]—would love to connect and learn more.
- Saw you’re in [industry]—would love to connect and learn more.
- Send a no-pitch DM – Ask a question, share an article, say thanks
- Engage over time – Comment again, add value
Founders have authority. Your message cuts through more than an SDR. Use that. Don’t hide behind your logo.
Step 5: Run the Right Outreach Sequence
Outbound isn’t one-and-done. Here’s a proven 14-day cadence:
- Day 1: Personalized cold email
- Day 2: LinkedIn profile view and follow
- Day 3: Soft connection request
- Day 5: Follow-up email (same thread)
- Day 7: LinkedIn DM with value or insight (Google Doc, article, etc.)
- Day 10: Final email with clear CTA (not a breakup email)
- Day 14: Engage on LinkedIn again
Avoid salesy collateral. Instead, spark curiosity. The goal? Start conversations, not close deals in the inbox.
Step 6: Scale with the Right Tools
When it’s working, scale smart—not sloppy.
- Apollo or Instantly – Smart sequencing, deliverability
- Sales Navigator – Precise list-building
- Clay + ChatGPT – Personalization at scale
- Lavender – Real-time email grading and feedback
- Notion or Trello – Track sequences, replies, and response rates
Important: Keep it under 50 touches per day per channel. Trust builds slowly. Blow it once and you’re ghosted forever.
What to Expect
Here’s what good looks like after 30 days:
- Open Rate: 40–60%
- Reply Rate: 10–15%
- Meetings Booked: 2–5%
It’s not about automation—it’s about relevance.
Final Takeaway
The best fintech founders don’t outsource trust. They show up in inboxes and DMs with clarity and value. Outbound isn’t a hack—it’s a signal amplifier.
You’re telling the market, We’re serious. We’re ready. Let’s talk.
If you want the full system, subscribe to My Executive Brief. Every week, we break down proven playbooks—cold email, LinkedIn, AI strategies, and more.
Or book a discovery session at billricestrategy.com. We’ll map out your 90-day cold outreach system, start to finish.
Stay focused. Stay human. Keep building.
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