If you’re tired of chasing cold leads, juggling clunky spreadsheets, or sending the same boring outreach over and over, this guide is for you. Automating prospect outreach doesn’t have to mean boring, robotic spam. Done right, it means less grunt work, more actual conversations, and fewer headaches. Here’s how to set up personalized email sequences in Zeliq so you can reach more prospects—without looking like a spam bot.
Why Automate Prospect Outreach (and Why Bother Personalizing?)
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: sending cold emails sucks. Manual outreach is slow, repetitive, and honestly, it’s easy to screw up. But full automation can easily tip over into “Nigerian prince” territory.
Personalized automation is the sweet spot. You get efficiency without sacrificing the human touch. Here’s the honest truth:
- Automation saves time, but only if you put in some setup work.
- Personalization gets replies, but only if it’s not fake or forced.
- Zeliq can help, but don’t expect magic. You still need to know your audience and write decent emails.
Step 1: Prep Your Prospect List
Before you touch any automation tool, you need a solid list. Garbage in, garbage out. Here’s the real talk:
- Don’t buy sketchy lists. They’re full of dead emails and people who’ll mark you as spam.
- Build your own. Use LinkedIn, your website signups, industry directories, or Zeliq’s built-in prospecting tools.
- Segment your list. Even basic categories like “Marketing Directors” vs. “Sales Managers” help you personalize later.
Pro Tip: If you can’t tell why someone’s on your list, take them off. You’ll just annoy people and hurt your sender reputation.
Step 2: Connect Your Email Account to Zeliq
You can’t send emails if you’re not hooked up. Zeliq supports most major providers (Google, Outlook, etc.). Here’s a quick rundown:
- Go to Settings > Email Integration inside Zeliq.
- Pick your provider and follow the prompts.
- Verify your connection—send a test email to yourself.
Watch out for:
- Sending limits. Gmail and others will throttle you if you send too many emails at once. Start slow (20–50/day) and ramp up.
- SPF/DKIM/DMARC setup. If your emails keep going to spam, check these DNS records. Zeliq has guides, but your IT person may need to help.
Step 3: Create Your Outreach Sequence
Here’s where most people get lazy and blast out the same pitch to everyone. Resist the urge. Instead, build a basic sequence that feels like a real person wrote it.
How Many Steps?
- 2–4 emails is enough for most cold outreach. Nobody needs a 10-step sequence.
- First email: Introduction and value.
- Follow-ups: Reminder, nudge, or new angle.
- Final email: Polite “breakup” or last check-in.
Write Templates That Don’t Suck
Some honest advice:
- Don’t pretend you know them if you don’t. “Noticed you attended X conference” is fine if true. Otherwise, skip the fake flattery.
- Keep it short. Nobody reads essays from strangers.
- Personalize what actually matters. Use merge tags for company name, first name, maybe recent activity. Don’t overdo it.
Example template:
Subject: Quick question about {{company}}
Hi {{first_name}},
Saw that you’re working on [project/initiative, if known] at {{company}}. I help companies in [their industry] with [specific result].
Would you be open to a quick call to see if there’s a fit? If not, no worries—just thought I’d reach out.
Thanks, [Your Name]
Pro Tip: Write your sequence like you’d talk to someone at a networking event. Respectful, direct, and not desperate.
Step 4: Add Personalization (But Not Too Much)
Zeliq lets you add personalization tokens (like {{first_name}}, {{company}}, etc.). This is good, but here’s the real-world take:
- Stick to basics. Each extra token is a place where things can break (“Hi ,” or “at .” is not a good look).
- If you have real info, use it. A line about a recent blog post or funding round can go a long way.
- Don’t fake it. People can spot generic “personalization” from a mile away.
What to ignore:
- Overly complex logic (like “if they’re in X industry, say this”). Keep it simple unless you’re managing huge lists.
Step 5: Set Up Sequence Logic and Scheduling
Now decide when and how often your emails go out.
- Cadence: 3–5 days between emails is standard. Daily is too much; monthly is too slow.
- Send windows: Use business hours in your prospect’s time zone if you can.
- Stop on reply: Make sure Zeliq is set to pause the sequence if someone replies. Nothing kills a deal faster than getting a follow-up after you’ve responded.
Pro Tip: If you get lots of out-of-office replies, tweak your send times.
Step 6: Test Everything (Seriously)
Before you hit “go” on 200 prospects, test your sequence on yourself or a coworker.
- Check for broken merge tags. “Hi ,” is embarrassing.
- Read your emails out loud. If you cringe, rewrite.
- Send a couple to your own Gmail or Outlook. See if they land in spam. If they do, cut down on links, images, and salesy language.
What works:
- Simple, plain-text emails. These actually get delivered and read.
- Honest, low-pressure asks.
What doesn’t:
- Fancy HTML, lots of images, or “We help companies achieve synergy at scale.”
- Using “Re:” or “Fwd:” in your subject to fake a reply thread. People hate this.
Step 7: Launch and Monitor
Start small. Don’t blast your whole list on day one.
- Send to a small segment first. Fix mistakes before you scale up.
- Watch your open and reply rates. 30% open and 5% reply is a decent baseline for cold outreach.
- Tweak as you go. If nobody replies, change your subject or first line. If you get angry replies, tone it down.
Watch for:
- Spam traps. If your open rate tanks, your emails might be getting blocked. Slow down, warm up your sending domain, and clean your list.
Step 8: Follow Up (the Right Way)
Automation gets you in the door, but you still need to follow up like a human.
- Reply quickly to real responses. Don’t let hot leads sit.
- Don’t argue with “not interested.” Thank them and move on.
- Log notes and update your CRM. Zeliq can sync with other tools, but don’t overcomplicate it.
Pro Tip: The real wins come from the follow-up. Most meetings are booked after the second or third touch.
What to Ignore (Mostly) in Zeliq
Zeliq has a lot of features. Here’s what most people don’t need when starting out:
- Super-fancy conditional logic. If you’re running simple campaigns, skip it.
- Overly detailed analytics. Focus on opens, replies, and booked meetings. Don’t obsess over every metric.
- A/B testing every word. If you’re not sending thousands of emails, just use your best guess and iterate.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Be a Robot
Automating outreach with Zeliq isn’t rocket science, but it does take some trial and error. Start simple: a good list, straightforward emails, and basic personalization. Don’t overthink it. Watch what works, tweak what doesn’t, and remember—nobody wants to talk to a robot.
Stay human, keep things honest, and you’ll do just fine.