If you’re sending out the same bland sales emails and crossing your fingers, you’re wasting your time—and your prospects’. This guide is for sales reps, founders, and anyone who actually cares about getting replies, not just sending more email. We’ll walk through how to create personalized sales sequences in Sailes that people will notice (and maybe even answer). No fluff, no “growth hacks,” just what actually works.
Why Personalization Beats Spray-and-Pray Every Time
Nobody likes spam. But a lot of “outreach” is just that: generic, impersonal, and easy to ignore. Personalization is the antidote. It’s not about adding {{FirstName}} to a subject line—it’s about making your message relevant enough that someone feels compelled to respond.
But here’s the honest bit: personalization takes work. Tools like Sailes can help, but they don’t do the thinking for you. If you want higher response rates, you’ll have to put in some thought up front. This guide will show you how to make it manageable (and maybe even fun).
Step 1: Get Clear on Who You’re Targeting
Before you start building sequences, get specific about your audience. Broad “decision makers” lists get ignored. Here’s what to nail down:
- Industry: Are you reaching out to SaaS companies, manufacturers, agencies?
- Role: Who actually feels the pain your product solves? The CEO, IT manager, Ops lead?
- Trigger events: Did they just launch a product? Raise money? Hire a new exec?
- Company size: Selling into a 10-person shop is a different beast than a Fortune 500.
Pro tip: Take 15 minutes and look at your last 10 best customers. What do they have in common? Build your list around those traits—not just what’s easy to scrape.
Step 2: Build a List That Doesn’t Suck
Garbage in, garbage out. If your list is full of the wrong people, no amount of clever copy will help. In Sailes, you can import leads or sync from your CRM. Here’s what matters:
- Accuracy: Double-check titles, company names, and emails. Automation tools get these wrong all the time.
- Context fields: Add columns in your CSV for things like “recent funding,” “main competitor,” or “product used.” You’ll use these later for real personalization.
- Don’t overdo it: You don’t need 10,000 leads. Start small with a batch you can actually research and personalize.
Ignore: Buying giant lists of “decision makers” from sketchy data vendors. You’ll just get bounced emails and angry replies.
Step 3: Map Out Your Sequence (Don’t Rush This)
A sales sequence isn’t just “send 5 emails and hope.” You need a plan.
How Many Touches?
- 3-5 steps is the sweet spot for most outbound. More than 7 and you risk being an annoyance.
- Mix up channels if possible: email, LinkedIn, maybe a call if it makes sense.
What Should Each Step Do?
- First touch: Grab attention. Why should they care?
- Second touch: Add a tidbit of relevant info. Maybe a case study or observation.
- Third touch: Ask a direct question. Make it easy to reply.
- Optional follow-ups: Light reminders or “breakup” emails.
Pro tip: Don’t just repeat yourself in every step. If you’re bored writing it, they’ll be bored reading it.
Step 4: Write Messages That Don’t Sound Like Robots
This is where most sequences die. Here’s what works:
Personalization Fields: Use Them, But Use Them Well
Sailes lets you insert fields like {{Company}}, {{JobTitle}}, etc. That’s table stakes. The real trick is adding context:
- Mention something recent (“Congrats on the Series B!”)
- Reference their product (“Noticed you use Salesforce…”)
- Bring up a relevant challenge (“Saw you’re hiring for sales ops—usually means growing pains”)
Keep It Short, Keep It Human
- Subject lines: Clear and honest beats cute every time. “Quick question about [thing they care about]”
- Body: 2-4 sentences max. No walls of text.
- Call-to-action: Ask one simple thing (“Is this on your radar?” or “Worth a quick chat?”)
What to ignore: Templates that sound like, “I hope this email finds you well.” Nobody talks like that, and neither should you.
Step 5: Use Sailes to Automate Without Losing the Personal Touch
Here’s where Sailes can actually save you time—if you use it right.
Setting Up Your Sequence
- Create a new sequence: Give it a clear name (“SaaS CEOs – Post Funding Outreach”)
- Add your steps: Customize copy for each touch. Don’t just clone the first email.
- Insert personalization tokens: Double-check that every {{field}} maps to your columns.
- Preview everything: Sailes usually has a preview mode. Use it to catch weird formatting or missing fields.
Schedule and Throttle
- Stagger sends: Don’t blast 200 emails at once. Sailes can space them out so you avoid spam filters.
- Set time windows: Weekday mornings usually perform best, but experiment.
Manual Review Matters
- If you’re using advanced personalization (like referencing a recent event), spot-check each email before it goes out.
- Sometimes it’s worth hand-editing the first few in a batch, especially for your highest-value targets.
Step 6: Test, Tweak, and Don’t Get Lazy
No sequence is perfect the first time. Here’s how to keep improving:
- Track replies, not just opens: Open rates are nice, but replies are what count.
- A/B test subject lines and CTAs: Small tweaks can make a big difference.
- Review negative replies: If people keep saying “not relevant,” your targeting is off.
- Refresh your list: Don’t send the same sequence to the same people twice.
Ignore: Vanity metrics like “number of emails sent.” Focus on quality over quantity.
Step 7: Respect the Prospect (and Your Own Reputation)
Personalization is about relevance, not being creepy. Don’t cross the line:
- Don’t mention super-private info (e.g., “Saw your photo from last weekend’s BBQ”)
- Make it easy to opt-out (Sailes can add an unsubscribe link for you)
- If someone asks to be removed, actually remove them.
Remember: every bad cold email is a little hit to your brand.
Quick Troubleshooting: Why Aren’t People Responding?
If your response rates are still weak, check these common problems:
- Your list is off: Are you actually targeting people who care?
- Your message is too generic: Did you add anything that proves you did your homework?
- Your call-to-action is too vague: “Let me know if you’re interested” is easy to delete. Be specific.
- Technical issues: Emails might be going to spam. Check your sender reputation and Sailes’ deliverability settings.
Sometimes, it’s just a tough week. Don’t take it personally—adjust and try again.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Keep It Real
Personalized sequences in Sailes take a little extra work, but that’s what gets results. Don’t overthink it or try to automate away all the effort. Start with a small batch, keep your messages human, and tweak as you go. The goal isn’t to send more emails—it’s to start more real conversations. That’s what actually moves the needle.
Now stop reading guides and go write something worth replying to.