Welcome to week 2 of Tupelo’s 8-week blog and video series on AI for Business Brokering! The second step of business brokering, is outreach. At Tupelo, we work with hundreds of business brokers, equipping them with the tools they need to elevate their practice, enhancing both efficiency and effectiveness.
AI for Business Brokering: Week 2 - Outreach
Building strong relationships is the cornerstone of successful outreach. While referrals can be valuable, a more proactive approach is often necessary to identify potential partners. By leveraging technology, you can streamline your outreach efforts, connect with the right companies, and foster meaningful relationships. This strategic approach will help you stay ahead of the competition and drive business growth.
Goal: Showcase outreach tools that business brokers and M&A advisors can use to streamline their outreach and stay top of mind with prospects.
Five tools that you can use to reach out to companies:
1. Kalendar.ai
Kalendar.ai outreach video
Kalendar.ai is a lead generation and outreach tool that automates the entire process. Simply input your ideal customer profile, and Kalendar.ai's intelligent search engine will find relevant contacts. Its built-in drip campaigns and A/B testing capabilities ensure that your outreach efforts are optimized for maximum response rates. With Kalendar.ai, you can focus on closing deals while letting the AI handle the heavy lifting.
Pricing:
$14.99 per month + $150 per meeting booked
Key features:
- Automated lead sourcing
- Automated outreach
- AI powered AB testing
Considerations:
- While Kalendar.ai can scrape contact information, however, it might not be ideal for lead sourcing specifically for SMBs. This is because Kalendar.ai isn't custom-built for this purpose, and its scraping capabilities may target general contacts rather than those relevant to SMBs.
- Data is not exclusive
2. Luna.ai
lunda.ai outreach video
Luna.ai automates lead generation and outreach for sales teams. Similar to competitors, you define your ideal customer profile and Luna's AI scours the web to identify potential matches. It then nurtures these leads through automated email sequences with the goal of scheduling meetings directly, streamlining your sales pipeline.
Pricing:
$300 per month
Key features:
- Automated lead sourcing
- Automated outreach
- AI powered AB testing
Considerations:
- Like many AI lead sourcing tools, Luna.ai utilizes a "spray-and-pray" approach, contacting generic leads with mass emails. However, Luna.ai wasn't designed specifically for SMB outreach, raising concerns about its effectiveness in targeting high-value SMBs.
- Data is not exclusive
3. OttoMatey
OttoMatey uses LinkedIn to create personalized drip campaigns that target potential customers. By combining these LinkedIn drip campaigns with email drip campaigns, OttoMaty allows users to create comprehensive, multi-channel marketing strategies. This helps users stay top-of-mind with their target customers across both LinkedIn and email platforms.
Pricing:
$99 per month
Key features:
- Automated outreach with Linkedin and Email
Considerations: Given that many SMB owners are not actively engaged on LinkedIn, automated drip campaigns through this platform may not be the most effective way to reach your target audience. Additionally, the content of these automated messages is crucial. Generic, boilerplate messaging can leave a negative impression on recipients.
4. Apollo.io
Apollo.io outreach video
Apollo.io offers a vast database of 275 million contacts and 73 million companies. It provides a comprehensive suite of services, including email drip campaigns and multi-channel marketing sequencing.
Pricing:
Starting at $15 per month
Key features:
- Extensive contact database
- Email campaign tools
- Multi-channel marketing capabilities
Considerations:
- Data is not exclusive
- Complex interface with a learning curve
- Not specifically focused on SMBs
5. Tupelo
Tupelo’s is launching an SMB-focused lead sourcing AI sales agent. It promises to offer the largest database of SMBs with relevant contact information for key decision-makers. Tupelo offers a comprehensive solution for finding ideal clients. Its AI-driven drip campaigns enable users to send personalized messages, ensuring a professional and effective outreach. Tupelo's real-time tracking capabilities provide valuable insights into prospect interactions, helping you stay informed and optimize your sales efforts.
Pricing:
TBD
Key features:
- Extensive contact database
- SMB specific data
Considerations:
- New to the market, yet to be fully tested
These AI-powered tools can significantly boost your ability to reach potential customers at scale. By automating prospecting and outreach tasks, AI is empowering sales teams to increase their efficiency and productivity. Incorporating AI into your sales process can lead to a substantial increase in outbound efforts and a more diverse pipeline.