How to work with the Smart Search list
In this instruction we describe the recommended flow for working with the sample file you got from our recommendation system. Please note that it is the outline, you can modify it depending on your time constraints.
First of all, we recommend saving all the funds to Favorites. This will help you not to lose them. More importantly, it’ll provide the information about funds and all of their decision makers in one place.
Planning your work
Once you’ve saved the list, you need to examine it further.
The first step is to divide the sample into 3 segments:
Segment A — ranked 1-10 on the list. High priority funds. Ideally require additional research. Cold message should be highly customized.
Segment B — ranked from 11 to 50 on the list. Medium priority funds. Require some research and slight customization while writing letters.
Segment C — all other funds starting from the 51st to the end of the list. Lower priority funds. No need to spend additional time for research. Still, we recommend not to omit any of them.
For segments A and B, you need to do your homework. Using the fund’s profiles on the Unicorn Nest website, social networks, the fund’s website, and its mass media publications, try to find fragments that clearly describe the fund’s attitude towards your type of startups. It could even be a simple Google request: “Sequoia’s partner comments on the food delivery sector“.
Collect these fragments in a table, you will need them when composing letters. Do not forget to save the source of such a fragment, it will be useful for further communication.
Segment A
For segment A, we recommend composing highly customized letters. Weave the clues you found in the previous step as much as possible into the holistic story.
Ideally, these individualized letters should be written not only in relation to the fund, but also in relation to a specific recipient (key person of the fund). At a minimum level, you can go to the person’s LinkedIn profile and check if you have common acquaintances or interests. You may have even studied or worked for the same company, which is worth mentioning for the warmth of the letter.
You can find and check all decision makers in the Favorites list once you save them.
Segment B
When working with segment B, provide a place in your letter template where you can mention a fact from your homework that is relevant to you. Here it is useful to give a hyperlink to the source with this fact. If you feel like you are under time constraints, you can send the same email to all recipients, as for segment C.
Segment C
Segment C does not imply any additional customization. However, if you want to increase your open/response rates, take time for A/B testing: letters, subject lines, pitch deck variations.
Using Connect for cold outreach
Our Connect tool allows you to set up sequences to easily outreach funds from segments B and C.
Connect automates your email outreach without compromising your mailbox and jeopardizing your spam score. We deliver emails emulating a real person but do it the smart way. We increase your open and answer rate by delivering emails to the right people at the right moment. We also allow A/B testing and provide analytics so that you can improve your email campaigns on the go.
Go to Connect to set up your campaign right now.
