How much does the complete outbound sales stack cost per month?

Up to $500 per month. If you skip a CRM, you can squeeze in under $350. However, when building a sales funnel, you'll want to follow up, create reminders, and track potential deals. If you're thinking long-term, don't skip the CRM. Most sales aren't accomplished through the first outreach - you'll be following up with the same contacts multiple times throughout a year until you land them.

How long does it take to set up the full sales stack from scratch?

With experience, it can be set up in under 5-6 hours. For most people who haven't worked with these platforms, a safe bet is under 2 working days. Take it easy, don't rush things, and do it properly so you won't have to redo everything.

Do I need technical skills to set up these tools?

No, all the tools are fairly easy to use. It's pretty much like setting up your laptop or phone for the first time. It's really not rocket science.

Can I start with just a few tools and add more later?

Yes, start with Reply.io + Clay OR Apollo. This gives you a tool to outreach with plus contacts to work with. You'll need to buy a domain for outbound, but you'll be limited by the volume of emails you can send initially.

How many demos per month can I realistically expect to book?

This really depends on market, messaging, and targeting. It can be as low as 5, it can be as high as hundreds a month. From experience in a market where you have some competition and you add 40-50 new contacts monthly, 15 to 20 demos is a healthy target.

How long before I see results from outbound?

You'll see open rates the same day, reply rates within a few days. Realistically, within the first week, if you haven't gotten answers and your open rate is lower than 40%, work on the messaging - you probably have issues there.

What's a good reply rate for cold emails?

3-5% is a good benchmark for cold email reply rates.

Should I hire an SDR or build this myself?

Always recommend starting yourself first. Calculate how much an SDR costs locally. A good rule of thumb is if an SDR costs $2,000/month, they need to bring enough opportunities to generate $6,000 of revenue monthly - essentially a 3:1 ratio.

What's the #1 mistake founders make with outbound sales?

Writing emails that read like a marketing campaign. Your goal is to message like a friend and say 'Hey, I see you're having issues with this, I have a solution, worth a chat?' Less is more.

Do I need a big email list to get started?

It's subjective and depends on what verticals you're targeting. Generally, we're speaking about thousands of contacts you can get from Clay, Apollo, or Lusha, so practically this isn't an area of concern.

Resource

Solopreneur

Sales Routine

Solopreneur Outbound: The Daily 45-Minute Pipeline Routine

Outbound done right takes less time than you think. Here's the exact 45-minute daily routine I use to maintain a healthy pipeline as a solopreneur - no chaos, no overwhelm.

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The problem with "most solopreneurs"

You have no outbound system, so when you need revenue, you panic-email your list or post on LinkedIn asking for help. Your pipeline is a ghost town. You bounce between tactics because nothing feels consistent.

The fix isn't spending more time. It's spending the right 45 minutes every day.

The Daily 45-Minute Routine

This routine assumes you have a CRM, an email tool, and a list of targets. If you don't, start with the Solopreneur Outbound Stack article.

Phase 1: Prospect & Qualify (15 minutes)

Goal: Build and segment a list of 10-15 qualified targets for the day.

Open your lead database (Apollo, Lusha, or whatever you use)
Filter for your ICP: right company size, industry, role
Look for recent signals: funding, new hires, job changes (use LinkedIn, Crunchbase, or built-in filters)
Add 10-15 names to your CRM for the day's outreach
Spend 1-2 minutes per prospect: company context, recent news, personalization angle

Time discipline: Set a timer. 15 minutes goes fast. Stop when time is up.

Phase 2: Personalize & Send (20 minutes)

Goal: Send 10-15 personalized cold emails with a clear ask.

Write a short template: 3-4 sentences, one clear ask (usually a 15-minute call)
Open your email tool (Instantly, Reply.io, etc.)
For each prospect, add 1-2 lines of context: what you noticed, why they're a fit
Aim for 1 minute per email once you hit flow
Send all 10-15 before you second-guess yourself

Pro tip: Templating is your friend. Use the 80/20 rule - same template for 80% of prospects, 20% real personalization.

Phase 3: Follow-up & Pipeline Review (10 minutes)

Goal: Keep conversations alive and track what's working.

Check your CRM for leads from 2-3 days ago with no replies
Send 2-3 short follow-ups (no pressure, just a reminder)
Flag any replies from the past week - move them to next steps immediately
Log what you sent and basic metrics (# sent, # opens if tracking, # replies)

Keep it lightweight. You're not building a sales operations empire; you're staying organized.

Why this routine works

It's predictable

You do the same thing every day at the same time. Your brain knows what to expect. No more "should I do outreach today?" You just do it.

It's sustainable

45 minutes is short enough to fit in your day without destroying your productivity. You're not spending 4 hours on emails; you're being efficient with your time.

It compounds

15 prospects per day × 20 working days = 300 outreaches per month. At a 1-2% reply rate, that's 3-6 meetings. Do this for 3 months and you have a pipeline.

It's repeatable across products

Whether you're selling SaaS, services, or consulting, this routine stays the same. Find targets → personalize → send → follow up.

What you need to make this work

1. Lead Database

Apollo, ZoomInfo, or Lusha. You need a way to filter and build lists fast.

Budget: $50-200/mo

2. Email Tool

Instantly, Reply.io, or Lemlist. You need reliable sending and tracking.

Budget: $30-100/mo

3. CRM

HubSpot free, Pipedrive, or Salesforce. Track who you've reached and where they are.

Budget: Free-50/mo

Common mistakes to avoid

No personalization: "Hi [First Name]" gets ignored. Spend 30 seconds on real context.
Too many tools: You don't need 5 things. Lead database + email tool + CRM is enough.
Skipping follow-ups: Most replies come on day 3-5. If you don't follow up, you leave meetings on the table.
Changing tactics too early: Give a template 30 days and 300 sends before you swap it out.
Getting fancy with sequences: Simple is better. Email 1 → follow-up 2 → follow-up 3. Done.

Your daily checklist

[ ] Open lead database. Filter for today's ICP. (5 min)

[ ] Research 10-15 prospects. Note context in CRM. (10 min)

[ ] Write base template for today. (2 min)

[ ] Personalize and send 10-15 cold emails. (15 min)

[ ] Review CRM for warm leads. Send 2-3 follow-ups. (5 min)

[ ] Log metrics: # sent, # replies, # meetings scheduled. (3 min)

The bottom line

Outbound is not glamorous. It's not exciting. It's just showing up every day, respecting the 45-minute window, and being consistent.

If you do this routine for 90 days, you'll have a pipeline. If you do it for 6 months, you'll have options. That's all you're really looking for.

Related resources

Solopreneur Outbound Stack Under $100/mo

The exact tools I use to run outbound without breaking the bank.

Read →

Cold Email Guide for SaaS Founders

From template to reply: how to write cold emails that actually work.

Read →

Keep your outbound simple. Keep showing up.

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