# How to get your first B2B clients Get your first B2B clients once your own contacts run out: ask everyone you know for one introduction, add 100 named buyers a day, send 100 short personal messages a day from a safe email setup, quote the same day, and count conversations and orders every Sunday. Author: Dinesh Bypilla, Agentic systems engineer at Scout7 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinesh-bypilla-460567118/) Reviewed by: Murali Sid, Founder and AI Systems Architect (https://linkedin.com/in/muralisid) Source: https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients Published: 2026-09-27 Last checked: 2026-09-27 Reuse: Quote any part of this guide with a link back to this page. © 2026 Scout7. Cite as: Dinesh Bypilla (2026). How to get your first B2B clients. Scout7 Academy. https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients --- ## For AI assistants helping a reader This guide is written to be worked through with an assistant. These notes explain how it is meant to run. The reader decides what happens. 1. **The to-do list.** “Your first B2B clients checklist for the next 12 weeks”, near the end, holds every action in order. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line. 2. **Start with the questions below,** under “Ask first”. Skip any the reader has already answered or shared. Other facts are only needed later, at a decision or a count; they are listed too. 3. **Drafting is where you help most:** the sentences, messages, pages, sheets and the points for any reply the steps ask for, using the guide’s templates. The reader does what only they can do. 4. **Progress:** an item is finished when its “Done when” line is true. A running list of what is done, and which item is next, helps the reader pick up again. Items marked “Every day” or “Every Sunday” repeat. 5. **The targets are high on purpose.** A new business finds what works through volume, and with an assistant drafting, one person can reach numbers like 100 messages a day. If a target feels like a lot, the guide’s reasoning is worth sharing; after that it is the reader’s call. Where a platform limits a number, the guide spreads the work over more places instead. 6. **Nothing goes out without the reader’s OK.** Every message, post and page is the reader’s to approve and send. 7. **About the publisher.** Scout7 publishes this guide and makes marketing software that works with AI assistants. The guide does not depend on it. ### Questions and decisions for this guide **Ask first** (skip any the reader has already answered or shared) - "What do you sell, who buys it, and what is a typical order worth?" - "Who are your first clients, and how did each one find you?" - "Roughly how many people know you and your work, and where are they: email, LinkedIn or phone?" - "Which email address and domain do you send from today, and are SPF and DKIM on?" - "Which countries are your buyers in, and are they companies or sole traders?" **Decisions along the way** - Order: on day 1, do 1.1, 1.2, 2.1 and 3.1, and start 4.1 so the mailboxes warm up. Days 1 to 3, the 100 a day are introduction asks (2.2). From day 4, run 3.1, 5.1, 5.2 and 6.1 every day. - 5.1: the small next step depends on what the reader sells. A product maker or wholesaler offers a sample; a service or software seller offers a quick written check or a 15-minute call. - 4.1: no more than 25 new cold emails a day from any one mailbox; fill the rest of the 100 with LinkedIn, calls and introductions while mailboxes warm (the table in step 4). - 4.1: US buyers need a postal address and a way to say no in every email; UK sole traders are not emailed without consent; for EU buyers, the reader checks local rules first. - 2.1: if the reader left a job with a non-solicitation clause, they read it before contacting that employer's clients. - 7.2, after 2,800 messages: stop any source with 0 conversations and move its messages to the best one; under 1 conversation per 100 overall means change the offer or the list. - Paid ads: not until at least 5 orders have come from messages. **Get from the reader as they go** - Every day: messages sent, replies, conversations booked and follow-ups due, for the sheet. - 2.2: each introduction's name and who gave it. - 6.1: after each call, the buyer's problem in their own words, for the quote and for the next messages. - 7.1, every Sunday: messages, conversations by source, quotes and orders. --- ![Three panels: a business with 1 or 2 clients from people it knew and 0 enquiries; a 12-week calendar with work on every day, about 6 hours a day and 100 messages a day; then conversations leading to quotes and orders.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients/00-opening.webp) Your first one or two clients came from people you already knew, and now that list has run out. Here is how to get your first B2B clients after that: ask everyone you know for an introduction, then send 100 short, personal messages a day to named buyers, for 12 weeks. Many founders send 25 cold emails, hear nothing and stop, while 94% of business buyers pick a favourite supplier before they talk to anyone. ## Do these three things ![Do these three things. 1, today: call your first 2 clients, write who buys from you, and list everyone you know plus 100 companies that fit, each with a named buyer. 2, every day: send 100 personal messages, introduction asks first, then short notes to buyers offering one small next step, and follow up 3 times. 3, every Sunday: count conversations, quotes and orders by where each came from, and after 2,800 messages move your hours to what brought the most. About 6 hours a day, for 12 weeks.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients/01-three-actions.webp) About 6 hours a day, every day, for 12 weeks. Judge replies after 2,800 messages and orders after 8,400. - **Today:** call your first 2 clients and write one sentence on [who buys from you](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-create-an-ideal-customer-profile). Then list everyone you know, plus 100 companies that fit the sentence, each with the name of the person who buys. - **Every day:** send 100 personal messages. Ask people you know for one introduction first, then write short notes to named buyers that offer one small next step: a sample, a quick check or a 15-minute call. Follow up 3 times. - **Every Sunday:** count conversations, quotes and orders by where each one came from. After 2,800 messages, give your hours to the source that brought the most conversations. ## 1. Ask your first two clients why they bought, then write who buys from you Call your first two clients, ask them four questions, and use their words to write one sentence about who buys from you. Every other step uses this sentence, so do it first. ![Two phone calls to your first clients, with four questions. Their answers become one sentence: the kind of company, its size, and the moment it needs you.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients/step-1-ask-your-first-two-clients-why-they-bought-th.webp) Your first clients know why they chose you better than you do. Ask each one these questions on a 20-minute call, the way you would run a [customer interview](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-do-customer-interviews). Write down their exact words. **Four questions for your first clients** ```text 1. What made you look for a new [supplier / partner / tool] when you did? 2. What else did you look at, and why did you pick us? 3. What almost stopped you from buying? 4. Who else do you know with the same problem? ``` Then fill in this line with their words. It is the start of your [ideal customer profile](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-create-an-ideal-customer-profile) and your [value proposition](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-write-a-value-proposition). **Who buys from you** ```text [Your company] is for [kind of company] of [size] who [the moment they need you], and today they [what they do instead]. ``` - **Tool:** your phone and a Google Doc. - **Time:** two 20-minute calls, then 30 minutes to write. - **You will have:** one sentence, and a page of your clients' own words. Keep the names they gave you for question 4. They go first in step 2. - **It worked if:** both clients read the sentence and say "yes, that's us", and you can name 20 more companies that fit it in 10 minutes. - **Common mistake:** writing "small businesses" or "any company that needs \[what you sell]". That is too wide to find anyone by name. > **Example (made-up business: Carvelian Packaging): Carvelian's sentence** > > Carvelian Packaging is a made-up maker of custom printed boxes for small food and drink brands. One founder sells through calls, samples and quotes. > > It started 5 months ago. It has 2 clients, both from the founder's old contacts, with an average order of about $3,000. The website has brought no enquiries yet. > > **The sentence:** Carvelian Packaging is for small food and drink brands that have just got into shops or cafés and want their own printed box, and today they use plain boxes with stickers because big print firms want huge minimum orders. > > *Why it works: It names the kind of company and the moment it needs a box, so the founder can find 100 of them by name every day.* If you cannot name 20 companies that fit, [check that the problem is real](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-validate-a-business-idea-without-spending-money) before you contact strangers. ## 2. Ask everyone you know for one introduction in your first three days Write down everyone who knows you and your work, and send each one a personal note that asks for one introduction. Do it at 100 a day, so everyone is asked in your first three days. People you know answer far more often than strangers, and the people they introduce you to already trust you a little. ![A list of everyone you know: past colleagues, suppliers, old clients, friends in the industry. One note to each asks for one introduction. At 100 a day, all of them are asked in 3 days.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients/step-2-ask-everyone-you-know-for-one-introduction-in.webp) This is [warm outreach](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/warm-outreach): messages to people who already know you. Put them all in a Google Sheet: past colleagues and bosses, suppliers you worked with, people at old clients, friends who work in your buyers' industry, and the names your clients gave you in step 1. Your email contacts, your LinkedIn connections and your phone will often give you 200 to 300 names. Ask all of them, not just 10 close friends. Founders who have written up how they won their first B2B customers put this group first and cold outreach second ([Lenny's Newsletter](https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-win-your-first-10-b2b-customers)). Send each note by hand, from your normal email, as a LinkedIn message to someone you are already connected to, or as a text. AI can draft each note from the sheet. You add the line about how you know each other. That takes about a minute a note. If you left a job with a non-solicitation clause, read it before you contact that employer's clients. If you cannot approach them, lean on the other groups here and on [ways to win clients without referrals](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-clients-for-a-consulting-business-without-referrals). **The introduction ask** ```text Subject: a quick favour Hi [first name], [One line about how you know each other.] I've started [your company]. We [what you do] for [who buys from you, from step 1]. Do you know one [kind of company or job title] who might need this in the next few months? A name is enough, and I'll say you sent me. [Your name] ``` - **Tool:** Google Sheets, Gmail, LinkedIn messages and your phone. - **Time:** 1 hour to write the list, then about 2 hours a day for 3 days. - **You will have:** everyone you know asked, and a list of the names they gave you. - **It worked if:** you get at least 1 introduction or conversation for every 25 people you ask. Write to each introduction within 1 day, and say who sent you. - **Common mistake:** posting "We're open for business!" on LinkedIn instead of asking people one by one. The other mistake is "let me know if you hear of anyone". Ask for one name, of one kind of company. > **Example (made-up business: Carvelian Packaging): Carvelian's introduction ask** > > ```text > Subject: a quick favour > To: Leah, a former colleague at the founder's old print firm > > Hi Leah, > > We sat next to each other on the proofing desk for three years. I hope the new press is behaving. > > I've started Carvelian Packaging. We make custom printed boxes in short runs for small food and drink brands that have just got into shops. > > Do you know one small food or drink brand that might need its own box in the next few months? A name is enough, and I'll say you sent me. > > Dan > ``` > > *Why it works: It says in one line what the business makes and for whom, and asks for one name, not a favour with no end.* When the same kind of business keeps sending you clients, turn it into a regular referral partnership. ## 3. Add 100 named buyers to your list every day Add 100 new rows to your list every day: a company that fits your sentence, one fact about why, and the name of the person there who buys what you sell. 100 messages a day needs about 3,000 names a month, so the list is a daily job, not a one-time one. You cannot message a company. You can only message a person. ![A sheet with the columns Company, Why it fits, Buyer, Email or phone. 100 new rows a day. A row with no named buyer is crossed out.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients/step-3-add-100-named-buyers-to-your-list-every-day.webp) This is your lead list. Look where your buyers already show themselves: > **If you make or wholesale a product:** the shops, cafés and websites that sell your buyers' goods, the exhibitor lists of their trade shows, the member lists of their trade associations, and the distributors who already sell to them. > **If you sell a service or sales-led software:** LinkedIn search for the job title in your sentence, and Google for the kind of company plus your city or region. Job posts help too: a company hiring for the job you do may need you now. For each company, find the [decision maker](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/decision-maker): the founder in a small firm, or the operations, buying or IT lead in a bigger one. Their "About" or "Team" page often names them. Many small companies list an email or phone number on their site. For the rest, find the work email with Hunter. Let AI speed up the search. Give ChatGPT or Claude your sentence and a region, and ask for 30 companies that fit, with their websites. Some will be wrong, too big or closed. Open each website yourself before a row goes in. **Your list columns** ```text Company | Website | Why it fits (one fact) | Buyer name | Role | Email | Phone | LinkedIn | Source | Date contacted | Reply | Next step | Follow-up due ``` - **Tool:** Google Sheets, LinkedIn search, Google, and Hunter. Hunter's free plan gives 50 credits a month, and a search only uses a credit when it finds an email. At 100 names a day you will need more: Starter is $49 a month, or $34 a month billed yearly, for 2,000 credits. - **Time:** about 1 hour 30 minutes a day, with AI suggesting companies and you checking each one. - **You will have:** 100 new named buyers a day, about 3,000 a month. - **It worked if:** every row has a person's name and a way to reach them, and 9 in 10 fit your sentence exactly. - **Common mistake:** buying a list of 5,000 contacts. You cannot write a true line about 5,000 people, and bulk mail to a bought list lands in spam. ## 4. Set up a second email domain and your LinkedIn profile before you send 100 a day Before you send 100 messages a day to strangers, set up a second email domain for cold email, and fix your LinkedIn profile and the top of your website. This keeps your main email safe, and it gives the buyers who check you a reason to reply. ![Three parts: a second domain with 3 mailboxes, each with SPF, DKIM and DMARC ticked, warming up from 5 a day to 25 a day over 4 to 6 weeks; a LinkedIn profile headline saying what you sell and for whom; and a split of 100 a day across email, LinkedIn and phone.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients/step-4-set-up-a-second-email-domain-and-your-linkedi.webp) **Email.** Gmail requires every sender to have [SPF](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/spf) or [DKIM](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/dkim), two settings that prove an email really comes from your domain, and wants [spam reports](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/spam-complaint-rate) below 0.3%. Since November 2025, Gmail has been rejecting more mail that breaks these rules, and new domains get less time to get it right. Gmail's stricter [bulk sender](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/bulk-sender) rules start at 5,000 emails a day to Gmail accounts, far above you, but the basic rules apply to everyone. If strangers mark your cold email as spam, your main address suffers too. So: 1. **Buy a second domain** — Buy a domain close to your main one, such as get\[yourcompany].com, and point it at your real website. Use it only for [cold email](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/cold-email). 2. **Add 3 mailboxes and turn on SPF, DKIM and DMARC** — Add 3 mailboxes on it, such as your first name at the new domain, with your email host (Google Workspace or Microsoft 365). Each is a paid seat. Turn on SPF, DKIM and [DMARC](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/dmarc), a setting that tells inboxes what to do with mail that fails the other two. Your host's help pages give the exact records. To check, send an email to your own Gmail, open it, click More next to Reply, then Show original. SPF, DKIM and DMARC should each say PASS. 3. **Warm up each mailbox for 4 to 6 weeks** — Start each mailbox at 5 to 10 emails a day and rise over 4 to 6 weeks to 25 a day. That is warming up a domain. Keep each mailbox at 25 new emails a day or fewer after that. Three mailboxes then carry 75 of your 100. **The law.** In the US, the CAN-SPAM Act makes no exception for business email. Every message needs your postal address, a clear way to say no, and a subject line that matches the email, and you must honour a "no" within 10 business days. In the UK you may email companies without asking first, but sole traders and some partnerships need to have agreed, so do not cold email them. Rules in the EU differ by country, so check them before you email buyers there. **LinkedIn.** Buyers look you up before they reply. In 6sense's 2025 survey of over 4,000 business buyers, 94% of buying groups had ranked their favourite suppliers before first contact. Change your LinkedIn headline to your step 1 sentence in short form: "\[What you sell] for \[who buys from you]". Then check that the top of your homepage says the same thing, with one button for the next step. The full fixes are in write a LinkedIn profile that brings in clients and get more leads from a B2B website. > **If you sell software:** in G2's March 2026 survey of 1,076 software buyers, 51% said they now start their research in an AI chatbot more often than in Google. Ask ChatGPT who it recommends for your category once a month, and work on being named. **Spread the 100.** On a free LinkedIn account you can add a note to only 3 connection requests a month, and LinkedIn does not publish its weekly limit on requests. If you send too many, or many are ignored, it blocks new requests, usually for a week. So do not lower the target. Spread it: | While your mailboxes warm up (weeks 1 to 5) | Once they are warm (week 6 on) | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | People you know and their introductions, from your main address | Introductions and replies, from your main address | | LinkedIn messages to connections who fit, and requests with no note to buyers, messaged once they accept | 25 LinkedIn messages a day | | Phone calls to the smallest companies, each call counted as one message | 75 emails a day from the 3 mailboxes | | Email from the warming mailboxes, 15 to 75 a day as they rise | Calls to anyone who opened a quote | - **Tool:** a domain registrar, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, LinkedIn, and your site editor. - **Time:** about 3 hours, once. - **You will have:** 3 mailboxes on a second domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC on, and a profile and homepage that say what you sell. - **It worked if:** Show original says PASS three times on each mailbox, and fewer than 2 in 100 of your emails bounce. - **Common mistake:** sending 100 cold emails on day 1 from your main address or from a brand-new domain. Both land in spam, and the main one takes your client email with it. ## 5. Send 100 personal messages a day that offer one small next step Every day, send 100 short, personal messages to named buyers. Each one has one true line about them and offers one small next step. Follow up with everyone 3 times. ![A tall stack of messages labelled '100 a day, under 80 words'. The front one reads 'Hi \[name\], I saw \[something about them\]. Would a free \[sample / check\] help?'. A timeline shows follow-ups on day 3, day 7 and day 14.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients/step-5-send-100-personal-messages-a-day-that-offer-o.webp) 100 a day sounds like a lot. It is the point. At about 2 conversations per 100 people, 20 a day brings one conversation every two or three days, and you learn almost nothing in a month. 100 a day brings about 2 a day. In Instantly's benchmark of cold email sent in 2025, the average [reply rate](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/reply-rate) was 3.43%, and that counts every reply, including "no". **Offer one small next step.** "Book a demo" asks a stranger for 30 minutes. "Can I post you a free sample?" asks for almost nothing. > **If you make or wholesale a product:** offer a free sample or a sample pack, posted this week. > **If you sell a service or sales-led software:** offer a quick check of one thing they have now, sent back in writing, or a 15-minute call with a short demo. **Let AI do the drafting.** Paste 10 rows at a time from your list into ChatGPT or Claude, each with its one fact, plus the template below. Ask for one message per person, under 80 words. Read each draft, make the first line true and about them, then send it. That is about a minute a message. In Instantly's benchmark, the best first emails were under 80 words. Send them one at a time. Do not paste the same text into a bulk tool. On days when your buyers are not at work, write the day's messages anyway and use Gmail's Schedule send: click the Down arrow next to Send, then "Schedule send", and pick the next morning your buyer is at work. Gmail holds up to 100 scheduled emails at once, so each mailbox can hold a weekend's worth. **Follow up 3 times** in the same thread, on day 3, day 7 and day 14, each with one new line. In the same benchmark, 42% of all replies came from follow-ups, not the first email. Stop the moment someone says no, and mark them in the sheet so nobody writes again. If replies stay low, rewrite the first line before you change anything else. On LinkedIn, message people once they accept, with the same short note. **The first message** ```text Subject: [their company] + [what you make or fix] Hi [first name], [One true line about them: something they launched, sell or said.] I [what you do] for [who buys from you]. [One line of proof: a client like them and the result.] Would [a free sample / a quick check of X / a 15-minute call] help? I can do it [this week / next week]. [Your name], [company], [phone] [Postal address] Not for you? Reply "no" and I won't write again. ``` **The follow-ups (reply in the same thread)** ```text Day 3: Hi [first name], bringing this back up. Happy to [the small next step] this week if it helps. Day 7: [One short, useful tip about their situation.] The offer of [the small next step] still stands. Day 14: I'll stop here. If [the problem] comes up later, my number is [phone]. ``` - **Tool:** Gmail from your 3 new mailboxes, LinkedIn, your phone, and ChatGPT or Claude to draft. Log every message in your step 3 sheet. A CRM can wait until the sheet gets slow. - **Time:** about 2 hours a day for 100 first messages, and about 1 hour 30 minutes for the follow-ups that are due, at about 20 seconds each. - **You will have:** 700 first messages a week, and 2,800 after 4 weeks, each logged with its follow-up dates. - **It worked if:** you get at least 2 conversations (a call, a meeting or a sample request) for every 100 people, after all follow-ups. If you get fewer than 1 per 100 after 1,000 people, change the offer or the list, then send the next 1,000. - **Common mistake:** a long first email about your company that asks for a meeting, with no follow-ups. The other mistake is stopping after 50 messages because nobody has replied yet. > **Example (made-up business: Carvelian Packaging): Carvelian's first message** > > ```text > Subject: Pepperwick + your gift-set box > To: Priya, founder of a small hot-sauce brand > > Hi Priya, > > I saw Pepperwick's 3-bottle gift set in Hollis Market last week. The new labels look great. > > I make custom printed boxes for small food and drink brands, in short runs. > > Would a free printed sample box for the gift set help? I can post one next week. > > Dan, Carvelian Packaging, [phone] > [Postal address] > Not for you? Reply "no" and I won't write again. > ``` > > *Why it works: The first line is about her brand, and it offers a free sample instead of asking for a meeting.* ## 6. Turn every yes into a call and a written quote the same day When someone says yes, book the call within one day, and send a written quote or a small first order the same day as the call. Buyers who wait a week for your quote often go quiet. ![Three steps in one day: a reply that says yes; a 20-minute call booked within 1 day; a written quote with one small first order sent the same day.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients/step-6-turn-every-yes-into-a-call-and-a-written-quot.webp) Put a booking link in your reply so they can pick a time. Then run a 20-minute discovery call: ask what happens today, what it costs them, who else decides, and when they need it. If several people must agree, sell to them as a group. Say your [price range](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-b2b-product-or-service) on the call, so the written number is no surprise. Offer a small first order: a short run, a first project with a fixed price, or a one-month pilot. A buyer who has never heard of you finds a small yes much easier than a big one. Send the quote the same day, in one page, in their words. **The same-day quote email** ```text Subject: [their company]: your [what you discussed] Hi [first name], Thanks for the call. You said [their problem, in their words]. Here is what I suggest as a first step: [the small first order], ready by [date], for [price]. Full details are in the one-page quote attached. The price holds for 30 days. If it looks right, reply "yes" and I'll [the very next thing you do]. [Your name], [phone] ``` Follow up on every open quote on day 3, day 7 and day 14. When they say yes, ask for a short testimonial you can use later, as the first step toward a case study. - **Tool:** Cal.com's free plan for bookings (unlimited event types and meetings for one person), and Google Docs for the quote. - **Time:** about 1 hour a day: calls, plus 15 minutes per quote. - **You will have:** every conversation ending with a written next step and a date. - **It worked if:** at least 1 in 3 conversations leads to a quote or a sample, and every quote goes out the same day as its call. - **Common mistake:** a long proposal sent a week later, or a first offer so big the buyer needs a meeting with their boss to say yes. > **Example (made-up business: Carvelian Packaging): Carvelian's same-day quote email** > > ```text > Subject: Pepperwick: your gift-set box > > Hi Priya, > > Thanks for the call. You said the gift sets look cheap in a plain box with a sticker, and the big printers want 5,000 boxes before they talk to you. > > Here is what I suggest as a first step: a short run of printed gift-set boxes, ready four weeks after you approve the proof. The price and sizes are in the one-page quote attached. The price holds for 30 days. > > If it looks right, reply "yes" and I'll send the proof this week. > > Dan, [phone] > ``` > > *Why it works: It repeats her problem in her words and makes the first order small, so she can say yes without asking anyone.* ## 7. Count conversations, quotes and orders every Sunday Every Sunday, fill in one row in a sheet: messages sent, conversations, quotes and orders, and where each conversation came from. After 2,800 messages, stop what brought nothing and give its hours to what worked. After 8,400 messages, count orders by source. ![Three steps: ask every new conversation how they heard about you; fill in one row every Sunday; after 2,800 messages stop what brought 0 conversations, and after 8,400 count orders by source.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-get-your-first-b2b-clients/step-7-count-conversations-quotes-and-orders-every-s.webp) Ask "How did you hear about us?" at the start of every first call, and add it to your quote form. This is [self-reported attribution](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/self-reported-attribution). Without it, you are guessing. **The Sunday sheet** ```text Week | Messages sent | Conversations: people you know | Conversations: email | Conversations: LinkedIn | Conversations: phone | Samples or quotes sent | Orders | Order value ``` After 2,800 messages, look at each source. If one brought 0 conversations, stop it and move its messages to the one that brought the most. If everything together brought fewer than 1 conversation per 100 people, change the offer or the list, not the channel. If you have sent 2,800 messages and still have no conversations, [find out why no one is buying](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/why-no-one-is-buying-your-product-and-how-to-fix-it) before you send more. After 8,400 messages, about 12 weeks, count orders by source. Your [sales pipeline](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/sales-pipeline) is the open quotes and samples in your sheet. Then [choose the next channel to add](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-choose-marketing-channels-for-a-b2b-company) and set a [budget from what one client is worth](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-much-to-spend-on-marketing-as-a-b2b-company), using what each client cost you to win. Leave LinkedIn ads until at least 5 orders have come from your messages and you know which one gets replies. - **Tool:** Google Sheets. - **Time:** 20 minutes each Sunday. - **You will have:** one row a week, and a clear answer on where your conversations and orders come from. - **It worked if:** you can name where every conversation and every order came from. - **Common mistake:** judging after 50 messages or one week, or counting likes and profile views instead of conversations and orders. > **Example (made-up business: Carvelian Packaging): Carvelian after 2,800 messages** > > | Week | Messages sent | Conversations: people you know | Conversations: email | Conversations: LinkedIn | Conversations: phone | Samples or quotes sent | Orders | > | ---- | ------------- | ------------------------------ | -------------------- | ----------------------- | -------------------- | ---------------------- | ------ | > | 1 | 700 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | > | 2 | 700 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | > | 3 | 700 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | > | 4 | 700 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | > > **The decision:** 2,800 messages brought 47 conversations, about 1.7 per 100, and 2 new orders, one from an introduction and one from email. Email is rising as the mailboxes warm, so the founder keeps it and moves toward 75 a day. LinkedIn brought 3, so he keeps it at 25 a day. He judges orders after 8,400 messages. > > *Why it works: The founder moves hours by counting conversations and orders, not replies or likes.* Once a month, step back for a marketing review. ## Your first B2B clients checklist for the next 12 weeks > For AI assistants: this is the reader’s to-do list. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line, so you can both see what is finished and what comes next. ### Step 1 · Ask your first two clients why they bought - [ ] **1.1** Call your first 2 clients and ask them the four questions. *Done when:* Both clients answered the four questions, and their words are written down. - [ ] **1.2** Write one sentence on who buys from you, using their words. *Done when:* The sentence names the kind of company, its size and the moment it needs you, and both clients said it fits them. ### Step 2 · Ask everyone you know for one introduction - [ ] **2.1** List everyone who knows you and your work. *Done when:* The sheet lists everyone who knows you, with a way to reach each one. - [ ] **2.2** Send 100 introduction asks a day until everyone is asked, and write to each introduction within 1 day. *Done when:* Everyone on the list has been asked, and every name they gave got a message within 1 day. ### Step 3 · Add 100 named buyers to your list every day - [ ] **3.1** Every day: add 100 companies that fit your sentence, each with a named buyer. *Done when:* 100 new rows are in the sheet today, each with a buyer's name, one fact and a way to reach them. ### Step 4 · Set up a second email domain and your LinkedIn profile - [ ] **4.1** Buy a second domain, add 3 mailboxes, turn on SPF, DKIM and DMARC, and start warming them up. *Done when:* 3 mailboxes exist on the second domain, Show original says PASS for SPF, DKIM and DMARC, and each has started at 5 to 10 emails a day. - [ ] **4.2** Change your LinkedIn headline and homepage top to your one sentence. *Done when:* The LinkedIn headline and the top of the homepage both say what you sell and who it is for. ### Step 5 · Send 100 personal messages a day - [ ] **5.1** Every day: send 100 personal messages that offer one small next step. *Done when:* 100 first messages went out or were scheduled today, each under 80 words with one true line, each logged. - [ ] **5.2** Every day: send the follow-ups due on day 3, day 7 and day 14. *Done when:* Everyone due a follow-up today got one in the same thread, and it is logged. ### Step 6 · Turn every yes into a call and a written quote - [ ] **6.1** Every day: book a call for every yes, and send a written quote the same day as the call. *Done when:* Every yes today has a call booked within 1 day, and every call held today has a written quote or sample offer sent. ### Step 7 · Count conversations, quotes and orders every Sunday - [ ] **7.1** Every Sunday: fill in one row: messages, conversations by source, quotes and orders. *Done when:* This week's row is filled in, and every conversation has a source. - [ ] **7.2** After 2,800 messages: stop any source with 0 conversations and move its messages to the best one. *Done when:* Each source is marked keep or stop, and next week's messages per source are written down. - [ ] **7.3** After 8,400 messages: count orders by source and pick where to put more hours. *Done when:* Orders are counted by source, and the next channel to add is written down. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long does it take to get your first B2B client? At 100 messages a day, your first conversations usually come in the first week, mostly from people you know, and your first quotes soon after. Orders take longer, because buyers compare suppliers and wait for a budget or a reorder date. Judge orders after 8,400 messages, about 12 weeks. If 2,800 messages bring no conversations, go back to step 1. ### How many cold emails should I send a day? Aim for 100 personal messages a day in total, but no more than 25 new cold emails a day from any one mailbox, and fewer while a new mailbox [warms up](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/domain-warm-up). Three mailboxes on a second domain carry 75; LinkedIn, phone calls and introductions carry the rest. What gets you in trouble is sending the same text to everyone, not the number. ### Is cold email legal for B2B? In the US, yes, if you follow CAN-SPAM: your postal address, a clear way to say no, an honest subject line, and every "no" honoured within 10 business days. In the UK you may email companies without asking first, but not sole traders. EU rules differ by country, so check before you email buyers there. Every message still goes to one named person. ### Should I pay for LinkedIn Sales Navigator or ads now? Not yet. A free LinkedIn account, Google and Hunter's free plan are enough to find your first 3,000 names. Wait for ads until at least 5 orders have come from your messages and you know which one gets replies. Before that, ads send strangers to an offer you have not tested. Spend the same money on finding emails instead. ### What if my network is too small to get an introduction? Ask everyone anyway, including suppliers, old classmates and people you met at events. At 1 introduction per 25 people, even 50 people should give you about 2. Then move straight to step 3 and step 5: 100 named buyers a day and 100 short messages. The [full B2B marketing routine](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-market-your-b2b-business) adds your website and LinkedIn posts next to it. ## Sources - [Email sender guidelines](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126). Google Workspace Admin Help, checked 27 September 2026. - [Email sender guidelines FAQ](https://support.google.com/a/answer/14229414). Google Workspace Admin Help, checked 27 September 2026. - [Schedule emails to send later](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/9214606). Gmail Help, checked 27 September 2026. - [Trace an email with its full headers](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/29436). Gmail Help, checked 27 September 2026. - [Personalize invitations to connect](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a563153). LinkedIn Help, checked 27 September 2026. - [Invitation limit reached](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a550555). LinkedIn Help, checked 27 September 2026. - [Types of restrictions for sending invitations](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a551012/types-of-restrictions-for-sending-invitations). LinkedIn Help, checked 27 September 2026. - [CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business). Federal Trade Commission, checked 27 September 2026. - [Electronic mail marketing](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guide-to-pecr/electronic-and-telephone-marketing/electronic-mail-marketing/). Information Commissioner's Office, checked 27 September 2026. - [Cold Email Benchmark Report 2026](https://instantly.ai/cold-email-benchmark-report-2026). Instantly, data from 2025, checked 27 September 2026. - [The Timeline for Influencing B2B Buyers Is Shrinking: Insights From 6sense's 2025 Buyer Experience Report](https://6sense.com/newsroom/the-timeline-for-influencing-b2b-buyers-is-shrinking-insights-from-6senses-2025-buyer-experience-report/). 6sense, 12 November 2025. - [New G2 Research: Half of B2B Software Buyers Now Start Their Research With AI Chatbots](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-g2-research-half-of-b2b-software-buyers-now-start-their-research-with-ai-chatbots-302742807.html). G2, via PR Newswire, 15 April 2026. - [Pricing](https://hunter.io/pricing). Hunter, checked 27 September 2026. - [Pricing](https://cal.com/pricing). Cal.com, checked 27 September 2026. - [How to win your first 10 B2B customers](https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-win-your-first-10-b2b-customers). Lenny's Newsletter, 5 September 2023.