How it works: from kickoff to booked meetings in four phases
We publish the whole process because a method you can inspect is worth more than a logo you don't recognize. Here's what happens in each phase, what we do, what you do, and when you'll see meetings.
- Week 1
Phase 1: Discovery and ICP
Week 1
- Weeks 1–3
Phase 2: Infrastructure and list
Weeks 1 to 3
- Weeks 3–4
Phase 3: Launch with the reverse lead magnet
Weeks 3 to 4
- Weeks 4–90
Phase 4: Meetings and reporting
Week 4 to day 90 and beyond
Qualified meetings on your calendar
First outreach sends around day 21. First replies typically inside the first week of sending, first meetings inside six weeks of kickoff. The 90-day guarantee clock starts at launch.
Discovery and ICP
One 60-minute kickoff call. We leave it with a written ICP you've approved and a definition of what a good meeting looks like for you.
What we do
Run the kickoff. We ask about your best customers, your worst ones, your average deal, and who signs.
Draft the ICP: segments, company size, roles, geography, and exclusions (states you can't ship to, competitors, current customers).
Define "qualified meeting" for your business in writing.
Propose the reverse lead magnet: the one useful thing we'll send your buyers first.
Send you the ICP document and the meeting definition within two business days.
What you do
Show up for 60 minutes with someone who knows the customers.
Share a customer list (so we can exclude them) and, if you have one, a lost-deal list.
Approve or edit the ICP document inside two business days.
Send us your calendar link for booking.
- Approved ICP
- Written meeting definition
- Reverse lead magnet chosen
- Calendar connected
Infrastructure and list
Everything gets built before anything gets sent. This is the phase most agencies rush. It's the phase that decides whether your emails reach the inbox.
What we do
Purchase three to five sending domains that resemble your brand. Your main domain never sends cold email.
Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on each. Forward every sending domain to your site.
Create two to three mailboxes per domain and start warm-up. Warm-up runs two to three weeks.
Build the buyer list from hemp and cannabis industry sources, state license data, trade rosters, event lists, the HempAware network, and standard B2B databases.
Find the right contact at each company and verify every email address.
Write the email sequence (five touches) and, if you're on the social track, the LinkedIn sequence and profile rewrite.
Build the reverse lead magnet asset: usually one page.
Send you the list sample, the sequences, and the asset for approval.
What you do
Review the list sample. Tell us if any company or segment looks wrong.
Approve the copy inside two business days. Edits are welcome; delays push the launch.
Approve the reverse lead magnet.
If running social: give us access to the outreach profile.
- Domains warmed
- Verified buyer list
- Approved sequences
- Reverse lead magnet ready
Why three weeks?
A cold mailbox that sends 50 emails on day one gets flagged. Warm-up builds the sending reputation that lets outreach land. Skipping it is the most common reason cold email "doesn't work."
Launch with the reverse lead magnet
Sending starts small. The first email gives, it doesn't ask. We test angles in batches and scale what gets replies.
What we do
Launch to a first batch of 100 to 200 buyers.
The first email delivers the reverse lead magnet: a list, a benchmark, a comparison, a regulatory note. No pitch.
Monitor bounce rate, spam rate, and inbox placement daily during the first two weeks.
Test two to three subject lines and angles per segment. Keep the winners.
Ramp volume as deliverability holds.
Start the LinkedIn connection campaign at low volume, if on the social track.
Answer every reply inside one business day.
What you do
Answer the occasional question we can't: a pricing detail, a shipping constraint, a spec.
Watch the first replies with us. Your read on who's a real buyer sharpens the list fast.
- Campaign live
- First replies
- Winning angles identified
- Volume ramping
Meetings and reporting
The campaign is running at full volume. Replies are handled daily. Meetings land on your calendar with notes. You get a one-page report every Monday.
What we do
Handle every reply: book the interested, answer questions, route the not-now's into follow-up, remove opt-outs within one business day.
Book qualified meetings on your calendar with context: company, role, what they said, what they want to discuss.
Confirm meetings and send reminders. Rebook no-shows.
Send the weekly report every Monday.
Run a monthly review call: what worked, what didn't, what we're changing in the ICP or the copy.
Refresh the list as segments get exhausted. Add or swap sending domains as needed.
What you do
Show up to the meetings. Run them the way you'd run any sales call.
Give us one line of feedback per meeting: good fit, wrong role, wrong segment, too small. This is how the list gets better.
Join the monthly review, 30 minutes.
Keep your offer and pricing stable through the 90 days so we're testing one variable at a time.
- Qualified meetings on your calendar
- Weekly report
- Monthly optimization
- Response-rate KPI tracked
What counts as a qualified meeting
A qualified meeting is a scheduled call, booked through outreach we ran, that meets all four of these conditions:
Right company. The company matches the ICP we agreed on in Phase 1: segment, size, and geography.
Right person. The attendee is a decision-maker or a buying influencer for what you sell. Purchasing, operations, founder, or the role you told us signs.
Informed. The buyer agreed to the meeting knowing what your company does and what the call is about. No bait-and-switch.
Held. The buyer showed up. If they no-show, we rebook them. It doesn't count until it happens.
What doesn't count: form fills, "send me info" replies, meetings with a company outside the ICP, meetings where the buyer was told it was something else, or meetings you cancel.
This definition is written into your engagement in Phase 1. It's what we optimise for and report on. The guarantee itself is on cold email response rate, the part we control end to end; meetings follow from replies.
The weekly report
One page. Every Monday morning. Same format every week so you can see the trend.
Monthly, we review together for 30 minutes. If the ICP needs tightening or the copy needs a new angle, that's where it happens.
- Sent(week and cumulative)
- Delivered and bounced(list quality, domain health)
- Replied(copy is landing; response rate against the agreed KPI)
- Positive replies(offer is landing)
- Meetings booked
- Meetings held(show rate)
- Social:connection requests sent and accepted, messages sent, replies (if on the social track)
- Notes:what we tested, what changed, what's next
The 90 days at a glance
| When | What happens | You'll see |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Kickoff, ICP, meeting definition | ICP doc to approve |
| Weeks 1–3 | Domains, warm-up, list, copy | List sample and sequences to approve |
| Weeks 3–4 | First sends, reverse lead magnet, testing | First replies |
| Week 4+ | Full volume, replies handled, meetings booked | Meetings on calendar, weekly report |
| Day 30 | First monthly review | Optimization plan |
| Day 60 | Second review, list refresh | Updated segments |
| Day 90 | Guarantee checkpoint: response rate vs. agreed KPI | Continue, adjust, or we keep working at no extra cost |
Your part, in full
Done-for-you means we do the work. It doesn't mean zero involvement. Here is the complete list.
- One 60-minute kickoff call
- ICP approval inside two business days
- Copy approval inside two business days
- Your calendar link
- A customer list, so we exclude them
- One line of feedback per meeting
- A 30-minute monthly review
- Show up to the meetings
- Keep your offer and pricing stable for 90 days
That's about three hours in the first month and under two hours a month after that, plus the meetings themselves.
Why does it take three weeks before the first email goes out?
Domain warm-up. New mailboxes need a sending history before they can send outreach without landing in spam. Two to three weeks is the minimum. We use that time to build and verify the list and write the copy, so nothing is idle.
Can we go faster?
If you already own warmed sending domains, yes. Otherwise, no, and you should be suspicious of anyone who says they can.
What if the first month produces no meetings?
Month one is mostly build and early sends, so a low count is expected. If replies are coming and meetings aren't, we change the ask. If replies aren't coming, we change the angle or the list. The 90-day window exists because this is an iterative process, and the response-rate guarantee covers it.
Who is actually doing the work?
Strategy, ICP, copy direction, and industry knowledge come from the HempAware team. Infrastructure, sending, and reply handling run on a proven partner system with dedicated staff. You'll have one point of contact at HempLeads.
What happens after 90 days?
You keep going month to month, adjust the ICP, add the social track, or stop with 30 days' notice. Most clients who hit the KPI expand the target list in month four.
Now you've seen the process. Let's see your ICP.
Book 30 minutes. We'll walk through your buyer, tell you if outbound fits, and walk through pricing. Or request a free sample list and judge the work first.