I bought a $4,000 Offer... that Flopped
Should've known it was over as soon as I swiped my card
Business was booming. Clients rolling in. My Cold Email Breakthrough offer selling like crazy. I'm busy, making great money, and getting great results for clients.
But, like every self-taught solo, I wondered if I was doing it right.
“What if I’m missing something?”
So I did what any booked-solid solo with cash in their pocket would do.
I outsourced it.
I hired a cold email company to run a campaign for me. Spoiler: I spent $4,000 and got exactly zero new clients.
Here’s how that faceplant started
I had three rock-solid reasons for handing over the reins:
I’m terrible at marketing myself. I wanted a fresh perspective to take charge and show me how it’s done.
I wanted to find any gaps in my offer. After all, I cobbled this thing together from scratch. What if I was missing something an “expert” would see?
I wanted a steady stream of cold leads. My Upwork profile was getting me steady new work. But, I wanted some off-platform cold outreach to become a reliable pipeline, too.
So, I hired the cold email company after reading a case study on their website.
I told the story of another sales and marketing guy like me who wanted (and according to the case study, got…) a predictable pipeline of leads.
I wanted that too?!
It’s funny when you know you’re in someone’s sales funnel but don’t care because they’re giving you what you want. They showed me results with someone who does what I do. I wanted in.
Beyond that, I was sure I’d learn a thing or two and maybe even find a better way to run my own campaigns.
Well…they miffed. Hard.
I mean it wasn't totally their fault. I should have known better.
First, they didn’t use any new tricks I hadn’t already figured out.
But the biggest mistake I realized was that I wasn’t doing the ONE thing that makes cold outreach work.
The one thing I require from my b2b customers (or create for them):
An irresistible offer.
I got responses, sure. But out of the responses I did get, I completely fumbled the follow-up because I had no offer. I didn’t know what they needed, they didn’t know what I had.
I wasn’t prepared, I didn’t know how to convert them into clients, and it was a total missed opportunity.
In the end? $4,000 gone. Zero clients. And the opportunity cost? Tens of thousands—maybe even six figures—down the drain.
Here’s What I Learned:
Never outsource your secret sauce. If you’re doing great, don't give your magic to someone else. They won't be your savior.
Always have an irresistible offer. If your outreach doesn’t have a killer offer, it’s dead in the water. I didn’t realize this at the time, and that cost me clients. Now, my offers are so good that clients feel stupid saying no.
Don’t hire people who don’t understand your goals. I shouldn't have paid that company. They didn't share my vision or goals. They didn’t push me where I needed pushing. They just collected a check and sent some emails.
Do Things Differently
Today, I run my own cold email campaigns. I use the same strategies I offer my B2B clients. Most importantly, I always lead with an irresistible offer. If a client doesn’t feel like they NEED what I’m offering, why would they bother to respond?
And now? The results speak for themselves.
Profit From My $4k Mistake
Nail down your offer FIRST. Before you send any email, have a clear, irresistible offer. It must solve a real problem for your clients. Don’t make them guess what you do or why they should care.
Don’t rely on others to market you. You know your business best. If you outsource, ensure the hire knows how to sell your unique genius, not just send generic emails.
Learn from your flops. I lost $4k and potentially tens of thousands more in deals. But I also got something priceless: the knowledge that I’m in the best position to sell what I do.
And now I teach that to you. Without the $4,000 price tag
So, if you’re out there fumbling through your offers, learn from me: Don’t just “send” emails. Stand out with a killer offer that people can’t ignore. And if you need help figuring out how to craft one, that’s exactly what I do.
Talk soon, Patrick