SOP: InMail Reply → Coffee Chat
Objective: Convert InMail replies into qualified 15-minute coffee chats.
Step 1: Read their reply
Determine which bucket it belongs in.
- Interested
- Curious
- Objection
- Not a fit
Bucket 1: Interested
Examples:
Tell me more.
Sounds interesting.
How does it work?
Reply:
Happy to.
Before I do, I'm curious—about how many client brands is your team managing today?
Wait.
If they're in your ICP:
Got it.
What's been the biggest challenge as you've grown?
Keeping each client's voice consistent? Team capacity? Turnaround time? Something else?
Wait.
After they answer:
That's exactly why I reached out.
I think it'd be easier to show you than explain it over LinkedIn.
Would you be opposed to a quick 15-minute coffee chat this week?
Bucket 2: Curious but vague
Example:
What exactly do you do?
Reply:
We help agencies keep every client's content consistent as they scale by giving their team a much stronger first draft.
Less rewriting. Faster delivery. More capacity.
Curious—how many client brands are you managing today?
Then continue qualifying.
Bucket 3: Already using AI
Reply:
Nice.
A lot of agencies we talk to are.
Has it actually reduced editing time, or is your team still spending a lot of time rewriting?
If yes...
That's actually the gap we focus on.
Worth a quick coffee chat?
Bucket 4: Send me information
Reply:
Happy to.
Before I send something generic, what's the biggest content bottleneck your team is dealing with today?
If they answer...
Continue.
If they insist...
Send website.
Then:
Happy to walk you through it if it looks relevant after you've had a chance to look.
Bucket 5: Price?
Reply:
It depends mostly on the number of brands and your workflow.
Easier to explain in 15 minutes than over LinkedIn.
Bucket 6: Not interested
Reply:
No worries at all.
Appreciate the reply.
Best of luck with everything.
Move on.
Coffee Chat
Once they agree:
Awesome.
What's the best email to send an invite to?
After they provide it:
Perfect. I'll get that over to you shortly.
Rules for Maria
- Respond the same business day whenever possible.
- Ask one question at a time.
- Don't explain everything in DMs.
- Qualify before presenting.
- Let the prospect describe the pain in their own words.
- Don't push for a meeting if they're clearly not your ICP.
- End every message with a question or a clear next step.
The bigger picture
Your outbound playbook now has three distinct entry points:
- Cold call answered → Discover pain → Coffee chat.
- LinkedIn connection accepted → Conversation → Qualify → Coffee chat.
- InMail replied → Qualify → Discover pain → Coffee chat.
All three converge into the same sales process:
Outbound
↓
Conversation
↓
Qualified agency
↓
Coffee Chat
↓
72-hour Pilot ($4,444)
↓
Activation
↓
Monthly MRR
That's exactly what you want: multiple top-of-funnel channels feeding one consistent sales process rather than separate, improvised flows.