Rick Sessoms

$19,878.91 rev from ai consulting. notes/systems👇

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

Full Auto SMS Guide… $1.80 a lead.

https://t.co/agGk0utBuW

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

@ZssBecker i watched this entire video and i am going to use it FR

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

@ZssBecker i love this shit, it makes me want to make more youtube videos..

its a really fun time to be a creator here

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

it's noon.
your ad budget says negative $30.
your pipeline's half-alive.
here's exactly what I'd do next.

go back to every lead you already have.
anyone who gave you a good reply goes in a spreadsheet.
call them back.
message them.
figure out if there's a next step.
that pipeline isn't dead,
you just stopped watering it.

while you're doing that,
take the first four or five of those people
and find more like them.
pull similar profiles off LinkedIn,
run them through a data tool to grab phone numbers,
and load them into an SMS sender.

now your offer.
same thing you pitched before,
but make it sound really good.
make it sound worth their time.

your first message is the whole game.
you're not selling.
you're starting a conversation.
if I wanted to sell a Kindle
I wouldn't say "get this for $99."
I'd say "hey, do you read?
found you on LinkedIn,
noticed you run this kind of business."
ask two or three questions.
talk to them like you're at a bar,
not like you're closing a deal.

send 300 to 400 at a time.
set up Pushover on your phone
so it buzzes every time someone replies.
mark each one positive or negative.
positives go straight in the spreadsheet.

you're cooking.

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

This is one lesson that I almost missed. I was online taking this course for low ticket products. I went from high ticket to my first sale, then a bunch of low ticket bullshit. And now I realize that I need more money to run more sales, up. So I started doing high ticket again. And I tell you right now, I'm definitely not going back until I get a few high ticket sales, at least.

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

i mass texted 100 business owners three different offers before one worked. here's what each version said and why the first two got me cussed out.

i wanted to build a video editing agency. businesses need leads, video can get them leads, so i figured i'd text owners and pitch video editing. simple.

that's where i stopped thinking. and that's exactly where the problem was.

version 1 went out to about 100 people. the message was something like "hey, i've made videos that got great responses on Meta ads, want me to make some for you?" i thought it was specific. mentions results, mentions the platform, sounds professional.

i got told to fuck off. multiple times. "stop texting me." "who is this." the rest just ghosted. the service was fine. the offer and the words i wrapped it in were the problem.

here's what i didn't understand yet. there's three layers to this and most people only think about one of them.

layer 1 is what you actually sell. the real service at the real price. website builds for $3,000, video packages, AI receptionists. this is NOT what you text a stranger about. nobody is buying a $3,000 anything from an unknown number.

layer 2 is the attraction offer. a stripped down, low-risk version of layer 1 that gets them in the door. if you build $3,000 websites, the attraction offer might be a $250 starter site where you charge monthly for hosting after. if you do video, the attraction offer is a couple free clips and you charge for the editing package later. this exists to start a conversation, not to close a deal.

layer 3 is the wording of the message itself. same exact offer, different words, completely different response rate. this is the layer nobody tests enough and it's the one that actually matters over text.

so version 2, i rebuilt the offer. instead of "i make videos for Meta ads" i said something closer to "i've got a couple short videos i can post that might bring in some new leads for you." no mention of Meta. no mention of ads. no platform name at all. just the outcome they actually lose sleep over, in words they'd say out loud to a friend.

people stopped cussing me out. started getting some real conversations. still not dialed in, but the temperature changed completely.

version 3, i tightened the wording. made it casual. opened with their first name, said where i found them, dropped one short line about myself, hit the pain point in one sentence, and ended with "send me a Y if you're interested." not asking them to explain their whole business back to me. just one letter.

that version hit. ~100 texts, 4-5 replied with genuine interest within an hour or two. i called one of them. he signed a contract within the hour. the whole thing took under 4 hours.

if you want to build yours right now, here's exactly how.

write down what you actually sell and what you charge for it. that's your real offer. do not text this to a stranger.

now strip it down. what's the cheapest, lowest-risk version of that service you could hand someone to prove it works? a free trial, a small deliverable, a $250 starter version of the $3,000 package. that's your attraction offer. the goal is to get them talking, not to get paid off the first message.

now write the first text. use their name. say where you found them (LinkedIn, Instagram, Google). one line about who you are. hit the pain point in THEIR words, not yours. "summer's been slow" hits harder than "i can optimize your revenue." end with "send me a Y for interest." keep the whole thing so casual your friend wouldn't know it was a business text.

then send it to your first batch and pay attention. if you get silence or hostility, don't panic and don't change the service. rewrite the wording. write 3 or 4 versions of that same attraction offer with different sentences and test each one on a fresh batch of people.

the service stays the same every time. the attraction offer stays the same. you're only changing the sentence you send. that one sentence is the difference between "fuck off" and "yeah i'm interested, call me."

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

close a cold client in 4 to 6 hours through cold SMS.

the full system.
how to find thousands of people to text,
what to say,
and how to turn a reply into a signed contract.

everything I actually run.

I sent ~100 cold texts.
4 to 5 replied with interest
within 1 to 2 hours.
I called one.
he signed a contract within the hour.
total time: under 4 hours.

the engine works for any service.
you just change who you're texting
and what you're offering.

here's every piece of it.

⸻

PICKING WHO YOU'RE TEXTING

pick one type of business per campaign.
hotel owners, HVAC companies, roofers,
bail bonds, insurance agents, law firms.
whatever you want to serve.

the key is picking businesses
where the owner actually answers the phone.
mechanic shops, the owner's usually there.
insurance agents pick up directly.
law firms, the first number listed
is often the head lawyer.

hotels are harder
because a receptionist blocks you.
for those you'd use LinkedIn.

now find the pain point.
this is NOT "they need more customers."
every business needs more customers.

the pain point is the specific problem
that keeps them up at night,
said the way they'd say it.

real example:
Durham hotels get almost no business
during the summer.
the manager says
"business is slow right now."

that's the pain point. summer cash flow.

so you don't text "hotels."
you text "summer cash flow."
they read it and think
"yeah, summer cash flow sucks."
that's what gets a reply.

⸻

BUILDING THE LIST

three ways to get numbers.

Google Maps is the simplest.
search niche + location
("HVAC companies Raleigh NC"),
install a Chrome extension called Instant Data Scraper,
run it on the results.
it pulls business name, phone, and address
into a spreadsheet.

the Instagram search trick
uses a specific Google search phrase
to find Instagram profiles in your niche
that have a phone number in the bio.
you can pull thousands for free.

LinkedIn + Sales Navigator
is for the people behind the front desk.
the GM, the managing partner.
search job title + industry + area,
start the Sales Navigator free trial,
and use a Chrome extension called Closely
to pull profiles in bulk.
1,000 at a time, up to 6,000 per list.

⸻

TURNING NAMES INTO PHONE NUMBERS

once you have LinkedIn URLs,
you run them through a data enrichment tool.
paste the URL,
it spits out every phone number
tied to that person.

then you clean the list.
run it through a landline cleaner
to remove office lines, fax lines,
and virtual numbers
that can't receive texts.

you're left with verified cell numbers only.

the math:
6,000 URLs usually gives you
1,000 to 2,000 verified mobiles.
each one has a name attached.
that's your list.

⸻

THE SENDER

two ways to send.

A2P is the most efficient once it's running.
but it's slow to set up.
you need an LLC, a website,
a privacy policy, a consent form,
and registration through Vonage or Twilio.
approval takes weeks, not days.

Google Voice is instant.
send on day one.
no verification wait, no LLC.
just a paid Google Workspace account
and a Python script.
less scalable at high volume
but it works immediately.

⸻

THE RULES THAT KEEP YOUR NUMBERS ALIVE

carriers watch for bot behavior.
look like a bot and you get filtered.
your dashboard says "sent"
but the phone never buzzes.

100 messages per day, per number. max.

send every 15 seconds
with a random 1 to 3 second delay added.
humans don't text at perfect intervals.

to send more, add more numbers.
each one is 99 cents.
400 messages a day means 4 numbers.
500 means 5.
they rotate automatically.

use spintax for message variation.
send the same exact message 500 times
and the filter eats it.
small word swaps fix that completely.
the machines are literally screening for laziness.

⸻

WRITING THE MESSAGE

the message isn't supposed to sell.
it's supposed to start a conversation.

give your name.
say where you found them.
one line of credibility.
hit the pain point in one sentence.
make it chill.

lowest-friction CTA possible:
"send me a Y for interest."
don't even ask for a full reply.

if you're selling AI, never say "AI."
sell the result, not the tool.
and never send a link in the first message.
they'll think it's a scam.

the real game is offer testing.
SMS isn't about tricks.
it's about testing different offers
against different niches
and watching which version gets replies.
the wording matters
but the offer matters more.

⸻

THE FOLLOW-UP

they replied.
now prove you're a real person.

compliment something specific about them.
"yo, your profile pic's fire."
"bro, you have no profile pic,
you might be AI."
something dumb a real person would say.
not a sales line.

then thank them for responding.
keep it simple.

ask one question tied to the next step.
"how long have you been running the hotel?"
"what's your biggest season?"
this keeps the conversation going
and tells you what you need to close them.

then call them or book a call.
fast reply means call right now.
slow reply means book for the next day.

reply speed is the conversion.
a lead that waits a day goes cold.
send texts when you can answer the phone.

⸻

THE SOP

once they're interested,
send them an SOP.
that's a clean PDF
showing exactly what you'll do for them,
step by step.

put your face on it.
good colors, clean layout.
this makes them feel like
you've done it before,
even if you're just starting.

never send the SOP in a text.
send it on a call, by email,
or through a platform they trust.
a link in a text reads as a scam.

⸻

CLOSE AND TRACK

every client needs a contract.
build one template
and swap in each client's details.

separate from the contract: the scope of work.
what's included, what's not,
how many revisions, the timeline,
and what happens if something changes.

a scope of work cuts refund requests
by at least 30%.
when a client says
"I thought I was getting X,"
you point to the scope. done.

aim for payment
or at least a signed contract
within 24 to 48 hours of first contact.
don't let momentum die.

⸻

TRACKING WHAT WORKS

send your first 100 messages.
check for responses.

if you get nothing at all,
no negatives and no positives,
your number is probably banned.
the carrier silently filtered you.
swap the number and send again.

the benchmark:
1 to 2% positive reply rate per 300 messages.
out of 300, expect 3 to 6 interested replies.

consistently below that means one of three things.
the number is banned. swap it.
the message misses the pain point. rewrite it.
the list doesn't match your ICP. rebuild it.

track every campaign.
messages sent, response rate,
calls booked, contracts signed,
revenue per campaign.
this data tells you everything.

⸻

that's the full engine.
I did it in under 4 hours.
$19,878.19 collected and counting.

change the list.
change the offer.
the engine doesn't change.

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

a bunch of you are sending cold texts about your agency and nobody's responding. here's why.

you're mentioning AI. -- they think you're a scam.
you're dropping links. -- instant ignore you.
and you're pitching something you "could" do instead of acting like you already have it ready.

don't say "I'll run AI ads for you." say "I have some leads I can send you, let me know if you want them."

+ add human context up top...."hey, it's Rick, found you on linkedin."

here is three first cold text message templates..

Hey {{first_name}}, this is Rick, found you on linkedin...
I put together a short video script that's been pulling in homeowner leads for guys in your space.
would you want me to send it over?

---

Hey {{first_name}}, it's Rick, came across your page on linkedin...
I've got a few lead gen ideas specific to what you're doing — one of them just needs a couple short videos from you and I handle the rest.
worth a 15 min call?

---

Hey {{first_name}}, this is Rick, found your business on linkedin...
I've been generating homeowner leads with short form video and I think your service area is a good fit.
could I walk you through how it works? just a quick call.

If you want my automated sender.. lmk.

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

New episode. 23.. I did my first sales call complete cold from meta ads

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

I quit my $10k internship at John Deere,

Yo make WiFi money.

It’s taking a long time

But I’m learning a lot.

This is by far the best documentation

You’re gonna find online.

I made a podcast.

Let’s grow together.

Subscribe for a chi sent your direction.

https://t.co/IQA8SqQ37P

[Andrew Tate @Cobratate]

The adult world is a bloody place which annihilates the weak.

But if you love war, more than you love winning or losing, you’ll have a great time.

You can not always win.

You will not always lose.

But if you simply love to fight for fighting's sake, life is one serious adventure.

[Vadim @VadimStrizheus]

when was the last time you met someone who uses n8n?

AI agents really killed that company

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

i do auto sms outreach..
this dude told me to f** off lol..

here is the message I sent him

"Hey {{first_name}}, this is Rick, I found you on linked-in...
I have an idea to get homeowner leads with 1 to 2 videos posted online (about 3 min a piece).
could we chat about it?"

some bs right.. i'm a nice marketer.. anywaysss..

that same message got me a client within 100 messages..

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

$250 from 400 text messages. the person isn't even in my state. they had no idea how I got their number. an automation did the hard work. here's what actually happened.

I decided I wanted to sell video editing for ads. not long-form stuff. one good video, drop it into an ads manager with a solid offer, and leads come in without making another ad for a long time.

tried it for myself.. worked .. so I'm like, shit, I'm selling this.

who do I sell it to? Checked LinkedIn Sales Nav. found a niche, exported the list, used ChatGPT to clean it row by row, ran it through a free data enricher, dropped the numbers into my SMS sender. zero dollars spent getting that list ready.

the offer: I make your video for free. you don't pay me until you get your first lead.

sent it to 100 people. weak response. same message to 200 more. still weak. so I looked at what was actually going wrong. people kept saying "I've already seen this" or "heard this scam before." the problem was I mentioned Meta Ads by name. pulled that out. just said "I'll get you some leads with the video."

next 100 texts. 4 responses. 2 real replies. called one, sent a contract, closed. got paid a couple days later for the leads that came in.

it's so much more simple when you can directly choose who you're speaking to.

I made an entire video walking through this whole process. I'll send it to you for free.

retweet + comment "SMS" and I'll send it. (must be following.)

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

most people who say cold SMS doesn't work never actually sent a text that landed.

their messages got silently filtered by the carrier because they never registered their number. dashboard said "delivered." the phone on the other end never buzzed once.

so they spent two weeks writing the perfect pitch, sent it to 500 people, got zero replies, and told themselves the whole channel is dead. nah g, you were talking to a wall the whole time.

A2P verification is the unsexy part nobody wants to grind through. but it's the reason the people who DO get through it have the whole living room to themselves while everyone else is fighting over a crowded inbox.

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

$250 from 400 text messages. the person isn't even in my state. they had no idea how I got their number. an automation did the hard work. here's what actually happened.

I decided I wanted to sell video editing for ads. not long-form stuff. one good video, drop it into an ads manager with a solid offer, and leads come in without making another ad for a long time.

tried it for myself.. worked .. so I'm like, shit, I'm selling this.

who do I sell it to? Checked LinkedIn Sales Nav. found a niche, exported the list, used ChatGPT to clean it row by row, ran it through a free data enricher, dropped the numbers into my SMS sender. zero dollars spent getting that list ready.

the offer: I make your video for free. you don't pay me until you get your first lead.

sent it to 100 people. weak response. same message to 200 more. still weak. so I looked at what was actually going wrong. people kept saying "I've already seen this" or "heard this scam before." the problem was I mentioned Meta Ads by name. pulled that out. just said "I'll get you some leads with the video."

next 100 texts. 4 responses. 2 real replies. called one, sent a contract, closed. got paid a couple days later for the leads that came in.

it's so much more simple when you can directly choose who you're speaking to.

I made an entire video walking through this whole process. I'll send it to you for free.

retweet + comment "SMS" and I'll send it. (must be following.)

[George Ten @GrammarHippy]

“What’s more difficult - marketing or sales?”

Marketing.

Because you can warm up a lead to the point that a 5yr old can close.

You can’t sell to a bad lead even if you’re the best salesperson in the world.

[Corey Ganim @coreyganim]

it's funny how what used to be the paid product is now becoming the free lead magnet.

in my "from scratch" series I'll be giving away a fully updated website for free to prospects.

then upselling speed to lead/speed to quote on top of it.

5 years ago you'd charge $5k for the website, now you can build it fully personalized in minutes for pennies.

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

@Srishti_SaaS Why did this hook actually get me? I read this entire tweet.

[Rick Sessoms @rscklyfe]

The first thing that comes to mind when you say this is the advertising for the copycat. Because if they can advertise better, then it's cooked, but if not, I guess it doesn't really matter.

What's your advertising means? Is it usually X posts? Do you usually advertise the stuff you make on X, or do you have other means?

[Tai Lopez @tailopez]

You’re probably freaking out about nothing. Just remember I told you that one day.