Written by

RevRing Marketing Team

Building a SaaS sales funnel can feel like a big job, especially if you are just getting started. You might wonder, “How do I reach new people?” or “What can I do to guide them from stranger to happy customer?” One of the most direct ways is cold outreach. Cold outreach means contacting people who have never heard about your product. This can include cold emails, cold calls, or even cold texts. When done right, these methods help you find and attract the right people for your SaaS.

In this guide, we will walk you through how to create a high-converting sales funnel for your SaaS business. We will give special attention to using cold outreach to fill the top of your funnel. We will also talk about how to keep people interested, turn them into paying users, and keep them loyal over time.

You will see references to RevRing, which is the only AI platform (or AI SDR) that unifies calls, emails, and texts under one roof. Other solutions often focus on just one channel, like cold email or cold calling. RevRing stands out by doing all three. This means your team can stay organized and handle outreach from a single platform, saving time and effort. Now, let us begin.

Table of Contents

1. Understanding the Basics of a SaaS Funnel

2. Why Cold Outreach Is a Strong Way to Start

3. Define Your Ideal Customer

4. Build a Targeted Prospect List

5. Create a Compelling Offer

6. Craft Your Cold Outreach Messages

7. Set Up Funnel Stages and Touchpoints

8. Nurture Leads with Valuable Content

9. Convert Leads with Demos and Trials

10. Keep Customers Engaged (and Upsell Over Time)

11. Where RevRing’s Multi-Channel AI Outshines Others

12. Best Practices and Tips

13. Conclusion

1. Understanding the Basics of a SaaS Funnel

A sales funnel is the path a person takes from the first time they hear about your product to the moment they decide to buy. In SaaS, your funnel often looks like this:

Awareness: They learn that your product exists.

Interest: They see how it could solve a problem.

Decision: They test it, compare your product to others, or speak to your team.

Purchase: They sign up, pay, or start a subscription.

Retention: They keep using your product for weeks, months, or years.

Some SaaS funnels also include upsells (encouraging people to upgrade or add features) and referrals (asking happy users to spread the word).

Cold outreach fits nicely into the Awareness stage. By reaching out to people who do not know you yet, you can turn them into interested leads and then guide them through the rest of the funnel.

2. Why Cold Outreach Is a Strong Way to Start

You have many ways to fill your funnel, like blogging or social media posts. But cold outreach is direct and gives you more control over who you contact. Here is why it works well:

1. Direct Contact

You reach out to a real person with a targeted message. This can lead to a quicker reply than waiting for them to find your website.

2. Choose Your Audience

You decide exactly who to contact based on your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). This way, you focus on the people most likely to need your SaaS.

3. Flexible with the Right Platform

A tool like RevRing unifies cold calls, cold emails, and cold texts in one place. Other solutions might only focus on email or phone calls. With RevRing, you can manage all channels together, making outreach more efficient.

Even though cold outreach is sometimes seen as old-fashioned, it remains a key method for many SaaS teams, especially newer ones. When you combine a solid funnel with smart outreach, you can see strong results.

3. Define Your Ideal Customer

Know Who You Are Talking To

Before you send a single cold email, call, or text, define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). This means listing the traits of the people or companies that are a perfect match for your SaaS. For example, if you sell a remote team scheduling app, you might target mid-sized tech startups with 50 to 200 employees.

Key Points to Pin Down
  • Industry: What sector are they in?

  • Company Size: Are they small, medium, or large?

  • Pain Points: What problems do they struggle with?

  • Location: Do you want to target local clients, global clients, or both?

  • Decision Maker: Who is most likely to approve a new software purchase?

A clear ICP helps you focus on the right prospects, so you waste less time and see better results.

4. Build a Targeted Prospect List

Where to Find Potential Leads

You can find leads on LinkedIn, in online directories, or through networking groups. Some people also use AI-based tools to gather contact information. If you use RevRing, you might integrate with a data provider so your leads move straight into the platform.

Tips for a Strong List
  • Clean Data:

    • Remove duplicate names or outdated emails. A bad list can lead to bounce rates and wasted calls.

  • Segment by Persona:

    • Make separate lists for different buyer types. Maybe one for sales managers and one for CEOs.

  • Use AI for Speed:

    • AI can quickly gather leads that match your ICP, but always double-check the results.

  • Test and Scale:

    • Start small to test your outreach. Once you see what works, expand to a bigger list.

5. Create a Compelling Offer

Answer the “What’s In It for Me?”

When someone hears from you out of the blue, they want to know why they should care. Your offer must clearly show a benefit. This could be a free trial, a limited-time discount, or a chance to see a live demo.

Crafting the Offer

Highlight Benefits Over Features

Show how you save time, reduce costs, or make work simpler.

Promise a Quick Win

If your SaaS can show results fast, mention that. People love quick wins.

Make It Simple

If your offer is hard to understand, people will pass. Focus on easy steps like “Sign up for a 14-day free trial” or “Book a 15-minute demo.”

Your offer drives your outreach message. A strong offer gets people curious and eager to learn more.

6. Craft Your Cold Outreach Messages

Cold Emails

A cold email might follow this simple flow:

1. Subject Line: “Idea for [Company Name]” or “Quick tip for your marketing team.”

2. Greeting and Personal Hook: “Hi Sarah, I saw that [Company Name] is expanding its remote staff. Congrats!”

3. Value Statement: “Our app helps remote teams finish tasks 20 percent faster.”

4. Offer or Call to Action: “We have a free 2-week trial if you want to see it in action.”

5. Sign-Off: Keep it short and friendly. End with your name and title.

Cold Calls

Cold calls can also bring strong results:

1. Friendly Opener: “Hi, this is Alex from [Your Company]. Hope you are doing well today.”

2. Quick Value: “We help SaaS teams save hours each week on task management.”

3. Open-Ended Question: “How do you handle remote task tracking right now?”

4. Offer: “We offer a quick demo to show how we speed up workflows.”

5. Close: “If you want to learn more, let us book a short call next week.”

Cold Texts

Texting can feel personal, so use it carefully:

1. Introduction: “Hi [Name], this is Alex from [Your Company].”

2. Value Proposition: “We help small teams boost their remote productivity.”

3. Action Prompt: “Could we send you a short case study? Reply YES if interested.”

With RevRing, you can manage all three channels—calls, emails, and texts—in one platform, which simplifies your workflow and keeps your team on track.

7. Set Up Funnel Stages and Touchpoints

Mapping the Journey

After you define your ICP, build your list, craft your offer, and write your outreach messages, it is time to set up your funnel stages:

1. Cold Outreach: Email, call, or text to introduce your SaaS.

2. Interest: Prospects who open your email, reply, or pick up the phone and show curiosity.

3. Evaluation: People who book a demo, start a trial, or ask more questions.

4. Decision: Leads who decide to pay for a subscription.

5. Retention: New users who need help to stay happy and keep using your product.

Touchpoints

First Touch: The initial message (email, call, text).

Second Touch: A follow-up with new info or an invite to chat.

Third Touch: A personalized note, video, or LinkedIn message.

Nurture: Automated or manual follow-ups offering more tips or success stories.

Keep track of which stage each lead is in. This helps you send the right follow-up at the right time.

8. Nurture Leads with Valuable Content

Keep the Conversation Going

Not every lead will buy right away. Some need time to check budgets or compare products. Keep them warm with nurture content:

Blog Posts: Share helpful tips about solving a big pain point.

Case Studies: Show how other people used your SaaS and got big results.

Feature Updates: If you add a feature that might help them, let them know.

Webinars: Invite them to a group demo where they can ask questions.

You can send these via drip email campaigns or share them in text messages or calls. The idea is to remain helpful, not pushy.

9. Convert Leads with Demos and Trials

Show, Do Not Just Tell

At this stage, you want to move curious prospects to paying users. Demos and free trials can make that happen:

1. Personalize the Demo: Focus on their main problem and show how your SaaS solves it.

2. Keep It Short: Aim for 15–20 minutes, letting them ask questions.

3. Give Next Steps: At the end, invite them to start a free trial or book a follow-up call.

Trial Tips

Simple Sign-Up: Avoid a 10-step form. Keep it easy.

Guided Onboarding: Offer pop-up tips inside the app.

Check In: Send an email or text a few days into their trial to see if they need help.

Upgrade Path: Show them how to become a paid user when they are ready.

10. Keep Customers Engaged (and Upsell Over Time)

The Funnel Does Not End at Purchase

When someone subscribes to your SaaS, it is the start of a longer journey. Keeping them happy can lead to upsells and referrals:

  1. Welcome Messages: Send a warm greeting and quick tips on how to get the most from your product.

  2. Regular Check-Ins: Ask if they need help. This can spot problems before they grow.

  3. Upsell Opportunities: If they are using your entry plan, show them advanced features that might save them more time or money.

  4. Referral Program: Encourage them to refer friends or colleagues, offering a bonus or discount for both.

11. Where RevRing’s Multi-Channel AI Outshines Others

Many companies claim to have AI-driven outreach, but they often focus on a single channel. They might help with cold emailing only, or they might be built just for phone calls. RevRing is different because it brings calls, emails, and texts into one AI platform. This means you can reach leads in the channel they prefer without juggling multiple tools.

  • One-Stop Outreach: No need to open separate apps or track separate workflows.

  • AI SDR: The system can act like a sales development rep, managing much of the repetitive work.

  • Less Chaos: No more missing messages because they were in a different system.

  • Full Visibility: Track email opens, call outcomes, and text replies in one place.

  • This is a game-changer for SaaS teams that rely heavily on cold outreach. You can scale faster and keep a human touch, since your team can step in at any time for real conversations.

12. Best Practices and Tips

  • Be Clear and Friendly: People respond better when you use simple language and a respectful tone.

  • Tailor Your Message: If you target startups, use examples they relate to. If you target enterprise leads, adjust your approach.

  • Test and Tweak: Try different subject lines, call scripts, or sign-up offers. Track what works best.

  • Watch Your Metrics: Pay attention to open rates, call completion rates, and trial sign-ups. This shows you where to improve.

  • Stay Consistent: Cold outreach is not a one-time event. Keep refining your funnel and sending messages to new leads.

  • Leverage RevRing’s AI SDR: Let RevRing handle the bulk of outreach across all channels, then jump in to handle live demos or deeper conversations.

13. Conclusion

A high-converting SaaS sales funnel starts with a clear plan for bringing in new leads. Cold outreach is one of the fastest ways to grab the attention of people who have never heard of your product. By defining your ICP, building a strong list, crafting a clear offer, and writing solid messages, you can spark interest.

Then, guide leads through the next funnel stages: share demos, offer free trials, and support them as they try out your SaaS. Keep them happy after they subscribe by checking in, upselling when it fits, and inviting them to refer others.

RevRing takes things a step further by uniting cold calls, cold emails, and cold texts under one AI system. It is the only solution of its kind that does all three channels so smoothly. Where other platforms handle just one piece of the puzzle, RevRing brings everything together in one place, saving you time and hassle.

Stay patient, watch your data, and keep improving your funnel. Over time, you will see which outreach messages work best and how to nurture leads until they become loyal fans. With the right funnel design, consistent cold outreach, and the help of an all-in-one AI SDR like RevRing, your SaaS can grow faster and stand out in a busy market.