How to Acquire Your First AI Automation Client For $0.00

Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash

Let’s cut through the noise: most AI automation agencies fail because they’re stuck in 2019 playbook. Paid ads? Oversaturated. Content marketing? Takes years. Referrals? You need clients to get clients. The secret sauce? Hyper-personalized outbound that feels like inbound. I’ve watched 23-year-olds in my community close $5k deals by sending 15 Loom videos daily. No fancy CRMs. No ad spend. Just raw, surgical outreach.

Here’s the kicker: decision-makers are drowning in AI pitches. Your generic “I can automate your workflows” email gets trashed. But a 2-minute video where you dissect their website’s lead capture form? That’s a foot in the door.

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The $0 Tool Stack: Apollo, Apify, and Loom Demystified

1. Apify: This under-the-radar scraper gives you $5 free credits — enough to extract 4,000 leads. Pair it with Apollo free tier for contact data.

2. Apollo: The LinkedIn of B2B databases. Use their “Recruitment Agency” filter (or your niche) to build lists. Pro tip: Export URLs to Apify to bypass Apollo paywalls.

3. Loom: The Trojan horse of outreach. Record videos staring at their LinkedIn profile. Free plan = 25 videos/month. Delete old ones to stay under the limit.

4. Google Sheets: Your makeshift CRM. Track responses, Loom links, and follow-ups here. 5. Streak for Gmail (Bonus): Free email tracking to see who opens your pitches.

Step 1: Scraping High-Intent Leads (Without Getting Blocked) Most beginners scrape the wrong leads. You want micro-businesses (5–20 employees) in niches drowning in repetitive tasks:

Recruitment agencies
Local HVAC companies
E-commerce fulfillment centers

Apollo Hack:

Search “Founder” + “Recruitment Agency” (or your niche).
Filter for U.S.-based companies with websites.
Copy the search URL and paste into Apify “Apollo Scraper.”

Critical: Test 10 profiles manually. If 8+ fit your ideal client profile (ICP), proceed. If not, tweak filters. Red Flag Alert: Apollo may throttle you. Use Apify “no timeout” option and scrape in 500-lead batches.

Step 2: Crafting Irresistible Custom Loom Videos Your video script must answer: “Why should I care in 8 seconds?” Template:

Hook: “Hey [Name], I just hacked your competitor’s onboarding process. 2-minute video showing how to save 12 hrs/week?”
Social Proof: “I helped [Similar Business] cut costs by 37% last month.”
CTA: “Reply ‘AUTOMATE’ and I’ll build your first workflow free.”

Technical Setup:

Record your screen + face via Loom.
First 10 seconds: Scroll through THEIR LinkedIn profile.
Next 30 seconds: Screen share a ClickUp/automation demo.
End with a clear next step (“Book a call” link in description).

Pro Tip: Name the Loom video “[Their Company] Workflow Audit” to boost opens.

Step 3: The Double-Tap Outreach Strategy (Email + LinkedIn) Email Template:

Subject: [Name], I’m working with [Competitor] - Quick question?  

Body:  
Hey [First Name],  

I’m helping [Competitor] automate their [specific process] and noticed you’re doing [unique thing from their LinkedIn].  

Recorded a 2-min video showing how they saved $3k/month: [Loom Link]  

If it’s relevant, I’d love to build you a free automation this week.  

Best,  
[Your Name]

LinkedIn DM Script: “Hey [Name] — Left you a video re: [Their Industry] automation. Let me know if you want the $0 trial!” Timing: Send the email first. If no reply in 48 hours, hit them on LinkedIn.

Daily Action Plan: 45 Minutes to Your First Paying Client

9:00 AM: Scrape 15 new leads using Apify/Apollo.
9:15 AM: Record 15 Loom videos (2 mins each).
10:00 AM: Send emails + LinkedIn DMs.
10:15 AM: Follow up with yesterday’s non-responders.

Key Metric: 5% response rate = 1–2 sales calls daily. Close 1/3 to hit $3k/month.

Scaling Secrets: Turning Free Work into $3,500/Month Retainers Never do free work without an upsell path:

Free: Fix their lead capture form (1 hour).
$997: Automate their CRM onboarding.
$3,500/mo: Full-process management + weekly analytics.

5 More Automations You Can Sell Today for $1,500 (Or $10,000) Discover 5 automation systems that generated $72k/month for one agency. mitaboost.medium.com

Pitfalls to Avoid: Why 93% of New Agencies Crash and Burn

Pitfall 1: Targeting enterprises first (they take 6+ months to close).
Pitfall 2: Using stock automation templates (customization is key).
Pitfall 3: Not tracking video open rates (Loom’s analytics are free!).

Redemption Arc: Focus on businesses with 5–20 employees. They’re desperate for help but ignored by big agencies.

FAQs:

“We already have automation” → “Mind if I audit it for free? 89% of tools are underutilized.”
“We don’t have the budget” → “What if I cover the first month? You pay only if saves 10+ hours.”
“Send a proposal” → “I’ll build a 1-page ROI calculator first. Proposals come after.”

Final Takeaways: Building Momentum in a Saturated Market

The game isn’t about being cheaper — it’s about being unignorably specific. Niching down isn’t optional. Your homework:

Scrape 50 recruitment agencies tonight.
Send 15 Loom videos by noon tomorrow.
Pitch the free trial to every responder.

The first client is the hardest. The next 10? They’ll come begging once you’ve social-proofed your results.

Read the full article here: https://mitaboost.medium.com/how-to-acquire-your-first-ai-automation-client-for-0-00-32f74c29db6d