Cold Outbound Optimizer
ericosiu/ai-marketing-skills
Design, analyze, and optimize cold outbound email campaigns for Instantly.
Finds, qualifies, and reaches prospects through cold outreach — list building, qualification criteria, cold email and multi-channel sequences, and the follow-up that actually gets replies.
Install Outbound Prospecting
$ npx skills add cbrock84/headcount --skill outbound-prospecting -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install cbrock84/headcount outbound-prospecting --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting .claude/skills/outbound-prospecting && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "outbound-prospecting" agent skill from https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount/tree/main/plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting into .claude/skills/outbound-prospecting/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "outbound-prospecting", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount/tree/main/plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospectingType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add cbrock84/headcount --skill outbound-prospecting -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install cbrock84/headcount outbound-prospecting --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting .agents/skills/outbound-prospecting && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "outbound-prospecting" agent skill from https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount/tree/main/plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting into .agents/skills/outbound-prospecting/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "outbound-prospecting", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add cbrock84/headcount --skill outbound-prospecting -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install cbrock84/headcount outbound-prospecting --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting .cursor/skills/outbound-prospecting && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "outbound-prospecting" agent skill from https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount/tree/main/plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting into .cursor/skills/outbound-prospecting/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "outbound-prospecting", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount.git --path plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add cbrock84/headcount --skill outbound-prospecting -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install cbrock84/headcount outbound-prospecting --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting .gemini/skills/outbound-prospecting && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "outbound-prospecting" agent skill from https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount/tree/main/plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting into .gemini/skills/outbound-prospecting/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "outbound-prospecting", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install cbrock84/headcount outbound-prospectingInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add cbrock84/headcount --skill outbound-prospecting -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting .github/skills/outbound-prospecting && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "outbound-prospecting" agent skill from https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount/tree/main/plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting into .github/skills/outbound-prospecting/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "outbound-prospecting", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add cbrock84/headcount --skill outbound-prospecting -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install cbrock84/headcount outbound-prospecting --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting .opencode/skills/outbound-prospecting && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "outbound-prospecting" agent skill from https://github.com/cbrock84/headcount/tree/main/plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting into .opencode/skills/outbound-prospecting/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "outbound-prospecting", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
outbound-prospecting- GitHub stars
- 2k
- Token cost
- ~1k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 556 words
- Files
- 2 (incl. references)
- Skills in repo
- 178
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Finds, qualifies, and reaches prospects through cold outreach — list building, qualification criteria, cold email and multi-channel sequences, and the follow-up that actually gets replies.
- Tasks that involve Cold outreach
- SKILL.md covers Build the list before writing…, Writing, Sequencing and Deliverability, plus 4 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Outbound Prospecting is an agent skill from cbrock84/headcount. Finds, qualifies, and reaches prospects through cold outreach — list building, qualification criteria, cold email and multi-channel sequences, and the follow-up that actually gets replies. Use this to build a prospect list, write cold outreach, fix a sequence that is not getting responses, define qualification criteria, or decide whether a segment is worth pursuing.
Its SKILL.md is about 1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files, including reference files (for example `references/sources.md`).
It sits in Sales & Support, covering Cold outreach. The repository describes itself as: An agent organization structured as a company — 15+ departments, 125+ skills, each independently installable, citing the standards and regulators that settle the question. Runs… The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Tasks that involve Cold outreach
Example prompts
- “/outbound-prospecting”
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 98d1c17. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Outbound Prospecting loads about 1k tokens when it runs, and up to ~1.8k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 97 tokens; SKILL.md has 556 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from cbrock84/headcount at commit 98d1c17, republished under its MIT licence (© cbrock84). 556 words, ~1,017 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/outbound-prospecting/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- outbound-prospecting
- description
- Finds, qualifies, and reaches prospects through cold outreach — list building, qualification criteria, cold email and multi-channel sequences, and the follow-up that actually gets replies. Use this to build a prospect list, write cold outreach, fix a sequence that is not getting responses, define qualification criteria, or decide whether a segment is worth pursuing.
Outbound prospecting
Reply rates are set by list quality far more than by copy. Most outbound problems are targeting problems being solved as writing problems.
Build the list before writing anything
Define the qualifying signal — the observable fact that means this account probably has the problem you solve, right now. Hiring for a role, using a specific tool, a recent funding or expansion announcement, a public complaint about the thing you fix.
Without a signal you are sending to a demographic, and a demographic has no reason to reply.
Then qualify each account against: do they have the problem, can they afford it, can this person act, and is there a reason for now. Missing the last one is why good-fit prospects go quiet.
Writing
- Under a hundred words. Longer gets skimmed and deleted.
- Open with the signal, specifically. Show you looked. Generic personalization tokens are worse than none — they signal automation while pretending otherwise.
- One problem, in their language, not your feature.
- Ask for something small. A specific question or a fifteen-minute call. "Interested in learning more" asks the recipient to do the work of defining the next step.
- No attachments, minimal links in a first message. Both hurt deliverability and trust.
Sequencing
Three to five touches over two to three weeks. Each one adds something new — a different angle, a relevant case, a useful resource. Never "just bumping this to the top of your inbox," which communicates that the first message was not worth reading either.
Multi-channel works when the channels are coordinated and the sender is a person. It reads as harassment when the same message arrives everywhere at once.
Stop after the sequence ends. Persistence past that converts nothing and costs reputation.
Deliverability
Domain warmed, authentication configured, volume per mailbox kept low, list validated. A technically broken send makes perfect copy irrelevant, and the damage to a sending domain takes months to repair.
Use a subdomain for outbound so a reputation problem cannot take down your transactional mail.
Show full SKILL.md (224 more words)Show less
Reading results
- No opens — deliverability or subject line. Check deliverability first.
- Opens, no replies — the message is not landing. Usually the ask, or an unclear problem statement.
- Replies, no meetings — a qualification problem: you are reaching people who cannot act.
- Meetings, no pipeline — the segment is wrong.
Sources
references/sources.md in this skill lists the outside authorities that settle the questions
here — what each one is authoritative for, and what you may do with it. Check them before
answering on anything they cover, and cite what you used. Most are free to read and not free
to reproduce; the use note on each is binding.
Tooling
Sequencing: Outreach, Salesloft, Apollo, Lemlist, Instantly, and similar.
Contact data: ZoomInfo, Apollo, Clay, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and similar. Every provider's data decays; verify before you send, whichever you buy.
Deliverability: a separate sending domain, plus warmup and monitoring — Instantly, Smartlead, Google Postmaster Tools, and similar.
Never
- Send before the list is qualified. A good message to the wrong person is still a bad message.
- Send outbound from the domain that carries your customer and billing mail. Prospecting burns sender reputation; keep it on a separate domain.
- Keep sequencing someone who replied. Pull them out the moment a human is in the thread.
- Judge a sequence on open rates. Opens are unreliable and unactionable; judge on replies and meetings held.
© cbrock84, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
SKILL.md and 1 other file (references) in plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting of cbrock84/headcount.
- SKILL.md
- references/sources.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 98d1c17
Compare with similar skills
Outbound Prospecting next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outbound Prospecting this skillcbrock84/headcount | 2k | — | ~1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Cold Outbound Optimizerericosiu/ai-marketing-skills | 3.6k | 1 repos | ~1.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Prospectingcoreyhaines31/marketingskills | 54k | — | ~5k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Sales OsromangojiberryAI/gojiberryai-sales-os | 139 | — | ~2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| ProspectingCesarjoquin/Marketing-Skills | 201 | 1 repos | ~3.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Cold Outreach Personalizeraiskilloftheweek/claude-ai-skill-of-the-week | 148 | — | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | None |
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Questions about Outbound Prospecting
What does Outbound Prospecting do?
Finds, qualifies, and reaches prospects through cold outreach — list building, qualification criteria, cold email and multi-channel sequences, and the follow-up that actually gets replies. Outbound Prospecting is an agent skill from cbrock84/headcount. Finds, qualifies, and reaches prospects through cold outreach — list building, qualification criteria, cold email and multi-channel sequences, and the follow-up that actually gets replies.
When should I use Outbound Prospecting?
Outbound Prospecting fits situations like: tasks that involve Cold outreach.
How do I install Outbound Prospecting in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add cbrock84/headcount --skill outbound-prospecting -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting in cbrock84/headcount) into .claude/skills/outbound-prospecting in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Outbound Prospecting in Codex?
Run `npx skills add cbrock84/headcount --skill outbound-prospecting -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/revenue/skills/outbound-prospecting in cbrock84/headcount) into .agents/skills/outbound-prospecting in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Outbound Prospecting in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add cbrock84/headcount --skill outbound-prospecting -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/outbound-prospecting, .gemini/skills/outbound-prospecting, .github/skills/outbound-prospecting and .opencode/skills/outbound-prospecting in your project.
What does Outbound Prospecting need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Outbound Prospecting is instructions for the agent only.
Does Outbound Prospecting access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Outbound Prospecting safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Outbound Prospecting use?
Outbound Prospecting is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Outbound Prospecting use?
About 1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.1k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 752 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to Outbound Prospecting?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Outbound Prospecting: Cold Outbound Optimizer (ericosiu/ai-marketing-skills, 3.6k stars), Prospecting (coreyhaines31/marketingskills, 54k stars), Sales Os (romangojiberryAI/gojiberryai-sales-os, 139 stars) and Prospecting (Cesarjoquin/Marketing-Skills, 201 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Outbound Prospecting?
cbrock84 (a GitHub user) maintains it in cbrock84/headcount, which has 2,016 GitHub stars. The repository holds 178 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 17, 2026.
Source: cbrock84/headcount on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.