BD Outreach Optimization for Youth Sports¶

Channel Effectiveness¶

Email¶

Response rate (cold): 5-15% for well-targeted, personalized outreach. Generic blasts drop to 1-3%.
Best for: Initial outreach, follow-ups, sending materials (decks, one-pagers).
Youth soccer specific: Club directors check email regularly but are buried in parent emails. Subject line and first sentence must immediately signal "this is not a parent complaint."
Timing: Tuesday through Thursday, 9-11 AM local time. Avoid Mondays (catching up) and Fridays (checking out). Avoid evenings and weekends when clubs run practices and games.

LinkedIn¶

Response rate: 10-25% for personalized connection requests with a note. Higher than email because it carries social proof (they can see your profile, mutual connections, credentials).
Best for: Initial contact when you do not have an email. Building visibility before reaching out via other channels.
Youth soccer specific: Many club directors and DOCs are active on LinkedIn. Board members less so (they are volunteers, not career soccer people).
Tip: Connect first with a short note, then message after they accept. Do not pitch in the connection request.

Phone¶

Response rate: Low for cold calls (under 5% reach rate, meaning you often do not get through). But when you do connect live, conversion to meeting is high (20-40%).
Best for: Follow-up after an email or LinkedIn message has been sent. "I sent you an email last week about..." gives context and a reason for the call.
Youth soccer specific: Club directors are often on the field during afternoons and evenings. Best calling window is 9 AM to 12 PM on weekdays.

Text / SMS¶

Response rate: Highest open rate of any channel (95%+) but only appropriate after you have some relationship. Cold texting is intrusive and unprofessional.
Best for: Quick follow-ups with warm contacts. "Hey [Name], just checking if Tuesday still works for our call."
Youth soccer specific: Many coaches and directors communicate via text within their club. Once you have a relationship, text becomes the primary channel.

Channel Priority for Cold Outreach¶

LinkedIn (if you have a mutual connection or strong profile match)
Email (primary outreach channel)
Phone (follow-up to email, not first touch)
Text (only after relationship is established)

Follow-Up Timing and Frequency¶

The Follow-Up Sequence¶

Most deals happen between the 3rd and 7th touch. Here is a recommended sequence:

Day 0: Initial outreach (email or LinkedIn)
Day 3-4: Follow-up email (add new value, do not just say "checking in")
Day 7-8: Try a different channel (if you emailed, try LinkedIn or phone)
Day 14: Third email, reference something timely about their club
Day 21: Final outreach, "closing the loop" message
Day 45-60: Re-engage if circumstances change (new season, new product feature, etc.)

Rules for Follow-Ups¶

Every follow-up should add new information or value. Never send "just bumping this to the top of your inbox."
Reference something specific about their club in at least one follow-up (a recent tournament result, a new program they launched, a coaching hire).
Keep messages short. 3-5 sentences max for follow-ups.
If you get no response after 4-5 touches, stop. You can re-engage in 2-3 months with a new angle.

Seasonal Timing for Youth Soccer¶

Youth soccer has a natural rhythm that affects outreach:

August-September: Season is starting. Directors are overwhelmed. Not ideal for cold outreach.
October-November: Season is underway, routines are established. Good window.
December-January: Tryout season for spring, club planning budgets. Good for budget-related conversations.
February-March: Spring season starting. Moderate window.
April-May: Season winding down, planning for next year begins. Excellent window for "set up for next season" pitch.
June-July: Tournaments, camps, tryouts. Directors are busy but receptive to new ideas for the coming year.

Personalization Techniques¶

The 30-Second Research Rule¶

Before every outreach, spend 30 seconds finding one specific thing about the recipient: - A recent tournament their club hosted or performed well in - A new program they launched - A coaching hire or organizational change - A post they shared on LinkedIn or social media

Reference it in the first sentence. This alone moves response rates from 5% to 15%+.

Templates That Work¶

Cold email template:

Subject: [Specific thing about their club] + Game1

Hi [Name],

Saw that [specific detail -- e.g., "Bay Area Surf just expanded to a third age group for ECNL"]. That kind of growth is exactly what Game1 was built for.

I am [Shane / brief credential]. We built a [one sentence about what Game1 does] that [specific benefit relevant to their situation].

Would a 15-minute call next week make sense? Happy to share what we have seen work at clubs like [name a similar club if possible].

[Sign off]

Key principles: - Lead with them, not you - One specific detail proves you did your homework - Credentials in one phrase, not a paragraph - Clear ask (15-minute call) - Short (under 100 words)

Personalization at Scale¶

For 20 leads, full personalization is manageable. For 50+, batch your research: 1. Spend 30 minutes researching 5 clubs at once. 2. Note one detail per club in your tracking sheet. 3. Write all 5 emails in one sitting using the same template structure. 4. This takes about 1 hour for 5 fully personalized emails.

Leveraging Shane's Credentials¶

Pro Player Background¶

This is your single strongest asset for youth soccer outreach. Here is how to use it:

In email subject lines: Do not lead with it every time, but when relevant: "Former Earthquakes player building tools for youth clubs"
In LinkedIn profile: Headline should mention it. "Co-founder at Game1 | Former San Jose Earthquakes"
In conversation: Use it to establish credibility, then pivot quickly to their needs. "Having played professionally, I saw firsthand how technology could help player development, which is what led us to build Game1."
Do not overuse it. Club directors care more about what your product does for them than your playing history. The credential opens the door; the product keeps them in the room.

Stanford Background¶

Signals intelligence and credibility
Useful for board members (often Stanford parent-types who value the brand)
Less relevant to coaches and DOCs (they care more about soccer credentials)
Use it selectively: "Stanford-built technology" or "developed at Stanford" can work in materials

Combining Both¶

The combination of "Stanford + pro athlete" is rare and memorable. Use it in your one-liner: - "Stanford CS meets professional soccer" or similar - This works particularly well in written materials, pitch decks, and bios

Where Credentials Matter Most¶

Club directors: Soccer credentials (Earthquakes) carry the most weight
Board members: Stanford/academic credentials resonate
DOCs/coaches: Only care if you understand the game, which you do
Tournament directors: Business credentials and references from other tournaments

Warm Introduction and Referral Strategies¶

The Double Opt-In Introduction¶

When asking a connector for an intro: 1. Ask your connector if they are comfortable making the introduction. 2. Have them check with the target first: "A former Earthquakes player building youth soccer tech wants to connect. Okay if I introduce you?" 3. Only then does the connector send the intro email.

This approach respects everyone's time and has a much higher conversion rate than a surprise introduction.

Making It Easy for Your Connector¶

When you ask someone for an intro, send them: - A 2-3 sentence blurb they can forward ("Shane is a former Earthquakes player and Stanford grad who built a technology platform for youth soccer clubs. He would love 15 minutes to show you what they are building.") - This removes the work of the connector having to explain who you are.

Referral After a Meeting¶

After every meeting (even ones that do not convert), ask: "Is there anyone else in the youth soccer community you think would find this interesting?" People are surprisingly willing to refer when asked directly.

Building a Referral Flywheel¶

Start with your warmest connections (clubs where you have strong intros).
Deliver a great demo/meeting experience.
Ask for referrals at the end of every meeting.
Each new club contact can refer you to 2-3 more.
After 5-10 meetings, you have a network effect where new clubs have heard of you before you reach out.

Track Referral Sources¶

In your CRM/tracking sheet, note where each lead came from. Over time, you will see which connectors and channels produce the best leads. Double down on those.