Close Deals With These 3 Foodservice Outreach Sequences

How do you go from cold email to closed deal?

Sequencing is the series of steps and touchpoints your team develops to manage outreach automatically and turn those conversations into sales.

This newsletter is all about designing that process. First Bite’s Activate program includes outreach management, so we’ve learned some valuable lessons from our conversations with 35k+ operator decision-makers.

We like to break our outreach into 3 distinct sequences.

1. Outreach & Qualification

Goal: Earn a sample request
Automation potential: High

This sequence starts with a cold email or a warm re-engagement from a conference or referral. Either way, the job is the same: get a sample request.

Set it up like this:

• 100-400 targets per campaign
  
  
• 5 total follow-ups
  
  
• Messages every 3-4 days
  
  
• Automate your outreach and follow-up messages with a tool like Reply.io

If someone doesn’t reply after the sequence, mark them clearly in your CRM. Most brands will circle back in 3-6 months with an update on new products or menu ideas. And if an operator says no at any point, make sure to respect that.

Supporting content to include:

• Short, skimmable email copy
  
  
• A clean sell sheet
  
  
• Quick stats or a case study

This is the most scalable part of your funnel. Automate the system and let it run.

2. Sampling & Evaluation

Goal: Get the operator to try the product
Automation potential: Medium

Once they say “yes” to a sample, they become a priority. Operators won’t buy what they haven’t tasted. You need to make sure the sample gets used.

Set it up like this:

• Reply to the request within 4 hours (or at least same-day)
  
  
• Create a deal in your CRM
  
  
• Ship the sample fast, with mail tracking
  
  
• Send your first follow up 42-72 hours after delivery
  
  
• Check in every 2-4 business days after that

We recommend 8 touchpoints: 5 emails, 3 calls. If they’re not responding, try a DM on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Keep your outreach short. Don’t re-pitch. Just ask: “Have you had a chance to try the sample?”

Supporting content to have on hand:

• Menu applications or prep tips
  
  
• A printed one-pager in the box

This stage can drag if you don’t stay on it. Assign a clear owner, use a task list or CRM pipeline, and move fast to get the product in their hands.

3. Closing

Goal: Land the first order
Automation potential: Low / Zero

They liked the product. Now you need to help them say yes.

This phase shouldn’t be automated. That’s why we systematize the early sequences — so you’re freed up to focus here.

Set it up like this:

This is high-touch work, and what you should share depends on the operator’s needs. Plan to have lots of supporting materials on hand to:

• Make the business case: pricing, pack size, operator margin
  
  
• Help them order: distributor setup, product numbers, spec sheets
  
  
• Create excitement: recipes, photo inspiration, marketing ideas
  
  

This is where relationships are built. Use your judgment. Be hyper-responsive. Make it easy to buy.

Supporting content to have on hand:

• Product specs and pricing
  
  
• Distributor information
  
  
• Launch support (social, press angles, product photos)

***

Final Thought

Outreach gets easier when you build a process:

• Draft your content before you need it
  
  
• Automate what you can
  
  
• Assign clear ownership
  
  
• Move with urgency
  
  

That frees you up to focus where it counts: closing real deals.

Want to see how we do this for brands like yours? Book time with an outreach expert to see successful foodservice outreach examples or learn more about the First Bite platform. We'll walk you through it.