Lead Tiers Playbook
Pre-work for Session 2 | Prepared: 2026-02-17
Summary (3 sentences for Danny)
Every lead you speak to falls into one of three tiers — Hot, Warm, or Cold — and each gets a different speed and depth of response. This playbook gives you a simple qualification framework (six questions you can weave into any natural conversation), defines where leads come from, and maps out the path from first contact to close for each tier. It is designed for one person doing sales at a pre-revenue startup, not a 20-person SDR floor — keep it scrappy, track in a spreadsheet, and focus your limited time on the leads most likely to convert.
Lead Temperature Definitions
Tier 1: Hot Leads
Profile (who are they?)
- HMO operators or portfolio landlords managing 10-50+ properties
- Already drowning in tenant WhatsApp messages, missed calls, and vendor coordination
- Actively looking for a solution (they have searched, asked peers, or tried competitors like Fixflo/Arthur and found them lacking in tenant communication)
- Referred to you by someone they trust (another landlord, a letting agent, a property network contact)
Signals (how do you know they are hot?)
- They reached out to you first (inbound enquiry, responded to a post, asked for a demo)
- They describe a specific, recent pain point (“I missed an emergency call last weekend”, “I spent 4 hours chasing a plumber on Tuesday”)
- They ask about pricing or timelines unprompted
- They manage HMOs specifically (highest issue density per property = highest pain)
- They mention they have tried or are unhappy with current tools
- They ask “Can I see it working?” or “When can I start?”
Response time target: Same day. Ideally within 2 hours. A hot lead cools fast.
Action plan (what Danny does immediately):
- Reply within 2 hours — acknowledge, show enthusiasm, book a 30-minute call/demo within 48 hours
- Before the call: look up their portfolio (Companies House, LinkedIn, their website, property forums). Know their property count, location, and type
- Run the demo (use the demo script from Session 1). Focus on the 2am boiler scenario and the WhatsApp intake — these are the wow moments for HMO operators
- After the demo: send a short follow-up within 24 hours summarising what you showed, what resonated, and the concrete next step (CSV onboarding call)
- If they are ready: book the onboarding call within the week. Get their property CSV. Aim to have them live within 7 days of first contact
Conversion expectation: 40-60% should convert to a pilot/trial. These are your best leads — protect your time for them.
Tier 2: Warm Leads
Profile (who are they?)
- Landlords managing 5-30 properties who know they have a problem but are not yet urgently seeking a solution
- May be using spreadsheets, WhatsApp groups, or a basic tool like Arthur/Landlord Vision for some functions
- Engaged with your content (replied to a LinkedIn post, attended a webinar, asked a question at a networking event) but have not requested a demo
- Sometimes a letting agent or property manager employed by a landlord, rather than the decision-maker themselves
Signals (how do you know they are warm?)
- They engaged but did not initiate contact (liked a post, asked a general question, said “that sounds interesting”)
- They acknowledge the problem but use language like “we manage” or “it is not too bad” (coping, not desperate)
- They ask “what does it cost?” early — this can be warm (price-checking) rather than hot (ready to buy)
- They want to “think about it” or “show my partner/business partner”
- They are at a landlord event or forum and stopped to talk
Response time target: Within 24 hours. No rush, but do not let them go cold.
Action plan (what Danny does):
- Send a personalised follow-up within 24 hours. Reference the specific conversation or interaction — never a generic message
- Offer a low-commitment next step: “I can show you a quick 10-minute walkthrough of how the AI handles a tenant message — no commitment, just so you can see if it is relevant for your setup”
- Add them to your lead tracker with a follow-up date (7-14 days)
- Share one piece of relevant content within a week (a short video clip of the AI in action, a case study once you have one, or a relevant article about HMO maintenance challenges)
- Follow up at the 14-day mark with a specific trigger: “I was thinking about what you said about [their specific pain point]. We just [built/improved/shipped] something that addresses exactly that. Worth 15 minutes?”
Conversion expectation: 15-25% convert to a demo/trial within 4-6 weeks. The goal is to move them to Hot, not to close them directly.
Tier 3: Cold Leads
Profile (who are they?)
- Landlords with 1-5 properties (too small for meaningful value, but could grow)
- Property professionals who are “just looking” or doing market research
- People who follow you on social media but have never interacted meaningfully
- Contacts from purchased lists, scraped directories, or generic networking (low intent)
- Letting agents or landlords using a competitor and not actively unhappy
Signals (how do you know they are cold?)
- No inbound signal — you found them, they did not find you
- They have a very small portfolio (under 5 properties — the admin pain is not severe enough)
- They say “we are happy with our current setup” or “maybe next year”
- They do not respond to initial outreach within 7 days
- They ask lots of questions but avoid any commitment to a next step
Response time target: Within 1 week. Batch process cold leads — do not let them eat into hot/warm time.
Action plan (what Danny does):
- Send a short, personalised outreach message (LinkedIn DM or email). No more than 3-4 sentences. Lead with a pain point, not a product pitch
- If no response after 7 days: one follow-up, then park
- Add to a “nurture” list — these people get periodic content (monthly at most) but no active chasing
- Revisit quarterly: has their situation changed? Portfolio grown? New regulations causing pain?
- Do not spend more than 30 minutes per week on cold outreach in total. Your time is better spent on warm and hot leads
Conversion expectation: 3-5% convert over 3-6 months. These are a long game. Some will never convert. That is fine.
Qualification Framework
Use CHAMP-Lite — a simplified version of the CHAMP framework (Challenges, Authority, Money, Prioritisation) adapted for a one-person sales operation having natural conversations with UK landlords. This is not a rigid checklist. These are conversation starters and listening prompts.
| # | Question (Natural Phrasing) | What It Tells You | Hot Signal | Cold Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ”How are you handling tenant maintenance requests at the moment?” | Challenge — Do they have a problem worth solving? | ”It is chaos / I am drowning / I missed an emergency" | "It is fine, my tenants just ring me” |
| 2 | ”How many properties are you managing, and what type?” | Scale — Is the pain big enough to pay for a solution? | 10+ properties, especially HMOs or mixed portfolios | 1-3 single lets with low tenant turnover |
| 3 | ”Who makes the decision on tools and systems for your properties?” | Authority — Are you talking to the buyer? | ”I do” / “Me and my business partner" | "I would need to ask my letting agent / the company” |
| 4 | ”Have you looked at any other tools for this, or tried anything before?” | Awareness — Are they actively shopping? | ”Yes, I tried Fixflo but it doesn’t do X” / “I have been looking" | "No, never really thought about it” |
| 5 | ”What is costing you the most time or stress right now with your properties?” | Priority — Is maintenance/tenant comms their top pain, or is it rent arrears, voids, compliance? | Maintenance, tenant communication, out-of-hours calls | Rent collection, finding tenants, tax |
| 6 | ”If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing about how you manage your properties, what would it be?” | Urgency and vision — Can they articulate the desired outcome? | ”Never miss a tenant call again” / “Stop being the bottleneck” | Vague answer or “I do not know, really” |
Scoring (keep it simple):
- 4-6 hot signals = Tier 1 (Hot) — book the demo
- 2-3 hot signals = Tier 2 (Warm) — nurture and follow up
- 0-1 hot signals = Tier 3 (Cold) — park and revisit later
Important: You do not need to ask all six questions in order. Weave them into a natural conversation. The best qualification happens when the prospect feels like they are having a chat, not being interrogated.
Lead Sources
| Source | Typical Temperature | Volume | Effort | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal network / warm intros | Hot / Warm | Low (5-10 total) | Very low | Danny’s existing contacts, Bilal and Deen’s network, friends-of-friends. Best conversion rate. Exhaust these first |
| Referrals from early customers | Hot | Low initially, grows | Very low | Once you have 2-3 happy customers, ask them to introduce you to one other landlord. Highest quality leads |
| LinkedIn (organic content) | Warm | Medium (2-5/week) | Medium (1-2 hrs/week posting) | Post about HMO pain points, not product features. “Here is what I heard from a landlord this week…” Builds credibility over time |
| LinkedIn (direct outreach) | Cold / Warm | Medium (10-20/week) | Medium (1 hr/week) | Target HMO operators in specific cities. Personalise every message. Connect, then message after they accept. Never pitch in the connection request |
| UK landlord forums (Property Tribes, LandlordZONE, Property118) | Warm | Low-Medium | Medium (lurk + contribute) | Answer questions, share expertise, do not sell. Build reputation first. Drop Envo naturally when relevant (“we built something for this exact problem”) |
| Landlord associations (NRLA, iHowz, BLA) | Warm | Medium | Medium-High (events, membership) | NRLA has 100,000+ members. Attend local events, introduce yourself as someone building a product, ask for feedback rather than pitching. NRLA Connect Events are free with membership |
| Local landlord meetups and property networking events | Warm / Hot | Low (1-3 per event) | High (time + travel) | Best for relationship building. Bring a phone with the demo ready. “Can I show you something I built?” works better than a slide deck |
| Google / SEO (ehq.tech website) | Hot | Zero currently | High (needs website) | Not a source until the marketing site is live. Flag for later — inbound leads from Google are the highest quality. Key terms: “HMO maintenance software UK”, “tenant communication tool”, “property management AI” |
| PropTech events and conferences | Warm | Low-Medium | High (cost + time) | Consider Future PropTech, NRLA conferences, and local property investor shows. Good for awareness, slow for conversion |
| Partnerships (letting agents, HMO licensing consultants) | Warm / Hot | Medium (if it works) | High (relationship building) | Letting agents who manage HMOs for landlords could be channel partners. They feel the same pain. Approach as “I built something that makes your job easier” — not “sell my product for me” |
Recommended focus for first 3 months:
- Personal network and warm intros (weeks 1-2)
- LinkedIn organic content (ongoing, 2-3 posts/week)
- Landlord forums — start contributing now (ongoing)
- One landlord association membership — probably NRLA (attend first event within 4 weeks)
- LinkedIn direct outreach to HMO operators (start week 3, after you have some content live)
Conversion Playbook
Hot ⇒ Close (Target: 7-14 days)
| Step | Timing | Action | Materials Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Acknowledge | Within 2 hours | Reply, show you understand their problem, book a call | N/A |
| 2. Research | Before the call | Look up their portfolio, Companies House, LinkedIn | N/A |
| 3. Demo | Within 48 hours of first contact | Run the 15-minute demo. Focus on their specific pain points | Demo environment running, demo script, test data |
| 4. Follow-up | Within 24 hours of demo | Email summarising: what you showed, what resonated, next step | Follow-up email template |
| 5. Onboarding call | Within 3-5 days of demo | Walk them through CSV upload, get their properties into the system | CSV template, onboarding guide |
| 6. Go live | Within 7 days of onboarding | Their tenants can now message the AI. Check in daily for the first week | Working product, their phone number configured |
| 7. Close | Day 14 | Confirm they want to continue. Agree commercial terms | Pricing (even if “early adopter” rate) |
Key principle: Speed is everything with hot leads. Every day of delay is a chance for them to cool off, get distracted, or find a competitor.
Warm ⇒ Hot ⇒ Close (Target: 4-8 weeks)
| Step | Timing | Action | Materials Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Initial follow-up | Within 24 hours | Personalised message referencing your conversation | N/A |
| 2. Value drop #1 | Day 7 | Share something useful — a short video of the AI handling a message, or a relevant article about HMO management pain | Screen recording of AI demo (30-60 seconds), blog post or article |
| 3. Check-in | Day 14 | ”Been thinking about [their specific pain point]. Worth 15 minutes to show you how we handle that?” | N/A |
| 4. Soft demo | Day 14-21 (if they agree) | Shorter, focused demo — 10 minutes max, tailored to their exact scenario | Demo environment |
| 5. Social proof | Day 21-28 | If you have an early customer, share their experience. “We onboarded a landlord with 20 HMOs last month and…” | Testimonial or case study (even informal) |
| 6. Trigger event | Ongoing | Watch for a trigger: they post about a bad experience, a new regulation drops, they mention portfolio growth | News, regulation changes, their social media |
| 7. Convert to hot | When they show buying signals | Move to the Hot playbook above | Demo environment, CSV template |
Key principle: Warm leads need reasons to act now. Your job is to stay visible and relevant until a trigger event tips them over.
Nurture content ideas (low effort):
- LinkedIn post about a specific HMO maintenance nightmare (anonymised)
- 60-second screen recording of the AI handling a tenant message
- Quick take on a new regulation and how it affects workload
- “What I learned talking to 10 HMO landlords this month”
Cold ⇒ Warm ⇒ Hot ⇒ Close (Target: 3-6 months)
| Step | Timing | Action | Materials Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Initial outreach | Batch weekly (30 min max) | Short, personalised LinkedIn DM or email. Lead with a question about their pain, not your product | Outreach message templates (3-4 variants) |
| 2. Follow-up | Day 7 (if no response) | One follow-up. “Did you get a chance to see my message? No worries if not — just thought it might be relevant given [reason]“ | N/A |
| 3. Park (if no response) | Day 14 | Move to nurture list. No more direct outreach for 60-90 days | N/A |
| 4. Drip content | Monthly | They see your LinkedIn posts. Maybe you tag them in something relevant occasionally | LinkedIn content calendar |
| 5. Re-engage | 60-90 days later | New angle: “I saw you [grew your portfolio / posted about X / attended Y]. Things have changed since we last spoke — worth a quick look?” | N/A |
| 6. Convert to warm | When they engage | Move to the Warm playbook above | N/A |
Key principle: Cold leads are a numbers game played in the background. Do not let them consume time you should be spending on hot and warm leads. Set strict time limits.
Outreach template example (LinkedIn DM):
“Hi [Name] — I noticed you manage HMOs in [City]. Quick question: how are you handling tenant maintenance requests at the moment? We have been working on something specifically for HMO operators and I would love your perspective. No pitch, genuinely curious.”
Tracking
Danny needs a system that takes less than 10 minutes a day. No CRM. No complex tools. Here is what works at this stage:
Option A: Notion Database (Recommended)
Create a single Notion database with these fields:
| Field | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Text | Contact name |
| Company / Portfolio | Text | Their business or portfolio description |
| Properties | Number | How many they manage |
| Type | Select: HMO / Mixed / Single Let | Property types |
| Temperature | Select: Hot / Warm / Cold | Current tier |
| Source | Select: Network / LinkedIn / Forum / Event / Referral / Inbound | Where they came from |
| Last Contact | Date | When you last spoke or messaged |
| Next Action | Text | What you need to do next |
| Next Action Date | Date | When to do it |
| Status | Select: New / Engaged / Demo Done / Trial / Closed / Lost / Parked | Where they are in the pipeline |
| Notes | Text | Key details, pain points mentioned, objections |
Views to create:
- Today — Filter: Next Action Date = today. This is your daily to-do list
- Hot leads — Filter: Temperature = Hot. Your priority board
- Follow-ups due — Filter: Next Action Date ⇐ today. What is overdue?
- Pipeline — Group by Status. See the full funnel at a glance
Option B: Google Sheet
If Notion feels like overkill, a Google Sheet with the same columns works. Add conditional formatting: red for Hot, amber for Warm, blue for Cold. Sort by Next Action Date. Check it every morning.
Daily routine (10 minutes)
- Open the tracker
- Check “Today” view — what actions are due?
- Do the hot lead actions first
- Log any new contacts from yesterday
- Update any statuses that have changed
Weekly routine (30 minutes, Friday afternoon)
- Review all Hot leads — are any cooling? What is blocking them?
- Review Warm leads — any ready for a nudge?
- Batch-send cold outreach (if time allows)
- Update temperature ratings based on recent interactions
- Count: how many in each tier? Is the pipeline healthy?
ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
Based on the GTM strategy, product capabilities, competitive positioning, and the sweet spot where pain is highest and Envo’s value is clearest:
| Attribute | Ideal | Acceptable | Disqualify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio size | 15-50 properties | 10-100 properties | Under 5 properties (pain too low), over 200 (need enterprise features we do not have yet) |
| Property type | Predominantly HMOs | Mixed portfolio including HMOs | Exclusively commercial property or holiday lets |
| Location | Major UK cities (London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol) | Any UK city or town | Outside the UK (regulations differ, not our market yet) |
| Current tools | WhatsApp + spreadsheets (no system) | Basic tool (Arthur, Landlord Vision) but unhappy with maintenance/tenant comms | Heavily invested in Fixflo + Arthur + full stack (switching cost too high) |
| Decision-maker | Owner-operator landlord who manages their own portfolio | Small letting agency owner (2-5 staff) | Corporate property management company with procurement process |
| Tech comfort | Uses WhatsApp and a laptop daily | Uses email and is willing to try a dashboard | Refuses to use anything digital |
| Key pain point | Tenant communication and out-of-hours issues | Vendor coordination and compliance tracking | Rent collection, tenant finding, or finance (not what we solve) |
| Urgency driver | Recent bad experience (missed emergency, tenant complaint, compliance lapse) | Growing portfolio and feeling the admin ceiling | ”Things are fine as they are” |
| Budget sensitivity | Understands software costs money, willing to pay per-property | Price-conscious but open if value is clear | Expects everything to be free |
| Personality | Proactive, wants to professionalise their operation, sees property as a business | Open-minded, curious about new approaches | ”I have been doing this for 20 years and it works fine” |
The Perfect First Customer (Archetype)
“Sarah” manages 25 HMO rooms across 4 properties in Birmingham. She does everything herself — answers tenant WhatsApp messages at all hours, coordinates with 3-4 regular tradespeople, and tracks compliance dates in a spreadsheet that she is not confident is up to date. Last month she missed a tenant’s report of a water leak because the message got buried in a WhatsApp group, and it caused GBP 2,000 of damage. She knows she needs a system but has not had time to look for one. She is tech-comfortable (uses WhatsApp, online banking, basic apps) but does not want something complicated. She heard about Envo from another landlord at a local property meetup.
The Perfect First 10 Customers
Aim for a mix of:
- 4-5 HMO owner-operators (15-40 properties each) — your core ICP
- 2-3 small letting agencies that manage HMOs on behalf of landlords (30-80 properties under management)
- 1-2 larger portfolio landlords (50-100 properties) who can stretch the product and provide enterprise-direction feedback
Geographic concentration helps early on — if you get 3 customers in the same city, you can share vendor networks, get referrals within the local landlord community, and build a local reputation.
Open Questions for Session
These need discussion and decision-making in the session:
Pricing (Critical — Blocks Sales)
- What do we charge? Per-property pricing seems right for the market, but what is the number? Competitors like Arthur charge GBP 70-126/month for 50 units. Where does Envo sit?
- Is there a free trial / pilot period? How long? What is included? The demo script mentions “early adopters” — what does that mean commercially?
- Early adopter discount? Do the first 10 customers get a special rate in exchange for feedback and testimonials? (Recommended: yes)
- When does pricing go live? Danny cannot close without a price. Even a “founder pricing” placeholder is better than “we will get back to you on that”
Sales Collateral
- Do we need a one-pager? Something Danny can email or hand out at events — problem, solution, “book a demo” CTA. Who creates this?
- Marketing website (ehq.tech) — when does this go live? Inbound leads are impossible without it. Even a single landing page with a demo booking form would help
- Video walkthrough — the demo script mentions sending a video to lukewarm leads. Does this exist? If not, who records it and when?
Process
- What does “onboarding” actually look like today? The onboarding doc says CSV upload with admin assistance. Is Danny doing the onboarding call, or is that Bilal/Deen? What is the handoff?
- How do we handle the gap between demo and production? The product is not yet deployed (E-007). Are we demoing from a local/staging environment? What is the timeline to having something a customer can actually use?
- Feedback loop — how does Danny feed customer conversations back to product? What format? How quickly does it need to happen?
Strategic
- Geographic focus — should Danny focus on one or two cities first to build density, or cast a wide net?
- Channel partners — should we approach letting agents as customers or as referral partners? Or both? Different pitch for each
- Competitive positioning — when someone says “I use Fixflo”, is our positioning “replace Fixflo” or “complement Fixflo”? The demo script suggests complement (“Envo sits at the front door”), but this needs a clear stance
- Timeline to first paying customer — what is the realistic target date? This determines how aggressive Danny should be right now vs building pipeline for later
This playbook should be revisited and updated after Session 2, once pricing, timeline, and strategic decisions are made. The qualification framework and lead tiers are ready to use immediately — Danny can start applying these to existing contacts tomorrow.