sales-deliverability

What this skill does

# Email Deliverability for Outbound Sales

Help the user set up, diagnose, and optimize email deliverability — from domain authentication and warmup through inbox placement, reputation monitoring, and platform-specific configuration. This skill is tool-agnostic and covers Apollo, Mailshake, Salesloft, Lemlist, Yesware, Mixmax, Reply.io, Woodpecker, Hunter.io, Tomba, Prospeo, Seamless.AI, SafetyMails, and standalone tools.

## Step 1 — Gather context


If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.

Ask the user:

1. **What's your situation?**
   - A) Setting up a new domain for cold outbound
   - B) Warming up a new mailbox / sender account
   - C) Emails going to spam — need to diagnose
   - D) Open rates dropped significantly
   - E) High bounce rates
   - F) Blacklisted — need to recover
   - G) Scaling sending volume (increasing daily sends)
   - H) Switching platforms (migrating senders)
   - I) Something else — describe it

2. **What's your current sending setup?**
   - Primary domain or dedicated outbound domain?
   - How many mailboxes / sender accounts?
   - Daily sending volume (current or target)?
   - How long have you been sending from this domain/mailbox?

3. **What tools are you using?**
   - A) Apollo.io
   - B) Mailshake
   - C) Salesloft
   - D) Lemlist
   - E) Yesware
   - F) Instantly / Smartlead
   - G) Mixmax
   - H) Reply.io
   - I) Woodpecker
   - J) HubSpot / Salesforce (direct sending)
   - K) Custom SMTP / other
   - L) Multiple tools — describe

4. **Domain authentication status?**
   - A) SPF/DKIM/DMARC all configured
   - B) Some configured, not sure which
   - C) Not configured / don't know
   - D) Using a new domain with nothing set up

**If the user's request already provides most of this context, skip directly to the relevant step.** Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions at the end — don't gate your response behind gathering complete context.

## Step 2 — Domain authentication framework

Domain authentication is the foundation of deliverability. All three records must be properly configured.

### SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
- **What it does**: Tells receiving servers which mail servers are authorized to send on behalf of your domain
- **DNS record**: TXT record on your domain
- **Format**: `v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:mailshake.com ~all`
- **Key rules**: Only one SPF record per domain. Use `include:` for each authorized sender. Max 10 DNS lookups.
- **Common mistake**: Multiple SPF records (only the first is read), too many includes (exceeds lookup limit)

### DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
- **What it does**: Adds a cryptographic signature to outgoing emails proving they haven't been tampered with
- **DNS record**: TXT or CNAME record (format varies by provider)
- **Setup**: Each sending platform provides its own DKIM key. Add the record they give you to your DNS.
- **Common mistake**: Not adding DKIM for every sending platform. Each service needs its own DKIM record.

### DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)
- **What it does**: Tells receiving servers what to do with emails that fail SPF/DKIM checks
- **DNS record**: TXT record at `_dmarc.yourdomain.com`
- **Recommended start**: `v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]` (monitor mode)
- **Progression**: none → quarantine → reject (move to reject after 2-4 weeks of clean monitoring)
- **Common mistake**: Jumping straight to `p=reject` before monitoring — this blocks legitimate emails

### Custom tracking domain
- **What it is**: A subdomain (e.g., `track.yourdomain.com`) for open/click tracking instead of shared tracking domains
- **Why it matters**: Shared tracking domains get flagged by spam filters. Custom domains protect your reputation.
- **Setup**: CNAME record pointing to your platform's tracking server

### Verification checklist
- [ ] SPF record includes all sending services
- [ ] DKIM configured for each sending platform
- [ ] DMARC record exists (start with p=none)
- [ ] Custom tracking domain configured
- [ ] Test with mail-tester.com (aim for 9+/10)
- [ ] Test with MXToolbox for DNS record validation

## Step 3 — Warmup strategy

New mailboxes and domains must be warmed up before sending at volume. Skipping warmup is the #1 cause of deliverability problems.

### Warmup schedule (new mailbox)

| Week | Daily sends | Notes |
|------|-------------|-------|
| 1 | 5-10 | Manual sends to engaged contacts, internal test sends |
| 2 | 15-25 | Mix of warm contacts and small cold batches |
| 3 | 30-40 | Gradual increase, monitor bounce/spam rates |
| 4 | 40-50 | Standard cold outbound volume |
| 5+ | 50-75 | Scale cautiously, never exceed provider limits |

**For new domains**: Add 2 extra weeks at the beginning (weeks 1-2 at 3-5 sends/day). New domains have zero reputation.

### Warmup tools
- **Smartlead Ultra Premium Warmup** — AI-driven warmup built into the Smartlead platform with exclusive warmup network. Unlike standalone tools, it's fully integrated with sender management and campaign scheduling.
- **Instantly** — automated warmup with real engagement (opens, replies, moves from spam)
- **Warmbox** — AI-powered warmup network
- **Lemwarm** — Lemlist's built-in warmup (included free with every seat, 10,000+ user network, deliverability scoring)
- **Mailwarm** — Standalone warmup service

These tools simulate real email conversations to build sender reputation. Run warmup for at least 2-3 weeks before adding cold outbound.

### Mailbox rotation
- **Why**: Distributing sends across multiple mailboxes protects each one's reputation and increases total volume
- **Rule of thumb**: 1 mailbox per 50-75 cold emails/day
- **Setup**: Connect multiple sender accounts in your platform and enable rotation/round-robin
- **Naming**: Use real names ([email protected]), not generic addresses (sales@, outreach@)

## Step 4 — Platform-specific implementation

For platform-specific deliverability configuration (sending limits, warmup, domain auth, custom tracking domains, and verification tools), see `references/platforms.md`.

### Standalone tools (any platform)
- **MXToolbox**: DNS lookup, blacklist check, SPF/DKIM/DMARC validation
- **mail-tester.com**: Send a test email, get a deliverability score (aim for 9+/10)
- **SmartDelivery** (Smartlead): Inbox placement testing by provider (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo)
- **GlockApps**: Inbox placement testing and spam filter analysis
- **Google Postmaster Tools**: Monitor Gmail-specific reputation (if targeting Gmail recipients)
- **Microsoft SNDS**: Monitor Outlook/Microsoft reputation

## Step 5 — Monitoring and recovery

### Key metrics to track

| Metric | Target | Action if exceeded |
|--------|--------|--------------------|
| Bounce rate | <3% | Pause sending, clean list, verify emails before next send |
| Spam complaint rate | <0.1% | Reduce volume, review content, check targeting |
| Open rate | >40% | Check deliverability (inbox vs spam), test subject lines |
| Unsubscribe rate | <1% | Review frequency, improve relevance |

### Blacklist check and delisting
1. **Check**: Use MXToolbox blacklist check or multirbl.valli.org to check your domain/IP
2. **Common blacklists**: Spamhaus, Barracuda, SORBS, SpamCop, CBL
3. **Delisting process**: Each blacklist has its own removal request form. Fix the root cause first (high bounces, spam complaints), then request removal.
4. **Timeline**: Most blacklists delist within 24-48 hours after request. Spamhaus can take longer.

### Reputation recovery
If your domain reputation is damaged:
1. **Stop all outbound** from the affected domain/mailbox immediately
2. **Diagnose**: Check bounce rate, spam complaints, blacklist status
3. **Fix root cause**: Clean list, fix auth, reduce volume
4. **Warmup again**: Treat the mailbox as new — follow the warmup schedule from Week 1
5. **Consider a new domain**: If re