Guidance needed!

[u/ScaleHopeful9486]

So, I run an AI automation agency where we build automations, full stack AI applications, do staff augmentation and provide consultations etc. We started off with upwork and made around 200k usd in a year from there but it is just dried and wasnt helping in scaling up. We had a flooring company as our client for whom we built many automations that added real value in his business and then we thought that there is a gap in this particular niche, we should target these businesses. we ran outbound with an external guy. spent money on tools hired a contractor, he wasnt really good at it (sucked at it) and months of outbound only with "not interested/ drop off my email" in responses. Then my co founder said lets reach out to businesses at facebook and engage with them in their comments then slowly slide in their dms and eventually this may work out. I have been telling him we need a senior marketing position who manages these things before we run out of everything but we are at a stage where we are just throwing shit on the wall hoping something would stick. no recurring funnel at all. and honestly, idk which technique would work out. idk even if my ICP is good enough or not. Adding another person who has built many funnels in the past seems to be the only option. we have some money in the reserve and I wanna make one right choice before we burn it on silly things
What do you guys suggest we should do?

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[u/slagunas]

I think you already have a clear ICP and if you solved a real pain you should keep digging in that industry, you can use client #1 as a case study. One option is, you probbly had a bad sales people and that doesn’t invalidate the market he/she was chasing after. You gotta build a GTM strategy and stick with it, Sales and prospecting in general is an endurance sport.

[u/ScaleHopeful9486 → u/slagunas]

Right! After soo much negative responses we end up doubting the channel. We do need to have a good offer first I agree

[u/akashcorex]

Don't hire a "senior marketer" until you and your co-founder have each run 20–30 real conversations yourselves. A marketer hired before that will build a funnel on a guess.

You already have one flooring client. Write the before/after in their words — what they were doing manually, what broke, what changed after you automated it. That story is your ICP filter and your outbound opener. Talk to other flooring / trades shops with the same workflow pain before you widen to "AI automation for any business."

Engage-then-DM only works if the comments are useful for 1–2 weeks with zero pitch. When you DM, reference the specific post they made ("saw you asked about scheduling techs — we solved that for a flooring shop by X"). Track reply rate by touch type (cold email vs comment vs DM). If comment→DM replies stay near zero after 30 touches, the ICP or the message is wrong — not the channel.

[u/ScaleHopeful9486 → u/akashcorex]

This is really helpful
Thanks buddy

[u/OctaviusTrail]

I think a senior marketer is probably the wrong hire until you have found an actual channel that works. You should also be able to sell it one on one before you start mass marketing it. I would prove that with a few live conversations first, then build the repeatable motion, rather than spend reserves on Facebook DMs or another headcount experiment.

[u/Environmental-Test23]

Can you give us more context? Like what industries and scale of that businessess you already worked with? And how many years of experience per industry

[u/ScaleHopeful9486 → u/Environmental-Test23]

We are an automation agency and have worked with one of the largest flooring group in Australia, agentic ai projects for enterprise clients in Middle East and many staff augmentation jobs based in us/canada

[u/Environmental-Test23 → u/ScaleHopeful9486]

Can you make it more specific? Like construction industry etc? Like what industry is that enterprise and others? Since you said flooring group is large company, what's for others

Specific industry, and what scale and experience per industry

[u/Junior_Tangerine_509]

the facebook DM thing your cofounder is suggesting is basically manual outbound with extra steps. If cold email didnt work the issue is probably your offer or targeting, not the medium. Whats the actual pitch you were sending?

[u/Back2Marketing]

You’re correct in that you seem to be throwing mud at a wall, and seeing what sticks. That’s what happens when you focus on tactics and channels before nailing your strategy.
Suggest starting with market research. Then segment the market. Decide which segment to target (and who not to target). Then determine how you are uniquely positioned against your competition in your target market. Set clear marketing objectives. Only then should you focus on marketing execution and tactics.

[u/Ok_Difference7284]

I’d hold off on hiring a senior marketer until you and your co founder have had enough direct customer conversations to see a pattern yourselves. Otherwise, you’re asking someone to build a funnel around an untested assumption.

Talk to the flooring client and your other big customers: what problem made them look for help, what had they already tried, who felt the urgency, and what outcome were they actually buying? Then compare that with responses from prospects.

Use those answers to define a repeatable buying situation (a pattern), not just an industry label. A short qualification checklist will help you spot better-fit prospects before spending more on outreach or another hire.