The Remote Sales Starter Kit: Every Tool, Script & Template Appointment Setters Need

When you land an appointment setting, lead generation, or any outreach-driven remote role, your employer expects you to be productive from day one. They will give you a target — you need to already know the tools and have scripts ready. The stack below works for sales roles and any role that runs on outreach. This article gives you everything.

The Essential Tool Stack (Mostly Free)

Lead sourcing

• Apollo.io (free tier: 10,000 records/month) — the best all-in-one prospecting tool. Find emails, phone numbers, company data, and build targeted lists by industry, company size, job title, and location.
• LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($79/month, free trial available) — advanced search filters for finding decision-makers. Essential for B2B roles.
• Hunter.io (free: 25 searches/month) — find and verify email addresses from any domain.
• Google Sheets — your lead tracking system until you get a CRM. Columns: Company, Contact Name, Title, Email, LinkedIn URL, Status, Last Contacted, Notes.

Email outreach

• Instantly.ai ($30/month) — send cold email sequences with tracking. Best value for beginners.
• Lemlist ($59/month) — more advanced personalisation including images and videos in emails.
• Mailshake ($29/month) — simple and effective for straightforward email sequences.
• GMass (free tier) — sends sequences directly from Gmail. Good for getting started with zero budget.

LinkedIn outreach

• Dripify ($39/month) — automates LinkedIn connection requests and follow-up messages safely.
• Expandi ($99/month) — more advanced LinkedIn automation with multi-channel sequences.
• Manual outreach — free, and many employers prefer it. Send 20–30 personalised connection requests per day with tailored messages.

CRM & scheduling

• HubSpot CRM (free forever) — log contacts, track deals, schedule follow-ups. The industry standard for small teams.
• Calendly (free tier) — let prospects book meetings directly. Share your link in every outreach message.
• Loom (free: 25 videos) — record personalised video messages for high-value prospects.

Cold Email Templates That Book Meetings

Template 1: The direct approach

Subject: [First name] — quick question about [their company's specific challenge]

"Hi [Name], I noticed [specific observation about their company — a job posting, a product launch, a LinkedIn post]. [One sentence about the problem you solve]. We helped [similar company] achieve [specific result with a number]. Would it make sense to chat for 15 minutes this week? [Your name]"

Template 2: The value-first approach

Subject: [Relevant insight] for [their company]

"Hi [Name], I put together a quick [audit/analysis/list] of [something relevant to their business]. [1-2 sentence insight]. I have a few ideas on how [their company] could [achieve specific outcome]. Worth a quick call? [Your name]"

Template 3: The follow-up (Day 4)

"Hi [Name], just bumping this up — I know [their role] keeps you busy. Quick question: is [specific problem] something [their company] is actively working on right now? If so, I'd love 15 minutes. If not, no worries at all. [Your name]"

LinkedIn Connection Request Scripts

Script 1: "Hi [Name], I work with [type of companies] on [specific outcome]. Noticed [company] is [specific observation]. Would love to connect and share some insights from similar companies."

Script 2: "Hi [Name], saw your post about [topic]. Really resonated — we've been seeing the same thing with our clients in [industry]. Would love to connect."

Keep every connection request under 300 characters. Always reference something specific about them. Never pitch in the connection request — that comes in the follow-up sequence.

Daily Workflow for Remote Appointment Setters

8:00–8:30: Review CRM, check responses from yesterday, update lead statuses. 8:30–10:00: Send 20–30 personalised cold emails using your sequence tool. 10:00–11:00: Send 15–20 LinkedIn connection requests with personalised notes. 11:00–12:00: Follow up with warm leads — people who opened emails, accepted connections, or replied. 1:00–2:00: Research and add 20–30 new prospects to your pipeline. 2:00–3:00: Conduct any booked discovery calls or meetings. 3:00–3:30: Log all activity in CRM, send end-of-day report to manager.