Cold Email & Outreach Directly in Odoo CRM – The Complete Guide
Why standard CRM cannot handle outbound and how to run cold email campaigns, sequences, and follow-ups directly in Odoo CRM – without external tools.
Cold Email & Outreach Directly in Odoo CRM – The Complete Guide
B2B sales depends on active outreach. Yet most CRM systems – including Odoo – were primarily designed for inbound processes. Leads come in, get qualified, move through a pipeline. But what if you want to proactively reach out to potential customers?
This guide explains why standard CRM functions are insufficient for cold email, what modern outreach requires, and how native solutions can transform sales in Odoo.
Why Standard CRM Cannot Handle Outbound
CRM systems emerged from an inbound logic: A lead contacts you, a sales rep takes over, the deal gets worked. This model works when inquiries come to you.
Outbound sales works differently:
- You actively identify potential customers
- You contact them multiple times across different touchpoints
- You need systematic repetition – not one-time contacts
- Without structured follow-ups, leads get forgotten
Most CRM systems offer no native tools for these requirements. This leads sales teams to use external tools or work manually – both suboptimal.
Typical Problems in Standard Odoo CRM
Odoo CRM is a capable system for pipeline management and customer relationships. For systematic cold email outreach, however, key functions are missing:
No Email Sequences
You can send individual emails, but cannot create automated sequences. "Send email 1, wait 3 days, send email 2" is not natively possible.
Follower Requirement
To track communication, contacts must be added as followers. In cold outreach, you often want to avoid this.
Standard Odoo CRM: The recipient field is empty – you have to manually search for the contact and add them as a follower.
With the free CRM Direct Email module: The contact is automatically filled in as the recipient.
Our free CRM Direct Email module solves this problem – it auto-fills the recipient without the follower workaround.
No Follow-up System
There is no native reminder: "If no response after 5 days, do X". Follow-ups require manual tracking.
No Campaign Tracking
Which lead belongs to which outreach campaign? What status do they have there? Standard CRM offers no campaign-specific overview.
No Multi-Sender
For cold email, sender rotation is important (deliverability, warming up domains). Native support is missing.
What Modern Cold Outreach Really Needs
Effective B2B outreach requires more than "being able to send emails". These functions are essential:
1. Email Sequences
Structured sequences with defined wait times:
- Step 1: Initial contact
- Step 2: Follow-up after 3 days
- Step 3: Final attempt after 7 days
The sequence stops automatically on reply or unsubscribe.
2. Time-based Follow-ups
Automatic reminders and actions based on time windows. "No response for X days" must be trackable and automatable.
3. Personalized Templates
Templates with dynamic variables (name, company, position) – but also the ability to add individual touches. Cold email is not mass communication.
4. Clear Status Logic
Every lead in a campaign needs a status:
- New
- Contacted
- Replied
- Positive / Not Now / Closed
These statuses are campaign-specific – a lead can have different statuses in different campaigns.
5. Clean Tracking
Who opened? Who clicked? Who replied? Tracking must be available per campaign and per lead.
Outreach Campaigns vs Newsletter
Both use email, but the requirements differ fundamentally:
| Aspect | Outreach Campaign | Newsletter |
|---|---|---|
| Recipients | 1:1 (personalized) | 1:n (mass communication) |
| Tone | Personal, direct | Marketing-oriented |
| Automation | Semi-automatic with control | Fully automatic |
| Goal | Initiate conversation | Inform, build awareness |
| Responsibility | Sales | Marketing |
| Volume | Dozens to hundreds | Thousands |
| Personalization | High (individual) | Low (segments) |
Newsletter tools like Odoo Email Marketing or Mautic are unsuitable for outreach. Conversely, outreach tools are not newsletter solutions.
Example: Ideal Outreach Workflow in Odoo
This is what a systematic outreach workflow could look like:
1. Create Campaign
Define goal, target audience, and timeframe. Example: "Q1 DACH SaaS Decision Makers"
2. Define Templates
Prepare the email sequence:
- Email 1: Initial introduction, problem-oriented
- Email 2: Follow-up with additional value
- Email 3: Final inquiry, clear call-to-action
3. Add Leads
Individually or via bulk import from a pre-qualified list. Each lead receives "New" status in this campaign.
4. Send Email
Send step 1 – either individually with review or in batches. Multi-sender support distributes volume.
5. Trigger Follow-up
After defined wait time: Automatic reminder or direct send of next step – depending on desired control level.
6. Track Response
Incoming replies are detected and lead status automatically updated. The sequence stops.
Why CRM-native Outreach Is Better
External tools like Lemlist, Apollo, or Reply.io work. But they bring disadvantages:
No Synchronization Needed
With CRM-native solutions, all data lives in the same place. No duplicates, no sync conflicts, no outdated data.
No API Limits
External tools often limit by contacts or emails per month. Your own modules don't have these restrictions.
No External Tools
Less complexity, fewer logins, less vendor dependency. Everything in one interface.
GDPR Internal
Data stays in your system. No transfer to third-party servers – relevant for EU companies.
All Activities in CRM
The communication history is complete. When a lead becomes a customer, the entire journey is documented.
Common Cold Email Mistakes in Odoo
Too Many Templates
Three to five steps per sequence are enough. More leads to complexity without added value.
No Follow-up
The biggest mistake: Contact once and give up. 80% of positive responses come after follow-up 2 or later.
No Status
Without campaign-related status, you lose oversight. "Where does this lead stand in which campaign?" must be answerable at any time.
No Tracking
Flying blind is inefficient. Open and response rates show what works – and what doesn't.
Wrong Sender
Sending all emails from one address hurts deliverability. Sender rotation and domain warming are necessary at higher volumes.
Conclusion
Odoo CRM is a strong system for pipeline and customer relationships. For systematic cold email outreach, the right tools are missing in the standard version.
The requirements are clear: Sequences, follow-ups, campaign-related status, multi-sender, tracking. Anyone serious about outreach needs these functions – ideally directly in the CRM.
Native extensions avoid the disadvantages of external tools: no synchronization, no limits, full data control, complete history.
If you use Odoo CRM for B2B sales, outreach should not live in an external system.
Both modules are now available in the Odoo App Store:
- CRM Direct Email (Free) – Solves the follower problem, auto-fills recipients
- CRM Outreach Campaigns ($499) – Complete campaign system with email sequences, multi-sender, and lead tracking
Built on Odoo 18 – versions for Odoo 17 and 19 coming soon.
