If you’re building a SaaS, you’ve probably Googled “why are my emails going to spam” at least once a month and wondered why your onboarding emails land with a thud. Maybe you’ve even dusted off an ancient spreadsheet to score leads, then realized you have no idea what to do with a lead score of 72.5.
Most SaaS teams know what they should do—automate onboarding, send emails that convert, get sales on the phone, and track leads properly—but the gap between “we know” and “we do” is about the size of Salesforce’s feature list.
So here’s a no-fluff, slightly sarcastic, and field-tested guide to what actually works. Consider this your SaaS marketing starter pack, minus the empty buzzwords.
Start with an automated onboarding flow (not a 12-email snooze-fest)
You know those onboarding sequences that feel like they were written in 2012 and haven’t been updated since? They’re still everywhere. Meanwhile, the top SaaS companies treat onboarding like a product—not just a marketing afterthought.
Here’s the move: set up an automated onboarding flow that’s as smooth as your favorite sign-in-with-Google button. This isn’t about blasting generic tips. It’s about responding to real user actions, fixing friction points, and moving people from “what does this do?” to “how did I live without this?”
Best-in-class onboarding:
- Gets users to value fast (no ten-step scavenger hunt).
- Uses behavioral triggers, not calendar days.
- Mixes quick wins (one-minute how-to videos) with deeper resources for power users.
- Feels like a warm welcome, not a pre-written saga.
If your onboarding sequence can’t pass the “would I forward this to a friend?” test, back to the drawing board.
Warm up your email domain (or end up in the spam folder graveyard)
A quick reality check: launching a new SaaS and firing off a bunch of cold emails from a fresh domain is a one-way ticket to Spamland. And no, you can’t just “hope for the best.” Inbox providers are smarter than ever; they’re sniffing out suspicious domains like bloodhounds.
Before you even think about outreach at scale, take time to warm up your email domain. It’s not optional. Slowly ramp up volume, build a positive reputation, and make sure you’re getting consistent engagement (opens, clicks, actual replies—no, out-of-office doesn’t count).
Automated tools exist for a reason. Put them to use, or watch your open rates look like a chart of Bitcoin in a bear market.
Still landing in spam? Here’s how to fix your email in spam (for real)
If you’re waking up to “why is your email in my spam folder?” messages, don’t just blame Gmail. There’s always a reason.
First, run through the technical checklist. Is your domain authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC? Are your links clean, your HTML simple, and your subject lines not screaming “SALE!!!” at the reader?
But even with everything set up, SaaS emails sometimes go rogue. To get out of the penalty box, it helps to get really practical and check guides like how to fix email in spam. Sometimes it’s as simple as editing a template, tweaking your content, or fixing your sending IP. Other times, you’ll need to call in your resident deliverability nerd. (Every team has one. If you don’t, congrats—you’re it.)
The unsexy secret: consistent sending, high engagement, and zero shady practices. If you wouldn’t open it, don’t send it.
Want to grow your sales? Sometimes you need more than email
There’s a point where the “just email them again” strategy hits a wall. At some stage, real sales growth demands a bit of old-fashioned hustle: picking up the phone, building rapport, and closing deals the messy, human way.
Before you groan, check out these ways to grow your sales beyond yet another SaaS email blast. Blending email with outbound calls, demo invitations, or event follow-ups works—especially when you approach it with a strategy and some personality.
The truth? Most SaaS deals—especially the high-value, B2B kind—don’t close themselves. They need a real person on the other end who knows what matters to the buyer and isn’t afraid to pick up the phone. (Yes, even in 2025.)
Build a lead scoring model template that actually helps sales (not just marketing dashboards)
Let’s talk lead scoring. We all know the pain: you buy a CRM, it spits out a “lead score,” and nobody on sales or marketing trusts it. Why? Because lead scoring models get messy fast—especially if you’re scoring on vanity metrics, or you’re using a template made for an e-commerce business in 2016.
Want a shortcut? Steal from the best. Grab a solid lead scoring model template and adapt it for your SaaS reality. What counts as a hot lead for you? Is it visiting your pricing page three times in a week? Downloading a whitepaper and booking a demo? Make it clear, make it transparent, and—most importantly—make sure sales and marketing actually agree on the rules.
A good lead scoring model will:
- Highlight buyers who are ready to close, not just curious window-shoppers.
- Weed out tire-kickers and students.
- Give sales an actionable hit list instead of a data dump.
- Create feedback loops so you can keep tweaking and improving.
Don’t let lead scoring become a spreadsheet graveyard. Make it a real, living part of your revenue process.
Wrap-up: Your SaaS growth engine, unchained
There’s no one magic move that fixes SaaS marketing overnight. But the winners consistently:
- Nail automated onboarding flow so users want to stick around.
- Respect the rules of warm up email domain and deliverability.
- Know how to fix email in spam when things go south.
- Grow your sales with real-world outreach, not just wishful thinking.
- Use a real lead scoring model template to prioritize what matters.
Email, onboarding, and scoring aren’t just boxes to tick—they’re the engine under your SaaS hood. Tune them, test them, and don’t be afraid to try something that sounds a little weird. The fastest-growing SaaS teams aren’t following “best practices”—they’re making their own.
Now, go fix that onboarding flow, warm up that new domain, call your next best lead, and (please) check your spam folder.