Straight answers, including the limits
Prices and plans are on the pricing page.
The free preview
Is the preview really free?
Yes. You get ten businesses that fit you, each with a reason to reach out now and a sample message, once per business, by email. No card. No call.
Is it a free trial?
No. It's a one-time look at the work: 10 prospects, why now for each, a sample message, your targeting and a sketch of your first month. Nothing is sent to the 10, and it isn't the service.
Do you email the prospects in my preview?
No. The ten are for you. Nobody on that list hears from us.
Why do I have to confirm my email?
So the preview reaches a real inbox that asked for it, and nobody can request one in your name.
How the service works
What is FunnelIQ, in one sentence?
Done-for-you cold email for US agencies, consultants and coaches: we find businesses that need what you sell, write to them in your name, and you answer the replies.
How fast will I see replies?
Your first batch is in front of you within about 48 hours of finishing setup (our target). Sending domains then warm up for 14–21 days, so cold emails go out at full pace around week three or four. We won't predict reply counts. The guarantee covers qualified leads, emails sent, and the timeframe, not how many people write back.
Who is “we”?
Joel Shakespear, in Dallas, and the AI agents he built to find prospects, check them, write the emails, send them and analyze the results. Joel runs onboarding and the weekly review himself. More on the about page.
Where do prospects come from?
Public sources and our own research: business registries and license lists, companies' own websites and careers pages, press releases and public filings. We never use or resell a sending tool's lead database. Data sources.
What's a why-now signal?
A public, dated reason this is a good moment to reach out: a new location, a new leader, a hiring push, a new license, a visible problem on their website. Every signal has a source link.
Who writes the emails?
Our AI agents write them from your settings and the proof you give us. Every email goes through checks before it sends, and we review the first 2–3 batches with you.
Whose name do the emails go out under?
Yours. They're sent from domains set up for your business, separate from your main one, with your postal address and an unsubscribe link in every email.
How long until emails start?
Your first batch should be ready within 48 hours of finishing setup (our target). New domains warm up for about 14–21 days before sending at full pace.
Why is your warm-up shorter than the 6–9 weeks I've heard?
Warm-up time depends on how much each mailbox sends, not just on how old the domain is. We spread your outreach across several mailboxes on separate domains and keep each one at a low daily volume, so no single mailbox has to ramp hard. New mailboxes warm up for 14–21 days before full sending, and we watch bounces and complaints from the first send. If those numbers climb, sending pauses automatically. We keep each mailbox to about 20 emails a day.
I just took a GTM course. Why wouldn't I do this myself?
You can, and the courses are good. The method is the same: a tight target list, a real reason to write now, short emails, one change at a time, and a weekly scorecard. The difference is who does it every week. If you'll reliably give it about five hours a week, do it yourself. If you won't, we will.
What counts as a positive reply?
A positive reply is a reply from a real person at a prospect business that shows interest. They ask for more information, pricing, or a call, agree to talk, or point you to the right person. Auto-replies, out-of-office notes, unsubscribes, “not interested,” bounces, and replies from your own team do not count. We report these replies. We do not promise them, and a quiet inbox is not a refund.
What does “keeps improving” mean?
Each week we grade last week's change and, when there's enough data, make one new change and log why. Sometimes the honest answer is “inconclusive,” and then nothing changes.
Your role and the guardrails
Do I have to approve every email?
No. We review the first 2–3 batches with you during onboarding (10, then 25, then 50 prospects). After that it runs on its own, inside the guardrails you signed off.
What are the guardrails?
The written onboarding summary: who we target, what you offer, the proof we can use, words and claims to avoid, and who to keep out. Wording tweaks inside them apply on their own. Targeting changes are flagged to you first. Anything outside them, like a new offer or a new claim, comes to you first.
Why review the first batches at all?
Because you're the legal sender. The emails go out in your name, so you should see and shape what they sound like before it runs on its own.
Can I pause or change things?
Any time. Pausing also pauses the guarantee clock.
What if I don't have time to review?
The first batch has to be signed off before anything sends. After that, if a review is waiting on you, we remind you, and Joel checks in personally. You're never asked to approve emails one by one.
Results and the guarantee
Will this get me meetings?
We won't promise meetings, and we won't promise replies. Anyone who does is guessing with your money. What you can count on: the qualified leads, the emails, and the timeframe we agree up front, a weekly look at how it's going, and the offer kept in tune.
How does the guarantee work?
At onboarding we agree how many qualified leads we'll find, how many emails we'll send, and the timeframe. If we miss any of those, you get a full refund within 60 days of your first payment. A quiet inbox is not a miss. Full conditions.
What if it's working but I want to stop?
Cancel any time, in one click. The period you've paid for isn't refunded, except unused months on an annual plan after day 60. Leaving should be easy. Staying should be because the work is worth it.
Why does your own scorecard show zeros?
Because we'd rather show you an empty week than a number we didn't earn. When real results exist, they show up there first.
Why should I trust a new company?
Because you don't have to. The preview shows you the work on your market for free, the guarantee refunds you if we miss the leads, emails, or timeframe we agreed, and monthly plans cancel in one click. Being new also means Joel personally handles your onboarding and early batches.
Compliance
Is cold email legal in the US?
B2B cold email is legal when it follows CAN-SPAM: accurate sender details, an honest subject line, a postal address and a working opt-out honored promptly. We build all of that into every email. This isn't legal advice. More detail.
Who is the legal sender?
You are. That's why you sign off the guardrails and review the first batches. We run the compliance pieces. Acceptable use.
Do you make AI calls or texts?
Never. The optional receptionist only answers incoming calls, and it says it's an AI.
Do you work outside the US?
No. US businesses only, on both sides.
Billing
Monthly or annual?
Either. Annual is 2 months free and renews yearly unless you cancel; we email you 30 days before it renews.
Is there a setup fee?
Not on plans. The AI receptionist has a $249 one-time setup per line.
What's included in Business?
Everything in Pro, a white-label workspace and client portal, 4,000 prospects a month across your clients, and 3 AI receptionist lines with 900 minutes a month.
Leaving
Can I take my data?
Yes. Export your settings and full decision log any time, including after you cancel.
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