Setting up your first AI sales agent takes 10-30 minutes — first booked meeting typically arrives within 14 days after email warmup. This guide covers everything from account creation to first conversation using Artra or any modern AI SDR. The most important step is voice training, which most users skip and then wonder why their AI sounds generic.
Step 1: Sign up and connect inbox (5 minutes)
Sign up free at artra.ai. No credit card required for the free tier.
- Connect Gmail or Outlook via OAuth — one click.
- Verify domain authentication is in place: SPF, DKIM, DMARC. If not, configure via your DNS provider (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Route 53).
- Confirm sender name and signature.
Step 2: Define your ICP (10 minutes)
Be specific. The tighter your ICP, the higher your conversion rate. A typical ICP definition:
- Industries: 2-3 specific industries (not "all B2B")
- Role titles: 3-5 specific titles (Director of Engineering, VP Product, Head of RevOps)
- Company size: employee range or revenue range
- Geography: US/Canada/EU as appropriate
- Signal filters: recent funding (Series A+), hiring patterns (hiring DevOps), tech stack (using Postgres + AWS), etc.
Step 3: Train voice (15 minutes — most important step)
Paste 2-3 emails you've actually sent into Artra's voice trainer. Real emails. With your real cadence, your real word choices, your real opening style. The AI learns your style from these.
Most users skip this step. Don't. It's the single biggest determinant of output quality.
Step 4: Approve first sequence draft (15 minutes)
Artra will generate a 4-6 touch sequence based on your ICP and voice. Read every email. Edit anything that doesn't sound like you. The first round of editing teaches the AI faster than any other input.
By the time you've edited 10-20 drafts, the AI's output will sound 95% like you. After 50 drafts, it's indistinguishable from your own writing for most cold outbound use cases.
Step 5: Run warmup (2-4 weeks)
Artra's email warmup runs automatically once your inbox is connected. During warmup, the system sends low-volume natural emails to build sender reputation. Don't run cold outbound during warmup — it defeats the purpose.
While warmup runs, you can: refine your ICP, build target account lists, polish voice samples, configure CRM sync.
Step 6: Launch cold outbound (after warmup)
Start at 25-50 emails/day for the first week. Watch deliverability metrics. Scale to 100-200/day over the next 2 weeks if metrics are healthy.
Step 7: Daily review process (15-30 min/day)
- Morning: review overnight replies. Approve AI-drafted responses or write your own for judgment-heavy ones.
- Afternoon: review next-day sequence drafts. Adjust any that need it.
- Weekly: review performance metrics. Adjust ICP or messaging if needed.
Realistic timeline
| Day | Activity |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Sign up, connect inbox, define ICP, train voice, approve first sequence |
| Days 2-14 | Email warmup runs. Build target account list. Refine sequences. |
| Day 15 | Launch cold outbound at 25-50 emails/day |
| Day 18-22 | First replies start landing |
| Day 20-30 | First booked meetings (varies by ICP density) |
| Day 30+ | Steady-state operation: AI runs, you take meetings |
Set up your AI sales agent free — 10 minutes →
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to set up an AI sales agent?
Initial AI sales agent setup takes 10-30 minutes (account creation, inbox connection, ICP definition). Email warmup adds 2-4 weeks before high-volume cold outbound is appropriate. First booked meetings typically arrive within 5-10 business days of going live after warmup. Total time from sign-up to first meeting: 14-30 days depending on warmup status and ICP density.
What do I need before setting up an AI sales agent?
Before setting up an AI sales agent you need: (1) a sending email inbox (Gmail or Outlook recommended), (2) basic DNS access for SPF/DKIM/DMARC if your domain isn't already authenticated, (3) a definition of your ICP (industries, role titles, company size, signals that indicate buying intent), (4) 2-3 sample emails you've written for the AI to learn your voice, (5) a calendar link for booked meetings. For Artra, that's everything — no other tools required.
What's the first sequence I should run?
First sequence for an AI sales agent: 4-6 touches over 14 days, mixing email and (if available) LinkedIn. Touch 1: personalized opener referencing a specific signal. Touch 2 (day 4): different angle on same value prop. Touch 3 (day 7): LinkedIn connection. Touch 4 (day 10): email with new context (case study, data point). Touch 5 (day 14): final ask. Keep each message 60-120 words.
How do I know if my AI sales agent is working?
Monitor four metrics after week 1 of post-warmup sending: inbox placement rate (target 85%+), open rate (target 30-50%), reply rate (target 3-5%), and meetings booked per 100 touches (target 1-3). If any metric is significantly below baseline, troubleshoot in order: deliverability (warmup, blacklist), then ICP fit (are you targeting the right people), then messaging (does the AI's voice and personalization match your buyer).
What's the biggest mistake new AI SDR users make?
The biggest mistake new AI SDR users make is skipping the voice-training step. They sign up, click 'generate sequence,' and launch with default AI voice — which sounds generic and converts poorly. Spending 15 minutes pasting in your own sample emails and editing the first 10-20 AI drafts transforms output quality. Reps who train voice see 2-3x higher reply rates than reps who use AI defaults.