Most people are terrified to pick up the phone or knock on the door of a local business to sell AI services. Which is funny, because it's arguably the fastest way to get clients, especially if you have no followers and no network.

Yes, it sucks. No, it's not fun.

But it really only takes 3-5 conversations per day to get results.

I've made thousands of cold calls and knocked hundreds of doors in my life, and the one system that's kept me consistent is gamifying the process.

On any day I decide to prospect, my goal is 100 points. One point for every actual conversation (not calls made). 25 points for setting an appointment. I don't stop until I hit 100.

Set 4 quick appointments and you're done in 30 minutes but if you book nothing you're dialing for at least a few hours.

I love this system because it's performance-based. Results are the only thing that counts.

I just ran this exact playbook for episode 2 of my building an AI agency from scratch series, and the numbers tell you everything.

• 15 conversations
• 3 interested
• 2 sales calls booked

Something I founder interesting: 13 of those conversations came from cold calls and produced zero booked sales appointments.

Yet I was 2 for 2 on door knocking. Both doors I knocked turned to sales appointments.

Which proves it's way harder to "hang up" on someone standing in your lobby.

I know the objection: "I'll just post content and let clients come to me." Content is great, but it takes months to work when you have no audience.

A conversation happens today. While everyone else is scripting their fourth video, you can be sitting across from a business owner with a real problem and a real budget.

The willingness to do the thing nobody else will do is the moat. Day 1 it feels brutal. Day 30 you have a pipeline. By Day 90 you have a business.

Here's how to run it this week:

Step 1: Pull your lead list with Hyperagent.

I had it find 98 tree services around Charlotte with no functional website, then 100 more owner-operated businesses with at least five Google reviews. It pulls Google ratings, review counts, and a direct link to every Google Business page. A ready-to-dial (or knock) list in minutes.

Step 2: Have Hyperagent build your tracker.

No need to pay for a CRM. I had my Hyperagent build a simple pipeline: leads found, conversations, interested, offers accepted, calls booked, dollars collected.

Step 3: Set the point system.

100 points a day. One point per conversation, 25 per appointment set. You don't stop until you hit 100.

Step 4: Lead with a finished asset, not a pitch.

As soon as a prospect expresses interest, I have Hyperagent build the them a website using the Small Business Website Builder skill from the marketplace. Then I use this opening line "I know this is out of the blue, but I noticed you don't have a website, so I went ahead and built you one. Want me to text you the link?"

Notice how I don't build the website before they express interest. As soon as they say "maybe" I can spin one up in as little as 5 minutes.

Step 5: Show up in person for the ones who dodge you.

Bring the website already built and pulled up on your phone. It's hard to say no to something free sitting right in front of you.

Step 6: Follow up on every lead, no matter how dead it looks.

Double dial every no-answer. Text after every hang-up. One of my two booked calls started with a gatekeeper who told me she hates AI.

Start off with 60 minutes per day of focused effort. You'd be shocked how many leads you can get when you're consistent.

- Corey

P.S. Episode 2 of my building an AI agency from scratch series just dropped. Cold calls, hang-ups, door knocks and all. Watch it here.​

1)

clem 🤗 @ClementDelangue BIG ANNOUNCEMENT FROM HUGGING FACE TODAY: We're unveiling Microduck 🐥🤖 It's a tiny $399 open-source robot you can teach new tricks with reinforcement learning. It can walk, pick things up, get back up when it falls, and even roller-skate. Welcome to the era of open-source 11:5 AM • Aug 27, 2026 978 Retweets 11967 Likes Read 624 replies

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I really want a Microduck.

2)

Micky @Rasmic Meet Bezalel Bezalel is a capability plane for your agents (claude, codex, OC, hermes, etc) one MCP gives your agent: 💻 computer ⌛️ sandbox 🍎chat via iMessage 📧agent's own email +1k connectors 🧠memory 💳 a card (soon) http://bezalel.sh (it's in alpha and it's free) 6:14 PM • Aug 22, 2026 34 Retweets 686 Likes Read 83 replies

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One MCP, full agent infrastructure (for free)

3)

GREG ISENBERG @gregisenberg WebMCP by Microsoft and Google is HERE and I'm surprised more people aren't talking about it. Why does it matter? BILLIONS of dollars are about to move through agents, and the internet isn't built for them yet. 1. SEO was about Google understanding your page. 2. AEO was about 7:42 PM • Aug 26, 2026 176 Retweets 1735 Likes Read 125 replies

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WebMCP is a lot bigger than most people realize.

Thanks for reading the Corey's Notes newsletter. I'd appreciate it if you sent it to a friend that might find it interesting.

Be sure to check out t he Build With AI podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. If you're a non-technical entrepreneur who wants to learn how to integrate AI into your business, you'll love it.

Be back next week.

-Corey