Better Outreach

Initial outreach can make or break your sales game. Sales depend on it, but it can go wrong. Really, really wrong.

How to Stop Being Gross With Your Outreach

Do you ever cringe or want to delete a sales message faster than you blink? If so, you understand “gross” outreach.

Yet, what is interesting is that we might not like it in our own lives, but when we clock in for work, we switch to thinking that massive, non-personalized, cold emails and spammy social media direct messages are going to make us rich.

My goal is to teach you how to stop being gross with your outreach and make your outreach game great!

Gross Outreach Mistakes

Before we dive into the solutions, let’s take a moment to understand what makes outreach “gross.” Gross outreach is characterized by spammy, inauthentic, and annoying tactics that turn potential leads off instead of engaging them. Here are some common mistakes:

Generic, One-Size-Fits-All Messages:

Sending the same message to everyone on your list, regardless of their needs or interests.

Overusing Automation:

Relying too heavily on automation tools that churn out robotic and impersonal messages.

Ignoring Personalization:

Failing to address the recipient by name or acknowledge any specific details about them or their business.

Pushy Sales Tactics:

Using aggressive language or pressure tactics that make the recipient uncomfortable.

Personalize Outreach Messages

Personalization is the key to successful outreach. The difference between a generic, cringe-worthy message and a warm, engaging one. Customizing your outreach shows the recipient that you care about their needs and interests.

Know Your Audience:

Do your research before sending outreach messages. Learn your prospects’ pain points, challenges, and goals. Knowing them better makes your message more personalized and relevant.

Use Their Name:

Call the recipient by name. It’s a simple but effective way to grab their attention and make them feel like an individual, not just a number. (And make sure your list, or source has the proper names. Often, I get emails like “Hi Cutter Consulting Group, LLC – I wanted to introduce myself. We provide amazing, personalized email campaigns…” Ooops!)

Reference Details:

Name something about the recipient or their business that caught your attention. It could be a recent accomplishment, shared interest, or connection. This shows you’re trying and not sending a generic message. This can be challenging with a large list…so remember: Quality over Quantity!

Personalize Your Value Proposition:

Show how your product or service solves their problems. Avoid generic sales pitches and emphasize your personal value. Remember: People only care about themselves. It has to feel like you know them and their situation…not just “we help business owners like you.”

Humanize Your Outreach

Gross outreach often feels robotic. Humanizing messages and interactions helps you stop being gross with outreach.

Conversational:

Be friendly and conversational in your messages. Imagine talking face-to-face instead of on a screen. Don’t just dump a long monologue of sales pitchy, self-promotional text into someone’s inbox or DM.

Use Two-Way Communication:

Ask open-ended questions or get feedback. This encourages them to participate in the conversation. If you are sending an initial, unexpected email to someone – don’t (can’t say it strong enough – DON’T!) send your calendar scheduling link. It’s too early in the relationship.

Show empathy:

Sales superpower: empathy. Think like the recipient and acknowledge their struggles. Show genuine concern for their well-being. It helps if you actually care about people, and you actually want to serve your customers through what you sell.

Gracefully admit mistakes:

Don’t hide a factual or timing error in your outreach. Be humble, apologize, and move forward openly. The recipients will appreciate you admitting a mistake – means you are human.

Timing Matters

Timing your outreach messages can greatly improve their effectiveness. Consider these timing factors to avoid grossness:

Avoid weekends and holidays:

Weekend and holiday outreach messages can seem intrusive and inconsiderate. Maintain business hours and weekdays. Nothing screams automation more than emails that are sent at times when they know normal people aren’t working.

Consider Time Zones:

Be aware of the recipient’s time zone. Sending a message at 3 AM won’t impress. (Not sure why that matters? See previous point)

Strategically follow up:

Sales require follow-up, but timing is crucial. Give your prospect time to process your initial message before following up. On-time follow-up shows persistence without being pushy.

Honesty and Transparency

Deception or hidden agendas kill leads faster. Stop being gross with your outreach by being transparent and honest. Maybe I am jaded, but when I get a message instantly from someone I just connected with on LinkedIn, and they ask me a question about my business or about me – I am fully expecting the next message to be a sales pitch. If you care about learning about people – do it. If it’s a game you are playing to get your foot in the door, people will see it coming.

Clearly state your intentions:

Explain why you’re writing and your goals in your first message. Clarity builds trust when scheduling a call, providing information, or exploring a partnership.

Avoid Clickbait:

Avoid deceptive subject lines and promises in outreach. It may get you a click, but it quickly erodes trust. You may have a high open rate, but your “reported as spam” rate will be equally high (goodbye, ability to email on your domain).

Honest Follow-Ups:

Be upfront if a prospect isn’t a good fit or the timing is wrong. Let go gracefully rather than force a sale that doesn’t benefit both parties.

Provide Value, Not Just a Pitch

Effective outreach provides value, not just the intro to sell. Offering something valuable to recipients builds trust and credibility. Like Gary V says – give, give, give, then ask.

Share advice and resources:

Offer useful information to your prospect. It could be a relevant industry report, how-to guide, or successful case study. (Again – give first!)

Educate and Inform:

Be an expert in your field. Give your prospect useful information to help them decide. This will show them you care about them and their business first, and your sale second.

Provide Free Consultations or Demos:

If appropriate, provide free consultation or product demo. This hands-on experience can change the game and show your dedication to their success.

Conclusion

Outreach is essential to sales and can help build relationships and close deals. To avoid gross outreach, focus on personalization, humanization, timing, transparency, honesty, and value. Remember to connect with prospects and solve their problems, not just focusing on selling them something.

With these strategies and continuous improvement, your outreach messages will be better received and your sales efforts more effective. Remember, your initial outreach sets the stage/tone, but it is only the beginning step – don’t rely on it to do all your sales efforts for you.

Listen to an audio version of this article below.

Voiced by the Author, Jason Cutter.

Jason Cutter, CEO of Cutter Consulting Group, is a mindset and scalability expert focused on developing Authentic Persuaders®. Even though his bachelor’s degree is in Marine Biology, he knows what it takes to be successful in sales and build profitable teams. His books, podcasts, training workshops and speaking are focused on helping sales professionals close more deals, make more money, and produce scalable results.

Contact Information

SEI Website: www.sellingeffectiveness.com

Authentic Persuasion: https://authenticpersuasion.com/

Authentic Persuasion Show/The Sales Experience Podcast: https://www.sellingeffectiveness.com/podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jascut/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonmcutter/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JasonCutter

Header Image Credit: Gerd Altmann. Find it here.