Make your outreach about their struggles

Salman Mohiuddin and Richard Smith both stress that successful sales outreach comes from understanding and addressing the real problems prospects face—not just promoting product features.

Don’t focus on what your product does (capabilities); emphasize the pain points it solves.

For example:

• Replace “We automate routine inquiries” with “Backlogs frustrate customers and overwhelm agents.”

• Instead of “We provide mobile phone numbers,” say “Lack of accurate numbers makes cold calling feel like a wasted effort.”

• Avoid “We automate commission calculations”; say “Finance managers face monthly revolts from underpaid sales reps.”

Steps to improve:

1. Identify your target audience’s roles and responsibilities.

2. Understand their daily frustrations and how they impact the team and organization.

3. Use emotional language to reflect their struggles in cold calls, emails, or events.

4. Keep these insights visible to guide your messaging.

Messaging isn’t just about features—it’s a way to show empathy and connect. Use it to resonate with your prospects.

Build pipeline through consistent outreach

Troy Munson details specific steps he uses to win over 80% of his deals through outbound:

• Block one hour daily for prospecting. Use calls, LinkedIn, emails, and referrals. Do it at the same time every day.

• Tier accounts into three groups. Focus deeply on the top 10 accounts with personalized research, videos, and tailored messaging. Target the next 40 with semi-personalized outreach. Nurture lower-tier accounts over time with light touchpoints.

• Engage daily on LinkedIn for 1–2 hours. Comment on posts, send thoughtful messages, connect with prospects, and post content. Make your name and face recognizable before reaching out.

• Make your Tier 1 emails stand out. Use personalized insights, unique messaging, and visuals. Do more research than your competition.

• Follow up consistently. Contact every prospect who shows interest at least once every two weeks.

• Experiment with creative outbound methods. Try new approaches regularly, even if they fail more than they succeed.

• Use internal resources for introductions. Check if your executives are connected to your prospects and ask them to make an introduction.

• Review closed-lost deals. Revisit them often to find prospects worth re-engaging.

Troy’s advice: outbound works when done systematically.

Build trust before outreach

Mor Assouline explains how he closed a $3,500 MRR deal using a targeted outbound strategy. The key is making prospects familiar with you before sending a cold email. This approach prioritizes engagement and trust over quick wins.

1. Add to lead lists early

• Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to create a named lead list.

• Keep your outreach organized and ensure easy access for multi-channel engagement.

2. Engage with their content

• Filter your LinkedIn feed to show posts only from your lead list.

• Comment daily on their content to spark interaction.

• Watch for profile views or connection requests as signs of visibility.

3. Focus on their network

• Go beyond the prospect and engage with their colleagues’ posts.

• Increase visibility within their circle and boost chances of being noticed.

4. Audit your own experience

• Evaluate your journey with their product as if you’re a customer.

• Document areas for improvement or strengths to reference later.

• Use these insights to add credibility when you reach out.

5. Write thoughtful emails

• Send personalized emails after months of engagement.

• Reference your LinkedIn interactions and product experience.

• Provide value without turning the email into a sales pitch.

6. Start with LinkedIn leads

• Use LinkedIn as the foundation for your outreach process.

• Build familiarity and stay top-of-mind through lead lists and daily engagement.

7. Optimize for replies

• Avoid focusing on activity for its own sake.

• Design your approach to increase the chances of meaningful responses.

8. Track engagement carefully

• Monitor profile views, comments, and other actions on LinkedIn.

• Use these signals to measure how warm a prospect is becoming.

Real personalization for better results

Rory Sadler explains how real personalization can improve sales results.

Here’s how to apply it effectively:

⇢ Outreach

• Reference specific details about your prospect, like a quote they gave in an industry report.

• Mention something unique from their team’s LinkedIn profile or job ad.

• Using these points in your emails or cold calls increases relevance and response rates.

⇢ Calls

• Skip generic discovery questions and focus on research.

• Learn about their role, industry, and customers before the call.

• Start the conversation with a clear point of view and ask them to validate or challenge it.

⇢ Follow-ups

• Show value beyond pitching. For example, if they’re hiring, share a qualified candidate from your network.

• Write emails that are easy for them to forward to their team.

⇢ Deals

• Personalize your approach. Use their branding in micro-demos or create short videos showing how similar companies benefit from your product.

• Use their internal language in your business case and connect them with current customers for real-world feedback.

Key takeaway
Only 13% of buyers feel sellers truly understand their business, but those who do see three times higher win rates.

Personalization isn’t just for the first email—it’s a key part of every stage in the sales process.

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