5 Tips to Create Your Best Outreach Ever

Sales outreach is changing. With buyer expectations shifting, technology advancing, and the marketplace growing noisier, staying effective requires staying ahead.

In this newsletter, I’ll highlight key areas that sales professionals should master for successful outreach this year. These strategies are aimed at helping you cut through the noise, build meaningful connections, and achieve lasting success.

1. Ditch Spam. Embrace Personalisation

Spam is quickly becoming obsolete, and not a moment too soon. As email filters become more sophisticated and generic messages get automatically deleted, the days of sending unsolicited, one-size-fits-all emails are numbered.

Spam now accounts for 46.8% of all emails sent globally. Our inboxes are increasingly cluttered, and spam simply doesn't cut it - modern buyers expect more.

Personalisation is now essential; addressing the recipient by name is no longer sufficient. Templated messages are becoming obvious to the readers. Buyers want outreach that feels genuinely relevant to their needs, challenges, and goals.

The reality is that you can't personalise without doing your homework. In fact, 80% of buyers are more likely to purchase when brands offer an experience tailored to them. That means it's on you to research your prospects thoroughly.

What are their pain points? What solutions are they looking for? What trends or challenges are shaping their industry?

This is where data becomes your best friend. By leveraging data-driven insights, you can uncover patterns in customer behaviour, preferences, and real-time needs. With the right tools, you can:

1. Group your prospects based on shared behaviours, roles, or needs.
2. Use factors like timing, location, or recent activities to craft messages that land better.
3. A/B test your messages to see what resonates and adjust for better outcomes.

Combine solid research with data, and you're not guessing anymore; you're showing prospects you've done the work. That's the difference between your outreach ending up in the trash or sparking a conversation.

2. Embrace Soft Selling

If you want to stand out in sales, stop selling. Instead, start helping!

Sales isn't about pushing products anymore. The key is adopting a "soft selling" mindset - providing value first and earning trust. This approach makes you a trusted advisor, not just another salesperson.

How do you do this? Be genuinely helpful. Share insights, trends, or resources your prospects will find valuable. Maybe it's a report on their sector or a case study relevant to them. Or, offer to connect them with someone in your network who could help them with a challenge they're experiencing. These gestures show you're invested in their success, not just about closing a deal.

Again, personalisation is key. Take the time to understand their goals, pain points, and industry challenges. Use this intel to craft messages that feel bespoke. Mention their company, reference their achievements, or share insights about their challenges. Make them feel seen and understood.

Tone matters, too. If they operate in a formal environment, keep it professional. If they're more casual, don't be afraid to loosen up and match their style. Stay authentic while meeting them where they're comfortable.

And remember, less is more. Professionals are busy - long emails get skipped. Be concise, deliver value upfront, and leave them wanting more.

Soft selling is about creating meaningful moments. Lead with value, listen to their needs, and build trust with every interaction. That's how you turn conversations into partnerships.

Here are three real-world examples of companies we've seen who are mastering this approach:

1. An innovation agency in London invites corporate innovation leaders to exclusive gatherings with other FTSE100 executives. These events provide a platform for sharing insights, exploring case studies, and discussing best practices.
2. A newly launched consumer insights platform reaches out to senior consumer insight specialists with invitations to join their advisory board. This personalised approach positions the platform as a collaborative partner invested in shaping the industry's future.
3. An industry magazine engages people who have been on podcasts or written blogs by suggesting their insights could resonate with the magazine's audience. By offering a mutually beneficial opportunity to share their expertise, the magazine builds trust and opens the door to further collaboration.

3. Master Multi-Channel, Multi-Touchpoint Engagement

A single email or LinkedIn message isn't enough anymore. To stay top-of-mind and nurture prospects, embrace a multi-channel, multi-touch strategy.

A well-designed email sequence is key to nurturing leads effectively. Each email should provide value, align with the buyer’s journey, and feel natural, not overly salesy. For example:

• Start with a warm introduction that sets expectations and offers immediate value.
• Follow up with helpful resources or stories that showcase the impact of your solution.
• End with clear, actionable next steps that guide prospects toward a decision.

While email and LinkedIn remain effective for B2B outreach, using only these channels risks blending into the noise. Try adding personal outreach methods, like a phone call or a handwritten letter, to follow up with your projects.

To broaden your engagement strategy even further, consider these additional channels:

1. Retargeting ads: Reconnect with website visitors interested in your brand. Remind them of your value and motivate them to take the next step.
2. Triggered outreach: Automate follow-ups based on specific actions prospects take, such as downloading a report. Timely, relevant messages meet them exactly where they are in their journey.
3. Content marketing: Share resources like blogs, ebooks, and webinars that address your prospects’ specific challenges. Providing value through content not only builds trust but also attracts new leads.
4. Social selling: Build connections through platforms like LinkedIn. Join relevant conversations, share insights, and engage meaningfully to demonstrate your expertise and interest.

Whatever channel you use, each interaction should be thoughtful and position you as a resourceful partner, not just another seller.

4. Show Them You Care

If you want people to be interested in you, show them you're interested in them. Shift your mindset from "How do I get them to care about me?" to "How do I show them I care about them?"

Here's an example:

John, from an accounting software firm, reaches out to Sara after hearing her speak on a podcast. In his message, he references a specific point she made about how invoices and expenses can eat into growth.

Instead of launching straight into a sales pitch, John offers Sara something of value - an invitation to provide her insights on a tool his company is developing, which aims to address the challenges she discussed on her podcast. Rather than trying to extract value, John focuses on delivering value.

At the end of the day, there's no reason not to know something about the person you are reaching out to.

When reaching out to someone, keep this checklist in mind:

• Is it about them?
• Is it relevant to your request?
• Is it timely?
• Is the reference succinct?

Avoid generic or unrelated messages that fall flat. For instance, commenting on Sara's LinkedIn post about her cat and trying to tie it back to accounting software is a stretch at best - and an instant delete at worst!

5. Leverage AI Tools

AI is transforming sales outreach, and this is the year to embrace it.

While LLMs like OpenAI’s ChatGPT do generate messages which are very obviously AI, at Super Benji we’ve put a huge amount of resource into making it easy, fast and impactful for sales teams to put AI to work for their business. The result is that AI is reshaping how sales teams work, automating repetitive tasks so you can focus on building relationships and closing deals.

Super Benji handles time-consuming tasks like prospect research, drafting personalised messages, and managing follow-ups. Benji scours LinkedIn, blogs, podcasts and newsfeeds to uncover insights, crafts emails that sound like they came directly from you, and even identifies triggers like job changes or funding announcements to create perfectly timed outreach.

The result? Smarter outreach, better engagement, and more time to focus on what matters most. Try our FREE demo and see how Benji can make your outreach faster, smarter, and more effective.