The Hidden Costs of Automated Outreach—What You're Really Losing

"Hey Simon [or fill in your name], why didn't you do your homework?" I wanted to respond. The irony of someone reaching out to you on LinkedIn with a supposed personalized message to address an issue that you don't even have, is something I bet you also encounter on LinkedIn regularly.

Not you, Simon, because you don't care. You are among the many who send unsolicited mass messages, hoping to find the needle in the haystack. This one person who is desperate enough to say yes to promises such as making six figures overnight without lifting a finger, getting you hundreds of leads just waiting to be contacted by you, writing a book you already did, or even worse, using the same unpromising outreach methodology as you do.

Simon, I bet you learned this method in one of those shady LinkedIn training courses that promised to deliver effortless success and instant results. If you only invest in a piece of technology, put two cents of thought into a message, and send it to millions of people while you sleep, something will stick, right?

But what they didn't tell you in this training is the downside of your activities, the opportunities you're missing out on when you would just spend that same time getting to know your target audience, or considering the perception you create when you send out messages without a single personal touch or genuine interest in connecting with others.

To be fair, I'm sure most "Simons" don't intend to harm anyone through their automated outreach campaigns and are just looking for new leads. But if sending these generic messages is on their daily (automated) agenda, it's hard to imagine how this would benefit anyone in the long run.

So, Simon, I'm here to share with you what you didn't get to hear in your LinkedIn training. It seems they forgot to teach you why networking is so significant in business: it's about building relationships with a genuine interest in each other's well-being and challenges.

It's unethical. Period.

Yes, it comes down to ethics. By sending unsolicited messages at scale, you're invading someone's inbox without asking permission first. And years of receiving these messages have taught every LinkedIn user that this behavior will likely worsen over time.

This is only your first automated outreach, isn't it? During the next few weeks, based on a carefully planned sequence (or maybe you just used someone else's template), you'll send us more unsolicited messages: encouraging us to check out your training, webinars, or e-book. Or if we would just carve out some time on our empty calendars for a free discovery call with you, that we both know will ultimately result in you pitching your services to us.

No matter what you promise, the perception will remain unchanged: you are trying to sell us something. You will invade our inboxes without invitation, which is intrusive and annoying. You're not only wasting your own time and resources, but also infringing on the time and space of those on the receiving end of your messages.

It's a perception game.

With your automated outreach, you're giving us a glimpse of your brand and a first little taste of your work. It's the first impression you make on us that will set the tone for our future interactions. So, it's not just about what you're selling us but also how you're selling it to us. Even if you're offering an excellent service or product, the perception you create is one that you'll have to live with along the journey: a perception of someone who's not really interested in us but just trying to make money. It's a perception that actually takes away from the potential of your offers and services.

With your approach you are distracting from the value that you could be really offering us. Instead, you're coming across as someone who is just looking to make a quick profit, rather than someone who is genuinely interested in helping us to solve a problem or achieve a goal. This undermines your credibility and trust, which both are essential components of successful sales and long-term business relationships.

It won't bring in quality leads or conversions.

No matter how many messages you send out, you only attract people who don't care about clicking that "accept the contact" button. No worries, I have done it too. Remember those times when we were so focused on "more is more?" When it was fancy to have a large number of contacts to show off. When we didn't worry about who's on our list or in our network, and for the sake of mass collecting contacts, we've added everyone?

In return, however, that means your conversation will end nowhere. The contacts that add you to their list care about you as much as you care about them. You are just another number in their list of connections. They may never interact with you or respond to your messages, and even if they do, the relationship is unlikely to be fruitful or beneficial in any meaningful way. In fact, having a large number of low-quality connections can actually be detrimental to your networking efforts, as it dilutes the value of your network and can make it more difficult to identify and engage with potential partners or clients.

You blend in with the sea of sameness.

Remember all those people who passed through the same training as you, Simon? You probably don't even need to guess: they all use the same tools and send similar messages. Now, how are you going to stand out from them when you use the same generic approach?

I know they told you it's a numbers game. At the end of the day, you only need one message to hit the right person at the right time, and a sale will be made. But the truth is, you're sharing that one needle in the haystack with thousands of other marketers, while you could have easily stood out and been remembered if you'd taken the time to put in just a bit of effort.

Remember, Simon, in today's highly competitive business world, differentiation is key. If you're using the same automated tools and sending the same generic messages as thousands of other marketers, you're unlikely to stand out and make a lasting impression on potential customers or clients. Only by putting in the effort to build genuine connections and relationships based on mutual respect and shared interests, you can create a network of loyal customers and advocates who will be more likely to recommend you to others and help grow your business in the long run.

You're perceived as lazy.

That being said, and I hate to break it to you, if you're sending out automated messages, people immediately assume you're too lazy to take the time to get to know them and their interests. It's a perception of someone unwilling to put in the necessary homework, someone just looking for a quick sale without any consideration of what they do or don't offer. You might think your workload is on fire when you glance at your shiny reports and realize you've hit thousands of inboxes. However, the reality is that you're just spinning your wheels in the mud.

Being perceived as lazy has significant consequences for your professional reputation and success. Customers are increasingly seeking out businesses and professionals who demonstrate a commitment to excellence, personalization, and customer satisfaction. By relying on automated generic messages, you are seen as someone who is unwilling to put in the necessary effort to understand and meet the needs of your customers or clients. This makes it difficult to establish yourself as a valuable partner. And if you're not willing to put in the time and effort, you're likely to fall behind your competitors and miss out on valuable opportunities for advancement and success.

It shows your lack of research.

Right here on our screens. It screams at us that we weren't even worth one click to you visiting our profiles. Or imagine the effort of putting our name into a Google search? No automation software can ever guarantee you'll keep up with the millions of pieces of information we add to our profiles, update, or delete. And if you haven't taken the time to research who you're contacting and why, it shows. No matter how much effort you put into the most complex filters and settings, you'll still be missing crucial pieces of information that will never make it into your message, and the perception of a lazy marketer remains.

By showing your contacts that you've taken the time to understand their background, interests, and needs, you could establish yourself as a true professional who is committed to providing personalized attention and value to each and every one of your customers.

Look, Simon, it didn't take much time to find out that you were a Colombian correspondent passionate about the World Football Index. In fact, I listened in on your thoughts about South American football from 5 years ago. What happened to your true passion in the meantime? Did that career not work out so that you decided to become a book publishing expert? Oh, never mind, actually you are an International Business Expert that offers strategic business advice? Is that why you have several LinkedIn profiles? I am so confused.

It gives off the impression of desperation.

Why is that, you may ask? Well, when all you've been doing is sending automated messages, people assume you aren't getting the traction you need from your efforts. You're not getting the response you want. And even though your message may be compelling or have an attractive offer attached, it won't really matter if you are seen as being desperate. We may see you as someone who is willing to do anything to get their attention, even if it means resorting to spammy tactics.

I understand, it seems like such a quick and easy way to connect with potential customers, but what it actually says about you is a lack of business opportunities you were able to generate in a traditional way that requires requires time and effort, but would have resulted in higher-quality leads, greater customer loyalty, and a stronger reputation as a trusted and respected professional or business.

You'll be blocked or even reported.

Yes, it's going to happen. Right after publishing this note, I'll block you as I have done with many before you (and will continue to do so.) That means you're losing the opportunity to ever get in touch with me again. Not that I think you would care. However, I'm sure you care about your long-term reach here on LinkedIn. Have you ever considered that many people blocking or reporting you might impact your reach on the platform? Or that networks like LinkedIn have policies in place to protect their users from spam and automated messages?

I'm sure, Simon, you're smarter than this and can think of a better way to respectfully and effectively reach out to your target audience to get your message out without damaging your reputation. Do you really want to be known as the one who doesn't care, sends out messages that don't add value, and just desperately wants to generate leads? Or do you intend to build something lasting that adds value and creates a perception of trustworthiness?

If you really want to make an impact, Simon, consider the hard work—that is, doing your homework. Take the time to research people and be genuine in your approach. Most importantly, consider the perception that you create when reaching out with an automated message. Is it worth trading off your reputation for a potential lead?

The unfortunate reality though is that you'll never see this advice, as you've been eliminated from my little space on LinkedIn. But here's a little secret. I didn't write this article just for you. In fact, you were just a welcomed example of what not to do when it comes to LinkedIn outreach campaigns, accidentally landing in my inbox. Thank you for that! So, even though you may not see this, I wish you all the best in your future outreach efforts. May you find success in building genuine relationships and creating a positive perception among your target audience.