We all live in a chronically online world. This means most businesses are online too. If that’s the case, how do you find clients? One way you can find and reach them online is through prospecting. Prospecting is simply finding people who are interested in what you’re offering. These could be people who need your product or service. This article explores the main differences between personalized and generic outreach. We’ll compare these two approaches using a LinkedIn prospecting experiment.
A Brief Idea About A Prospecting Experiment
Prospecting experiments work the same way we do science experiments in labs. Different approaches yield different results. Based on the data you get from your experiment, you refine your approach to suit your product better.
Personalized outreach is when you send highly tailored messages to each one of your prospects. This way, everyone receives a message specifically written for their needs. On the other hand, generic outreach is when you send the same message to everyone. LinkedIn is the best playground to test out these two approaches.
Personalized Outreach: Making Meaningful Connections
Suppose you’re selling software solutions that provide a certain benefit that no one else does. Use that USP to send unique messages to each of your prospects. Say stuff that’s relevant to their company to get noticed. Don’t think of it as selling your product through messages. Think of it as writing a letter to a friend. For instance, you could say,
“Hi[Name], I saw your post about managing workplace efficiency. Our product can boost productivity by 30%. Let us know if you want to try it out for free.”
According to the prospecting experiment, personalization works because it makes people feel special. It makes your prospects feel heard because you craft your email to suit their interests. From your email, they should feel like you know their story and understand their pain points well.
The World Of Generic Outreach
Entering the world of generic outreach is like casting a wide net. With this approach, you’ll benefit from quantity rather than quality. The more people you reach, the closer you get to your ideal clients. In a LinkedIn prospecting experiment, generic outreach lacked a sense of connection. Generic outreach sounds like this:
“Hello!
Our software can help your business. Try it today!”
Generic messages are still gifts. But they seem like gifts that don’t match your style, while personalized messages are tailored exclusively for you. For every 100 generic messages you send, you will hear back from 10. If you personalize your messages and approach the same people, you’ll hear back from 25.
That’s a significant difference we noticed in the prospecting experiment. The reasons behind this are psychological. But, generally, people like being addressed directly instead of receiving the same old messages everyone receives.
The Psychology Behind Response Rates
The right prospects will reach you when you grasp the right pain points. Researching their pain points will help you craft your message better. That’s because when you know what’s troubling a potential client, you can tailor your message around that pain point. You can suggest solutions to tackle that to make your offer unavoidable.
Ensure that your message addresses the prospect by name and discusses their goals. Then write the part that includes your observations about their pain points. This part is enough to let them know that you care about them. The next part is solutions.
Suggest the solutions your product offers for their problems. Also, show exactly how you can reach there. You don’t have to include all these in the first message. But this is the exact process you should follow to get faster conversions. The best takeaway from the prospecting experiment is treating people like people, not like numbers.
Also Read: Why Personal Branding Is Crucial For SDR Success
5 Reasons Why Personalisation Matters
We know from the prospecting experiment that a personalized outreach approach works best. It might seem like magic, but it’s not. It’s a trick, and here’s why.
- The ‘You Get Me’ Factor
Getting personalization right is like a magician knowing your favorite card without seeing it even once. This is the power of personalized outreach. Showing your recipients what they hope to see in your message is only possible through personalization.
- Breaking The Ice
We use familiarity to break the ice with people. In the business world, you do that by mentioning a company’s achievements. This shows you did your homework. You can also utilize mutual connections to sound more convincing in your message. Personalization helps break the ice and form a connection quickly.
- Cutting Through The Noise
A loud noise in a crowded room gets your attention. Similarly, personalization helps you speak directly to your prospect and stand out in the prospecting experiment. With so much information online, it’s tough to have a spotlight shining on your message without it. In other words, personalization cuts the noise of other information.
- Building Trust From Scratch
It’s quite challenging for all of us to trust a stranger. The same is true for business. It’s built on shared experiences and trust. When you show your prospects pain points and goals, you become their trusted friend in the business world.
- Being Memorable
We often get a movie scene or a joke stuck in our heads because it was memorable. The character delivering those lines must’ve done a great job. To make a mark like that, you need to follow personalized outreach. Make a business feel special if you want them to remember you.
Conclusion
Conducting a prospecting experiment and gathering useful data is today’s most potent weapon in the B2B landscape. Relying on data to shape future decisions and strategies is what companies prefer. Personalization is the spice that every business offer needs. With great data, you can add great personalization to your messages. Follow a personalized outreach approach to stand out and excel professionally.
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