How to Personalize Cold Calls for Engagement

Let's imagine you stopped me on the street looking a bit frustrated and said "Tom I'm hitting a wall with my cold calls. I've got solid data, I'm getting my at-bats and my opener hooks them... but then I'm stuck Sure I kick off with an open ended question but where to from there? How do I keep the conversation flowing? Heres the thing you're on the right track with that initial question but the real game changer is what comes next It's about transforming those calls from mere transactions to genuine interactions First off you have to remember each call is a goldmine of insights You're speaking with folks in your ICP weekly—use that! Each conversation is a lesson. An opportunity to refine your approach for the next Now about diving deeper Its all about the problem & provoke stage. Don't just ask questions. Ask the right questions Lead with ones that prompt them to share in their own words what keeps them up at night You know the answers you're likely to get but let them voice their challenges This isnt just talk. It's strategic engagement! Aim for a dialogue where they're leading 80% of the conversation You're there to listen, absorb and then at that crucial moment connect their needs with what you're offering Its about saying "You know thats exactly why I reached out..." Your goal? To be seen not as just another caller but as a consultant Someone who doesnt just care but understands and can guide them towards a solution So to any of you feeling stuck after your opener remember: Your cold calls should be warm conversations Listen more, talk less and use each call as a stepping stone towards truly engaging discussions Show genuine interest, provide value and watch as those barriers start to crumble 🤘

Small tweaks in your sales script can turn “no thanks” into qualified sales calls. We reviewed a client’s outbound calls, made five key adjustments, and saw a 20% boost in engagement. Here’s what worked: 1. Start with a Permission-Based Opener Jumping straight into the pitch made prospects feel cornered, often leading to resistance. What We Changed: We switched to a permission-based opener like, “Hey, this is (name) from (company), we haven’t spoken before, I’m calling you out of the blue, but it'll take me 30 seconds to tell you why I called and then you can tell me if you even want to keep talking after that, does that sound fair” This gave prospects control and set a respectful tone. Prospects felt more comfortable and engaged when they had the option to continue, leading to smoother, more productive conversations. 2. Use “You” Instead of “We” The scripts were too brand-focused with “we” and “our” statements, making it sound impersonal. Shifting to “you” language made a huge difference. Instead of “We offer the best solution,” we said, “You deserve a solution that actually fits.” Prospects felt the call was about them, not us. 3. Add Specific Social Proof Generic claims weren’t cutting it. Instead of “We’ve helped hundreds,” we got specific: “Last quarter, we helped [X industry] achieve [result].” Specifics boosted credibility and helped prospects see the potential value for themselves. 4. Ask Open-Ended Questions Closed questions led to dead-ends. We replaced “Do you struggle with [problem]?” with “What challenges are you facing with [problem]?” This invited prospects to share more, making the conversation richer and helping us respond better. 5. Frame Price with Value Mentioning price early often scared people off. Instead, we tied price to benefits: “With an investment of $X, you can achieve [result].” Positioning price in correlation to perceived value kept the conversation moving forward. These small changes led to big improvements in qualified booked appointments. ___________________________________ Follow Dylan Rich for more tips on scaling your sales team

Here is how I got an 80% Success Rate in Cold Reach-Outs (even as a student) 1. Quality over Quantity Don’t mass message. Focus on high-potential connections and personalize each message. 💡 Example: “Hi [Name], I saw your talk on [topic] and it really aligns with my work on [project].” 2. Get to the Point Fast Introduce yourself and state why you’re reaching out in the first two sentences. 💡 Example: “I’m [Your Name], working on [specific project]. I’d love to chat about [shared interest].” 3. Choose the Right Platform Some respond best to LinkedIn, others to email, X, or their website’s contact form. Find the right way to reach them. 4. Be Specific About Your Ask Clearly state what you’re asking for- advice, a call, collaboration, etc. 💡 Example: “I’d love a quick 15-minute call to discuss [topic].” 5. Showcase Credibility Include a link to your GitHub, blog, or research to build trust. 💡 Example: “Here’s my recent work on [topic]: [link].” 6. Follow Up (Respectfully) If they don’t respond, send polite follow-ups 2-3 times with a week between messages. Persistence works, but don’t spam. 7. Respect Their Time Keep your message short and to the point. Show you respect their busy schedule. 💡 Example: “I know you’re busy—just a quick 15-minute call would be great!” Try these tips to level up your cold outreach! 🚀 #NetworkingTips #AICommunity #GrowthHacks

Ever wonder what makes a prospect actually respond to cold outreach? Let me share a recent experience that breaks down the art of engagement from both the prospect's and the sales rep's perspectives. Prospect's Perspective: Emily Leu shared the following insight about cold outreach that led to a meeting: “I recently connected with a BDR from Lavender 💜 after meeting someone (maybe an AE?) at an event. I might have gotten myself tagged as an MQL! 😅 Here’s how the outreach played out: Hyper-Personalized Email: The email felt customized—even if it followed a framework, it clearly wasn’t a mass template. Quick Follow-Up: I missed the email, but a LinkedIn connection request with a personal note nudged me to check my inbox again. Non-Committal Response: I replied on LinkedIn, but life got busy, and I forgot about it, even though I was interested. Text with a Voice Note: A few days later, I received a text with a voice memo. What worked? The combination of hyper-personalization, brevity, and a multi-channel approach that built upon previous touches. It was relevant and easy to digest!” --- Sales Rep's Perspective: Nihal D., the Sales Jedi who concocted this outreach, shared the following perspective: “Shoutout to 💜 Will Allred, who taught me a lot about effective outreach. One key takeaway: there's a crucial difference between relevant outreach and mere personalization. While personalization might be a casual nod (like, "Saw we both went to ABC school. Go Alphabets!"), relevant outreach digs deeper: "With your Series B a couple of years ago and your team ramping up AE hirings, am I right in thinking you're prepping for another round? Key Strategies: Digestibility is Key: I focus on proper spacing, low word count, soft CTAs, and mobile-friendly content. The easier it is to read, the better! Multiple Channels: If I don’t get a response after my first email, I reach out on LinkedIn to open another channel—just a friendly nudge to chat. Embrace Unconventional Methods: My final touch? A text with a voice memo! While sending a text might be controversial, it’s effective. Everyone checks their phones, and voice memos have a higher engagement rate than traditional voicemails. Plus, I can re-record as many times as needed! “My goal? To stay top-of-mind for at least 48 hours. If anything I shared resonates, the prospect will think it over and hopefully reach back out.” --- 💡 The takeaway? Cold outreach isn't just about being seen; it's about creating a thoughtful, engaging experience that makes prospects want to connect. Happy prospecting!!! P.S. DM me if you have a recent example of cold outreach that led to a meeting!

As an introvert, cold calling was brutal - combining two things I hated: 1) Talking to strangers 2) Facing constant rejection Then I noticed something interesting - some prospects I was actually excited to call. Their profile made it clear they were facing the problems we helped solve. Or their company was going through changes that meant they needed our solution. When my call list was full of prospects like these, my conversion rate skyrocketed. Here's the simple shift that changed everything: I stopped calling people I wasn't excited to talk to. Two main reasons would take someone off my list: 1) If I wasn't confident we were a great fit 2) If I didn't have enough information for an intelligent conversation My total calls went down, but my meetings set went up. I just released a full video training on this including 5 tactical tips you can use this week, but if you're short on time, here are the key tips: 1) Bucket your buyers Stop switching between different titles and industries. Group similar prospects together so you can nail your talk track. 2) Dig for gold nuggets The best calls to executives start with insights you learned from others in their org. Every conversation is a chance to learn something valuable. 3) Master storytelling Instead of "we save customers 40% of their time," try: "One client used to stay until 7pm updating spreadsheets. Now they leave at 5 and have dinner with their kids." 4) Stop obsessing over openers Your prospect only cares about three things: - Who you are - Why you're calling - What you want 5) Have a real reason to call The best reason? You know from research that you can solve one of their biggest problems. Let me know what tips you'd add (and if you watch the video, let me know what you think of the new format/editing!)

Cold outreach isn’t dead. Your outreach just sucks. Forget {{first name}}! I’ve seen at least 10 posts this week claiming “cold outreach is dead.” I totally disagree. What’s dead is lazy, generic outreach. The kind of email no marketer would respond to themselves. Marketing and sales teams should actually think about if THEY would respond to their own emails. It's the greatest litmus test. At Conversion, we’ve run hundreds of cold outreach tests. Cold got us our entire early pipeline and helped drive $1.3M in revenue in our first 5 months. The problem isn’t the channel. It’s that most of you are doing it like it’s 2017. Here’s what consistently converts: 1/ Go beyond the obvious. Real personalization isn’t just {{first name}} and {{company}}. Mention a recent LinkedIn post, a funding round, a podcast - something that proves you spent more than 10 seconds preparing the message. You can use Clay or Unify to personalize and research at scale. 2/ Less than 5% of your TAM is in-market looking for a solution at any given time. We have built out our own intent signals evaluating prospect needs to reach people when they’re thinking about the problem we solve. Hitting someone while they’re actively evaluating is a totally different game than spraying inboxes at random. 3/ Drop the jargon. No one wants to “hop on a quick call.” People want to know what you’re offering, why it matters, and how fast they can say yes or no. Casual, conversational, and clear always wins. Cold works. You just have to not suck at it. If folks are interested, I'll drop some of the example emails we send that more than triple industry benchmarks re: engagement, response, demo booked rate.

How I achieved a 78% positive cold call conversion rate. Focus on the opening line script and call the right people. Background: I've been making cold calls for a political campaign in the U.S. I'm up to about 700 calls and have been keeping track of outcomes. Here's the opening line script: "Hello! This is Trevor and I'm calling [community name] voters today to discuss the upcoming election for U.S. Senator. Am I speaking with [name]?" Why it's brilliant: 1. It's personal. Just my first name to make a quick connection. 2. Explains who I am calling = "[community name] voters" . Not you? Hang up. 3. Explains what we are talking about = upcoming election. Not interested? Hang up. 4. Confirms that I have the person I think I have dialed. Not you? Hang up. 5. Permission to talk was granted because they picked up the phone. No? Hang up. 6. Does not reveal the brand (the candidate or the party) until after they agree to proceed. Mad? No harm to brand. 7. It takes ~6 seconds to say. 8. Leverages propensity and timing data. 9. Doesn't waste time on apologies or excuses. Hang ups are not the enemy. Wasted time is the enemy. My last session (the 7th to date) yielded 14 discussions: 11 supported my candidate. 3 were undecided. 0 supported the opponent. So, how can this experience apply to business? If your cold prospect's first question is "What's this call about?," you're losing. Avoid that. Stop telling them you know they're busy. Stop asking permission. Stop apologizing. Get to the point. "Hello! This is Trevor and I'm calling [job title] leaders today to discuss the [insert topic of the day]. Am I speaking with [name]?" 1. Personal. 2. Who = [job title] leaders 3. Topic = pick something relevant 4. Confirms prospect's identity 5. Didn't hang up = Permission granted 6. No brand confusion 7. Fast 8. Call people who are more likely to say yes than no (i.e. - get some data) 9. No apology. Match topics to the job titles you're calling. If they don't answer and you leave a voice mail, rotate and refresh topics so you're not constantly calling about the same thing.