Outreach or spam? It’s a thin line.
Can you be direct? Or should you first feel things out?
For me, the answer is very clear.
New clients rarely come from a cold message. They come from a warm network.
So what should you do?
Build your network first.
See LinkedIn as a networking event. You wouldn’t walk up to someone with a sales pitch there either. You first introduce yourself. You ask questions. You show curiosity. Only then does a conversation start.
That’s why it’s so important to come in in a low-threshold and personal way.
But don’t make the mistake of trying to be too clever either.
People see right through a forced hook. The harder you try to prove that you’re being personal, the more impersonal it often feels.
So keep your first message short, simple and natural.
And perhaps the most important tip:
Never let your template feel like a template.
No long walls of text. No exaggerated formatting. Just write as if you’re sending a message to a colleague.
Even more important is your second message.
That message is not about you, but about the other person.
“I think we could learn something from each other.”
That’s a much stronger angle than immediately explaining what you sell.
And even when someone asks what you’d like to talk about…
…don’t be tempted to pitch right away.
The goal of a first conversation is not to sell.
The goal is to get to know each other, share knowledge and discover whether there is a fit.
Relationships first. Business follows naturally.
During our last session, we optimized an outreach template live.
Original:
Hi!
I saw that you’re active in hospitality. We build apps for PMS systems. Ideal for your clients.
How do you currently share information with your clients?
Optimized:
Great to connect! I’m curious to hear your story. Personally, I spend a lot of time working on apps for hospitality. I think we could learn something from each other. Shall we schedule a quick introduction?
Can you feel the difference? That’s neuromarketing.
Next time, we’ll go deeper into building the right lists, Sales Navigator and how AI can help you do outreach in a much smarter and more personal way.
We recorded this session and added it to our Academy.
Normally, it’s only accessible to members, but I’d love to give this video away for free.
Comment VIDEO and I’ll send you access 👇
