Why Personalization Is No Longer Optional: The Outreach Mistake Killing Your Pipeline.

Most salespeople aren’t lazy. They hustle, they send outbound emails, they make cold calls.

But this outreach mistake is killing their pipeline….

….Lack of personalization.

So what gives? It’s not laziness. It’s the hard part, skipped.

The Real Problem: Lazy Personalization

We personalize just enough to say we did it.

– {First name} inserted
– {Company} mentioned
– Maybe a recent post liked
– Then… pitch mode

But here’s the truth. Buyers see right through it. The same generic templates. The same filler intros. The same tired cadence. And when outreach feels robotic, people tune out.

Low reply rates. Dead threads. Cold pipeline.

This is the #1 reason your sales teams’ LinkedIn messaging strategy isn’t working.

What Buyers Actually Want

Buyers want relevance. They want to feel seen, not prospected.

They don’t need another pitch. They need context.

That means you’ve looked at their content, you know their role or challenges, and you’re offering something useful, not generic.

And the truth is, real personalization is the shortcut. It takes a few extra minutes, but it can 3x your reply rate and lead to real conversations.

We show this inside our Modern Social Seller Programs, with outreach scripts, audio templates, and workflows your team can use immediately.

3 Steps to Make Your Outreach Actually Human

If your team’s messages feel templated, here’s where to start.

1. Do Your Research: Look at their last 1–2 posts. Check for role changes, team growth, or new initiatives. Note shared connections or mutual companies.

Then ask: What’s the most relevant thing I can reference?

Example: “Saw your post on enabling new reps faster. Curious if your team is looking at anything new on the content or workflow side?”

It’s short, specific, and sounds like you did your homework.

2. Try a Video or Audio Message: If you want to break through the noise, stop relying on text alone. Video and audio show you’re human. They add tone, voice, and energy – and that builds trust.

Here’s a quick template:

“Hey [Name], saw you just joined [Company]. Will you be doing the same thing you did at [Previous Company]? If it makes sense to share what we’re seeing across other SaaS teams, I’m happy to be a resource.”

3. Show You Actually Care: If you’re trying to book a meeting with someone, don’t just tell them what you do.
Show them you understand what they might be dealing with.

It can be as simple as: “I work with sales teams at [similar companies] who are struggling with [specific challenge]. Curious if that’s something on your radar right now?”

This approach shows empathy. It shifts the conversation from “me” to “you.”nThat’s the difference between being ignored and being trusted.

Ready to Personalize With Less Guesswork?

Our 90-Day LinkedIn Jumpstart Course gives you the framework to follow to help sales teams get more personalized and targeted with their outreach.

We include a look at our audio and video message templates, tips for optimizing your profile, a checklist to follow and more,

Check out our free 90-Day Jumpstart Course here.