Venkatesh Ramamurthy’s Post

Read this before start sending cold emails.

If you have to do B2B outbound, listen to Santosh Sharan

Dear SDRs and AEs, if you want to book a meeting with a B2B executive decision maker, here are 6 things you should NEVER do in your outreach: 1. Don’t send paragraphs about your solution, frankly they don’t care 2. Don’t share the number of users or awards you have, they really don’t care 3. Don’t share testimonials of your best customers, how does that help them?? 4. Don’t invite them to a private event, they are way too busy 5. Don’t tell them you agree with their last post, they don’t believe you 6. Don’t tell them you support the same sports team or love their school, they still don’t believe you What you should do instead? - Shift your focus from what you are selling to what problems the decision makers may be facing in their current role. Talk to others in their team to verify if possible - Put in some effort into your outreach - Send them an email outlining what you think may be their top priorities and how you can assist - Convince them that you want to help solve the problems not just sell your solution - Send them a few slide decks and a proposal of your solution - Ask for a 20 min call to review your proposed solution  - Make the following promise before asking for a discovery call: (a) that you will use this time to not sell, (b) you will not use the call just to qualify them for future outreach, (c) you will commit resources to helping them with their priorities so they end up benefiting even if they don't buy your solution - Bring a senior AE or a decision maker to the call to demonstrate you respect their time - Ask questions throughout the presentation and offer follow ups A lot of the AEs or SDRs will not make this required commitment The rest of you have an opportunity to differentiate yourself  I don't see why any decision maker wont take this call  If you win, you may end up having the first stab to the revenue. If you lose, you may still end up developing a strong connection for the future.

Tired of Cold DMs for your B2B services? Here's an alternative: Community-Based Selling. People often call it: 1. Personal Branding 2. Thought Leadership But it's a bit different from these two: → You don't need to be doing press releases and PR. → You don't need to be famous with tons of followers. All you need is: 1. A social media handle 2. A product or service that works 3. A community ready to buy from you Here are a few reasons why you should do this: Build genuine relationships with your ICP People buy from people they trust. LinkedIn has over 1 billion users. You might say, "Why not stick to your old approach?" Here’s why: ✅ Community: Build genuine connections ❌ Old Approach: Impersonal and self-centered ✅ Community: Offer two-way communication ❌ Old Approach: One-way B2B client acquisition ✅ Community: Build trust and close deals easily ❌ Old Approach: Takes a lot of convincing to sell It is more than just a sales strategy. You build meaningful connections while signing clients. PS: Book 10-15 calls monthly with the 4C framework. Send a DM or Book an appointment. #communitybasedselling #B2Bsales

Building trust in B2B relationships isn't just about closing deals. It's about creating lasting partnerships that drive mutual growth. Here's how to nurture long-term B2B relationships and become a trusted advisor: 1. Thought Leadership Establish yourself as an industry expert: • Create in-depth content (whitepapers, case studies) • Host webinars and workshops on relevant topics • Share insights on LinkedIn and other platforms 2. Audience Building Grow a community of engaged followers: • Consistently post valuable content • Engage with your audience's comments and posts • Use LinkedIn groups to foster discussions 3. Personalized Outreach Combine inbound and outbound strategies: • Use your content to attract leads • Reach out personally to ideal prospects • Tailor your message based on their needs and challenges 4. Value-First Approach Focus on providing value before asking for anything: • Offer free consultations or audits • Share industry insights relevant to their business • Connect them with potential partners or resources 5. Long-Form Content Utilize in-depth content to showcase expertise: • Host monthly masterminds for select clients • Create a podcast featuring industry leaders • Develop a comprehensive online course 6. Continuous Education Stay updated on industry trends: • Attend conferences and share key takeaways • Collaborate with other experts for fresh perspectives • Regularly update your offerings based on market needs Remember: Trust is built over time. Focus on being a valuable resource, and the sales will follow naturally. P.S. Are you a B2B expert looking to consistently generate high-quality leads on LinkedIn? I’m launching a service for five professionals to deploy a lean social selling system that initiates 10+ LinkedIn sales conversations each week. It takes less than 30 minutes a day to run and won’t make you come across as 'salesy.' Interested in securing one of the spots? DM me for details DM me if that would be of interest, I will be in touch

Stop letting junior SDRs reach out to your C-Suites. Buyers don’t want to talk to salespeople anymore. They want trusted advisors. Domain experts.  Yet, for some reason, 99% of sales teams completely ignore this fact and let their junior SDRs reach out to C-suites — then they sit back and wonder why their outbound doesn’t work. The WHO factor is more important today than ever before. Here’s what it means moving forward: 1. Trusted Advisors vs. SDRs: Would you take medical advice from a first-year med student? Probably not. In the same vein, expecting a junior SDR to convince a C-suite executive is a flawed strategy. Buyers today want insights from those seeped in the industry, not those reading off a script. 2. The New-Age SDR: These SDRs have authority in their field and are the ultimate subject matter experts. They possess a highly relevant audience of ICP and excel in content creation and audience engagement. They understand the nuances and pains of the prospects and create value-driven conversations, not just touchpoints. 3. Team-Selling is a Necessity: If a CFO checked your website, why in the world would you let your SDR reach out? Facilitate outbound requests to your CFO and ask them to personally connect with the prospect from their profile. It’s about leveraging the right person at the right time to build trust and relevance. 4. Signal-Based Selling: Your outreach should be driven by real-time data and intent signals. Spot the triggers: website visits, content downloads, recent funding, etc. Engage with the right person, when the timing is perfect, with the right message from the right person. This isn’t about volume; it’s about precision. TAKEAWAY: In this new era, it's not about how many emails you send, but WHO is sending them and WHY. In 2024, the most successful companies will have GTM teams that look more like consulting firms than old-school sales orgs. The next-gen of successful sales orgs will be the ones that evolve beyond the old playbooks and focus on trust, relevance, and the power of human connection. The future isn’t just lean. It’s personal.

How Personalised Outreach Can Transform Your Sales Strategy? In today’s fast-paced business environment, personalised outreach has become a game-changer for B2B sales strategies. With the right approach, you can significantly increase your response rates and build meaningful connections. Here are some actionable tips to make your LinkedIn outreach more effective: 1. Research is Key: Before reaching out, spend time understanding your prospect's business and industry. This will help you tailor your messages to address their specific pain points. 2. Customise Your Message: Avoid generic greetings. Use the prospect's name, mention a recent achievement of theirs or their company, or reference a common connection to make your message stand out. 3. Focus on Their Needs: Emphasise how your product or service can solve a problem they're facing. Be specific and clear about the benefits, linking them directly to their business goals. 4. Keep It Concise: Time is precious. Keep your messages brief but impactful, ensuring they convey your main points without overwhelming the reader. 5. Follow Up Thoughtfully: If you don’t get a response initially, don’t be discouraged. Send a follow-up message that adds value, perhaps including a relevant article or a case study that underscores how you can help. By integrating these personalized tactics into your LinkedIn outreach, you can see a substantial improvement in your engagement rates. Personalized messages show that you value your prospects and understand their unique challenges, paving the way for successful business relationships. What’s your top tip for personalizing sales outreach? Share your thoughts! #SalesStrategy #LinkedInOutreach #B2BSales #PersonalizedApproach #SalesTips

A lot of B2B experts squirm at selling to a cold audience. For many, every deal they've ever made has come from warm introductions or familiar circles. So when it comes to cold outreach, the discomfort is real. They squirm. They avoid. They hesitate. Because selling to a cold audience feels challenging. But there are practical ways to ease into it. If you're ready to expand beyond your network but feel hesitant, I get it. I share similar sensibilities. Nobody wants to be perceived as the "spam kid". Fortunately, relevance and curiosity have magical effects on people. Add in a real human personal touch, and it can feel amazing to do outreach. The right way. If the idea of doing cold outreach makes you squirm, here's a little message of hope: The only difference between you and me is, at this point I've established so many positive client relationships by reaching out cold with relevance and curiosity, that I believe in it now. -- PS. Hi, I’m Seth Holdren. 👋 I help B2B service providers unlock a steady flow of high-quality leads when referrals and traditional marketing aren’t filling the pipeline fast enough. 🔓 If you’re a Fractional CxO, executive coach, management consultant, or B2B agency owner, follow along for daily insights on how I consistently generate 4+ warm leads per week—for both my clients and my own business. 🔑

Yet another reason that B2B outreach doesn’t work (the way most people are doing it) Typical example: “We help B2B companies add 6 figures to their pipeline by booking 10+ qualified sales appointments per month” Half the cold emails & DMs I get, and a huge chunk of the LI posts that I read, are based on this basic format. But people don’t reply to this type of message. They don't engage with this type of content. Besides the fact that it’s hella boring, it’s just asking your prospects - who don’t know you yet - to believe too many things. They don’t just have to believe that you can give them an extra hundred grand a year… Which is a big ask, in the online world full of “I’ll make you millions!” type of claims. Make a claim like that you’re actually asking the prospect to believe a bunch of things. That you can actually deliver on the 10+ sales calls That they’ll actually be qualified That they can close enough of them to translate into six figures That this would work for their type of business And lots of other things floating around in that prospect’s mind. Yet another reason that outreach & content like this doesn’t really work. But if you skip all that self-absorbed BS and just… tell a story about a client. You just ask the reader to believe one thing: that this happened to someone.