The cringe-free guide to outbound marketing

Are you leaving money on the table?

Look, I get it. Outbound marketing can feel super cringy, especially if you - like me - are not a natural extrovert. But here’s the question - are you really okay with leaving opportunities (and by that I mean money) just sitting there, waiting to be scooped up by your competitors?

Because that's exactly what's happening if you're not actively reaching out to your ideal clients. You might be crushing it with your content and engagement, but if you're not proactively connecting with the right people, you're missing out. And I want your business to be thriving, not surviving.

I know what you're thinking - "But Alex, I get so many sleazy DMs, I don't want to be that person who's always trying to push their stuff!" Well, my friend, I'm here to tell you that there's a way to do outbound marketing without feeling like you’d rather go hide in the corner.

The cringe-free approach to outbound

First things first, let's talk about finding your prospects. You want to start by identifying 50 people who fit your ideal client avatar. The free way to do this is to look at your existing connections and see who they're connected with. Filter by industry and 2nd degree connections and scroll through to find some potential targets.

Or, if you really want to up your lead generation game, use LinkedIn Sales Navigator. It's an incredible tool with some top-notch filtering options. If you're not sure how to use it, drop me a DM and I'll show you the ropes.

LinkedIn’s database is so huge that this is an infinitely scaleable exercise, but I’m all about habit forming and realistic goals so start with 50 to get going.

Now, when it comes to sending those connection requests, the aim is to avoid sales-y messages that are all about you and your business. Nobody wants that. Instead, focus on building a genuine network and community. A simple, personalized message that shows you’re looking to meet new people in your industry and you're genuinely interested in connecting can work wonders.

Try sending 10 of these out a day and see how quickly your audience starts growing and how fast your LinkedIn feed fills up with relevant people. I've had meetings booked based just on sending connection requests at the 'perfect time' for the person (which, yes, is coincidental, but no-one's turning their noses up at meetings with prospects ready to buy are they?).

Turn connections into conversations

Alright, so you've got some new connections - now what? It's time to start building those relationships.

Think about what you can offer that would genuinely benefit the other person. Maybe it's a one-pager with some killer advice, a free mini-audit, or even just a Loom video with your thoughts on their latest campaign.

The key is to be human, be helpful, and be open to testing different approaches. Not everyone's going to respond, but the more you do this, the better you'll get at it. And trust me, when those meetings start booking up and the deals start closing, you're going to be feeling pretty great about your cringe-free outbound strategy.

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start making some connections! And if you need any help along the way, you know where to find me.