3 Outreach Plays That Work, But Don't Scale

Good Morning! It’s National Refreshment Day. A holiday dedicated to relaxing, recharging, and pretending your pipeline isn’t held together with hope and follow-up reminders. For sales reps, “refreshment” usually means chugging an energy drink and hitting refresh on your CRM, hoping the numbers are going to magically change. We’ve all been there… Now let’s get into today’s Follow Up. 😁 

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3 Outreach Plays That Work, But Don't Scale

If you’ve ever handwritten a thank-you note, you understand the idea of doing things that don’t scale.

It takes time. It can’t be outsourced. But it works.

Some of the best ways to consistently generate pipeline involve stuff that feels wildly inefficient.

It’s the stuff that doesn’t look as good as 5,000 emails sitting on your CRM dashboard, but gets you meetings, shortens your sales cycle, and makes you stand out from the mess of emails sitting in your prospect’s inbox right now.

Today, we’re covering 3 outbound plays that work (really well), but don’t scale (and that’s ok).

1. Warm Intros.

When a friend vouches for a product, we listen. When someone cold emails us about it, we don’t.

Warm intros get you 4–5X more meetings and up to 3X higher win rates.

Here’s the playbook:

1. Make a List: Start with 50 target accounts that match your ICP.

2. Map Your “Second-Degree” Graph: Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to find employees, alumni, investors, advisors, and customers connected to those accounts. Your network is bigger than you think.

3. Write the Intro Email for Them: Write a forwardable email (75-100 words) that covers: What you do, why the prospect should care, and next steps. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. Your contact is much more likely to make the intro when they don’t have to write the email themselves.

4. Ask for the intros: Reach out to your mutual contacts, let them know why you want the intro, and politely ask for one.

5. Track, Thank, and Reciprocate: Log every ask, send thank-you’s after the meeting, and actively look for ways to return the favor. Reciprocity sustains the flywheel.

Always avoid asking “Can you intro me?” with no context.

You’re asking for a favor, after all.

2. Video Prospecting.

Selfie videos might feel weird… until they get 5X more replies than any other messages you’ve sent.

Short, personal Looms or iPhone videos consistently outperform text-only emails.

Intercom credited video outreach for a 19% lift in their reply rates and $120K in new ARR within one quarter. This stuff really works.

Here’s your 3 step video outreach playbook:

1. Personalize: Mention the prospect's name or company to let them know it’s researched and personalized.

2. Keep it Short: Aim for 30-60 seconds, focusing on what’s in it for them.

3. Clear CTA: End with a simple next step, like scheduling a call or replying.

3. Gifting (The non-boring kind)

I’m not talking logo mugs.

The best gifts feel like sales grenades. Well timed, well-placed, and shockingly effective.

84% of decision-makers feel a stronger connection after receiving a gift, and deals influenced by gifts close 30% faster.

The Brex Champagne Campaign is a great example. Brex once spent $19k on sending champagne & handwritten notes to 300 startups who just raised a funding round. They booked 225 demos. Closed 169 customers, and built a multi-million-dollar pipeline.

Not bad for some bubbly.

Build your own gifting campaign:

• Trigger: tie it to something meaningful (job change, funding round, company news)

• Gift: make it personal, not promotional

• Timing: no ask on Day 1, just a “cheers”. The ask comes later.

• Follow up: ask for the call or demo in the follow up, not when you send the gift.

Avoid

• Bribey vibes (“take a call, get a treat”)

• Gifts with your company logo on it (they won’t wear it as much)

• Anything that feels like trade show junk