Business Development for Recruiters: A Playbook

In 2025, being a recruiter means so much more than it did ten — or even two — years ago. The market has shifted dramatically, and hiring has gone through countless phases of feast and famine. As a result, recruiters have had to adapt, become more resilient, and position themselves strongly amidst all of this change.  

So while recruitment and business development haven’t always been synonymous, it makes sense that we’re starting to see more and more recruiters begin shifting some of their attention to bizdev. 

That’s why we gathered some of the best and brightest voices across sales, marketing, and prospecting to bring you a comprehensive guide to all things business development for recruiters. 

Everything you need to know about cold outreach, leveraging technology & AI, client acquisition, sales & marketing fundamentals, and beyond. 

Change is the only constant — but with the right tools in your arsenal, you can be prepared for anything. 

With that said…what are you waiting for? Let’s dive in! 

BizDev Fundamentals: Outselling the Status Quo

As recruiters, the challenge of winning more business can often feel daunting. Your workflow is already multi-faceted, and you're already juggling multiple plates. Add in the crazy market (with all of its unprecedented changes, and rapid evolutions, and so on) and it all just feels a bit...much. 

So maybe business development for recruiters isn't the most popular topic — but it's extremely topical.

And there's some good news:

Recruiters are natural bizdev superstars. You've got the basic skillset already — we've just gotta tailor it to the need at hand, AKA winning your more business.

We brought in one of the brightest minds in business development, Jenn Allen-Knuth, to share some tips on how to become just as powerful at selling yourself and your services as you are at matching candidates with their ideal roles.  

Shift from selling solutions to selling problems

“Before I could ever sell someone on a solution, I had to get them to think and believe differently about the problem, the root causes of the problem, and whether or not this was even the right thing to fix right now.”  - Jen Allen Knuth, Founder, DemandJen 

Focus on understanding and articulating the client's problem before pitching your solution

• Conduct thorough research on potential clients before initial conversations
• Develop a point of view on their potential challenges based on industry trends and company specifics

Overcome the status quo

At Loxo, we talk about this a lot when it comes to recruitment — the status quo is changing. And if you’re not shifting alongside it, you’ll fall behind. 

But Jen calls out something extremely important:

“We cannot defeat the status quo if we can’t empathize with it or we can’t understand it. Until then, we can’t introduce new information that gets them to reconsider it.”

So the first step to overcoming the status quo? 

Recognize that many clients are comfortable with their current processes, even if they're not optimal. 

This is where selling the problem comes into the mix. 

Help prospects quantify the cost of inaction (e.g., calculate the value of unfilled positions over time). “We have to make the problem bigger,” Jen says, “but only if it truly is. We can’t just manufacture stuff to make it seem bigger.” 

Jen provided a specific formula for helping clients understand the potential cost of status quo:

Have the client filter their CRM for existing opportunities that haven't had a conversation with a rep in the last 30 days.

1. Add up the forecasted pipeline value of these opportunities.
2. This total represents potential revenue at risk due to maintaining the status quo.

If there’s no authenticity in what you’re saying, you’re going to be fighting an uphill battle. Rather than trying to convince someone of something, focus on presenting new information that challenges their existing beliefs and assumptions. 

‍“We don’t convince anybody to do anything — prospects convince themselves to change. We really have to release the idea that in order to be a great recruiter or a great salesperson we have to convince someone of something. No, our job is to give them information that reveals something new to them about what they’re up against — and present it in a way that obviously works in our favor.” - Jen Allen Knuth, Founder, DemandJen 

Provide value in every interaction 

The world is loud. We’ve all got full inboxes, a phone full of unanswered texts, and LinkedIn spam from a thousand people trying to sell us on a “thrilling offer” or “incredible opportunity.” 

Which means standing out is more important than ever — and the best way to stand out is to provide actual value at every single touchpoint. 

Prepare thoroughly for sales calls 

Preparation is everything — especially when it comes to delivering excellent experiences for prospects, clients, and candidates. 

Before any sales call, Jen makes sure she’s able to answer five questions: 

1. What does this company sell?
2. How does this company sell it?
3. Who do they sell it to?
4. How do they make money?
5. Based on those four things, what might be hard for them, relative to the problem that I solve?

Share personalized insights 

Personalization is your superpower — and we’re not just talking about a “Hi <FIRST NAME>” merge field in an outreach email. 

True personalization is how you make it clear that you’ve done your research, you understand your prospect and their problems, and you have a solution that actually makes sense for them. 

Shift from talking about your services to educating prospects about their own business challenges — using your unique position as a recruiter to offer valuable market insights

• Share insights and best practices from other clients (anonymized) to demonstrate expertise

Differentiate your approach

“So much of sales — and I don’t care what you’re selling — is just figuring out how do I not sound like every other freaking sales rep that’s trying to earn their attention?” - Jen Allen Knuth, Founder, DemandJen 

Stand out by focusing on the prospect's specific situation rather than generic pitches: 

• Provide a unique POV to solving their problem, leveraging your position as a recruiter to share differentiated market insights 
• Use a consultative approach, asking thoughtful questions and providing insights
• Demonstrate that you've done your homework on their company and industry

Don’t be short-sighted; build long-term relationships

Things are changing quickly, but maintaining a long-term focus is key — especially when it comes to building relationships. 

If you want to position yourself as a true strategic partner and talent advisor, you need to focus on understanding the client's long-term goals and challenges, not just their immediate hiring needs. 

Address objections proactively

“Call out the elephant in the room. If you think a company is resistant to change for a specific reason, lead with that and then give them a window into how another company ultimately overcame it.” - Jen Allen Knuth, Founder, DemandJen 

You can’t pretend that objections and challenges don’t exist. Rather than trying to ignore them (or hope they won’t come up on sales calls), get ahead of them. Bonus? You’ll build trust in the process. 

Identify common objections — for example: reluctance to outsource recruiting, fears around your specific expertise in the clients’ niche, etc. — and address them upfront.

• Share stories of how you helped other clients overcome similar concerns
• Position yourself as a partner in problem-solving rather than just a service provider

Continuous learning & improvement is the name of the game

We’re going to sound like a broken record by the end of this guide, but modern recruitment and sales are both shifting…super rapidly. Staying up-to-date on market trends and being willing & able to adapt to these shifts in real-time is critical. 

Keep your ears to the ground & your eyes on the prize

• Stay updated on industry trends and best practices in both recruiting and sales
• Regularly seek feedback from clients and lost prospects to improve your approach — people are often surprisingly willing to offer honest feedback when asked
• Invest in developing your business acumen to have more strategic conversations with clients (good news for ya: by reading this guide, you’re already on the right track!) 

Conduct regular win-loss analyses 

Understanding why you lose deals is just as important as understanding why you win. Jen’s biggest piece of advice to anyone starting their sales journey is to regularly review won and lost opportunities to identify patterns. 

Not sure how to conduct a proper win-loss analysis? We’ve got you covered. Here are the questions you need to ask: 

• Who is involved in the deal? 
• When did they get involved?
• How were they introduced?
• What was the source of the deal (e.g., cold call, email, referral)?
• What is the overall conversion rate per source? Is one channel stronger than another? 

Becoming a Prospecting Powerhouse by Harnessing the Power of AI

Ah, everyone’s favorite buzzword: AI. It’s no secret that artificial intelligence and automation have rapidly changed the game across industries. 

This AI-driven world that we live in naturally introduces a lot of questions and fears — but it also presents opportunities for recruiters to move up the value chain, becoming true talent advisors and strategic partners.

At the same time, disillusionment with tech has grown in the past year. It makes sense. We're all getting sick of: 

• Spending too much money on tech that just isn't cutting it anymore. 
• Getting sold "AI products" that are *actually* just ChatGPT integrations. 
• Losing important data insights because our tech isn't intuitive, user-friendly, or reliable.

One of the most important things you can do to set yourself up for success in the year ahead is to evaluate your tech and ask: Is this really working for me? Am I leveraging this effectively and getting the most out of it, or is it just another thing I have to manage?

We had Kyle Coleman, CMO at Copy.ai, share some insights on how recruiters can leverage AI for business development — Kyle is an incredible resource when it comes to effective outreach, building stronger messaging, and audience/market research. And with his tips, you’ll be well on your way to being not just a hiring machine, but a revenue machine. 

The prospecting Venn diagram

According to Kyle, effective messaging in recruitment business development consists of four key elements:

‍Account research

This involves understanding the company you’re targeting at a granular level, including industry trends and unique challenges the company faces. Go beyond surface-level information and delve into:

• Macro industry trends
• The company’s unique position in the market
• Recent developments and growth trajectory

Persona understanding

Kyle stresses, "You need to understand the metrics they are accountable for and the internal politics and organizational structure." Know the role you’re recruiting for or the decision-maker you’re targeting:

• Key metrics they’re accountable for
• Internal organizational structure
• Their professional motivations and challenges

Personal knowledge

Research the individual (in business development, this is the decision-maker at the organization you’re targeting, in recruitment, this would be the candidate):

• Career history and progression
• Professional achievements
• Areas of expertise and interest

Your value proposition

Clearly articulate how your recruitment services address the specific needs identified in your research. Your value proposition must be tailored, precise, and connected to the insights gathered from the first three pillars.

These four components form a Venn diagram — and the intersection is where powerful messaging happens.

Relevance vs. personalization

“Fundamentally what we’re doing is we are getting people’s attention and we’re convincing them to take action. Bottom line, that’s the foundation.” - Kyle Coleman, CMO, Copy.ai 

Relevance and personalization can often be confused. The reality is they’re similar, but not the same — and understanding the difference (and how to leverage each) is important. 

Focus on relevance in your initial outreach:

• Use the first line of your message to demonstrate your research and understanding
• Connect your value proposition to the recipient’s professional context
• Save personal details (hobbies, interests) for building rapport during later interactions

AI-powered research and outreach

“The reason I’m bullish on AI powered SDRs is because now AI is very good at those research steps. So now you can codify your best practices for research using AI and you can replicate that over and over and over again for every account or every person or everybody that you are researching.” - Kyle Coleman, CMO, Copy.ai 

AI doesn’t have to be the enemy — and when you leverage it throughout your process, you can actually make it your competitive advantage. 

Utilize AI tools to streamline your audience research and outreach process:

• Automate the gathering of account, persona, and personal information
• Generate initial drafts of outreach messages based on your research — which you can then go through and add the human touch to, taking them to the next level
• Identify relevant talking points and potential pain points

The human touch in AI-assisted recruitment

“Leverage AI, but you can’t strip the humanity out of your process. If you just push a button and expect everything to be on autopilot, why would that work? Your expertise is the most important thing.”  - Kyle Coleman, CMO, Copy.ai 

Remember that AI is a tool to enhance, not replace, human interaction. Use AI to get 80% there in your research and message creation — and then spend the time saved on adding the crucial human element to your outreach. 

Beyond that, focus on higher-level, strategic thinking in your business development efforts. 

Practical application of AI in recruitment bizdev

Let’s make this a bit more practical. How can you actually start using AI today in your workflow — whether in business development or standard recruitment? 

Implement AI-powered workflows for:

‍Account intelligence

• Analyze hiring patterns, growth areas, and challenges
• Identify relevant news, product launches, and industry trends

Contact intelligence

• Analyze work history, skills, and professional interests
• Identify potential talking points and areas of alignment with your opportunities

Outreach creation

• Generate tailored email sequences based on your research
• Follow best practices for email structure and content

AI-driven productivity gains

In the realm of business development, AI can increase your productivity. Kyle explains that in sales development, AI has allowed one SDR to support more account executives. 

He envisions similar productivity gains in recruiting, enabling recruiters to place more candidates per month — with the ones who still put an emphasis on quality standing out on top. 

"The power of this is that the people who do the volume stuff and completely AI recruiting will get bad candidates. Being efficient *and* providing the best quality candidates is going to biome your competitive advantage.” - Kyle Coleman, CMO, Copy.ai 

Codifying processes with AI

Learning how to effectively prompt AI is challenging, akin to learning a new language. Kyle advises focusing on your domain expertise and processes. "The true transformational value is taking your domain expertise and using purpose-built software to codify that with AI," he says.

Focus on leveraging purpose-built AI tools that align with your recruitment and bizdev strategies, rather than becoming an expert prompt engineer.

Key takeaways for recruiters 

AI doesn’t have to be the enemy. By integrating these AI-powered strategies into your business development efforts, you can enhance both the efficiency and effectiveness of your outreach —  ultimately leading to better client relationships and candidate placements.

“Who” Matters: The Power of a Personal Brand in Selling

It’s no secret that the digital landscape today is extremely crowded — and finding ways to stand out in the middle of all that noise should be your primary concern when creating new content. 

The first question that needs to come to mind is whether or not the content you’re producing is valuable. 

→ Is this the kind of thing your audience will actually want to hear? That they’ll either be entertained or educated by?

→ Is it being created in a format that they will consume, and coming from a voice they trust? 

When it comes to the second point, the concept of founder-led motions or leveraging employees as subject matter experts starts to come into play. 

By implementing these founder-led strategies, recruiters can differentiate themselves in a crowded market, build stronger relationships with clients, and adapt more quickly to changing market conditions.

Remember, the goal is to be seen as a trusted advisor in your field, not just another service provider.

What even are founder-led sales and marketing? 

Founder-led sales: Acquiring customers without a repeatable process or clear offer, often in the early stages of a business or during market shifts.

Founder-led marketing: Becoming the chief evangelist for your company, creating and distributing content that positions you as an expert in your field.

What are the benefits of founder-led strategies? 

• Builds trust and familiarity with prospects
• Establishes credibility and expertise
• Creates philosophical alignment with potential clients
• Shortens sales cycles
• Improves quality of conversations

Megan Bowen, CEO at Refine Labs, gave us some tips on how to conceptualize and execute on founder-led strategies.

How to implement founder-led marketing

“As the founder, you effectively become like the chief evangelist for your company. You become the face of your company.” Megan Bowen, CEO at Refine Labs 

Content production 

• Dedicate 1-2 hours per week on this to start. 
• This can look like recording podcasts or video content, writing thoughtful content, hosting live events, etc. 
• This content can then be sliced & diced, edited down into smaller segments, and repurposed.

Content distribution

• Pick the channel where your audience is spending their time. For recruiters and recruiting organizations, professional social media platforms are a natural place to start when it comes to distributing your content — because it’s where both candidates and clients are likely spending a lot of time. 
• Megan’s recommendation is posting 2-3 times per week consistently and investing other time in a connection strategy. 
• This can look like spending just 10 minutes a day engaging with other thought leaders in your space, commenting on other posts, sending connection requests, and so on. 

How to implement founder-led sales tactics

• Stay involved in sales calls to maintain market pulse
• Adapt your offer based on market conditions — in Megan’s words: “We need to re-figure out what does the market need right now? What will they buy? What do they really need? How do we reposition what we offer?”
• Be willing to turn away prospects that aren't a good fit — approach discovery calls with the mentality that you’re not there to convince the prospect to hire you, but rather to uncover if working together is going to be the right fit for both parties. 
• Continuously refine your sales process

Balancing founder involvement

There’s a time and a place for founder-led strategies. Megan’s advice to founders is: 

• Recognize when to step back into sales during market shifts when your audience may need a bit more education and change management 
• Delegate when possible, but maintain involvement in key areas that drive results 
• Balance time spent in the business vs. on the business

On that note…

Not a founder but want to start creating thought leadership content? 

Personal branding isn’t just for founders or leadership teams. In fact, founder-led marketing & sales are just the tip of the iceberg. Getting the rest of your team members involved can help boost your entire organization’s credibility, and create more opportunities for your name to get out there. 

Employee advocacy and SMEs 

Influencer marketing is all the rage these days — in fact, one of LinkedIn's big predictions for 2025 was a rise in influencer marketing, across all industries. 

We know what you're thinking: "Great, now I have to hire influencers for our company?" 

More likely, you've already got a Stealth Influencer on your team, in the form of a Subject Matter Expert (SME). (Or maybe you yourself are the Stealth Influencer! So stealth that you didn't even know — now that’s impressive.) 

SMEs are the BEST kinds of influencers, because they know their stuff and when they share, people want to listen. 

You've likely got a handful of SMEs on your team — people who know how to leverage your product in interesting ways, are extremely passionate, and are willing to share their knowledge. 

If you set them up with the right skills, tools, and time they need to start sharing their POV, you'll be able to start creating top-tier "influencer" content that stands out from the crowd of partnership posts from people who have barely even used the product. 

Want to start implementing an employee advocacy strategy at your organization? 

• Encourage team members to develop their own LinkedIn presence
• Provide training and support for content creation
• Educate team members on the long-term benefits inherent to building a personal brand: 
  
  • Builds transferable skills for career growth
  • Establishes a personal brand beyond your current role
  • Positions you as an expert in the recruitment field

Key takeaways for recruiters

“Play the long game with this. There are a lot of reasons to integrate these types of strategies and tactics into your day to day.” Megan Bowen, CEO, Refine Labs 

• Establish and differentiate yourself through thought leadership content
• If not you, equip the founder or leadership team of your organization with what they need to begin posting thought leadership content, as well
• Look within your organization to identify SMEs who you can encourage to develop a personal brand 
• Focus on solving strategic problems for your clients, not just filling roles
• Be selective with clients to build a strong reputation
• Be willing to adapt your services to meet changing market needs

Warming Up Your Cold Outreach (No Microwave Required) 

Cold outreach is not for the faint of heart…but as a recruiter, you’re used to putting yourself out there. 

The important thing to keep in mind is strategy — and as times change, so must your strategy. Figuring out the who, what, when, where, and why of how you reach out to both potential clients and candidates is key to a successful outreach strategy. 

Part of that means leveraging a multi-channel approach — using a combination of LinkedIn, email, phone calls, and texting. 

We’ve gathered expert strategies for each of these mediums, with practical tips on how to find the right approach for and knock it out of the park. 

You used to call me on my cell phone…

Okay, here are the cold, hard facts: 

Cold calling effectiveness has decreased by about 10% each year since 2014. 

With that said, William Burry, Chief Revenue Officer at VXT (an integrated VoIP phone system provider) says cold calling is far from a thing of the past. 

“Sales is getting harder,” he says, “but interestingly, BDRs and SDRs whose primary channel is calling see about a 1.4 times increase in the amount of quality conversations per day as opposed to email-centric salespeople.”

So for any LinkedIn post you’ve seen that says “cold calling is dead,” there’s definitely still something to be said for this medium — and many say that it’s actually coming back thanks to the increasingly crowded digital landscape. 

Before the call

Research & relevance remain king 

The general tips we talked about in the last section are still critical when it comes to cold calling, specifically. 

• Research the prospect's business and any personal information you can thoroughly before making the call 
• Be prepared to reference specific information — such as their applicant tracking system or current hiring needs — on the call
• Even minor personalization that demonstrates you’re not just calling people at random can significantly improve engagement

Meet prospects where they are

 Remember what we said about building a personal brand? Here’s where you start to reap the benefits of that. 

First, you need to understand which channels your prospects prefer or where they’re showing up. Then, you invest the time in developing an omnichannel presence to build familiarity before calling. When you’re actually on the call, it shifts the dynamic from “Who is this, and why are they calling me?” to “Actually, I’ve been seeing your name out there — I’m curious about what you’ve got to offer.” 

Ensure data accuracy 

“It’s all about calling the right people — and you need the right phone number to do that, right? So it’s huge that you focus on the data you have and make sure those 40 calls are the most effective calls they can be.” - William Burry, Chief Revenue Officer at VXT

Cold calling is a grind — and it can be easy for an entire day to slip away with unfruitful calls with prospects or candidates who were never going to be a good fit. You want to make sure your time is being used as effectively as possible — and that begins with reliable data. 

• Use proven, reliable data sources like Loxo, ZoomInfo, Apollo, or industry-specific platforms
• Focus on obtaining direct numbers rather than general intake lines — personal phone numbers are even better 
• Consider calling from a mobile number or local area code for better response rates — there are tons of tools that offer this capability 

On the call

Don't skip discovery

Just because you’ve done your research doesn’t mean there’s nothing for you to learn when the time comes for the call. 

To make sure the dynamic stays mutual and conversational, don’t assume the prospect is the only one with something to learn. Ask open-ended questions to understand the prospect's current situation. 

Example questions:

• "What's going well today? What's not going well?”
• "If you could change one thing about your process, what would it be?"
• “What’s holding you back from making that change?” 

Leave the right voicemail

We know — just the word “voicemail” can send a shiver down your spine. If you’re going to leave a voicemail, you want to make sure you’re doing it the right way. 

• Don’t leave a voicemail that’s just a pitch — the goal is the get the prospect on an actual discovery call
• You may even want to consider leaving voicemails only on the last call of a sequence, when prospects are already engaged with your content or you’ve already made a point of connection 
• If you’re going to leave a voicemail sooner, keep it short, high-level, and conversational — no pitching! 

After the call 

Practice makes progress

Actors rehearse for a reason. And soon-to-be world famous singers practice their harmonies in the shower, using a brush as a microphone, for the same reason: It takes time and effort to develop confidence in yourself and your capabilities. 

• Set aside time to review and analyze your calls
• Practice with colleagues to improve handling objections in real-time 
• Use call recording software to listen back and identify areas for improvement

Continuously innovate

“Don’t be afraid to try new things. The sales landscape is constantly changing. What worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. So always look to innovate and improve on the current processes and what you’re doing today.” - William Burry, Chief Revenue Officer at VXT

Innovation is the name of the game — you need to be open to trying new approaches as the sales landscape evolves, testing different strategies and comparing results to your benchmarks along the way. 

I hope this email finds you well

Just like cold calling isn’t dead, emailing isn’t either — it’s just a matter of finding out how to stand out in crowded inboxes. 

Research and relevance (surprised?) 

We’re going to sound like a broken record again, but before crafting your email, you’ve got to conduct thorough research on both the company and the individual you’re reaching out to.

‍Use tools like:

• 10-K reports for public companies
• Job postings
• Social media profiles
• Company news and press releases

‍The goal is to understand:

• The company’s current challenges and goals
• The individual’s career journey and responsibilities
• Industry trends affecting the prospect

Another important piece of background work you’ll want to get into before sending cold emails is diving into email deliverability (Sorry, not fun, we know). 

Email deliverability has been a hot topic lately — especially in light of some recent changes like Google’s new spam updates and a growing emphasis on privacy. 

The good news is that we did a deep dive (like, really deep) into all things email deliverability so that you don’t have to → Check out The Recruiter’s Guide to Email Deliverability. 

Crafting the perfect email

The subject line & sender

The subject line and sender of your email are the first thing anyone sees of your message — which is why you want to make sure you’re extremely strategic with this prime real estate. 

If possible, if there’s someone internal (like your founder, CEO, or some other familiar name) that your audience may already have awareness of, sending your email from that name can help your message stand out in the inbox. 

Regarding the subject line: 

• Keep it concise and relevant
• Avoid generic phrases like “Quick question” or “Following up”
• Consider using the prospect’s name or company for personalization

The opening line

“The first line of the email, the goal of it is to say, ‘I did my research,’ and you want there to be some sort of meaningful showcase of the research that you did.” - Kyle Coleman, CMO, Copy.ai 

The first 18 words of your email are crucial. Use this space to demonstrate your research and grab attention. 

Example: “As a CMO who came up through SDR, you understand the importance of pipeline generation…”

The body

Especially when it comes to cold outreach, you need to make sure you’re not overstaying your welcome. 

• Keep your email short and to the point
• Focus on the prospect’s needs, not your services
• Use “you” more than “I” or “we”
• Highlight relevant challenges or opportunities specific to their situation

Example: “I noticed [Company] is expanding its sales team. Many firms in [Industry] are struggling with [specific challenge]. Have you considered [potential solution]?”

The call-to-action

Round out your email with a clear and simple CTA.

Examples:

• “Would you be open to a 15-minute call to discuss this further?”
• “Is this a challenge your team is currently facing?”

The signature

In your sign-off, include your full name, title, and company. This is your final display of credibility. 

Consider adding a link to your social profile or a recent relevant article you’ve written, to give the recipient more opportunities to learn more on their own time. 

The P.S. line

“While the main content of the email should focus on hyper-relevance, the PS can include personal touches, such as a shared interest or a noteworthy hobby.  This approach shows that you have done your homework without deviating from the main business message.” - Kyle Coleman, CMO, Copy.ai 

Add a little “PS” at the end of an email to go the extra mile and add a little personal touch. This is where you can show a bit more of the research you conducted, but making it a bit more personal rather than hyper-focused on the prospect’s business or their business challenges.  

‍Example: “P.S. I noticed you’re a fellow marathon runner. Good luck in your upcoming race!”

Personalization at scale

We get how difficult this all sounds — personalizing, while also maximizing your time and maintaining efficiency? It almost sounds like an impossible task. Striking the right balance is critical.

So while each email should feel personalized, you can create templates for specific industries or challenges. The key is to have enough variations that your outreach never feels generic. 

• Develop tailored messages for common scenarios in your target industries
• Use mail merge fields for basic personalization (name, company, title)
• Regularly update your templates based on response rates and feedback

Follow-up strategy

One email (even a really great one) won’t seal the deal. 

You need to plan a sequence of 3-5 follow-up emails: 

• Vary your approach in each follow-up (share a relevant article, mention a mutual connection, etc.)
• Space out your emails appropriately (3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks)

Leveraging technology

Using technology is kind of table stakes when it comes to striking the perfect balance between personalization and efficiency.  

Consider using AI-powered tools (like Loxo…wink wink) to:

• Generate research summaries on prospects
• Suggest personalization points based on available data
• Help craft email content that aligns with your brand voice and best practices

Remember, AI should augment your efforts, not replace the human touch.

Innovating and improving

When it comes to email, you’re going to want to make sure you track key metrics like open rates, response rates, and conversion rates. Regularly analyze what’s working and iterate on your approach as a result. 

For example: if your open rates are low, you might want to focus in on your subject line and sender. If your open rates are solid but your response rates are low, refine your messaging. 

And don’t forget: while email is powerful, integrating other channels to diversify your outreach can be the true difference-maker. 

Examples: 

• Use social platforms for initial connections and engagement
• Consider texting for established contacts (always ask permission first!)
• Phone calls can be effective for breaking through to hard-to-reach prospects

Sliding into DMs (respectfully)

It’s highly likely that, as a recruiter, your multi-channel approach will include professional social media. There is a lot of advice out there on how to use DMs to your advantage — but the reality is that we’re willing to bet you’ve got at least 10 unanswered messages that you haven’t even looked at (and probably won’t ever). 

We chatted with the GOAT of Social, Morgan J. Ingram (a multiple-time Top Sales Voice with over 160,000 followers), to get all the best tips for conducting business development on the platform in 2025.

The power of personal branding

Despite initial hesitation, after experimenting, Morgan has found that consistent, valuable content creation led to increased authority and credibility in the long run. And he’s not alone! We hear stories every day from recruiters, founders, and beyond who have established credibility in their unique space or niche by posting more frequently. 

A lot of people have trepidation about posting thought leadership content — for reasons ranging from embarrassment or fear of rejection to not knowing where to start, feeling like someone else is more qualified, and beyond. 

Like we said in our section on Employee advocacy and SMEs, overcoming fears of judgment and focusing on providing value consistently to build your personal brand can be a game-changer. 

If you’re wondering where to start, think through these prompts: 

• What kinds of content are people in your space whose platforms you love following sharing? What about their content do you like? 
• Think about your day-to-day process — are there any elements of your workflow that may be surprising or helpful to others? 
• Do you have a unique POV on an aspect of your role, the market, etc.? 
• What’s an area of expertise that you’d feel confident engaging with ongoing conversations that may or may not already be playing out on LinkedIn?
• Share personal experiences and insights beyond just business advice — discuss personal growth, lifestyle choices, and interests to create a more relatable persona

Pro tip: If you’re not ready to start posting your own content, dabbling in leaving thoughtful comments on other people’s content can be a great place to start — and can be a launching pad to determining what your own content could look like. 

Effective (and surprising) social sales strategies

Morgan shared some of his top tips for conducting sales outreach on social media — some of them more surprising (and fun) than others. 

The Boomerang play

This play involves targeting individuals who work (or worked) at companies you've successfully worked with in the past, or companies that are similar to ones you’ve worked with in the past. The idea is to leverage this shared experience in your outreach. 

Example message: "You worked at [Company X]. I know you've probably experienced [specific training/process]. Here's how we're evolving that approach..."

The Surprise Step-Back

This one is very creative — because it’s low-hanging fruit that not a lot of people are taking advantage of. The idea here is to simply monitor who views your profile — and then reach out to relevant profile viewers with a unique message. 

Example message: "Hi [Name], I saw you viewed my profile. How can I help?"

Voice notes

An underutilized tool among all this talk about diversifying your approach? Voice notes. These demonstrate an extra level of personalization and intentionality — because there’s (at least not currently) a great way to automate these. 

Keep voice notes under 50 seconds for optimal engagement. 

Follow Jen Knuth’s 10-30-10 framework:

• First 10 seconds: Reason for reaching out
• Middle 30 seconds: Your value proposition
• Last 10 seconds: Call to action

Reply to the reply

Your prospects are likely engaging with other content — and if you’re able to engage with them in those places, you can take a less direct approach to getting their attention. 

• Engage with prospects by replying to their comments on other posts
• Focus on recent activity (within 1-2 months)
• Avoid spamming/commenting on multiple posts at a time to avoid appearing overly targeted in your approach

The bottom line

• Everyone is different — and different strategies will work with varying degrees of success for different people. Please feel free to test different approaches and adapt based on what works for your specific audience. 
• Focus on execution – implement the strategies you learn and identify to create a process around your outputs, rather than being willy-nilly with it.
• Always aim for authenticity in your content and interactions.

I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d swing by…

We’ve talked a lot about leveraging data, technology, and digital channels to conduct sales and business development activities…

But what about a good-old-fashioned pop-in or handwritten note? A lost art, if you ask us. 

Troy Munson, CEO @ Dimmo, is the king of in-person drop-offs — and he shared some of his top tips with us (lucky us, eh?). 

Leverage data and technology (stick with us…) 

I know — we just said that we were talking about old-fashioned, non-digital methods. But technology can actually help us execute on in-person tactics with a level of strategy and intentionality that was preciously impossible. 

You can use a CRM and other tools to track interactions and outcomes

• Analyze data to identify the most effective outreach methods for your target market
• Continuously refine your approach based on performance metrics

Non-digital bizdev tactics

In-person drop-offs

Troy himself has seen that in-person drop-offs have his highest success rate for booking sales meetings. He leverages his proximity to accounts (all within about 3 hours of his home), and will typically bring a treat like Crumbl cookies to the prospect’s office. 

If the prospect isn’t available, on the package, he leaves his name and number with a note saying it's for the XYZ team (whoever he’s hoping to meet with) at the company. He then follows up with an email either the same day or the following day.

For those with accounts all over the world, Troy suggests using your CRM to filter for headquarters closest to you (or each of your individual bizdev reps, if you have a larger team), and then focus your in-person efforts on these nearby accounts to see how they perform. 

Handwritten cards

Troy says that handwritten cards have helped him close deals several times — and he credits that to the fact that they show a level of intentionality and care that people really appreciate, especially with how rare it is these days. 

In-person events or conferences 

Events are back after a brief hiatus over the past few years — and there are some great opportunities to use them to your advantage, even if it’s just to get your name out there a bit and brush elbows with some movers & shakers. 

You don’t necessarily need to buy a booth at an event to make it worth your while — even just treating it as a networking opportunity and sending one to two members of your sales team can be impactful. 

ROI and scalability 

“A member of my team visited 23 different headquarters and got responses from 12 within the first day. Show me a cold email with that high of a response rate.” - Troy Munson, CEO @ Dimmo

We know what you’re thinking — in-person activities aren’t exactly scalable. But that’s kind of the point. In a world that automates everything, obviously non-scalable activities really stand out. 

So while these in-person activities may not be scalable, they often have a high ROI — enough to warrant experimenting with it, if you’re able.