Why personal attention always works (and not just on Valentine's Day!)

My dearest sales rep ❤️,

Valentine's Day, a day filled with love, affection and surprises, reminds us that genuine connections and sincere attention are invaluable. And guess what? This is true not only in the world of romance but also in doing business and performing acquisition activities. As we are inundated by a flood of generic emails and messages seeking to convince us of a company's fantastic solutions, the question lingers: how many times have we opened these messages and seriously considered taking up the offer? Usually, they end up directly in the spam folder or are deleted without hesitation. And why? Because they don't match our needs at the time.

Why generic acquisition fails

The traditional approach to acquisition often falls short for several reasons. Instead of a personal greeting, emails often begin with an impersonal "Hi <%Name>," followed by a pitch that seems more focused on promoting the company than on understanding the recipient's needs. The message almost always misses what the offer means to the recipient and thus does not resonate. This type of acquisition does not work because it does not touch the reader, not on an emotional level and certainly not on a level that fits their current challenges or needs.

Shooting with buckshot: Constant mush of irritation

The problem with mass acquisition is that you shoot with buckshot, which never results in high conversion rates. It actually results in high levels of irritation among potential customers. You haphazardly shoot arrows, hoping to hit something or someone. But instead of achieving the desired results, you waste time, effort and resources on a strategy that doesn't work. Instead, it's much more effective to be targeted, delve into the needs and challenges of your target audience and then offer genuine personal attention. Never to sell something in the first message but rather to build a relationship.

Negative brand association: Get rid of intrusiveness

Impersonal approaches and mass acquisition can create negative associations with your brand. The recipient will perceive the constant stream of generic messages as intrusive and irritating, which can lead to a decrease in brand value in the eyes of potential customers. If, as a company, you don't even bother to make a real connection with your target audience and instead take a "shoot with buckshot" approach, this can lead to a loss of credibility and respect.

The power of sincere personal attention: Just like with valentines

Instead of shooting buckshot, it is essential to take the time to immerse yourself in your potential customers and the needs of their business, understand their issues and really connect with them. This does not mean you should never sell at the initial contact stage, but shift your focus from selling to building relationships. By showing genuine interest and being open to the conversation with your target audience, you build valuable relationships that ultimately lead to long-term partnerships, customer loyalty and successful acquisition.

Whereas previously, the telephone was used to call someone haphazardly, abusive e-mail marketing and social media invites have made it very easy to reach many people quickly. The actual impact of these activities is still very low if not 0.

Valentine's Day reminds us that genuine attention and connection are invaluable, not only in love but also in doing business. For now, stop with the "quick fix" and "shoot with buckshot" approach and consider how you prefer to be approached instead. Work on a good story, select your target group carefully, start from your own strengths and pay sincere personal attention to another person. It takes more time and effort, but the long-term result is priceless.

So dear sales representative, thank you on behalf of your spam recipients ❤️