Sales Leader Compass: April 22, 2025

What’s one thing top-performing sales teams are doing differently? They’re getting personal — at scale. While many sellers still rely on one-size-fits-all outreach, high performers are using data, insights, and AI tech to tailor every interaction — without burning out. In fact, B2B sellers who use AI to craft their outreach see an average 28% increase in buyer response rates, proving that personalization isn’t just more engaging — it’s more effective.

This edition of Sales Leader Compass, our bi-weekly newsletter designed to help sales leaders boost performance, breaks down why personalization at scale isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s a revenue driver. We’ll dive into how leading teams are using technology (including AI) to meet rising buyer expectations and share actionable strategies you can bring back to your team today.

If standing out in a sea of sameness is a priority for your team, this one’s for you. And as always, let us know what resonates. We’d love to hear from you!

Best, Dan Daly

Sr. Content Marketing Manager, LinkedIn

Why Personalization at Scale Matters More Than Ever

In a world where buyers are overwhelmed with noise, personalization isn’t just a competitive advantage — it’s a growth imperative. Personalization in B2B outreach goes far beyond just using someone’s name, title, or company. It demonstrates a clear understanding of a prospect's business context, role-specific priorities, and strategic initiatives — then tailoring your message with relevant signals, peer insights, and the right tone to make it genuinely resonate. It’s not about knowing their title, more about showing you understand their world.

According to McKinsey, companies that lead in personalization grow revenue 40% faster than their peers, and can reduce customer acquisition costs by half. For sales leaders, this isn’t theory — it's a pipeline. But buyers’ expectations are rising fast. Nearly three-quarters of B2B decision-makers now expect the same personalized experiences they get as consumers. And when sellers fail to deliver, buyers notice; McKinsey also found that 76% say they get frustrated when interactions feel generic or irrelevant.

For sales teams, this creates both a challenge and an opportunity. Scaling personalization means giving reps the data, insights, and tools they need to tailor outreach, timing, and messaging — without increasing their workload.

Personalization at scale helps sales teams:

• Stand out in crowded inboxes
• Improve engagement and conversion rates
• Build trust faster with the right message at the right time
• Drive efficiency by focusing effort where it matters most

In short, personalization at scale is the modern formula for both relevance and revenue.

In a recent conversation with Jess Peluso, CRO at HR Acuity, we explored how technology has transformed sales practices. Jess reminisced about the early days of sales when personalizing at scale meant using a headset instead of a handheld phone, a major shift at the time. 

Technology has come a LONG way since then and today’s buyers, more informed than ever, demand tailored interactions. To meet these expectations, sales teams must utilize the latest tools that provide deeper insights into their prospects’ needs and challenges—tools like AI. AI has emerged as a vital technology for enabling personalized outreach at scale. By harnessing its capabilities, sales teams can craft more relevant and impactful messages with greater efficiency. Traditional cold calling is effectively obsolete, with conversion rates languishing around a dismal 2%. In contrast, LinkedIn’s ROI of AI report revealed that B2B sellers who use AI to craft their outreach experience an average 28% increase in buyer response rates — driven by faster, more creative, and highly accurate personalization.

Practical Tips for Cutting Through the Noise

So, we know personalization is crucial, and technology can help scale it. But how do you turn this into practical action for your sales teams? In a recent conversation with LinkedIn Sales Insider Morgan Ingram and Annie Stankevich, they shared key insights on how to cut through the noise.

Morgan starts with a reality check: inboxes are flooded with long, impersonal messages. His advice? Keep it short, relevant, and different. “Everyone’s sending novels. Be the one who isn’t,” he said, encouraging brief, tailored messaging — and video when possible.

Annie agreed, recalling a short, 30-second video she opened. It stood out because it was personal, specific (referencing her LinkedIn profile), and respectful of her time.

For those not ready for video, they emphasized the importance of a compelling subject line and concise messaging — especially for mobile users. As Annie put it, “If it’s more than one swipe on my phone, I’m not going to read it.”

Here are some practical tips to bring back to your team:

1. Keep messages brief and personalized: Aim for short, specific messages that show you've done your homework.
2. Use video when possible: A 30-second personalized video can make a huge impact.
3. Craft compelling subject lines: The subject line should be intriguing, but also clear and to the point.
4. Be mindful of mobile users: Keep it short enough to be read in one swipe — if it’s more, it may not get read.
5. Rely on AI: Make life easy on yourself! Use the tools at your disposal to gather the necessary intel to write a compelling and short message, like Sales Navigator.

Whether you’re leading a team or prospecting daily, their take is clear: personalization isn’t about writing more — it’s about showing you’ve done your homework, respecting your buyer’s time, and using every tool (including video) to make every message matter!