Why your outreach isn’t getting a response (and how to fix it)

You’re not being ignored because your offer stinks.

You’re being ignored because your outreach looks and feels just like everyone else’s.

If you’re a founder or marketing leader running a service business, you know the pain. You slog through another week of “Hey, checking in” emails, mass LinkedIn InMails, and content that never gets read, let alone remembered. 

Let’s fix that.

Why effort matters more than volume in modern B2B

Everyone’s automating outreach these days.

Research from Martal shows that generic, low-effort outreach often struggles to achieve even a 2% response rate in B2B, with some campaigns converting as low as 0.2%.

Now, think about the last time someone went out of their way just to connect with you. Maybe sent you an interesting link, or dropped off a gift at your office. 

Different ballgame, right? Suddenly, you’re paying attention.

That’s the core of costly signalling. When you put real, visible effort into your outreach, it doesn’t just say “I want your business.” It says, “I respect your time, I understand your problems, and I’m not here to waste either of them.”

You want your outreach to mean something? Make it cost something.

The art of bespoke outreach (and how it impacts your bottom line)

Let’s get practical. If you want to break into a crowded account, stop thinking you can buy your way in with another listicle or generic “value add”.

Instead, try one of these:

• Send a personal delivery tied to the prospect’s context (perhaps a book their CEO mentioned in an interview, not a branded mug)
• Record a 90-second video teardown of their website, with specific, actionable feedback
• Create a custom project proposal that acknowledges their business model and recent wins or losses

Why does this work? Because these moves aren’t cheap in time or effort. It shows you’re investing first.

We’ve watched companies see a 3-5x jump in response rates when they commit to just one meaningful touchpoint instead of ten mindless “follow-up” cold emails.

Where most get it wrong

Let’s be clear. Costly signalling does not mean dropping thousands of dollars on the first shiny video agency or sending out branded swag to every name in your CRM.

That’s not a strategy.

Invest selectively. Look for deals that matter (stuck proposals, dream clients, or renewal conversations that move the revenue needle).

Pour your effort in there. Let the rest go.

If you’re not sure where to start, try this:

• Find one deal that’s been stuck for 30+ days
• Research what matters to that contact right now (hint: it’s rarely your pitch deck)
• Design a single high-effort signal (physical delivery, in-depth teardown, or even an honest LinkedIn voice note tackling something they care about)

In other words, be strategic about where you add cost.

Test it on your stickiest deals (before you overhaul the whole playbook)

You don’t need to nuke your entire system to see if costly signalling works. Just pilot it.

Grab one of those “maybe next quarter” deals sitting in your CRM.

Now, send something so tailored, so obviously non-automated, that the contact can’t help but wonder if you’ve got inside information.

Measure what happens. Emails get replies. Calls get booked. Suddenly, people who ghosted you are making time.

If you see traction, you know what to do: double down. Not everywhere, but where it counts.

The bottom line: quality over quantity, every time

Here’s what most founders get wrong about outreach (and growth in general):

• Broadcasting more noise doesn’t earn you trust, it gets you tuned out
• If your outreach doesn’t feel “costly” to you, it definitely doesn’t feel valuable to your prospects
• Predictable pipeline comes from a few high-intent, high-quality signals, not a pile of cheap touchpoints
• Time and effort are better invested where they show, not everywhere at once

It’s not about being everywhere. It’s about being memorable somewhere.

If you want your outreach to stand out and work harder for you, we can help you build and run it. Let’s chat.

Jason Bagley Founder, Growth Experts

I'm a business builder, the founder of Growth Experts, sometimes public speaker, and a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Mostly though, I’m just a dad to Eva & Cruz and a husband to Karina.