Transforming Your Sales Approach

Why persistence alone won’t cut it – today’s sales game is about timing, trust, and knowing who’s already interested.

By Besnik Vrellaku

There was a time when cold outreach ruled the sales playbook. You’d load a contact list, fire off a batch of emails, and hope for the best. It was a numbers game built on volume, not relevance. That approach might have worked when inboxes were emptier and buyers less savvy, but the landscape has changed. In face, according to research by Hunter.io 73% of decision makers say personalisation is important.

Today’s prospects are well-informed, busier than ever, and far less patient with irrelevant outreach. If you’re still relying on sheer persistence to fill your pipeline, you’re not just outdated, you’re invisible.

What’s working now is a shift from cold to warm, from quantity to quality, and from guessing who might bite to knowing who’s already interested. The most effective teams aren’t asking who they can reach; they’re asking why their message matters when they do.

Data and AI have redefined the first touchpoint

Cold calls and emails still have a role, but they can’t be your default. At a minimum, outreach must be personalised at scale, and that requires intelligent data use. AI-driven platforms now help sales reps identify patterns, understand buyer intent signals, and engage at the right moment. That first touchpoint should feel less like a sales pitch and more like a relevant continuation of something the buyer’s already thinking about.

Research by McKingsley indicates that those that invest in AI are seeing a revenue uplift of 3 to 15% and a sales ROI uplift of 10 to 20%.

Trust and credibility are also under the microscope. Buyers are sceptical, especially when they’re being pitched by companies they’ve never heard of. Outreach that references mutual connections, recent activity, or timely market triggers stands out, because it feels considered. That’s the bar now, your first impression needs to feel warm, even when it’s technically cold.

Building warmth before you ever say hello

The best sales teams are warming up their prospects long before any direct contact happens. They’re using targeted content, educational material, and thoughtful engagement across channels like LinkedIn or niche communities. By the time a message lands in someone’s inbox, it shouldn’t feel intrusive - it should feel like a natural next step.

AI is making it easier to spot which leads are heating up. Smart sales teams are combining those insights with strategies like social selling, content engagement, and value-driven interactions that build trust over time.

Community is the new frontline

Sales reps are showing up where prospects already spend time, think Slack groups, Linkedin communities, industry forums, newsletters and events. The goal isn’t to pitch in these spaces, it’s to participate, provide value, and build familiarity, so that when outreach happens, you’re not a stranger with a sales target, you’re a recognised name in the room.

Content plays a huge role here too - whether it’s short-form video, a useful post, or industry insights, the content you share becomes your pre-sales pitch. It builds trust at scale and helps you stay top of mind without being pushy.

According to the 2022 Linkedin State of Sales report, top-performing salespeople are twice as likely to have expanded their LinkedIn network in the past year (53%) compared with their average peers (25%.) It shows that being disengaged with the community you’re selling to just isn’t an option anymore.

Alignment is the engine of warm lead generation

Sales, marketing, and product can’t operate in silos anymore. Moving from cold to warm leads demands full alignment. Everyone needs to be working off the same hymn sheet, saying the same thing, and moving in the same direction.

If marketing spots a spike in traffic from a specific sector, sales should be prepped to act. If the product team rolls out a feature that solves a known pain point, the messaging across every touchpoint should reflect that. AI tools now surface this intelligence and help sales teams stay synchronised in real time.

It’s still people who close deals

Tech doesn’t replace talent, it amplifies it. AI can highlight signals and suggest timing, but it’s up to the sales rep to use good judgment, pick the right words, and build a real connection. The future belongs to those who can combine the precision of data with the instinct of human experience.

Salespeople now need to be both technically fluent and emotionally intelligent. It’s about knowing how to use the tools without losing your voice or your feel for the conversation.

Track what actually moves the needle

It’s time to stop chasing vanity metrics. In fact, Hubspot research shows that 40% of salespeople say prospecting is the most challenging part of the sales process, reporting particular struggles with engagement and qualification. Open rates and dial volume don’t reflect intent. What matters is engagement quality, deal speed, and where leads drop off. AI can point you to leading indicators, but it’s on your team to act on them effectively.

Repeat visits to high-value content, direct replies, and quick progression through the funnel are the kinds of signals you want to watch. The teams who win are the ones who read between the lines and fine-tune constantly based on real behaviour, not just activity.

Insight, alignment, and relevance

The shift to warm leads doesn’t mean abandoning what worked in the past. It means upgrading your approach with better timing, smarter insights, and a more thoughtful way to connect. AI gives sales teams a clearer view of the buyer journey, but it’s the reps who bring that view to life.

When cold outreach shows up informed, personalised, and timely, it becomes powerful again. Teams that align across functions, tap into real-time signals, and engage with relevance are turning cold starts into serious wins. In today’s market, that makes all the difference.

About the author

Besnik Vrellaku is the CEO and founder behind Salesflow.io, a leading force in Go-To-Market (GTM) software revolutionising B2B lead generation for SMEs using multi-channel sales technology and supporting over 10,000 users with modern prospecting solutions used by the likes of Hubspot, Hibob and Gocardless.

From Cold Outreach to Warm Leads: Transforming Your Sales Approach