“Hello Audo.”

We have all received them: the unsolicited email or sponsored LinkedIn message, complete with a call to action and something to sell. They often arrive with no context, little tailoring and painfully poor personalisation: “Hi <insert first name>”.

Despite being widely ignored, automated outreach keeps going. CRM systems generate an avalanche of data, but often miss the most important metric: is anyone actually responding?

We had experimented with it too: high volumes of prospects, AI-generated copy, carefully timed messages and the assumption that enough activity would eventually produce a lead. And sometimes it does. But it began to feel like a numbers game rather than a genuine way of doing business.

The question became: what does algorithmic communication say about our culture, our people and the way we want to work? For us, the answer was clear: we needed a different approach.

We decided that less is more.

Rather than pursuing large lists, we focus on a smaller number of people and brands we genuinely want to know. We do our homework first – including using good LLM tools where useful – then approach people as humans, ideally face to face.

The aim is not to launch immediately into a pitch. It is to understand their culture, values, ambitions, pressures and challenges; to introduce colleagues, exchange experiences and share something genuinely useful or thought-provoking.

The real opportunity lies in building personal relationships and understanding the people, businesses and brands we hope to work with.

This is hardly a radical idea, yet it is much harder to execute than sending a generic campaign at scale. Relationship-building takes time, curiosity and patience – and it asks us to accept that chemistry cannot be automated.

Sometimes a connection develops quickly. Other times, however much you admire the individual, company or opportunity, it simply does not click. There may be a workaround; there may not. You have to accept that not every conversation will become a relationship or a piece of work.

This jump has enabled me to engage a manageable number of potential clients properly. I am no longer hoping something sticks; I am nurturing relationships with care and intent.

Over time, new contacts get to know me, our company, our values and how we work. Case studies, proposals and production plans can come later. First, they need to understand whether we will fit their business, go the extra mile and stand alongside them when things get difficult.

Those are the conversations worth starting – not whether they would like to see our latest AI tool.

Trust your instincts and return to first principles. Think about how you have formed meaningful connections throughout your life: through curiosity, generosity, shared experiences and genuine interest.

I doubt the answer is buried in a long PowerPoint deck full of graphs and charts.