One system · Outbound
Outbound works better when you have a reason to reach out.
Fimiliar combines account targeting, buyer signals and existing Fimiliarity to make outreach more relevant.
01Cold or warm
The same first message, sent cold and sent warm.
Cold outbound starts from a list. Warm outbound starts from a reason. Same sender, same reader, same offer.
Illustrative · the names and the post are invented
Cold · struck through
Sent because Sam was on a list.
To Sam, managing partner
Hi Sam, loved your profile! I help professional services leaders like you win more clients with AI-powered growth. Do you have 15 minutes this week? Here's my calendar.
- "Loved your profile." Proof you did not dig.
- "15 minutes and a calendar." A commitment asked of someone with no reason to give it.
Warm · circled
Sent because Sam did something.
To Sam, managing partner
Hi Sam, your comment under Thursday's post on scope creep stuck with me, especially the point about fixed fees punishing the firms that ask better questions. We have been having the same argument internally for a month. Has it changed how you price discovery work, or is it still a fight with procurement?
- The reason, first. It names what Sam actually did, and when.
- A question, not a calendar. Easy to answer, and easy to say no to.
People aren't sick of outbound. They're just sick of being a number.
02How we approach it
How Fimiliar approaches outbound.
Five steps. Most of the work happens before the first message.
- 01
Identify the right market.
The firms you want to win, and the people in them who decide.
- 02
Watch for relevant behaviour.
Replies, comments, downloads, job changes, hiring, company news.
- 03
Prioritise stronger opportunities.
Recent beats accumulated: yesterday's comment before last quarter's likes.
- 04
Use context when starting conversations.
The first line names the reason. No reason, no message.
- 05
Track what turns into meetings.
Replies go straight to you, and each one shapes what comes next.
How we run it · the house rules
- Known first Content and engagement build the relationship before anyone is contacted.
- No reason, no message The opener names something the person engaged with, or a change anyone can see.
- Effort is the compliment If your personalisation is the first line of their bio, delete it.
- A short, capped sequence A few messages, then we stop.
- Replies go to you The conversation belongs to the person whose name is on it.
It is slower to start than cold. Aim for a first meeting within 4 to 8 weeks of onboarding.
AI doing the boring stuff, never the bonding stuff.
03Why Fimiliarity comes first
The shortlist is decided before anyone calls.
-
90%
of buyers choose a vendor that was already on their day-one shortlist.
Source Bain & Company and Google buyer survey, reported in Harvard Business Review, September 2022.Base: 1,208 US business buyers, cross-category. Applying it to services is our own reading.
-
13 + 9
people inside a company, and nine outside it, shape a business buying decision.
The buying group · thirteen inside the company, nine outside it. Source Forrester, "The State of Business Buying, 2026".Base: nearly 18,000 global business buyers. Average across purchase types, not services-specific.
04Why context first
Stop treating every prospect the same.
One prospect
Never heard of you.
Is different from someone who:
- Read your content.
- Visited your website.
- Commented twice.
- Changed roles.
- Downloaded a guide.
- Attended an event.
- Engaged with your company repeatedly.
Your outreach should know the difference.
05In the system
Outbound is how the system activates.
06Questions
What partners ask about outbound.
Short answers about how we start conversations.
What's the difference between warm and cold outbound?
Cold outbound contacts people who do not know you, on a schedule, with much the same message for everyone. Warm outbound contacts people who already know your name, because they have read your content, replied, attended an event or engaged repeatedly, and it starts from a specific reason to talk. Fimiliar's outbound is warm and signal-led: it reaches out when something changes.
What is relationship-led outbound?
Outbound that starts from a relationship rather than a list. Identify the right market, watch for relevant behaviour, prioritise the stronger opportunities, use that context when starting a conversation, and track what turns into meetings. It is how Fimiliar runs outbound, led by co-founder and CEO Cathleen Vermaak-Nisbet, with content and engagement building the relationship before anyone is contacted.
How do I book meetings on LinkedIn without spamming people?
Reach out only when you have a reason, and say what it is. Get known first by publishing and engaging where your buyers already are. Watch for a change, such as a new role, a reply or repeated engagement with your posts. Then send one specific message about that change instead of a sequence. Fewer, better-timed messages keep you welcome in someone's inbox.
Cold email or LinkedIn: which works better for B2B services?
Neither on its own; the context matters more than the channel. LinkedIn suits a first conversation, because a buyer can see who you are, what you publish and who you know in common. Email works better once there is something to follow up: a reply, an event, a download or a previous conversation. Fimiliar chooses the channel by the signal, not the sequence.
What are the alternatives to cold outreach for a consulting firm?
Outreach that follows a signal instead of a list, backed by the work that makes you known first: content from your partners, engagement in the conversations your buyers join, PR, events and GEO (generative engine optimisation), which gets your firm named in AI answers. Then you contact people when something changes. The alternative to cold is not silence; it is having a reason to get in touch.
Next step
Better timing. Better context. Better conversations.
Thirty minutes on your firm and the clients you want to win, to see if you qualify.