In today’s newsletter, I’ll share how I use LinkedIn and WhatsApp to book more meetings, and to book them quicker. LinkedIn and WhatsApp are quickly becoming my favorite duo, as I have found a way to combine these two channels to turn replies into meetings.

Here’s how, step-by-step:

Step 1: Start conversations on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the best channel to find triggers and prospects. They leave their digital footprint everywhere.

Post likes. Profile views. Event attendance. You can use all these interactions as triggers to start conversations.

For example, when a prospect likes a post about multi-channel outreach, you can use it as an excuse to start a conversation.

Something like: “Mary, saw you also liked Morgan’s post about his Captain Boomerang Play. Ever thought of using this play on WhatsApp?”

If you need inspiration, here’s a list of 26 cold outreach message templates.

Step 2: Move conversations on WhatsApp

Most people won’t reply to your outreach. And it’s absolutely fine.

But some will.

LinkedIn is a busy place. Your prospects keep getting pitch slapped. Your conversations on LinkedIn often end up nowhere.

This is where moving the conversation on WhatsApp makes sense.

Use a variation of this message: “Mary, thanks for your reply. Opposed to sharing your WhatsApp so I can show you how I use this channel to book more meetings? I found voice notes to be easier to consume.”

Step 3: Drop a voice note

Some people won’t be fine to share their WhatsApp with you. Again, it’s fine.

But some will.

When they share their WhatsApp number, don’t send them a lengthy text message. Instead, use the voice note feature in WhatsApp. You will find it at the bottom right of your screen. It’s a small microphone icon.

You’ll get a lot more replies with voice notes over text messages. When you use this feature, you humanize your communication.

It also increases the chances of your message getting heard, and getting replies. Most prospects are super busy, and answering by typing a text message is a major blocker for most people.

And this is how I use LinkedIn and WhatsApp in combination to book meetings. LinkedIn is the prospecting channel, and WhatsApp the conversation channel. If you want to try it, drop me a voice note on WhatsApp.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Thibaut

In today’s newsletter, I’ll share why I think automation killed conversations. If you’re using automation to book outbound meetings, and you’re barely getting replies, this will help.

Automation is a great way to save time, and scale your outreach, but salespeople often use it in a way that hurts their performance. They create a sequence, add a bunch of templates, hit start, and get no replies.

Here’s what I think about that.

The observation

The first automation tool I used was Yesware.

It was in 2015.

At the time, you could create a sequence, enroll prospects, and your entire prospecting was on autopilot. It was a great time.

But salespeople abused these automation tools. Under the pressure of shareholders interested in multiplying their investments’ valuations, sales teams started sending thousands of outbound messages everyday.

Prospects got tired of being bombarded with crappy cold outreach messages. They got overwhelmed. They stopped paying attention.

Then came additional spam filters from email service providers, daily limits, and now email is barely usable for outbound prospecting.

What to do instead

If the situation I described above is familiar, you’re not alone. Here’s what you can do about it:

Step 1: Automate what you can

Take a step back and put yourself in the shoes of your prospects. Imagine being on the receiving end of a cookie-cutter outbound sequence. What’s your first reflex?

I personally scan all the emails, LinkedIn messages, and texts I receive and I can say within a second if it’s automated or not. 100% of people who send me automated messages end up blocked and in my spam filter, just like Lynette:

In today’s newsletter, I’ll share how I close deals over WhatsApp. I’ve been using it to start conversations with old prospects, negotiate deals, and send offers.

Here are my stats after 3 weeks of using it:

• 14 conversations started
• 10 meetings booked (71.4% meeting rate)
• 6 opportunities created (60% opportunity rate)
• 3 deals closed for a total of $4,925 (50% win rate)

I’m pretty excited about it. It’s a great tool to build rapport, and get direct access to my customers. I send them text messages, voice notes, videos, and documents.

Here’s my exact process:

Step 1: Move the conversation on WhatsApp

Most of my conversations on WhatsApp happen with people who I already know. Old customers, lost opportunities, people in current opportunities, and so on. Instead of communicating with them by emails, I ask if they agree to share their WhatsApp number with me.

Some don’t and it’s fine. Most of them do.

When they do, I drop them a quick voice note to incentivize them to use WhatsApp as a communication channel.

Step 2: Run discovery calls

I have recently stopped running calls on Zoom, Meets, or Teams. Prospects are too distracted. They stay focused for 3 minutes, and then, they get dissipated.

Instead, we agree on a date and time to chat, and I call my prospects on WhatsApp. People are less distracted, they stop switching tabs, and they pay attention to the conversation. Most of them take the call on their phones, so they tend to stand up and walk.

It’s more dynamic.

If we need to do a screen sharing, we use Meets or any other tool, but we stick to WhatsApp to keep each other in the loop.

Step 3: Create an async communication channel

This is where WhatsApp becomes so powerful. Instead of sending long emails, hoping I won’t get ghosted, I drop a voice note or a text message. The format forces me to send short, direct, informal messages.

It’s a great way to bring energy to my deals and keep them moving. If I don’t get a reply, I call the prospect. They can still ignore me, but I have an arsenal of tools I can use to keep the conversation moving.

Step 4: Close the deal

Finally, I use WhatsApp to close the deal. Nowadays, I work on a more transactional type of sales, which means I use payment links instead of contracts. I use Wise, Stripe, or Paypal so I can get paid quickly.

It’s a an excellent way to accelerate deals. For example, I was speaking with a customer yesterday, and I sent a €1,000 Paypal link and got the money on my account in less than 10 minutes.

I understand this may not work for bigger deals, but using WhatsApp is a good pattern interrupt, and something you can’t afford to ignore. My wife closed a €42,000 deal on the last day of Q3, and it all came down to using WhatsApp to get a reply when emails didn’t work.

These are 4 steps I follow to close deals using WhatsApp. If you’re like me (addicted to the feeling of closing deals), then WhatsApp is a great way to reduce your sales cycle length. You’ll get answers faster. You’ll qualify and disqualify quicker.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Thibaut Souyris

In today’s newsletter, I’ll share 5 concrete use cases for using WhatsApp in sales. Since I moved to Mexico, I’ve noticed that people are using WhatsApp for everything. From buying cars to signing up for insurance, it’s everywhere.

In the meantime, prospecting tactics that worked great a few months ago are not working anymore. It’s harder than ever to get noticed, which is a great opportunity to add WhatsApp to your sales tech stack.

Here are 5 concrete use cases you can use, right now:

Reengaging with old prospects

I wrote a detailed guide on how I booked meetings with old prospects using WhatsApp. Instead of using emails to communicate, I now ask prospects to share their WhatsApp number. This allows us to have a more informal and direct communication, and many appreciate that.

My secret sauce is to use WhatsApp voice notes. It allows me to go straight to the point, without having to open my computer. I don’t need to send a long email, or record a video (go check Sendspark if you want to use video for prospecting, btw).

Since I implemented WhatsApp to reconnect with prospects, I’ve seen a crazy uptick in my reply rate, and I can even have asynchronous conversations with them.

Taking discovery calls

I have discovered this use case as I was taking a WhatsApp call with the Founder of an SDR marketplace. I was walking in the mall of Irapuato (the city where my wife is from), and I noticed how direct and efficient the conversation was.

Instead of sitting down in a Zoom meeting, trying to get the mic to work, and excusing myself for having my kid running in the background, I was super focused on the conversation, while taking a walk.

This is an incredible finding for running a discovery call. Most SaaS discovery calls end up in screen sharing and platform demos, which is the perfect conversation killer.

Now without screen sharing or camera, most people focus on the conversation, and they tend to pay more attention. No more tab switching, no more keyboard clacking.

Moving deals further

By far my favorite use case. When I finish my discovery calls, I ask my prospects if they are OK to share their WhatsApp number with me. Most are.

This allows me to quickly move deals further. I drop a voice note saying something like:

“Mary, last time we spoke, you said you needed to get the offer I shared with you in front of your CEO. What can I do to help you get it done by the end of the day?”

My wife used a variation of this with a decision-maker and she closed a €42K deal on the last day of Q3.

Sharing proposal

WhatsApp is so powerful because you can use it to share all types of documents. From PDFs, to videos, to images, it’s the ultimate communication tool. Sharing an offer on WhatsApp is a great way to get immediate feedback on an offer.

As I was writing this newsletter, I received an offer from a barber shop in Irapuato.