Episode 1170: How to Get a Meeting with Anyone
Why contact marketing still wins: personalized outreach that breaks through
Stu Heinecke explains why human-first, creative contact marketing — from personalized cartoons to tailored gifts — consistently outperforms generic digital outreach. He contrasts promotional, long-winded pitches with short, curiosity-driven messages that compel busy executives to respond.
How deep personalization changes B2B outreach in the age of AI
Heinecke updated his bestselling How to Get a Meeting with Anyone for the AI era, outlining how modern sellers combine research, behavioral signals, and creative execution to earn meetings. Rather than mass automated spam, the book and podcast emphasize bespoke messages and meaningful tokens (like rare books or niche gifts) that reflect careful dossier-level research.
Practical tactics: short copy, memorable tokens, and audacity
Actionable ideas in the episode include keeping messages extremely short (the “12-word” rule), using handcrafted or highly relevant gifts, and employing bold creativity — the kind of stunt that becomes a story the prospect retells. Examples range from a cartoon crafted to feel personal to the famous helicopter landing anecdote that turned a stranger into a lifelong ally.
AI and tools that scale personalization
AI is positioned not as a replacement for human connection but as an amplifier. Tools like ChatGPT and specialized agentic research systems can produce investor-grade dossiers and trigger-event signals. These tools let marketers execute “deep personalization” affordably and at scale, enabling meaningful gifts and messages that still feel human.
Nurturing the relationship after you get the meeting
Securing a meeting is only step one: long-term success requires consistent human touches, storytelling, and follow-up. Heinecke stresses simple relationship-building behaviors — asking sincere questions, referencing shared stories, and staying present across social channels — to turn an initial meeting into strategic partnership or client growth.
Bottom line: Combine audacious creativity, very short and human copy, and AI-enabled research to craft contact marketing campaigns that cut through noise and earn real meetings with decision-makers.
Learn more: For templates, examples, and the new AI-updated edition of How to Get a Meeting with Anyone, visit Stu Heinecke’s author site and join his email list to receive practical chapter excerpts and outreach examples.
