Beyond Hi {FirstName}: The Power of True Personalization

“Hi {FirstName}, I see you’re at {Company}…” - we’ve all received emails that pretend to be personalized but clearly are just mail-merge tricks. Superficial touches like using our name or company name aren’t unappreciated, but they’re baseline. True personalization goes far beyond that. It’s about showing the prospect you understand something specific about them - their challenges, their achievements, or their recent actions - and tailoring your message around that insight. When done right, this kind of personalization can dramatically increase your chances of a reply.

Token Personalization vs. True Personalization

Token personalization is when you insert a few fields into a template (name, company, maybe title) and call it a day. Every email looks custom at a glance but reads generic. For example: “Hi Jane, as a CFO at TechCorp you must be focused on growth.” (No kidding - what CFO isn’t?) Prospects sniff this out instantly.

True personalization requires effort. It means referencing something unique to that person or account. Maybe you mention a recent hiring spree the company announced, tying it to why they might need better onboarding tools. Or you noticed the prospect commented on a LinkedIn thread about data security, so you lead with a relevant insight about that topic. This level of detail shows the email was written for them, not just for any CFO.

What Good Personalization Looks Like

The best personalized outreach often includes:

• Context: A mention of why you thought to reach out. E.g., “Noticed you just expanded your sales team by 50%…” or “Saw your post about lead quality…” This immediately tells the reader this isn’t a random blast.
• Relevance to Pain/Goal: Connect that context to a challenge or goal your solution addresses. E.g., “…which often makes onboarding new reps a challenge. We tackle that by…” Now the prospect sees you’ve connected the dots to something they likely care about.
• Value and Proof: A quick nod to how you can help, ideally with a mini-story or social proof. E.g., “We helped AnotherTechCo scale their onboarding without missing a beat - ramp time cut by 30%. I have some ideas that might work for you too.” Name-dropping a relatable customer or outcome adds credibility.

Notice that in all of the above, you’re not talking about your product much - you’re talking about the prospect and then bridging to your value. That’s the key difference. It feels conversational and relevant, not salesy from the get-go.

Making Personalization Scalable

You might be thinking, “This sounds great, but who has time to do this for every prospect?” It’s a valid concern - deep personalization can’t be fully automated because it requires genuine insight. However, you can make it more efficient:

Use technology to gather insights quickly. For instance, AI agents can scour news, social media, and databases to feed you relevant nuggets about each company or person. Instead of spending 15 minutes per prospect to research, maybe an AI surfaces the key points in 1 minute.

Build a library of snippets for common scenarios. If you sell to CFOs and CTOs, have a go-to angle for each based on typical pain points, and plug in the specific details for that company. It’s personalized, but you’re not starting from scratch every time.

Also, prioritize who gets the royal personalization treatment. Your top target accounts or the prospects who show high intent (like visiting your pricing page) deserve extra time. It’s okay if lower-priority leads get a lighter touch approach.

The bottom line: true personalization is worth the effort. Buyers are far more likely to engage when they feel you’ve done your homework on them. It signals respect and earns you credibility right out of the gate. And with today’s tools, you can deliver that personal touch at scale - rising above the sea of generic “Hi {FirstName}” emails that flood inboxes every day.