“Sure, Stan, I totally understand where you’re coming from. I’m guessing you felt like your mother was overbearing. That you needed to help her deal with her emotions. She would put them on you a lot. And it was your role to make her feel better.”

“Yes, that’s spot on. I felt like I needed to help her process stuff all the time, and even help her calm down a lot. She was always so high-strung. It was a lot for me to handle as a little kid.”

Stan smiles, and is able to relax. His therapist helped label and verbalize his experience. He feels understood. Seen. Even advocated for.

Cut to this touching exchange between two lifelong buddies. Connecting after not having seen each other for months, over a campfire above Big Sur.

“Do you know that one time…when you helped me work through that hiccup with Rebecca? You remembered the smallest details about our relationship. The fact that she called me ‘Grizzly’ and would cook me grilled cheeses every Friday night, when I got home after a long day’s work. I don’t know where you kept all those tidbits in your noggin…how you had space for it…but I felt like you inhabited my world. That you understood me completely, brother. Meant a lot.”

“My man…I’m glad that’s how it was received. I care about you. If it’s important to you…it’s important to me.”

In both situations, one human sees another as they are. And the person who is being seen or understood finds it incredibly meaningful. Let me let you in on a little secret: it’s not limited to the folks above. As members of the human race, we have a deep desire to be seen. Heard. And understood.

Personalization in your sales or go-to-market is no different. It’s a gift to your prospect. You’re telling them, “I get and see you as you are. In your uniqueness. I see what makes you special.”

Now, you might wonder, ‘How does that show up in your sales process or go-to-market motion?’

Gifting is an often-used form of personalization to break into key accounts. When the value of an introductory meeting is high, it’s worth spending the money and brain power to purchase a thoughtful gift that will make them feel seen. If you know, for example, that your prospect is an equestrian, you might send them a crop. It will increase your chances of booking an initial meeting. Not only because the person feels understood, but also because they might feel obliged to reciprocate with a bit of their time. Gifting has been done for the longest time, and can be a wide-ranging initiative. From dropping off donuts and coffee at the offices of companies you’re courting to sending lavish gifts that will get a prospect’s attention. One of the more colorful ones I’ve ever heard was sending a prospect only one shoe from a pair of sneakers with a note that read, “Just trying to get my foot in the door. You’ll get the other shoe when we meet in person 😉.” Imagine being a sneakerhead and receiving your favorite pair of collector Jordans. There’s a great chance you’d be willing to take an in-person meeting with the salesperson who made you feel special.

Another well-trodden place where personalization shows up is an outbound email. An email might start like this:

Subject Line: hot yoga in India, Stella…?

Hey Stella:

I saw that you were a fervent yogi…have you ever considered doing a yoga retreat in India?

The other reason I'm writing is [Rest of email…]

The personalization here is supposed to elevate your response rates, which in turn can also increase your interested reply rates.

What makes the beginning of this email powerful? It breaks the ice by citing something very specific about the prospect. Something unique about them. Remember: the more you spot what makes the person you’re contacting distinctive, the higher the chance you’ll have of touching them.

As they read your email, they’ll think, ‘Man, this Peter guy really did his research on me. Yoga has been a huge part of my life. He knows what makes me tick. I owe him a response at the very least.’

This is exactly the kind of experience you want to create for your prospect. And that hopefully has them consider your product or solution more seriously as they respond to you. Which in turn could increase their chances of responding with interest.

“You really care about your employees. I could see why you’d want a tool that makes their day-to-day lives easier.” You’re doing your best to reflect back to a VP of Sales that she wants the best for her troops during a discovery call. And you’re wise enough to tie this flattering reflection back to your product: an innovative CRM that gives reps a ton of time back. You’re slowly but surely building trust. You’re making your prospect feel important, subtly indicating that you care about her. This authentic reflection helps the sales leader relax into the sales interaction and lowers her defenses. Before you know it, this genuine care permeates your relationship. You become even more likable. And you thereby increase your chances of closing the deal.

“Based on what you’ve told me in our interactions over the past several weeks, we put our best minds on this and have put together the proposal that addresses all of your needs, and also works within your budgetary constraints. I’m sure this is something you’ll be pleased with…” You’re about to unveil a custom proposal to your prospect. And you want to make sure they feel heard, as you present it to them. Teeing things up this way will open up your prospect and make them more receptive to what you’re about to show them. If your proposal is also personalized, as advertised, you will have enhanced your close rate by a sizable margin.

These are just a few instances of personalization. But I’d invite you to think about how you can make your sales process more personalized. Ask yourself, ‘How can I make the prospect feel seen or understood? What can I do to make the upcoming sales interaction feel like a tailored suit, based on their preferences?’ Whatever comes up as answers to these questions is worth considering. Let me know what you conjure up, and most importantly, what happens to work well. I’m always hungry for creative success stories.