I left 360 voice messages in four months. Here’s what happened.

How to shift from performative outreach to meaningful investment

On January 15th, I started an experiment. No formal plan, no campaign brief. I picked three people a day and left them a personalized voice-to-text message.

That’s it. Three people, every single day.

Four months later, I’ve sent over 360 of those messages. The response rate? Between 80 and 90 percent.

I’ve run demand gen campaigns, growth strategies, acquisition plays, and every type of outreach you can think of. Nothing has come close to this.

This is what research-driven outreach actually looks like

So what separates this from a “hey, thinking of you” voicemail or a BombBomb video saying congratulations on a promotion?

Before I pick up the phone, I already know what’s going on in that person’s world. I have weekly Google Alerts set on their name. If they’re an executive at a publicly traded company, I’ve subscribed to their investor relations news, earnings calls, and press releases. I know when they’ve filed an 10-K or an 8-K. I know when they’ve closed an acquisition. I put their name into ChatGPT to see what comes back. I check their LinkedIn. I look at their social or I listen to their podcast.

Most importantly I invest in the relationship. Time is the most precious currency you can give someone, for you can never get it back.

By the time I leave the message, I’m not saying “saw you got a new job, congrats.” I’m saying “I know your company just acquired “company name” in Austin to diversify your product offering. Smart move.” I know you’re going to be commuting for this M&A. Let me know if you want some recommendations on how to best balance that.”

That’s the difference. The message is a minute and a half. The research behind it is what makes it land.

The math is almost absurd

Six minutes a day to record three messages. Add another 10 minutes if you’re doing the research that morning, though most of it comes to you automatically through the alerts you’ve already set up. Call it 15 minutes on a heavy day.

Over a month, that’s about three hours. Over four months, I’ve invested roughly 12 hours total.

That is less time than a Netflix series. And I’m not exaggerating when I say this: It has produced the most rewarding professional experience of my career.

What the responses actually look like

The most common reply is some version of “you made my day.” People are genuinely moved because I’m taking the time and the effort to be human, to be genuine and authentic.

From there, it opens into everything. Calendar invites for 15-minute virtual catch-ups, lunches, happy hours, and collaborations on articles and podcasts. I’ve had people reach out to co-sponsor nonprofit initiatives together.

Not all 360+ of these will convert into long-term relationships. That takes two people, and some connections are meant to be a moment, not a decade. But even a 10 percent conversion rate means 36 deeply engaged contacts who trust you, refer you, and think of you first.

If you’re in luxury real estate and even a handful of those become recurring buyers and sellers with multiple properties, you’ve built a referral engine that compounds every year.

The business comes in because the intent is real. But hear this: the goal was only ever about adding value and making someone’s day better. And because that was the simple goal, it resonated. It cut through today’s world of automation and AI because at the end of the day, it’s just me, saying I’m here, I’m excited for you, what can I do for you?

How to actually do this

Split your top 10% of your SOI roughly 70/30 between professional contacts and personal contacts. Professional can turn into personal and personal can turn into professional, so the line is loose. But weighted toward professional keeps the momentum pointed at growth.

Your research toolkit is simpler than you think. Set weekly Google Alerts on each person’s name. Put them into ChatGPT to surface what they care about, what causes they support, and what they’ve been working on. Check their LinkedIn and social accounts. If they’re an executive at a publicly traded company, go to the investor relations page and subscribe to news alerts.

And read the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, and Forbes. Not because your clients will quiz you, but because when you sit across from them at dinner, they’ll know whether you belong there.

Then, every day, pick three. Spend a few minutes reviewing what’s come through your alerts and their recent activity. Record a voice-to-text message between 90 seconds and two minutes. Be specific about what you’ve seen. Congratulate them on something real. Offer support. Ask nothing in return.

Track everything in your CRM. Note who you reached out to, what you said, and when to follow up. Your CRM is going to help you stay organized and on track.

Stop nurturing. Start investing.

The industry loves the word “nurture.” Nurture your SOI. Send a drip campaign. Ship a closing gift. Send the wine they like.

That’s fine. But it’s table stakes, and every agent in your market is doing it.

Think about your top ten clients the way a portfolio manager thinks about positions. You researched before you bought in. You monitor for material changes. And when something shifts in their world, you’re already thinking about what it means for them.

Fifteen minutes a day. Three messages. Real research. No ask. That’s the whole method. And after 360 of them, I can tell you it works.