What's up, it's Zayd.

A recent study analyzing how the brain processes first impressions in business interactions found that it takes just 33 milliseconds—faster than an eye blink—for someone to judge your first impression.

That got me thinking about all the sales messages I see. After analyzing millions of outbound messages and talking with hundreds of sales leaders, there's a clear pattern in why initial outreach fails. Most teams spend hours debating their sequence strategy but miss what matters in those crucial 33 milliseconds.

In today's newsletter, I'm breaking down why most first messages fail and how to write ones that actually convert. It is an art and a science and getting it wrong kills your chances of a response before you even start.

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Zayd’s Picks

My favorite finds of the week.

• Your job is to defend product decisions, not defend the market’s requests (link)

• Marc Andreessen’s Guide to Personal Productivity (link)

• Tips for >5% reply rates on outbound (link)

• Habits for PMF with founder-led sales (link)

• Triple your sales with a psychological trick (link)

Why Most First Messages Fail

After analyzing millions of outbound messages and talking with hundreds of sales leaders, I've noticed a pattern in why initial outreach fails to convert:

Making It About You

The classic "I wanted to introduce myself and my company..." opener is a conversion killer. Your prospect doesn't care about your introduction—they care about solving their problems.

The first message needs to be about them, their challenges, and how you can help - not about you or your company.

Information Overload

Sending a 5-paragraph “In this essay I will…” about your features, benefits, and case studies is overwhelming. It's kind of like lovebombing your prospect and proposing marriage on a first date.

Your first message should be focused on one clear value proposition that's directly relevant to their specific situation.

Generic "Personalization"

"I noticed you're based in New York" or "Congrats on your recent funding" isn't real personalization. It's surface-level and prospects can smell it from a mile away.

Real personalization shows you understand their specific challenges and business context.

The Psychology of First Impressions

Ok, so how do we use the psychology behind first impressions and inherent judgements and transparent niceties to make our first message actually count?

1. Pattern Interruption

   Our brains are wired to ignore the familiar and notice what's different. Using the same templates and formats as everyone else gets you filtered out automatically.

2. Cognitive Load

   The harder something is to process, the more likely people are to ignore it. Keep it simple and scannable.

3. Value-Time Ratio

   Prospects unconsciously calculate the time investment required versus potential value gained. Make the value clear and the time investment minimal.

What Actually Works

After testing thousands of variations, here's what the data shows works in first touches:

1. Short Messages Win

Messages under 300 characters get 3x higher response rates than longer ones. Be brief and focused.

2. Contextual Relevance

Messages tied to specific trigger events (like website visits, content downloads, etc.) get 5x higher engagement than generic outreach.

3. Question-Based Hooks 

Starting with a relevant question about their business gets 2x more responses than statement-based openers.

4. Clear Next Steps

Having one clear call-to-action increases response rates by 40% compared to messages with multiple asks or vague next steps.

Building Messages That Convert

Here's how to put this into practice:

Start with research.

What's happening in their business right now that you can tie your message to?

Write your message focusing on:

• One specific pain point or trigger event

• How you've helped similar companies

• A clear, low-friction next step

Edit ruthlessly

• Cut any generic language

• Remove company background

• Focus on them, not you

• Keep it under 300 characters

Test your message by asking:

• Is this relevant to their specific situation?

• Does it show I've done my homework?

• Is the value proposition clear?

• Is the next step obvious and easy?

How I Can Help?

Let me book sales calls for you while you’re crafting perfect messages. Seriously.

I built Valley to be your automated SDR and empower AEs. Get started today and watch your calendar fill up with qualified leads.