What's up, it's Zayd.

I've been thinking a lot about what makes some outreach messages work while others fall flat.

After years of building sales teams and looking at the patterns from our customers at Valley, I've noticed a consistent trend: the most effective outreach isn't about volume or fancy templates. It's about asking the right question.

Specifically, I've seen one framework consistently outperform all others—a simple, direct question focused on outcomes.

Forwarded this email? Get Enabled in your inbox each week.

Zayd’s Picks

My favorite finds of the week.

• Hack to find recently funded startups to pitch your business (link)

• Warm intro template to grow your pipeline (link)

• Generate $440k with automated 2-touch warm outreach in 30 days (link)

• Alex Hormozi’s secret to building a $100m sales team (link)

• Key to a valuable lead magnet people can’t refuse (link)

• Tools to generate 200+ demo calls every month (link)

The Simple Question Framework That's Working

When I look at high-performing outreach, there's a pattern to the messages that get responses. They typically employ some version of this question:

"Would [specific outcome] help you?"

For example:

• "Would doubling your response rates help?"

• "Would automated prospect research help?"

• "Would 10 more meetings help?"

The question is direct, outcome-focused, and requires minimal effort to process - three factors that matter enormously in today's attention-scarce environment.

This approach isn't revolutionary, but it works because it aligns with how our brains actually make decisions.

The Psychology Behind Why This Works

There are three key psychological principles that make this approach effective:

1. The Principle of Autonomy

Questions preserve autonomy. When you ask someone if a specific outcome would help them, you're acknowledging their agency in the conversation.

Most outreach feels like someone pushing their agenda. This approach feels like the start of a conversation about what the prospect actually cares about.

2. The Specificity Effect

Mentioning a specific outcome bypasses generic sales resistance. Everyone has their guard up against sales pitches, but specific outcomes relevant to their role cut through that noise.

Compare: "Hey, I wanted to introduce you to our platform..." (immediate delete)

vs.

"Would cutting research time by 80% help?" (you have my attention)

3. The Cognitive Ease Principle

Our brains gravitate toward questions we can answer easily. A simple yes/no question about a desirable outcome creates what psychologists call "cognitive fluency."

The easier something is to process mentally, the more favorably we respond to it.

How To Implement This Approach

Here's how to apply this framework to your outreach:

Step 1: Identify the Right Outcome

The specific outcome must be:

• Genuinely valuable to the prospect

• Clearly connected to your solution

• Concrete and measurable

• Relevant to their role

This requires understanding your prospect's world. Generic outcomes won't work.

Step 2: Craft the Question

Follow this formula:

• Word 1: "Would"

• Words 2-4: The specific, measurable outcome

• Word 5: "help?"

Keep it concise. The power is in the simplicity.

Step 3: Add Minimal Context

After your question, provide just enough context to establish credibility:

"Would automating prospect research help? We're seeing SDRs save 15+ hours weekly while booking more meetings. Happy to share specifics if useful."

That's it. No feature lists. No company backstory. Just the question and minimal supporting context.

What I've Seen Work in Practice

Working with hundreds of sales teams over the years, I've observed a clear pattern: the teams that focus on outcome-based questions consistently outperform those using feature-based pitches.

At Valley, we've helped customers implement this approach with strong results. When we focus on asking the right questions about outcomes that matter to prospects, engagement increases significantly.

One financial services company we work with shifted from product-focused outreach to simple outcome questions and saw their response rates more than double in two weeks.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Here's where most people get this wrong:

1. Making the question too complex "Would having an AI-powered outbound engine that helps you book more meetings while you sleep help?" Too long. The power is in the simplicity.

2. Focusing on features, not outcomes "Would our AI-driven platform help?" No one cares about your platform. They care about results.

3. Going for the close too quickly "Would you be free Tuesday at 2pm to discuss?" You haven't earned the right to ask for time yet.

4. Being too generic "Would improving your sales help?" Too obvious. Be specific about the outcome.

The Bigger Shift This Represents

This approach represents the broader evolution happening in sales. We're moving from:

• Pitching to questioning

• Talking to listening

• Features to outcomes

• Volume to precision

The old outbound playbook was built on persistence and volume. The new one needs to be built on relevance, timing, and psychological insight.

At Valley, we've developed our approach around these principles. Instead of complex multi-touch sequences, we focus on asking the right questions to the right people at the right time.

How I Can Help?

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

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