If you’re sending the same bland follow-up to every B2B prospect, you’re probably getting ignored. Everyone wants more “personalization” in their sales outreach, but no one has time to hand-craft 50 emails a day. This guide breaks down how to actually personalize follow-up sequences in Verse without losing your mind (or wasting your whole week).
If you’re in B2B sales, marketing, or even customer success—and you want your follow-ups to get replies instead of eye-rolls—this is for you. Let’s get practical.
1. Why Personalization Matters (and Where Most People Go Wrong)
Let’s get this out of the way: Personalization isn’t just dropping {FirstName} into your template. If your “personalized” emails look like everyone else’s, you’re part of the noise.
What actually works: - Showing you’ve done some homework (but not spending 30 minutes per prospect). - Connecting your solution to a real problem they have. - Sounding like a human, not a bot.
What doesn’t: - Overusing automation to the point it’s obvious. - Generic “saw you’re hiring” or “noticed you’re in X industry” intros. - Sending six follow-ups that all say, “Just checking in…”
Don’t get caught up in the hype. The goal is to stand out just enough to get a reply, not to write a novel.
2. Prep Work: Set Yourself Up for Real Personalization
Before you start building sequences in Verse, get your ducks in a row. Good personalization starts with good data.
Clean Up Your Prospect List
- Ditch bad or outdated leads. If your data’s garbage, your follow-up will be too.
- Double-check job titles, company names, and industry info.
- If you can, segment by vertical (e.g., SaaS, finance, manufacturing) or by pain points.
Decide What Level of Personalization Makes Sense
- Tier 1 Prospects (big deals): Worth a few minutes of research.
- Tier 2 (most prospects): Use smart templates with light customization.
- Tier 3 (low value): Don’t waste time—use a standard sequence.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink it. Even a quick LinkedIn scan can give you a nugget to use.
3. Build Your Sequence in Verse, Step by Step
Time to put Verse to work. Here’s how to build a sequence that feels personal, but doesn’t eat your day.
Step 1: Use Verse’s Dynamic Fields—the Right Way
Verse lets you insert dynamic fields like {FirstName}, {Company}, {Industry}, etc. But don’t just stop there.
- Add custom fields for pain points, recent news, or shared connections.
- Use fields that aren’t obvious, like {Competitor} or {RecentInitiative}, if you have the data.
Example:
Hi {FirstName}, noticed {Company} just rolled out {RecentInitiative}. Wondering if you’re seeing {PainPoint} as you scale that up?
If you don’t have good data for a field, don’t use it. “I saw you at {EventName}” is a dead giveaway if the field is empty or wrong.
Step 2: Write Modular Email Templates
- Write templates in Verse that have “plug-and-play” sections.
- Use if/then logic (if Verse supports it) to swap in alternate lines based on industry, job title, or company size.
- Keep the message short. No one wants to read a wall of text.
Example structure: - Hook: Something specific to them or their role. - Value: What’s in it for them, tied to their situation. - Call to Action: One clear next step (“Worth a quick call next week?”).
Step 3: Layer in Multi-Channel Touches
Verse isn’t just email. Consider adding: - LinkedIn messages (if you’re connected) - SMS (if appropriate—not for first touches) - Phone calls (for higher-value prospects)
Keep your messaging consistent, but tweak slightly for each channel. Don’t just copy-paste.
Step 4: Stagger and Space Out Follow-Ups
- Don’t send five emails in five days. Give people time to breathe.
- Use Verse’s scheduling tools to set reasonable delays (2-5 business days between touches).
- Vary your messaging — don’t “just check in.” Each follow-up should have a purpose (share a resource, reference something new, ask a different question).
Step 5: Set Up Triggers and Branching (If Available)
If Verse supports triggers (like “if prospect clicks link, send X; if no reply, send Y”), use them. This lets you tailor follow-ups based on actual engagement, not just time.
- If someone opens but doesn’t reply, send something with a new angle.
- If they never open, try a different subject line or channel.
4. What to Personalize (and What to Ignore)
Not everything needs a personal touch. Here’s what’s worth your time:
Focus your personalization on: - First two touches. If you don’t get a reply then, they’re probably not interested. - Your subject line and opening sentence. That’s where you earn attention. - Specific pain points or goals tied to their role or company.
Skip or automate: - Generic sign-offs or “just following up” closes. - Long paragraphs about your company. Keep it about them. - Overly complex logic or data you can’t reliably get.
Honest take:
You’ll never be able to 100% personalize every message unless you have a tiny list or unlimited time. Good enough beats perfect.
5. Review, Test, and Tweak Your Sequences
No sequence is perfect out of the gate. Here’s how to spot what’s working:
- Track reply rates: Verse should show you who’s opening, clicking, and replying. Watch for patterns.
- A/B test subject lines and openers: See what gets attention.
- Review bounces and unsubscribes: If you’re getting a lot, your messaging is off or your list is bad.
Pro tip: Once a month, review your best-performing messages and swap out the duds. Don’t set it and forget it.
6. Red Flags: Signs You’re Overdoing It (or Not Enough)
- Too generic: If your emails could be sent to anyone, so will your results.
- Too creepy: Don’t over-personalize with info that feels invasive (“I saw your kid just graduated…”).
- Too aggressive: Rapid-fire follow-ups will annoy, not convert.
If you’re not getting responses after a few tries, move on. Not everyone is a fit, and that’s OK.
7. Tools, Shortcuts, and What to Avoid
What helps: - LinkedIn for quick research. - Company websites for recent news or initiatives. - Tools like Apollo, Lusha, or ZoomInfo to fill in missing data (if your budget allows).
What’s mostly hype: - “AI-powered personalization” that just swaps in buzzwords. - Overly complicated automation with 20+ steps. You’ll spend more time fixing it than it saves.
Keep it simple: - A clean list, good templates, and a little research does more than any “next-gen” tool.
TL;DR: Personalization That Doesn’t Suck
If you forget everything else, remember this: Personalization in follow-up sequences is about relevance, not flattery or complexity. Use the tools in Verse to personalize just enough to show you’re not a robot, but don’t try to write the perfect email every time.
Start small, keep it human, and tweak as you go. Simple wins.