If you’re in B2B sales or marketing, you know that “multichannel outreach” isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the only way to get noticed these days. But let’s be honest: most teams just blast the same message everywhere and pray. That doesn’t work. If you want better results, you need a system that helps you actually do multichannel outreach—without burning your budget or your team’s sanity.
That’s where Referin comes in. This guide is for B2B go-to-market folks—sales, SDRs, marketers—who want to cut through the noise with a real, repeatable process. We’ll walk through setting up Referin, building a multichannel strategy that isn’t annoying or pointless, and what you can skip. Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Know What Counts as “Multichannel Outreach”
Before you jump into tools, get clear about what “multichannel” even means for B2B outreach. It’s not about hitting prospects on every channel just because you can. It’s about using the right mix for your audience.
The usual suspects: - Email (the old standby) - LinkedIn (for B2B, it’s still king) - Phone (yes, people still pick up) - SMS (be careful—this can backfire) - Direct mail (expensive, but can stand out) - Social DMs (Twitter, etc.—rarely worth it for B2B unless you’re super targeted)
Pro tip: Don’t try to use every channel. Pick 2-3 that fit your buyers and your team’s bandwidth. If all you do is copy-paste the same message to five places, you’ll just annoy people faster.
Step 2: Set Up Your Referin Account and Integrations
Once you’re clear on your channels, get Referin set up to actually help—not slow you down.
The basics:
- Sign up and onboard: The setup is straightforward, but don’t skip the walkthrough. You’ll save time later.
- Integrate your CRM: Connect Salesforce, HubSpot, or whatever you use. This is non-negotiable—otherwise, you’re stuck with data silos.
- Connect your channels: Plug in your email, LinkedIn, calendar, and phone/SMS if you’re using them. Don’t half-ass this; incomplete integrations mean half the value.
What works: Referin does a decent job pulling your contacts and tracking outreach across channels. The LinkedIn and email features are solid. Phone and SMS tracking are only as good as your connected systems—expect some gaps.
What to skip: Skip any optional integration that you won’t actually use. Don’t get distracted by shiny features you don’t need.
Step 3: Build Outreach Sequences That Don’t Suck
This is the part where most teams go wrong—they create one generic sequence and spray it everywhere. Resist the urge. Use Referin’s sequence builder to map out a plan that feels human.
How to do it:
- Create a new sequence in Referin.
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Name it something specific, like “CTO Outreach – SaaS 2024.”
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Choose your channels for each step.
- For most B2B, a mix of email and LinkedIn works best. If you have direct dials, add phone calls.
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Don’t add SMS or social DMs unless you know your prospects are open to it.
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Set your timing.
- Space out steps by a few days. Don’t stack three messages in 24 hours—you’ll get ignored (or spam-filtered).
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Use Referin’s send-time optimization if you want, but don’t overthink it. Timing is less important than relevance.
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Write real messages.
- Avoid templates that scream “mail merge.” Personalize the first few lines—Referin lets you add snippets, but you still need to do some work.
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Reference something specific about the company or person. Yes, this takes longer. No, there’s no shortcut.
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Add fallback steps.
- If someone doesn’t reply on email, try LinkedIn. If they connect on LinkedIn but don’t respond, try a call.
- Don’t just keep emailing forever. Know when to move on.
Pro tip: Save your best effort for the first touch. If you get ignored after three steps, it’s usually not going to happen—move them to nurture instead of spamming them.
Step 4: Actually Use Multichannel—Don’t Just Pretend
Referin makes it easy to say you’re doing multichannel, but it’s up to you to make it real.
What works: - Alternate channels: Don’t send three emails in a row. Mix it up: email, then LinkedIn, then maybe a call. You’ll stand out. - Coordinate messaging: Each touch should build on the last. Don’t start from scratch every time, but don’t repeat yourself, either. - Track activity: Use Referin’s dashboard to see which channels are getting responses. Drop what doesn’t work—don’t just stick to the plan for the heck of it.
What doesn’t work: - Blasting all channels at once: This just annoys people and gets you blocked. - Pretending LinkedIn is email: LinkedIn DMs need to be short and casual. Don’t paste your email pitch here.
Pro tip: If you’re not getting responses on a channel after 100+ touches, it’s probably not worth your time—switch it up.
Step 5: Measure, Learn, and Adjust (Without Drowning in Data)
One of the better things about Referin is the reporting. But don’t get lost in the weeds—focus on the metrics that actually matter.
What to watch: - Reply rates by channel: Where are you getting real engagement, not just opens or clicks? - Meeting booked rate: This is the only number that matters for most GTM teams. - Sequence drop-off: Where are prospects falling off? Too many steps? Wrong channel?
What to ignore: - Open rates: These are mostly useless now, thanks to privacy changes. - Fancy dashboards: If a metric doesn’t help you make a decision, skip it.
How to use it: - Review your numbers every week or two. - Kill sequences or channels that aren’t working. - Double down on combinations that get replies or meetings.
Step 6: Keep It Human—Don’t Over-Automate
Referin has plenty of automation, but don’t forget: people can tell when they’re talking to a robot. The highest performers use automation as a helper, not a crutch.
Do: - Personalize your first touch. - Use automation for reminders, follow-ups, and moving people between sequences. - Set up “human review” steps in Referin for key accounts.
Don’t: - Automate everything and hope for the best. - Over-sequence. If you’re sending more than 5-6 touches per prospect, you’re probably overdoing it.
Pro tip: The best use of Referin’s automation is to save you time on admin, not to replace real conversation.
Step 7: Don’t Forget the Basics
Even with a tool like Referin, the fundamentals still matter.
- Your list matters more than your message. Bad fit = bad results.
- Short messages win. Nobody reads a wall of text from a stranger.
- Persistence beats cleverness. Most replies come after the second or third touch, not the first.
And don’t get seduced by “AI personalization” or whatever’s hot right now. These tools are getting better, but real humans still spot the difference.
Wrapping Up: Start Simple, Iterate, and Ignore the Hype
If you’re using Referin for multichannel B2B outreach, remember: the tool is only as smart as your strategy. Start with two channels, keep your sequences short and personal, and review what actually gets meetings—not just clicks.
Don’t waste time setting up every integration or automating every step. Instead, get a basic sequence working, see what happens, and tweak it. The best teams aren’t the ones with the fanciest tech—they’re the ones who keep it simple and actually follow up.
Good luck, and remember: nobody wants more spam. Be the person who sends useful, relevant messages, and you’ll win more often than not.