Stop Making Microwave Outbound: How to Turn Phone, Email, and LinkedIn Into a Michelin-Star Experience

Phone. Email. LinkedIn.
Using a cooking analogy. These are the core ingredients of most sales outbound team's recipe books; like salts, fats, and acids or a protein, a carb and a vegetable.

If the phone is chicken, carbs are email, and vegetables are LinkedIn, the problem is that most sales orgs are only serving up frozen microwave slop meals.
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Technically edible.
Technically outbound.
But, the combinations are absolutely forgettable.

And here is the part that should worry you:
Your competitors are cooking with the same ingredients.
So if you’re microwaving your outreach, you are indistinguishable.

Just like how a Michelin Star chef elevates a simple dish of chicken, potatos, and veggies to "roast chicken ballotine with truffle potato purée, and charred asparagus with a chicken jus" you need to bring the creative spark to these three channels to serve up dishes that wi

Outbound is not about ingredients.
Outbound is about what you do with them.

Let’s cook up some inspiration.

Ingredient Quality = Your List and Your Message

You can’t cook a great dish with bad ingredients.
Same with outbound.
If your list is garbage or your message is generic, there is no creative sequencing trick that will save truly save it.

It's like trying to cook a simple rib eye steak with potatoes.

Serving up this dish with unverified leads that are poorly segmented and generic templates is like serving up a freezer burned version of a dish you know can be killer.

High-quality ingredients look like this:

• a list that actually matches a deep segmentation of your ICP
• messaging that feels human, specific, and timely

Most sales teams don't do the proper prep and daily work to bring these ingredients to life.
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But, whether they have the right ingredients or not, they’re still microwaving their outreach.

Why?
Because they never think about the preparation.

Sure, a simple dish of Wagyu beef and roasted potatoes can be phenomenal. But Michelin star chefs don't stop at "classic" dishes.

How you create campaigns = How combine ingredients, create bold dishes, and master unforgetable presentations

Even with perfect ingredients, the dish fails if the preparation is lazy.

Prepping your 5 star outbound dish looks like:

• thinking about the recipient’s perspective
• choosing an angle that creates curiosity instead of pressure
• stacking touches that build a conversation instead of repeating the same cold pitch
• using each channel differently instead of copy-pasting the same message everywhere

But most sellers skip all of this and default to one setting:

Pitch mode.

“Here's what we do”
“Do you find that interesting?”
“Following up on my last note...”

Microwave.
Beep.
Done.

Meanwhile, the reps who win?
They show up with something more like… an actual dish.

You Have More Creative Options Than You Think

This is where outbound gets fun.
Because evolving your recipe book means opening up dozens of paths into a conversation.

Here are a few (very real) examples to spark some creative recipes of your own:

Make them a part of a research report

“Hey John, we’re putting together a study on how hospital leaders are navigating the changes in Medicare policies.

Given your background leading a few major health systems, I thought you'd have some great perspectives.

If you reply to the survey, I’ll send you the findings. Mind if I send it over? Should only take 10 minutes.”

No pitch? Looking for me to shape the opinions of my peers? Giving me an opportunity to learn from the best?

I'll take a second helping.

A helpful share - no ask

“Hi Julia, congrats on the new role leading up community. I couldn't help but notice you transitioned into the role from a background in sales.

I thought you’d find this article interesting. Its a collection of learnings from some leaders in the space we collected. I covers the basics, but also nails some new paths folks are having success with.

No ask. Only wishing you all the best in the new role.”

Not a thinly veiled attempt to sell me something because I have a new job? A resource that could actually help me stand out?

Yeah, you're on my good side. And you shaped how I view the market? True "Challenger Selling".

A genuine learning ask

Here's an example from our piece on playing "The Founder Card"

“Hey Will, hoping you can help me out here. Saw you spent some time in sales, so thought you'd have some ideas.

We’re reaching out to CS leaders about our AI Agent. Haven’t gotten many hits despite the effort to personalize.

Our belief is CS leaders are fighting for renewals right now. One of the simplest ways to win more renewals is to get/keep {their persona} engaged with their CSM.

Maybe the messaging is off... but is that actually a “hair on fire” problem?"

An opportunity to help? Offer my perspective?
My ego can't help but play along.

Something intentionally strange

Not gimmicky.
Just creative.
Something that signals, “A human wrote this. Not a playbook.”

Maybe it's a thoughtful gift.
An opportunity to meet in person.
A selfie in front of their product.

Whatever "it" is; this is where you stand out.
This is where you can play with using the Von Restorff effect to your advantage.

Where’s Your Michelin-Star Smoke Bubble?

Sellers have access to tools, channels, data, insights, and automation that didn’t exist a few years ago.
But the average outbound?
It’s still Campbell’s Soup.
Heat. Serve. Ignore.

You have the opportunity to cook something more like Pierre Gagnaire.

Not complicated.
Just thoughtful.
Creative.
Memorable.
Human.

You are either serving something people remember or something they forget instantly.

Cook Something Worth Serving

The next time you pick up the phone, open LinkedIn, or draft a cold email, ask yourself:

Am I microwaving the same pitch as everyone else?
Or am I composing an experience that actually makes someone want to respond?

Outbound is limitless.
Most sellers just treat it like a frozen dinner.

You can do better.
Your buyers deserve better.
And your reply rates will absolutely show it.

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