LinkedIn outreach for business development managers: new markets and partners

A business development manager uses LinkedIn for work that is slower and broader than sales: entering a new market, finding partners and opening strategic accounts. That calls for research heavy first messages, writing in the prospect's language, reaching the named owner of a decision rather than a shared inbox, and a follow up rhythm measured in weeks, not days.

The title business development manager means different things in different companies. In some it is a senior sales role, in others it is partnerships, in others it is the person sent to open a new country. What these jobs share is that the first conversation is rarely a sale. It is a question about whether two organisations should work together at all.

What kinds of business development work fit LinkedIn?

Each needs its own list and its own message. Mixing them in one campaign produces messages that fit nobody.

How do you research before writing?

More than in sales. A BDM's first message has to show that you understand the other side's business, because you are asking for time and attention, not a purchase. Before writing to someone, know:

• what the organisation sells and to whom,
• one recent thing they did, such as a launch, an office or a hire,
• why working with you could matter to them, in one sentence.

An AI agent can do much of this reading: it looks at the profile, the company page and recent posts, and drafts a first message from what it found. You decide whether the reason to talk is strong enough.

Why write to a named owner?

Because a shared inbox or a generic contact form does not own a decision. In the Green Shield Logistics campaign, formal letters went out in the founder's name. Named heads of quality, ESG, procurement and logistics replied at 8.2%, almost four times the 2.2% of clinic and lab inboxes, and produced 17 of the 18 positive replies. In 18 days a head of ESG and compliance invited the founder in, which became a request for quotation for 81 pallets.

On LinkedIn the named owner is usually easy to find. Search the company for the title that owns your topic, and write to that person, not to whoever looks most senior.

Should you write in the local language?

When you enter a new market, usually yes. A message in the prospect's language, in the register their industry uses, signals that you take the market seriously. In the Shelly installer programme, a device maker emailed 3,940 installers in 111 countries in their own language: 360 replied and 225 answered a four question survey.

Two cautions. Have a native speaker read the first messages, because a clumsy sentence in someone's language does more harm than English. And match the register: formal letters work in some industries and countries, and feel stiff in others. The multilingual outreach use case explains how Sellinger writes in the prospect's language.

What does a business development first message look like?

A question about their plans, not a pitch about yours. Two illustrative examples:

• New market: "Dear Mr Novak, we supply [product] to [industry] firms in Germany and Austria and are now looking at the Czech market. How do companies like yours usually source [category] today: through a local distributor, or directly from manufacturers?"
• Partnership: "Hi Rina, your customers and ours look very similar: mid size logistics firms in the Nordics. Do you work with technology partners on joint offers, or keep the product standalone?"

How should the follow up work?

Slower and more substantial than in sales. A typical rhythm:

1. Connection request, often without a note.
2. The first message after acceptance.
3. About two weeks later, something useful: a short note on their market, an introduction you can offer, an event you will both attend.
4. A month later, a direct question about whether it is worth a call.
5. A check in after a quarter if the answer was not now.

Partnership and market conversations often restart months later, when the other side's plans change. Keep a record of every conversation so you can pick up where you left off. In Sellinger the CRM holds the full conversation history across channels.

What stays with the business development manager?

• Partnership terms, commissions and exclusivity.
• Pricing for distributors and resellers.
• Any commitment about the roadmap or market launch dates.
• Senior conversations at strategic accounts.
• The judgment on which partners are worth the effort.

In Sellinger, a campaign can run in approval mode, where every message waits for a person to approve it, and the agent stops on its own when it cannot answer, for example a pricing question it was not given.

How do you handle the first reply?

A business development reply is rarely a yes. It is usually a question, a polite hold or a referral. Each needs a different answer.

• A question about you. Answer it plainly in two or three sentences, then ask one question back about their side.
• A polite hold, such as not this quarter. Thank them, ask what would change the timing and note a date to check back.
• A referral to a colleague. Write to the colleague within a day, mention who sent you and keep the same question.
• A clear no. Thank them and stop. A respectful no is often the start of a relationship two years later.

Common mistakes

• Treating partnerships like sales. A partner wants to know what is in it for their customers, not what your product does.
• Writing to the most senior person by default. The named owner of the topic usually decides faster.
• Translating a message word for word. Write it in the local register, or have a native speaker do it.
• Following up too fast. Business development moves in weeks. A message every three days reads as pressure.
• Promising things that sit with other teams. Roadmap dates and pricing for partners need sign off before they go in writing.

A checklist

• [ ] Each business development job has its own list and message.
• [ ] I research one recent thing about the organisation before writing.
• [ ] I write to the named owner of the decision.
• [ ] New market messages are in the local language and checked by a native speaker.
• [ ] Follow ups are weeks apart and bring something useful.
• [ ] Terms, pricing and commitments stay with me.