In this episode of the Sales Today Podcast, Fred Copestake speaks with Alex Nicholls-Gray, founder of The Prospect Experience Company, about why the prospect experience has never been worse and what salespeople can do to fix it.

With automation tools and AI making it easier than ever to send thousands of messages, buyers are overwhelmed with generic outreach across email and LinkedIn. The result? Lower response rates, more spam complaints, and prospects who ignore most messages.

Alex argues that the solution isn't sending more outreach it's improving the experience of being prospected.

Why Prospecting Is Getting Harder

Two key changes are shaping modern prospecting:

Automation at scale: Sales tools allow thousands of messages to be sent instantly, often replacing thoughtful messaging with volume.

AI-generated outreach: AI can produce polished emails quickly, but because everyone uses the same tools, many messages now sound identical.

The result is more noise and less impact.

Three Ways to Improve Prospecting

Alex suggests focusing on three simple principles:

1. Show effort: Prospects notice when real time and thought have gone into outreach.

2. Be creative: Memorable outreach stands out. If a prospect remembers your message months later, it worked.

3. Show personality: Human communication beats automated scripts every time.

Why Direct Mail Works

One overlooked approach is sending something through the post.

Because inboxes are crowded but physical mailboxes are not, a simple handwritten card or small item can capture attention quickly.

Alex often sends a card with a short handwritten note and a small item such as a tea bag - something simple but memorable.

A Simple Prospecting Metric

Alex suggests sales teams track one question:

When you follow up, does the prospect remember your outreach?

If they do, you've cut through the noise.

Connect with Alex Nicholls-Gray

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexnichollsgray
Website: https://thepxc.com/

Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QDArjg6vjVI

Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers

Useful resources

Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard – free Check how well your sales approach fits today's buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/