The calls we're having with BPO leaders right now all sound eerily similar.

"We're not seeing the response rates we used to get. Prospects aren't engaging. We'd like help breaking into a new vertical."

It's the natural reaction when things get tough — but it's also the fastest way to kill what's left of your conversion rates.

Why Going Broader Shrinks Your Pipeline

Here's what tends to happen: desperation makes you generic, and generic doesn't convert. The further you stretch beyond your ICP, the more your message becomes watered down and irrelevant — inbox noise. Or worse, you start leaning on cost savings as your primary value proposition. And the clients who choose you only because of cost are the worst clients to work with.

The Counter-Intuitive Fix

Instead of going wider when things get tough, go deeper. Before sending that new sequence, do this:

Step 1: Talk to Your Current Clients in Your ICP

Seriously, go do it. Have your client services team arrange the calls if needed. This isn't about upselling — it's about intelligence gathering.

Step 2: Check Your Sales Agenda at the Door

Approach with genuine curiosity and empathy. Be there only to listen and understand what's really happening in their world right now.

Step 3: Ask the Right Questions

  • What are you focused on or prioritizing right now?
  • What keeps you up at night these days?
  • What's your organization struggling with that wasn't an issue six months ago?
  • Where are you feeling the most pressure from leadership?

Step 4: Sharpen Your Outbound Strategy and Messaging

Use these insights to refine how you're reaching prospects. If your clients are grappling with a lot of unknowns right now, a focused webinar bringing together experts to address those specific areas can be a good way to add value — keep it tightly focused on your ICP. Have your salespeople send personalized invitations, then re-tool the content into guidebooks, social posts, and follow-up emails.

Step 5: Identify and Fill Gaps in Your Offering

These conversations can also help your organization spot gaps in what you offer — additional capabilities (customer support → voice-of-customer analytics), technology to incorporate (agent assist, voice deflection, training simulators), or software platforms worth partnering with and getting trained on.

The Hidden Opportunity

If your market is at a standstill because of uncertainty, use the time to build a point of view and an offering that's genuinely compelling to your buyer. Show up consistently with helpful advice and content, and your prospects will take note — they'll turn to you when things become less murky.

Market chaos is opportunity, for those with the right mindset.

So — who's the first client you'll call this week to gather intelligence?