– Will Stokes CEO, Blue Craze Media
I’ve built an agency on numbers: click-through rates, cost per lead, lead-to-close rates…basically, if it moves, we measure it.
But something I’ve learned is that data doesn’t build trust. People do.
In my early career in staffing, relationships weren’t a “nice-to-have”—they were everything. And honestly? Even with the rise of AI, that hasn’t changed. If anything, it’s even more true today.
Behind every email open is a person deciding whether you’re worth their time. Behind every form fill is someone looking for clarity, not a pitch.
Some of the most successful campaigns my team has run didn’t win because of fancy tech or brilliant copy. They worked because they felt human, with:
-Messaging that met people where they were
-Outreach that felt helpful, not pushy
-Follow-up that prioritized relevance, not volume
One example I’ll never forget: a life sciences firm came to us frustrated by low reply rates. Their outbound was technically sound and data-backed, but no one was responding.
So, we reworked the message. Not the data, but the tone. We led with empathy. Spoke to the actual pain point. Introduced the firm as an ally, not a vendor. Replies shifted from silence to real conversations. One message led to a multi-year deal – because it made the prospect feel seen, not sold to.
Internally, we try to live this too. In one recent client strategy call, we paused the deck when we sensed the client was overwhelmed. We stopped showing slides and started asking questions. That moment strengthened our partnership more than any report ever could.
My mantra: Metrics matter, but connections close.
Tone, timing, and empathy don’t show up in dashboards, but they help shape the outcomes. In a world filled with automation, AI, and optimization… maybe that’s the most important metric of all.
Connection is still the secret weapon. Data can guide it, but people close the deal.