#247 – Zivko Dodovski: Why AI Outreach is Killing Your LinkedIn Results cover art

#247 – Zivko Dodovski: Why AI Outreach is Killing Your LinkedIn Results

#247 – Zivko Dodovski: Why AI Outreach is Killing Your LinkedIn Results

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Everyone's automating their LinkedIn outreach. Everyone's using AI to personalize at scale. And almost everyone is getting ignored. Zivko Dodovski, CEO of DoneMaker, has built a thriving B2B lead generation firm by doing the exact opposite; zero automations, zero AI messages, and a manual outreach process that consistently books 8-10 qualified calls per month for his clients.

Zivko started in radio broadcasting before pivoting into B2B sales, where he discovered that genuine human connection on LinkedIn outperformed every tool, shortcut, and automation he tested. He now runs DoneMaker, a LinkedIn organic outreach firm that has helped clients like J Baker Media land 5 clients in 2 months and Jones & Lamb LLC generate $14K in a single month — all without spending a dollar on ads.

He explains:

◼️ Why "over-personalization" is the new spam — and how savvy buyers spot it in seconds

◼️ The exact connection message framework Zivko uses to start real conversations without pitch-slapping

◼️ Why LinkedIn's API suppresses automation tools and what that means for your outreach results

◼️ How to use Sales Navigator to build targeting so precise it turns outreach into a near 50/50 yes-or-no conversation

◼️ The profile optimization mistake most small businesses make — and why the "billboard approach" backfires

◼️ Why commenting on viral posts can generate more impressions than posting on your own feed

◼️ The dot-space LinkedIn trick that instantly reveals who's using automation to reach you

◼️ When LinkedIn simply won't work for your business — and what to do instead

Timestamps:

02:00 – From radio broadcasting to B2B sales and founding DoneMaker

05:00 – Is radio advertising still relevant in 2026?

08:00 – How Zivko personally uses LinkedIn to grow his business

09:20 – The hot take: no AI, no automations — everything manual and why

12:00 – "Over-personalization" — the new red flag buyers can smell a mile away

15:00 – The exact connection message framework that starts real conversations

18:00 – Why Sales Navigator is the most underutilized LinkedIn tool

21:30 – From connection request to booked call — the full outreach sequence
24:00 – Profile optimization: what to do (and what to ditch) depending on your company size

26:00 – Where posting fits into the outreach strategy

29:00 – The commenting strategy that beats posting your own content

32:00 – Cadence, blog strategy, and the top/middle/bottom of funnel approach

36:00 – LinkedIn articles and newsletters — worth it or not?

38:00 – LinkedIn ads vs. Meta ads — why you should never test creative on LinkedIn

40:00 – The dot-space automation detection trick and when LinkedIn won't work for you

Connect with Zivko:

Website: donemaker.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/zivkododovski

Connect with Jason: Website: https://jayhunt.social

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/socialmediaspeaker/

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