Are you the kind of person who’s easily willing to make 100+ phone calls every day in an attempt to add qualified prospects to your sales pipeline? While cold calling will always have a prominent place in the business world, it’s not the only strategy worth implementing.
It’s time to turn your attention to cold emails. And adding this with cold calling is like having the best of both worlds.
Doesn’t it make sense to implement a cold email strategy into your sales plan mix as well, since email marketing is considered an incredibly effective marketing tactic?
Just the same as a cold call, with cold emails you’ll contact prospects without prior notice. The only difference is that you will be using email as your contact method, not the phone.
The internet is swarming with tricks, tips, and suggestions about how to design beautiful emails. And while many marketers seem to understand the basics of marketing emails like make the call-to-action pop, personalize the copy, segment email list, etc., many still ignore a critical component of effective email marketing: emails need to have visual appeal.
When it comes down to the time to launch an email campaign, marketers usually give a lot of thought to email design. It makes total sense: You have an event coming up or an announcement to make, and you want to kick off the campaign right with a great looking email.
But what about the follow-up emails? Or any other type of email that can be added in an automated workflow?
What about the follow-up email? Or any other type of email that may be included in an automated email workflow? It’s time to spend some time spiffing up all those other emails you’re sending, and not just on your biggest sends.
- The “Soft Sell” Email:
Not everyone is comfortable with the cold email hard-sell approach. This makes many people feel uneasy, almost like a sleazy used car salesman.
If the hard sell approach is too much, but you still want to generate new business, it’s time to try a soft approach.
Take a look at the below cold email template;
“Hey Mark,
As the Chief marketing officer of ABC Organization, it’s my job to out to people in the industry who can share with us their feedback and high-quality knowledge regarding our services.
It’s not always easy to find experienced professionals who know the industry, but it’s my sincere hope that you can help.
Our primary services include A, B, and C, all of which I am sure you’re familiar with in your current position.
Would you have any need for any of these services? Is there anything specific that would increase the chances of working with our organization?
I am going to stop here as I know you’re busy. I would love to hear your thoughts if you have any free time to talk. Thank you for your time.
Cheers,
Bill Bollinger
ABC Organization”
- The “Hard Sell” Email:
In-person or on the phone you may not be the “hard sell” type, but the use of email can help to give you the courage you need.
A hard sell is all about just one thing: getting the person to buy in the near term. You send this particular cold email to make a sale sooner than later. You don’t do it because you want to build a relationship over time.
A hard sell email can go one of the following two ways;
- Your “straight to the point” style puts them off and you’ll likely never hear back from them again.
- You catch the right person at the right time, intriguing them enough to ask for more information or set up a meeting.
You’ll never get complete success with a hard sell email strategy, but there are some things you can say to boost your open rate and improve response rate.
Try this out:
“Hey Mark,
Are you looking for a new way to get more business through your website? You can easily take your online presence to a new level with a designed online presence.
While your current website has a lot going for it, there are many steps you can take to boost its conversion potential and improve its appearance.
My goal is very simple; to redesign your website as a means for helping you produce more revenue.
Take the time to respond to this email if you understand the value of a well-designed website and want to achieve more success in the future.
Is now the perfect time to get your website redesigned? The answer may be yes.
Cheers,
Bill Bollinger
ABC Organization”
Too direct? Too harsh? Some say no, some say yes. You know your target audience better than anyone. Maybe it is the type of email that your target audience responds to.
To reiterate, incorporating a hard sell approach email within your email campaign won’t give everyone a fuzzy and warm feeling. It may put many recipients off on your email list. But, as a decision-maker you will what’s best for your organization.
When done in a consistent manner and the right way, it can easily generate a positive response and quick sales.
- The “Introductory” Email:
Just like the name suggests, this is based highly on the premise of introducing yourself to the recipients on your email list.
Very much like a marketer is instructed to do in a cold call, you may be tempted to sell your offerings. It’s not what you’re going for, and would be much easy to work with a soft sell approach. So resist the urge.
Let’s look at the below example;
“Hey Mark,
I sincerely hope that my email finds you well. I know you’re busy, so I won’t take much of your time. The purpose of my email is to introduce myself, as I like connecting with professionals who work in the same industry.
My organization, ABC organization, specializes in the manufacturing of widgets. I am a huge supporter of your organization and keep a close eye on all your latest news and updates.
If you have any opportunity open, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email. Of course, you can also connect with me via LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
Thank you for taking the time to read my email. I sincerely hope we cross paths in the near future!
Cheers,
Bill Bollinger
ABC Organization”
This is an email to build a relationship. Right now, you aren’t going in for the kill. The goal of this email is to briefly introduce yourself, taking the first step towards becoming business acquaintances.
You can continue to foster the relationship and push it forward as planned if everything goes as planned.
- The “Social Media” Email:
When you bring together the best of email and social media, the result of your email campaign can be remarkable.
There are many opportunities to implement this into your cold email strategy regardless of your favorite social media channel.
You can directly communicate with your prospects on social media. It’s also possible to work this into a cold email campaign as well.
Below is another cold email template you can try when it comes to approaching a social media connection;
“Hey Mark,
I am always looking to grow my network as someone who thoroughly enjoys social media. I sent you a connection request after coming across your profile on LinkedIn.
I would be honored if you would accept my connection request. Alternatively, you can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.
In today’s fast-paced business world, it’s not always easy to communicate via email, but feel free to save my information on your file. Because I know there are times when communicating on social media channels doesn’t always make sense.
Anyway, I am so glad I came across your profile on LinkedIn. Let’s stay in touch!
Cheers,
Bill Bollinger
ABC Organization”
There are two purposes to this email. They are;
- To introduce yourself briefly, following a social media request.
- To ensure that the person has your email address, as it can speed up the process of scheduling a meeting in the future or a phone call.
It doesn’t make any sense, nor is this feasible to send a follow-up email to every social media request via email. This isn’t something you will probably do every time, however, it’s a tactic to use when you want to build a relationship with a person and experiment with your email campaigns.
- The “Ask For Advice” Email:
Are you someone who is too proud to ask for a bit of advice?
Even the people with the greatest mind in the world ask others for help. They know their weaknesses and aren’t afraid to enlist the services of others.
Asking for advice via email can help you easily establish a relationship. He may be flattered that you reached out for help. This will provide you with solid ground for pushing forward the communication.
Check out this “ask for advice” cold email template;
“Hey Mark,
As a huge fan of yours for several years, I just wanted to send an email to ask for small advice.
I am currently in the process of writing a book, and based on your recent success in this area, was hoping you could answer a few questions for me:
- Can you share any advice for pitching directly to the publishers?
- What process did you use to find your agent (if you used one)?
I know there is a lot to be said on both the subjects, but any advice you can offer would be helpful.
Cheers,
Bill Bollinger
ABC Organization”
This particular email is sweet, short, and to the point. You ask two direct questions hoping to get two direct answers.
The person will give you helpful advice if you’re lucky. And, if you’re truly lucky, he could even volunteer to jump on a phone call, give detailed feedback or even offer you personal help as a mentor.
In the context of this cold email, the best response would be something along the lines of “can you please send me your manuscript and/or proposal for review?” Even if this doesn’t happen, any response gets your foot in the door.
- The “Blog Post” Email:
The companies that published more than 16 blog posts per month got almost 3.5x more traffic than the companies that published between 0 to 4 blog posts per month- HubSpot
Based on the above statistic from HubSpot, it makes total sense to publish as many high-quality blog posts as possible.
You can use these high-quality blog posts as a discussion point.
Here’s how;
“Hey Mark,
Upon publishing my latest blog post, “Top 10 Email Marketing Hacks for 2020,” I instantly thought of you and your company.
This blog post examines several aspects of email marketing, filled with quotes from many thought leaders and a variety of data points.
I would really appreciate and love your thoughts on this blog post, including any feedback we could use in the future to offer our audience with even better content.
Please don’t hesitate to share some of your favorite blog posts. I am always looking to read what other industry professionals have to say.
Thank you for your time.
Cheers,
Bill Bollinger
ABC Organization”
Quite similar in many ways to an introductory email, there are several benefits to this format:
- Shows that you are interested in sharing information, not just making a sale.
- It provides a good reason to reach out.
- Proves your knowledge on a particular subject.
And if you publish blog posts regularly, there will never be a shortage of blog posts to share via email.
Conclusion:
There isn’t any wrong or right way to send a cold email campaign, but there are some steps you can follow to improve your email open rates and your response rates as well.
If you want to generate more sales and revenue, experiment with different types of cold email templates. And whenever you get a positive response, take note of what you’re doing right so that you can use it later in a future cold email campaign.
