How to Send Decent Cold Emails

John Krautzel
Posted by in Career Advice


Sending cold emails to prospective clients, much like cold calling, is an art form that sales teams learn very quickly. A sales pitch that works gets customers to respond, while poorly worded emails are sent to the delete pile. Take into account a few tips about sending the right emails the right way to land better leads and more sales.

Custom Messages

The best cold emails embody custom messages to possible clients. The reason is simple — a great sales strategy boils down to quality over quantity. Your team can send out 10,000 emails in a week. However, there is no way you craft a unique message that caters to each customers' needs. Sending 10,000 emails in a week takes a mass email system that sounds impersonal. A great salesperson takes the time to get to know the client, engage with the other person and learn how to understand the other side's business model. Bad emails do the opposite.

Anatomy of Bad Emails

The worst sales messages constantly talk about your product as if you tout the product more than how it benefits the customer. Chances are, the potential client already knows that you're sending cold emails trying to elicit a response. Therefore, you should maximize your effort by avoiding long-winded messages and an email every day for 10 days. Instead, hone in on your target.

The Right Way

Sending a high-quality custom email doesn't mean you can't work efficiently. Cold emails work best when they are short, empathetic, well-researched and conversational. Start with the subject line of the email by keeping it short, such as 10 characters or less, and using everyday language as if you're talking to a friend.

Keep each email to 75 to 100 words among short paragraphs, somewhere between 4 to 5 inches of text on the screen. The body of your message starts with an appropriate salutation — definitely find out your prospect's name to start the sales relationship off right. Then, quickly make a personal connection with the customer.

Personal Equals Personality

Answer three questions to find out how to add the correct personal touches to cold emails. What is the company's current context? Mine news stories, blog posts or press releases to find out what's going on with the company's major pushes. What do you have in common with the person? Find out how to relate to the complete stranger on the other end of the email, such as the same alma mater, same sports affiliations or similar hobbies. Lastly, what's something interesting about the other person? Find out if the customer has a weekly podcast, donates to certain causes or expounds upon industry issues on LinkedIn.

All three of these questions lead to answers that create a starting point for conversations. Once you create a message with personal bits of information, it has personality, as opposed to the computer-like feel of a form email.

The key to writing the best cold emails lies in quality, personal messages that get the other person talking. Once the conversation starts, it's your job to keep it going until you close the sale, but breaking the ice is the first and hardest battle to win.


Photo courtesy of Jurgen Appelo at Flickr.com

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