How many times have you sent a chilly email that ended up in your spam folder?
Perhaps the value proposition was buried too deep in the email body, or perhaps you simply ignored the salesman who sent it.
This is a fairly frequent reaction to cold email solicitation. It happens all the time, in fact.
People often assume that cold emailing entails spammers posing as salespeople. That’s why writing a successful cold email that captures a prospect’s attention is a true art.
The finest cold emails have a few characteristics in common. This is supported by email analysis. If you want to increase your open and reply rates in order to land your ideal customer, you need close your Gmail browser and pay attention.
- The cold email template “short question”
- The cold email template “third-party connection”
- The cold email template “PAS”
- The “straight to business” email template
- The chilly email template “paint a picture”
The cold email template “short question”
When you’re not sure if you’ve got the appropriate point of contact, use this template. You’ve done your homework and located a big-name company for whom your product or service would be ideal, but you can’t find the right person to contact.
Keep this email as brief as possible, and get right to the point. The less time your reader has to commit, the more probable it is that they will answer quickly. Before you ask for any information, make sure you identify yourself appropriately.
The cold email template “third-party connection”
Let’s say you know who to contact, but you’re having problems getting in touch with them or receiving a response.
LinkedIn and Twitter are excellent places to look for employees who aren’t necessarily business decision-makers. You can acquire indirect access to your prospect by using their contact information and this third-party cold email template.
The cold email template “PAS”
The “PAS” cold email template (is made up of three parts)
Problem
Determine a problem that is unique to the person to whom you are cold emailing. Twitter, Google, Yelp, Facebook, and other user-generated sites are excellent for identifying a problem that your receiver is having.
Agitate
Poke about with the problem now that you’ve identified it. Reinforce why the reader’s dilemma is so frustrating to elicit an emotional response from them.
Solve
Provide a remedy to the issue. The idea is to persuade the reader that your product or service is a no-brainer that will solve all of their problems. Make sure there’s a clear, low-commitment CTA in this section.
The “straight to business” email template
The direct approach is sometimes the best strategy. This is especially true for busy CEOs and brands that aren’t afraid to say what they’re thinking. Get right to the point by identifying a situation or problem that your prospect is likely to encounter. Present the reader with real data that indicates your product or service is the logical option without any additional fluff.
While the template below is for a CRM solution, it can be modified to fit any type of business.
The chilly email template “paint a picture”
This cold email is all about making your potential customer see how wonderful life could be if they used your product or service.
Demonstrate how your product or service will immediately improve a prospect’s life by showing them what their life would be like without it. Make sure that the scenario you provide to your prospect is plausible.
Then, using your product or service as the backdrop, paint a picture of the same scenario. What’s different now? How has your solution improved their lives so significantly?