Cold Email Prospecting: Getting Busy Buyers to Reply

The Web is littered with horrible advice on cold email prospecting tips and strategy. Templates? Even worse. So here’s what I’ve learned works.

No theory, just what I’ve learned along side my most creative, diligent customers. Here is a practical way to diagnose and fix your cold email templates. Fast.

Avoid the Most Common Mistakes
It’s obvious. So obvious. But are you doing it?

Is your email different?

Is it provocative? Does it spark curiosity in a way that is hyper-focused on the buyer?

You’ll fail every time — unless your first touch email is:

• under 10 sentences
• focused exclusively on the buyer (not referencing yourself, nor current clients, nor benefits)
• not asking for a meeting
• without Web links or PDF attachments

Is your first message structured — written — to earn permission for a discussion?

The 3 Reasons Prospects Don’t Reply
Most cold email templates fail to break-the-ice and earn replies because they:

• Have subject lines that telegraph what’s inside (never get opened).
• Contain messages focusing on the seller (often pretending to be personalized).
• Ask for a meeting and share a Web link or PDF (distracting them from replying).

In 95 percent of cases I see, buyers aren’t responding because the goal of the email sender is focused on earning a meeting. If you’re selling a complex B-to-B product or service, practicing challenger selling, or if closing takes months beware: Do not ask for the meeting in your first touch.

Everything (bad) flows from this flawed objective.

Instead, think in terms of provoking a short discussion … that might (if needed) lead to a meeting.

Then, conduct the conversation (via email) in a way that creates an urge in good prospects… to ask you for the appointment. Poor prospects will fall away. They will self qualify/disqualify themselves.

All because of how you structured words … how well you copywrite.

Author: Jeff Molander

Jeff Molander is the authority on making social media sell. He co-founded what became the Google Affiliate Network and Performics Inc., where he built the sales team. Today, he is the authority on effective prospecting communications techniques as founder of Communications Edge Inc. (formerly Molander & Associates Inc.) He's been in sales for over 2 decades. He is author of the first social selling book, Off the Hook Marketing: How to Make Social Media Sell for You.Jeff is a sales communications coach and creator of the Spark Selling technique—a means to spark more conversations with customers "from cold," speeding them toward qualification. View all posts by Jeff Molander