{"id":2600,"date":"2018-01-30T05:00:59","date_gmt":"2018-01-30T13:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/salesfolk.com\/blog\/?p=2600"},"modified":"2018-01-29T13:59:26","modified_gmt":"2018-01-29T21:59:26","slug":"heres-happens-carelessness-takes-cold-email","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesfolk.com\/blog\/heres-happens-carelessness-takes-cold-email\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s What Happens When Carelessness Takes Over a Cold Email"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a glaringly obvious fact about cold sales emails: they are not hard to write. Running a marathon is hard. Performing open-heart surgery is hard. Taking the time to research a prospective client and send them an email full of useful details is not hard.<\/p>\n

So including clues\u2014intentionally or not\u2014that tell a prospect they\u2019re part of an arbitrary mass list makes you look lazy and untrustworthy, and won’t help your response rate.<\/span><\/p>\n

This company clearly didn’t consider that when it wrote its latest cold sales emails:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at what went wrong and how this company could fix their future messages.<\/p>\n

1. The recipient\u00a0has\u00a0to do all the work.<\/b><\/h3>\n

The\u00a0first strike here is\u00a0that instead of providing an explanation about what an “explainer video production company” is, the sender merely references a previously sent email. Maybe that message included an explanation; maybe it didn’t.\u00a0The point is, the sender wants the recipient to go to the trouble of searching for that initial email, which is more work than you should ever make a prospective customer do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why? Because referencing an old email doesn\u2019t count as an explanation\u2014you can\u2019t assume that the recipient saw any of your previous messages. Each email should be unique, with wording and benefits the recipient will relate to. Messages that need to be decoded almost never entice people.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. The sender openly admits to doing no research.<\/b><\/h3>\n

Never include a line like,<\/span>\u00a0\u201cPS: I don\u2019t know where you are, but I\u2019m hoping that you are not affected by the hurricane.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Not knowing someone’s location\u00a0<\/span>underscores the fact that you didn\u2019t research your prospective customers and that this\u00a0message is part of a mass list.\u00a0<\/span>In the case of this email, it\u2019s also callous. The message basically says, \u201cI would love to sell you something even if your life was just severely impacted by a natural disaster.\u201d<\/em> I probably wouldn\u2019t respond to this message on principle, even if it applied to my business.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, the sender should have checked their recipients\u2019 locations and adjusted the message going to those impacted by the recent hurricanes.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. The sender relies way too much on filler text.<\/b><\/h3>\n

The second email from this company is more of the same:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"SalesFolk<\/p>\n

You only have limited time (seconds, actually) to capture a prospect\u2019s attention, so making them work through\u00a0empty questions like the opening one of this email won\u2019t inspire prospects to read on. The subject line here is also empty of meaning. (Also, why is there a crown involved?)<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, the end of this email takes up almost as much space as the main message itself. Telling someone to \u201chit the reply button\u201d is pointless, even as a pleasantry. Even \u201clet me know what you think about it\u201d<\/em> falls flat as a call to action (CTA). A better route for this sender would be a simple ask like, \u201cWhen do you have 15 minutes this week for me to talk to you more about this infographic?\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, there\u2019s that smiley face at the end. I realize a lot of folks believe it can set a pleasant tone for the end of the email. As a salesperson, you should never rely on emoticons to set the mood of your emails. Your time would be way better spent brushing up on basic copywriting skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read any bad cold emails lately? Send them to <\/span>shame@salesfolk.com<\/span><\/a> for consideration, and we might include them in our next Hall of Shame post.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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