{"id":691,"date":"2014-12-17T05:00:01","date_gmt":"2014-12-17T13:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/salesfolk.com\/?p=691"},"modified":"2015-10-07T20:51:22","modified_gmt":"2015-10-08T03:51:22","slug":"one-line-never-use-cold-email","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesfolk.com\/blog\/one-line-never-use-cold-email\/","title":{"rendered":"The One Line to Never Use in a Cold Email"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are your cold emails about your prospects\u2019 needs and pain points, or are they too self-focused on your business?<\/p>\n

When emailing a cold list of sales prospects you can\u2019t expect them to know about your business\u2019 value propositions or care about your one million features. All they want to know is how you can benefit them by increasing their profits, reducing their risk or saving them time. No matter how many cold emails you send, your prospects will never connect with your message if you fail to convey a clear and powerful value proposition.<\/p>\n

If your inbox is anything like mine, it\u2019s full of long-winded emails that contain bloated information about obscure businesses I\u2019ve never heard of that don\u2019t actually tell me how their product or service can help me. This week\u2019s cold email critique is all about crafting a focused and highly targeted message that motivates your prospects to reply. \"cold<\/a><\/p>\n

Cold Email Mistake #1: Confusing Your Prospects with an Unfocused Message<\/h3>\n

\u201cSubject: Look up persistence in the dictionary\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Your prospects probably get dozens, if not hundreds of emails everyday. So how do you stand out from the crowd and make them take notice?<\/p>\n

Your subject line is the gateway to your cold email being opened and responded to. So it has to be dynamic enough to make prospects want to hit the open button, but it shouldn\u2019t be irrelevant to your business either. This subject line isn\u2019t exciting and it definitely doesn\u2019t tell me anything about the company or its product. \u00a0Cute or gimmicky marketing tactics often do more damage than good by confusing your potential customers. The word persistence <\/i>has nothing to do with the company or the pain points of its customers. A good cold email needs to be laser-focused from the subject to the call-to-action. Every word and sentence of the email must command the prospect\u2019s attention and carry them to the next part of the email until they reach that last sentence, which should compel them to hit reply.<\/p>\n

What to Do Instead:<\/b> Crafting effective subject lines is an art that takes practice, which is why you should write dozens of subject lines before drafting each email template. Select the top 2 or 3 to A\/B test in your email blasts to see what your prospects prefer. Great subject lines should either add value, evoke fear of loss, or grab intrigue with mystery.<\/p>\n

\"cold<\/a><\/p>\n

Cold Email Mistake #2: Sending a Weak Message with Wimpy Language<\/h3>\n

\u201cExcuse my persistence, but I am very excited to introduce you to my company, XYZ\u201c<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Never apologize in your cold emails. It\u2019s your job to sell and it\u2019s your prospects\u2019 job to find ways to improve their performance. Prospects won\u2019t mind your emails when they actually contain helpful information. Unless you\u2019re actually embarrassed about your product, eradicate wimpy and apologetic language from your emails. It doesn\u2019t make your prospects feel better about your message or motivate them to respond.<\/p>\n

What to do instead:<\/b> Open your cold email with a strong first sentence that either grabs their attention with a bold statement or engages them with a thoughtful question. Example 1: \u201cI was wondering, what you\u2019re doing to ensure healthy competition amongst {!Company}\u2019s sales team?\u201d<\/i> Example 2: \u201cDid you know 89% of website crashes can be prevented by 5 simple software checks?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Cold Email Mistake #3: Creating A Generic & Untargeted Message<\/h3>\n

\u201c…and see if you’d be interested in discussing how our sales and marketing services can help your company gain traction and accelerate growth. Allow us to help you strategically position your company’s sales and marketing efforts for success. \u201c<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These sentences are painfully generic. Broad language like \u201cstrategically position,\u201d <\/i>isn\u2019t compelling because it doesn\u2019t explain the value of the cold emailer\u2019s business at all. (This honestly isn\u2019t even a good example of a feature because it\u2019s so vague, but it\u2019s definitely more of a feature than a benefit.) Vague canned messages are uninspiring and turn your prospects off. Why would you put your confidence in a company that can\u2019t even send targeted sales emails? If they can\u2019t get their cold emails right, how well will they produce a quality product or service?<\/p>\n

This company clearly hasn\u2019t done its research.<\/p>\n

Sending out mass emails to random lists is ineffective because: 1) emails aren\u2019t delivered to the right people and 2) untargeted emails annoy those who do receive them.<\/p>\n

What to Do Instead:<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Build a highly targeted email list focused on one buyer persona per cold email template.<\/li>\n
  2. Focus each cold email template on a specific benefit, not features. Prospects don\u2019t care about all the cool things your product can do. They just want to know how these features can help them, so make your prospects think about their unique pain points and offer them a credible and easy solution.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u2013<\/p>\n

    Stay tuned for next weeks\u2019 cold email critique! We welcome your submissions for the \u201cworst cold email,\u201d but we\u2019d also love to anonymously critique your cold emails. For submitting emails for critique or requesting cold email consultations for your business, please email haley (at) salesfolk (dot) com.<\/p>\n

    Share this:<\/h3>