The number of marketing options available to B2B sellers keeps growing. New technology enables sellers to identify, research, and segment prospects all without picking up the phone. But that doesn’t mean that cold prospecting has fallen out of fashion. Sometimes the tried-and-true method of cold calling and emailing is the best option. For budget-conscious marketers and sales reps looking to cast a wide net, cold prospecting is still a viable option in 2022.
When done correctly, cold emailing can still effectively drive sales. To help you get started, we’ve compiled some best practices below.
What Makes a Good Cold Email?
First things first: subject lines. Subject lines are the first thing your recipients see when you send them an email. If you choose a bad subject line, chances are that’s the only part of your email they’ll see.
What makes a good subject line? They should be:
- Attention-grabbing: ideally your subject line will inspire the recipient to click on the email.
- Direct: subject lines should address the recipient by name.
- Succinct: short, punchy subject lines are more likely to be effective.
Bear in mind, the average office worker receives up to 120 emails a day. Make yours stand out by giving it a good subject line.
Let’s move on to the body of the email. Think economy of language. You want to use the smallest number of words possible to express your message. Sound easy enough? In addition to brevity, your messages should be:
- Personal. To the best of your ability, learn about the recipients’ interests and pain points and mention them in your email.
- To-the-point. Break your email down into three parts: introduction, main points, and call to action. Cut the rest.
- Professional. It’s not a bad idea to mention your credentials. Feel free to refer to your big customers and include how many years you’ve been in business.
Finally, no cold email is complete without a call to action. But what exactly is that?
The term call to action (CTA) refers to an actionable step the recipient can take. Usually included at the end of an email, a call to action encourages customers to do things like visit your website, sign up for a newsletter, fill out a form, etc.
If you’re at a loss as to what to include as a CTA, consider using one of the following:
- Ask if they would appreciate a follow-up email
- Ask to set up a meeting; provide a calendar link
- Ask if they’re interested in the topic of your email
Got it? Read on for a list of templates you can use for your next cold email.
Templates for Cold Emailing
1. Valuable Resource Email
If you come across a helpful piece of content, it might be a good idea to send it to your prospects. They’re more likely to remember you if you provide valuable content.
Hello ,
It’s been a while since we connected. I hope you’re doing well.
I came across this on which discusses . It made me think about our last conversation where you mentioned so I thought I’d send it over.
I hope you find this useful.
Sincerely,
2. SAS (Star-Arch-Success) Formula Email
Star: The star of your email-you, your team, or your prospect.
Arch: How the star handles the same problem as your industry.
Success: How the star solves the problem.
Hi ,
My name is .
I’ve seen many companies struggle to find the right solution to over the course of my career.
Given that people’s preferences are always changing, what worked in the past isn’t necessarily effective today. But salespeople are an innovative breed. I’ve compiled a list of best practices that have kept me and my team on the right track with prospecting.
Is this something that would interest you? I’d be happy to schedule a no-obligation 10 minute call with you at any time.
Sincerely,
3. AIDA Formula Email
If you’re looking for the classic cold emailing formula, this one’s for you.
Subject: Hi , have you solved yet?
Hello ,
I understand how difficult it can be to build a thriving lead pipeline. Fortunately, we have solutions that make this task a little bit easier.
I’d love to discuss this with you. Would you be interested in a quick call on at ? Please let me know if you’re comfortable with this.
Sincerely,
4. Competitor-Focused
This one can be tricky to get right. You don’t want to come off as to aggressive. Stick closely to the template.
Hi ,
I’m and I head Business Development at . Recently, we launched a new product that .
I’ve attached a quick one pager to help you understand why our teams, including and , prefer us over other alternatives.
Based on what I’ve learned about you on LinkedIn, you seem like the right person to contact. Assuming that’s true, would you be open to a quick call on at to discuss this?
If not, it would be great if you can put me in touch with the right person.
Sincerely,
5. PAS Formula Email
Problem: Identify a problem or pain point.
Agitate: Discuss the problems associated with the pain point.
Solve: Offer a solution to the problem.
Hello ,
I’m , and I’ll keep this quick.
Long development cycles will inevitably turn off some of your prospective customers. At a bare minimum, you should be shipping out product updates at scale and speed.
I’ve helped leading companies like and speed up their shipping. I’d love to discuss this further in a 10-minute meeting. Let me know if you would be open to this.
Sincerely,
6. Proof of Success
These emails work by referring to your previous successes.
Hi ,
One of our customers achieved a 15% increase in customers without increasing their customer acquisition cost.
Is this something that interests you?
In case I’ve reached out to the wrong person, can you point me in the right direction?
Sincerely,
7. BAB Formula Email
Before: What your world looks like now.
After: What your world could look like in the future.
Bridge: What you need to take you from your present situation to your future situation.
Hello ,
My name is and work for .
I have an idea that score your next 100 customers. Recently, I helped our client triple their monthly run rate with this idea.
Would you be open to a quick 10-minute meeting? I’d love to discuss this further with you.
Sincerely,
8. Follow-up emails
Closing a deal with one email is virtually unheard of in B2B sales. In other words, follow up emails are a must.
Hi ,
I was wondering if you got my last email, so I thought I’d just check in with you again.
If you’re free this week, we can schedule a quick meeting. Please let me know.
By the way, great post on LinkedIn! I’ve already shared it with my team.
Sincerely,
So you’ve chosen a cold email template…now what? Waiting for a response can be frustrating especially when you don’t even know if they’ve opened your email. Fortunately, Visual Visitor is here to help! With our Email Tracking tool, you can receive a real-time alert every time your email is opened. You can use our software to track mass email campaigns or individual emails. Find out which prospects are reading your sales proposals and contracts. Identify the prospects that are engaging with your content, not ignoring it. Plus, when you click on the Tag button, you can find out each and every time an email recipient visits your site.
In addition to tracking emails and website visitors, Visual Visitor also helps you create email templates. With the click of a button, you can insert a template message into your email. Interested in one of the templates listed above? Simply copy and paste it into our template-maker.
Sign up for a free demo today and find out how easy email prospecting can be.