Getting responses to your sales prospecting messages is harder than ever: according to a recent study, the average response rate to these cold mailings is only 8.5%. The good news is that 8 out of 10 buyers still prefer to be contacted by email.
But to succeed in today's competitive sales environment, you'll need to take a more targeted approach and make sure you reach the right buyers with the right message at the right time.
In this article, we will explore 5 key components of effective prospecting emails
What is sales prospecting email?
A prospecting message is used to initiate a conversation with a potential customer. It is considered a cold contact because the sales representative does not know the recipient. The objective is to introduce yourself and your company, generate interest and awareness of your product and, ideally, secure a meeting to discuss the prospect's needs.
Personalization, timing and relevance to the recipient can make the difference between getting a response or ending up in the spam folder. For example, messages sent between 1 and 4 p.m. on weekdays receive the most responses, while those sent on Fridays and weekends tend to get the least response.
If you want to write an effective sales message, you'll have to put in the effort. Often, that means taking the time to include unique information about your prospect and determining the optimal timing for your particular audience.
5 key components of an effective sales prospecting email
Make sure your prospecting messages contain the following elements:
1. An attractive subject
The subject line is crucial to grab the attention of potential customers. Studies show that 33% of people open messages based on the subject line alone. And, according to Yes Lifecycle Marketing, emails with personalized subject lines get 50% higher open rates.
Other techniques that have been shown to increase open rates include adding a question, emoji or numbers to your subject line. The emoji will depend on whether you are targeting an end consumer (B2C) or targeting businesses (B2B): it is more appropriate if you are targeting the former.
Focus on value
If nothing in your message points to the interests of your potential customer, you can be sure that you will not motivate him. Starting with the first sentence, highlight the benefits and value they can get from your product. Be sure to emphasize how it can solve their specific problems or improve their situation.
To do this successfully, you must spend some time thoroughly researching the prospect to learn about their scope of performance, their pain points, and their specific needs. A little research can save you a long way.
3. Short messages
Another factor to keep in mind when composing a cold email is that you're sending the recipient something they didn't ask for, which means that if they decide to open it, you need to get your foot in the door and make your point quickly.
If the message is too long, the prospect will not read it. While there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to the length of a sales prospecting email, generally speaking, the more succinct, the better. Try to keep your prospecting messages to no more than 200 words (but again, less is more).
4. Personalization and relevance
As mentioned above, personalization is essential when expecting a sales prospecting email to get results. It's an effective tactic for making your leads feel valued, and can, on average, increase your response rates by 17%. To really stand out in a prospect's inbox, you must make each email sound like it was created specifically for them and them alone.
Be sure to tailor your messages to the specific recipient and show that you understand their needs and challenges. Including their name, title and company name is a good place to start, but you can address them even more directly by congratulating them on a recent round of funding or a new position, or praising them for a recent article or interesting LinkedIn post. Remember that you have previously studied them.
Pro tip: Set up alerts to follow potential leads and receive email notifications when a company raises money, makes headlines or hires new management.
5. Include a call to action
You should never send a "simple checkout" email message that provides no value to your prospect: all email messages should help drive the sales process. Consider including an "interest-based" CTA (Call To Action) in your next cold send that is tailored to the recipient's specific interests or preferences, rather than a generic CTA such as "buy now".
Simply put: To the extent possible, don't ask your prospects what they think or if they want to set up a meeting; instead, use an interest-based CTA.
