If Your Cold Sales E-mail Didn't Get a Response, Make it Hot
To keep your pitch out of the spam folder, get the email address of the person who can make use of what you are offering.
By Kumail Hemani •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
I receive many emails and reply to a few. On average, one out of fifty. I also manage email accounts of client websites filled with unnecessary software purchase offers, newsletters never subscribed to, SEO offers, social network updates, etc. All these unopened emails look "spammy."
An email address is more important than a person's cell phone number, company address or any other contact information. A search by email address opens up new opportunities to interact with the person. It is an online tool that everyone uses regularly.
Related: 4 Ways to Get Customers to Open Your Emails
You don't need to invest a lot of money to get clients through email. Using it in the right way, one can use mails as a portal to land new clients. The trick is getting your emails opened, read and responded to.
1. Get your emails opened. To get the all-important first click, begin by using your real name instead of nick names. That establishes your authenticity in a spam storm. Use your web domain email address, instead of free services.
You need to get personal. "Reader" is way too generic. "Samuel" indicates you've done your research. A good subject that clearly defines what to expect in the mail is always appreciated. Avoid writing subject lines that are filtered as spam.
Recommend Reading: How to Write the Perfect Email Subject Line [Infographic]
2. Make emails attractive. Interest potential clients by showing your expertise and dedication to the project, not over-reliance on graphics, colors and puffery. Offer brief feedback on what you have observed in their business they could improve. Succinctly outline the process, strategy and tools you would use to improve their sales.
Related: 5 Ways to Stop Your Sales-Pitch Email From Getting Trashed
A comparison with their competitors further illustrates your point. Make sure to do an extensive research before making graphs or charts. Give your value proposition that sets you apart from others. Don't make hollow promises.
3. Time to send the "hot mail." Find the right person who will care most about your proposition. If you have tried all the ways and couldn't get the contact details, call the company and request a list of email addresses. Most companies do not disclose phone numbers but freely provide email addresses.
Get your hands on their email address of the CEO, COO, HR Manager or whichever decision maker is appropriate for your content. People receiving your mails will be suspicious of you at first. Explain how you got to know about them and where you got their email address to stop them from blocking you.
Once the deed is done, make sure to follow up. Show them that you are a real person (not a cyborg) keen on getting a response. Also, sometimes your email misses their inbox and a follow up will bring it in the primary folder.
Related: The Ultimate Email Marketing Strategy for a Small Business in 7 Steps
