What’s the difference between cold email and SPAM?
Intentional Contact
One key difference is that a good cold email demonstrates a business-valid reason for contacting a prospect. Show this in writing by including thoughtful targeting and a specific value proposition.
Easy to say, sure. But what can managers do to enable their salespeople to craft quality emails?
You need marketing and customer success to empower salespeople with research about prospects and client success stories.
Your emails should look nothing like SPAM if they are intentional. If you’ve done your research, your emails should show genuine interest in serving your prospects.
Use Buyer-Centric Messaging
Deliver with specific language that resonates with buyers.
Your content should be supported with buyer-centric value propositions.
Avoid using tech jargon and office mumbo-jumbo. Don’t try to sound fancy and over sophisticated.
Be human and get to the point. Your prospects will love you for it.
Deliver Clear Value & STOP Automating Everything
While your email campaigns are going to include more than one attempt at contacting a lead, you have to be able to deliver value in every interaction.
You should try to do it in a way that is interesting/fun/exciting to your audience.
Especially for your highest value prospects – Craft messaging that a marketing department cannot create using a marketing automation system.
This means including personalization beyond basic tokens and engaging with your prospects in channels that marketing cannot, i.e. Phone, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.
Aim To Build Trust
Sales reps need to build trust with potential clients.
Sales reps, too often, will hide behind features.
Instead, they should be understanding the buyer/influencers’ pain points (please stop spamming influencers) and… truly articulating how your business can align with those initiatives as a strategic partner.
The solutions come from seeing yourself not as a salesperson, but an unbiased trusted advisor to build confidence through solution selling.
By understanding businesses’ unique problems, you can earn prospects’ trust.
Your research should show that you actually know what you’re talking about when you engage with a prospect.
Give An Opt-Out Option
I get tons of cold emails myself. Lately, I’ve noticed that more reps are using a specific opt-out link at the bottom of their emails.
Don’t want to hear from me again? Click here.
You know what, I really respect that. More often than not, when I see that, I’ll at least send a reply expressing that I’m not interested but I appreciate the approach.
It’s disheartening to be ignored day in and day out.
A simple “no thank you” response can go a long way.
You’ll Always Be Considered SPAM To Someone. Don’t Take It Personal.
Most prospects, especially at the management level and above, are constantly barraged with sales emails and calls. It’s normal for executives to completely ignore you.
Don’t take it personally. Keep fighting the good fight.
