We've all gotten this cold email. It's got the "whiff" of personalization. They pulled a fact about a hobby you like or your alma mater. Then...
BAM! You're being pitched.
Double BAM! They want 15 minutes of your time.
YUCK!
You need to write emails that you'd want to read. That is easier said than done. This article breaks down how your prospect is going through their inbox, how to personalize your emails, and how to approach "conversion."
Your Prospect's Inbox Process: Inbox Triage
Think of your prospects' inbox as a glorified to-do list. They scan the inbox for:
Names and threads they recognize or expect to see
Things that look relevant to what they're working on
Everything else
When you dump your feature set into their inbox, you set yourself up as a top priority.
This is why in the article on subject lines and preview text, we denote the importance of using a name they know. It stands out.
When they're reading "everything else" and to a lesser degree 1 and 2, they aren't reading. They're skimming.
The average reading time per email is 11 seconds. That's a very short email if they're reading.
This is the Triage.
They skim. They categorize. They decide what action to take. They take it.
This is also why Pattern Interrupts work. If they can't categorize the email as a sales email out of the gate, they're more likely to read it for fuller comprehension.
Sometimes, we need a name that stands out. A great next place to look is "what's on their to-do list."
I think this requires a good understanding of your buyer and a discussion on effective personalization.
Quick Notes on Personalization:
A good question list for relevant personalization:
Is the time of year relevant?
Is their company working on something you can immediately help with?
What are the top priorities for their role?
Do their past experiences show they'd approach the tasks relevant to your product/service differently than the norm?
Are they hiring?
How do they go to market? Is it mostly sales or marketing-driven? What's their average deal size?
Do they use a particular technology?
Do they share a commonality with a case study?
You're looking for hints that show their strengths and weaknesses. You're looking for what they're focused on.
You'd like to craft the outreach to fit with this. Here's an example:
Scenario: It's the end of March. You're reaching out to a sales VP about Lavender.
The Opening
Subject Line:
Q1 Email Results
Body:
Hey ___, pulling stats on Q1. Was email a key driver for new business this quarter?
You've got room to personalize in front of this, but a sales VP is likely pulling reports at the end of the quarter. This is likely top of mind. This will drive opens and engagement with the rest of the email.
Credibility Building
The next step is to create credibility. Why'd you ask?
This is where folks tend to have the right idea: a case study. But the execution is off.
Instead, we helped X company achieve Y results. Try a subtler approach. Pick a relevant company regarding how they go to market, size, and industry. Talk about their results as it could be relevant for them.
The focus is always on them, not you.
From the outside, your process looks similar to X. With better-informed A/B testing, their managers could take our insights into email performance and 2x reply rates.
Conversation > Conversion
Now, you can finish this note with an "interest-based CTA," or you can focus on the original call to conversation. You can either create dialogue. Both are better than asking for "15 minutes".
Some examples of how to encourage conversation with an ask:
Do you think this would be helpful for your team?
Is this something you'd be interested in?
Think deeper A/B insights could drive more demos from email?