The problem: You worry that members of your sales team are not following the right messaging guidelines in their cold outreach to prospects.
The solution: You can give them templates to one-click insert.
Giving cold-email templates to your sales team guarantees two things: (1) You can rest easy knowing they're using the right positioning; and (2) Sending emails with proven copywriting techniques will increase their open and reply rates.
Remember: cold emails aren't about the sale; they're about initiating conversation and getting the ball rolling.
Sounds familiar to what you do every day, right?
To get you started, here are three standout cold email templates (used by our sales team at Yesware), plus the "science" behind their effectiveness.
1. How to Connect With Prospects on a Human Level
Misery loves company: It's a fact that people love to complain on social media. Especially about brand inefficiency.
According to research, Americans complain about brands 879 million times a year on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms; 10% do it every day.
What's the point? According to Edison Research, 79% of those complaining about a brand on Twitter do so because they want their friends to see; their purpose is to be heard.
Which means your salespeople can research to find an issue a specific prospect has. Then, they can slide in as a friend and compare it to a pain point your company solves. Here's how a Yesware account executive used this approach:
And here's the response she received (name and company changed):
Ready to send it to your sales team? Just copy the template text below.
Template:
SL: {!Thing Bothering Them}
Hi {!First Name},
Noticed from your {! Social media} that your {!item} has been problematic and {!pain point}. Ugh.
{!Pain point} is the worst. Similarly, your {!Employee type} at {!Company} are probably {!Pain point}. {!My Company} {!How you solve pain point}.
This is {!Your Name} at {!Your Company}. {!First Name}, can we schedule some time this week to discuss how {!My Company} can {!Solve Pain Point}?
Best of luck,
Hint: Make sure you fill in the {!My Company} {!How you solve pain point} section for the team before releasing the kraken.
2. How to Break the Norm to Catch Their Attention
If you walked into an elevator and faced the back wall, people would notice.
The beauty of breaking the norm is that it catches people's attention. In a world where inboxes are grazed with skims and deletes, this technique catches the eye.
Here's a unique way your sales team can get attention in an email:
- Find a prospect's favorite band: Look on their Facebook or Twitter profile.
- Pick a song by that artist: Find one that's popular and has simple lyrics.
- Get creative: Write a quick parody of the song relating to your company's value prop.
Here's how a Yesware sales development representative took his prospect's interest in Luke Bryan and remixed it to make contact:
And here's the response he received:
The moral of the story? Your prospect doesn't get this kind of email every day—or any day.
Template:
SL: {!Song parody name}
Hi {!First Name},
Noticed you are a big fan of {!Artist}. {!Funny banter}. I'm trying to get creative in my outreach, so here's a remix of "{!Song Name}," called "{!Song parody name}."
"{!Song parody}."
{!First Name}, {!Company} {!What services you provide}. {!Why your service benefits them}.
Would love to get some time on the calendar to give you a quick demo of {!Company}.
3. The Beyoncé Effect: Compare Their Hero to Your Product
Everyone has an idol.
It could be a thought leader, inventor, actor, or, yes—Beyoncé. So, what better way to explain a product/service than to compare it to the person they admire most?
Introducing the power of the metaphor.
Metaphors break down complex or new concepts into something familiar. They're particularly effective for cold outreach. Below, a sales representative uses this technique to compare Yesware's features to Queen Bey:
The result? An intro to a decision-maker:
Template:
SL: The {!Idol} of {!industry or niche market}
Hi {!First Name},
Based upon your {!Social media}, you're a fan of {!Idol}—inspiring me to reach out to you here. What would {!Idol} be without {!Point of relation}? {!Funny commentary}.
{!My Company} is the {!Idol} of {!Industry or market niche}. Our platform provides {!Benefit 1} and {!Benefit 2}. Features like {!Feature 1}, {!Feature 2}, and {!Feature 3} make your team {!Benefit 2}—making them reading to boost their fame (much like {!idol} and their team).
{!First Name}—might you be willing to connect for just a few minutes to talk about how we can get your team onto {!Idol}'s level?
Bridging the gap between marketing and sales can be as simple as sending creative reply-worthy templates that initiate conversation and make reply rates go up. What are your favorite cold email templates?
Note: Your salespeople can quickly save and insert the above email templates in their Gmail or Outlook inbox with a free trial.
