Prospects delete cold emails with these four phrases (use these instead).
1. “Hello Josh! My name is …”
Research on social loafing tells us that people are more likely to respond when they feel uniquely qualified to do so. What prompted you to contact this prospect over other prospects?
Start with something you observed about your prospect that ladders back to how you potentially help. Move your name to the end.
For example:
“Josh – Your post about defusing “I’m not interested” was spot on.”
“Oliver – Noticed you have a fleet of 23,500 in the EU and a goal of reaching zero-emission by 2025.”
2. “Hi Josh! Hope you’re doing well.”
It doesn’t feel authentic because it’s generic. Cut the fluff. Get to it.
3. “Hey Josh – I know you’re super busy, so I’ll keep this brief.”
Ironic 🙂 Be brief rather than telling people you’ll be brief. Again cut the fluff.
4. “Just bumping this to the top of your inbox.”
Sure, you have to follow up; however, when you bump things to the top of inboxes, you often remind people why they didn’t respond.
Instead, follow up by showing people other ways you might help them be more awesome.
Your product or service probably solves lots of problems. For example, if you’re a triathlon coach, here are the problems you solve:
1) Blowing up on the run.
2) Self-defeating mindset.
3) Bonking due to improper nutrition.
4) Fear of the swim.
Make one “chess move” per email rather than making all chess moves at once.