To be truly successful in business prospecting, it’s important to use all the tools in the toolbox. One of the most consequential and effective tools is cold emailing. While it requires strategy and skill to get it right, cold emailing can ultimately be a powerful channel for generating leads and developing your business.

Cold Emailing 101

Before diving into cold emailing, it’s important to define the term. Simply put, cold emailing is a type of email marketing wherein you send unsolicited emails to some of the folks on your prospecting list; these prospects are people with whom you have no prior connection.

Cold emailing may seem like a bit of a gamble, but studies show that more than a third of sales professionals use cold emailing. And of those who do, a sizable number say that this method yields real results, helping them keep their sales pipeline nice and full. It’s also worth noting that, compared with other prospecting and business development methods, cold emailing tends to be low-cost and easy to do.

What About Cold Calling?

At this point you may be wondering: Is cold emailing a superior alternative to cold calling? The short answer is that both methods have their place, and in fact they can work well in harmony together, as they have slightly different aims.

Calls are more direct and personal, which allows you to adjust and refine your message in real-time, addressing any spontaneous questions or concerns that arise. The drawback is that calls can sometimes come across as intrusive; you also run the risk of ringing someone when they’re having a bad day or in the middle of a stressful moment.

Cold emails are easier for your prospects to ignore, but they also provide a chance for you to plant a seed that might blossom later on. Cold email can be great for reaching prospects who want to be more deliberate, or to spend more time thinking about the offer before talking with someone on the phone. And of course, most of the administrative work of cold emailing can be automated, which makes it potentially quite efficient.

Best Practices for Cold Emailing

When it comes to being successful in your cold email efforts, there are a few best practices to keep in mind.

• Start with research. One-size-fits-all emails seldom work, making it essential to customize your efforts. Show that you respect your prospect enough to get to know their industry, their business structure, or their own role within the company. Simply going on LinkedIn may prove more than sufficient.
• Avoid generic phrases. Again, you want to demonstrate that you’ve chosen to email this person for a specific reason, because you think your offer is just right for them. So calling them a “valued customer,” or using similarly cookie-cutter phrases, may actually diminish the impact of your cold emailing efforts.
• Keep user privacy in mind. Or, don’t cold email in a way that makes you seem like a creep. Avoid saying anything to suggest you’ve been stalking your prospects. For example, doing a little LinkedIn research is one thing, but it’s off-putting to say something like, “Hey, I saw on Facebook that you’ve been at the beach with your family.” Respect the line between personal and professional.
• Write with a clear intention. When you send cold emails, leave no room for confusion as to why you’re writing and what you hope to achieve. Be clear in introducing yourself, explaining why you chose to email this particular prospect, and articulating an end goal (e.g., for the person to call you or to set up an appointment).
• Address a pain point. What need does your prospect have that your product or service might solve? Cold email can be a great opportunity to acknowledge this point of friction, and to begin positioning yourself as someone who can offer understanding as well as practical solutions.
• Point to real results. Cold email can also be a chance to either offer social proof or simply to share compelling statistics… anything that indicates to the prospect that your brand gets results, and can be trusted to help address their needs.

Step Up Your Prospecting Game

The bottom line: Cold email is one way to ramp up your prospecting efforts. Another is to enlist the services of a business development team like Piedmont Prospecting. Reach out to us to find out more!