In this video and blog post, we will discuss how to create a cold email sequence that generates leads. We structure this discussion by outlining four mistakes seen in almost every cold email message. We then show you an approach to cold emailing that not only solves those mistakes, but also improves your ability to tell the story of what you have to offer.

 

TLDR

  • There are four mistakes I see in every cold email: 1) all about me, 2) sound like a salesperson, 3) selling the product, and 4) wrong close.
  • We first improve your cold email sequence by explaining how and why to fix those mistakes.
  • When you are all about me, you are not talking about the prospect and their interests.
  • When you sound like a salesperson trying to sell a product, your emails will get instantly deleted.
  • You can improve cold emails by selling the conversation instead of the product.
  • We provide a completely different approach that focuses more on the prospect than on the product.

 

Four Common Cold Email Mistakes

I receive between 50 and 100 cold emails a day, and here are four mistakes I see in almost every email message.

  1. The email is “all about me”
  2. They sound like a salesperson trying to sell something
  3. They are trying to sell the product
  4. They close for the wrong thing

 

Most Cold Emails Are “All About Me”

The first mistake that most salespeople make with their cold emails is that they are “all about me” and primarily focus on the salesperson’s interests and stuff:

  • My company
  • My product,
  • Do you need what I sell?
  • Selling my product
  • Hitting my sales targets
  • Making commissions

The problem with doing this in their cold email message is that if the salesperson is focusing on their own interests, then they are not communicating in a way where they are focusing on the prospect’s interests. The prospect’s interests are completely different from the salesperson’s interests:

  • Their company
  • Their product
  • Increasing revenue
  • Fixing issues/solving problems
  • Increasing income
  • Their career growth
  • Providing for their family

With that, when a salesperson communicates in an “all about me” way, not only are they not communicating in a very attention-grabbing way, but they are likely to turn off and bore the person you are trying to get engaged with. Think about how we can improve a cold email sequence by focusing more on the prospect’s interests, and we will show you how to do that.

 

Most Cold Emails Sound Like a Salesperson Trying to Sell Something

The second mistake most salespeople make with their cold emails is making it very clear they are a salesperson trying to sell something. They do this by saying things only a salesperson trying to sell something would say:

  • Sorry to bother you
  • I hope you are doing well
  • Bumping this up
  • Did you see my last email
  • Following back up
  • Checking back in
  • Quick question
  • Would you be interested in…?
  • Would you be open to…?
  • Can I send that to you?
  • Worth a call?

You have to keep in mind that your prospects receive many cold emails every day from other salespeople. When a salesperson communicates in this way, they flag themselves as being another salesperson sending an email to try to sell something. This is likely to trigger the prospect’s guardedness and increase the likelihood that your email will be deleted immediately.

The fix here is to be more aware of the impression you are making and reduce how much you look like a salesperson by modifying and optimizing how you communicate and what you say (and don’t say). You don’t have to lie or hide the fact that you are a salesperson. But you can communicate in a way that makes you sound more like a consultant or business representative than a salesperson trying to sell a product. We will show you how to do this.

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Trying to Sell the Product In Cold Email Messages

In just about every cold email I receive, the salesperson is trying to sell the product. Almost every email follows this outline:

This is who I am.

This is the company I am with.

This is the product I sell.

Do you need what I sell?

Can we meet to discuss what I sell?

While this might sound normal and logical, there are many reasons why this is not optimal:

  • All about me
  • You sound like a salesperson
  • Prospects not in buying mode
  • Missed opportunities
  • Fewer leads and closed deals

We will show you a way to structure your cold email sequence that is a different and more effective way to go.

 

Most Cold Emails Focus on the Wrong Close

In almost every cold email I receive, the salespeople are trying to close for the purchase of the product. Even though they cannot take the order right then, they close for the purchase and last step of the sales process by asking the prospect if they are interested or need what they sell.

The mistake with that is that the purchase is not the next step in the sales process; the next step in the sales process is simply talking more and having a conversation in the form of an appointment, meeting, or call. We can improve our cold emails by changing the close so that it focuses more on this.

 

Fixing Cold Email Mistakes and Creating Powerful Campaigns

We fix all of these problems by flipping everything around. Instead of being all about the product, we make the approach and cold emails all about the prospect. This not only helps us fix all those mistakes but also allows us to communicate more effectively, focusing more on the prospect’s interests. This will improve our ability to grab the prospect’s attention and build interest, which will greatly increase the success of a cold email sequence. We explain this approach in the video.