In this video, we discuss our don’t say this in cold email messages list. But, before we get to the list of what to not do in your B2B cold emails, we will outline a few key concepts that all of these tips are based on. With these concepts discussed and agreed to, the 8 things we discuss for don’t say this in cold email messages will make complete sense.

 

Everything gets a reaction

Everything you say in a cold email will get some sort of reaction. What you say may get a positive reaction by making prospect interested and that would lead to them opening, reading, or responding to your email. Or what you say may trigger a negative reaction by turning the prospect off in some way or another and that could lead to the email being very quickly deleted.

What most salespeople focus on and think about when creating their B2B cold email is trying to create a positive reaction. And while that makes sense when you have a product to sell, you can also improve your results by designing your cold emails so that you minimize or decrease the negative reaction and the instant delete.

 

1. I hope you are doing well

A major portion of salespeople who send cold emails in an attempt to try to sell something, start out their email with some version of “I hope you are doing well.”

I hope you are doing well.
I hope this finds you well.
I hope you are well.
Hope all is well.
Hope you are doing well.

This is a perfectly fine thing to say in the beginning of an email you are sending to someone you know. But if it is a cold email and the prospect does not know who you are, we recommend not including this because it can flag you as the next salesperson trying to sell something.

 

2. I am following back up with you.

When you are cold emailing, you are going to have to send multiple emails to the same contact. And many salespeople will start out their emails by letting the contact know that they are following back up on a previous email they sent with something like:

I am following up on my last email.
I am following up with you again.
I am checking back in with you.
I am reaching out again.

This is on our don’t say this in cold email messages list because it tells the prospect you emailed them before and are emailing them again, making you a salesperson who is trying to sell them something.

 

3. Did you see my email?

Many salespeople will ask the prospect if they read or saw their previous emails by saying something like this:

Did you see my message?
Did you read my email?
Did you receive my email?
Have you had a chance to read my email?
You never responded to my last email.
I never heard back from you.

This is similar to the previous item on the don’t say this in cold email messages list in that it flags you as a salesperson who is trying to sell something.

 

4. I know you are busy.

Many salespeople will acknowledge how the prospect is probably busy by saying something like:

I know you are busy.
You are probably busy.
I understand you must be busy.
I am sorry to bother you again.
I’ll make this quick.

This is on our don’t say this in cold email messages list because it is a very weak frame of mind to present to the prospect because the salesperson might not have something that is very valuable to offer if they are being a bother. If you find a wallet on the ground, would you apologize for interrupting someone to ask if it was their wallet?

 

5. Bumping this up.

There is a fairly new thing that salespeople say in that they send their second and third emails and say they are bumping the email thread up in the inbox by saying something like this:

Just bumping this up.
I am just bumping this up to the top of your inbox.
Bumping this up in case you missed it.
Just making sure you saw this.

This sub-communicates that I am a salesperson trying to sell something and I have sent you emails that you might have read and did not see enough of a reason to reply.

 

6. Are you interested in….?

There are many salespeople who are very direct in their cold emails by asking the prospect if they are interested or need the product being sold with something like:

Are you interested in….?
Would you be interested in…?
Do you need…?
What if I could…?

While it might make sense in many ways to be direct and get to the point of asking the prospect wants or needs what you sell, this is on our don’t do this in cold email messages list because saying this in the early part of an email will make you look like a salesperson trying to sell something and can instigate an instant delete.

 

7. Quick question

A lot of salespeople will send emails where they either start out the email mentioning they have a quick question to ask or put “Quick question” in the subject line. This will make the email look like it is from a salesperson who is trying to sell something and can trigger a negative reaction and instant delete.

 

We hope this list of 7 things for don’t say this in your cold email messages helps you to make some small changes that have a positive impact!