Processes allow us to work a campaign from end to end. They help us know how to follow up and what to say and how to proceed rather than just shooting from the hip. On today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Forster Perelsztejn of prospect.io talks about the importance of a campaign for purposes of cold email outreach.
Forster shares why we have to be consistent and what we need to say in our emails so we can connect with our potential customers.
Why campaigns?
In order to successfully carry out a campaign, you must understand why you need it and how you’re going to do it. Also, make sure to set up a professional business email account when you do your outreach, you will look so much more legitimate. I know it sounds simple, but you would be amazed how often sellers neglect doing this properly.
But your cold email outreach campaign must fit into your funnel.
Maybe you need social media ads or door-to-door selling. Start by figuring out the best sources of customers for your product or service.
Then, decide how you’ll do your campaign.
There are three main stages to building one.
1. Identify who your target is.
Your target will define everything that’s going to follow so you must know who you’re trying to reach. Narrow your focus to certain targets.
2. Segment your list of targets.
Even though all your targets will presumably benefit from your product, they may not all benefit in the same way. They won’t need your product for the same reasons so you may have to use different selling points.
3. Craft a relevant message.
4. Measure everything.
After you’ve created a message, test its effectiveness. Create campaigns and then track how well they are performing.
You can make decisions about your campaign moving forward once you understand how well things are working.
First contact
Don’t be long-winded in your first contact or spend a lot of time introducing yourself or your product.
Don’t waste my time by writing, “I know you’re busy so I’ll get to the point.” That sentence is wasting my time.
Get to the point.
Then, make sure your cold emails do 5 things:
- Grab your prospect’s attention.
- Tell them why you’re reaching out to them personally.
- State the clear benefits you’re offering.
- Provide some kind of credentials.
- Give a clear call to action.
Everything in your email is to get them to take action to move the process forward. If you’re not clear on how to do that, you shouldn’t be sending the emails.
If your product isn’t super complicated, it should be about 7 sentences.
Later emails
You’re not really just following up. If you truly believe you’re bringing value to the table, you’re not going to just “follow up.”
If what I have to offer will bring you tons of new business, I’m going to be passionate about helping you understand the benefits.
Instead, we should think of it as “building a journey” that’s going to help your prospect be informed and move toward a decision. Keep the conversation going rather than “following up.”
Often the second email will be a reminder. Maybe your prospect is interested but he got distracted by other things.
Don’t assume after the first email that the person isn’t interested. If they still don’t respond after the second one, I can provide more content and bring more value.
Multiple follow-ups
Most responses come between the second and the fourth email, but it really depends on your sales cycle.
If you have an extensive sales cycle, it may take longer to arrive at a decision.
Don’t quit too early. Your prospect has a life and a job and he may have forgotten to reply.
You may fear that he’s annoyed because you’re filling his inbox, but if you’re providing value, even if he doesn’t need it now, he’ll remember you when he does need your product.
There are several ways to bring value in later emails, always with the intention of moving your prospect closer to a decision.
Share case studies, stories, testimonials, articles, or anything else that will help your prospect understand the market and the challenges you’re helping to solve.
Email is simply one way to connect with potential customers. If your audience is active on social media, you can consider contacting them there, or use trade shows if those are a better fit for your market.
Think about what you would want to know. When you’re reaching out to people, think of all the bad emails you’ve ever received and ask yourself if you’re being like those people right now.
Try various things. Change subject lines. Keep a process moving and don’t panic if it doesn’t work.
“Cold Email Outreach” episode resources
You can check out more of what prospect.io has to offer by visiting their blog, and if you visit prospect.io/tse, you’ll get 50 percent off of your first three months. Prospect offers various plans, and you can begin by choosing the lowest plan and then upgrading if you find that you need more support.
This episode is also brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns.
We’ll use prospect.io in the upcoming semester of TSE Hustler’s League to focus on prospecting. We’ll give you insights and tools that will help you gain new customers and provide training and strategies that you can implement today to ensure constant flow in your pipeline.
Check out TSE Hustler’s League and apply to see if it’s a good fit.
Leave us a review on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content, and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode, and share it with someone else you think might benefit.
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS