The other day I got a cold email from a sole trader. It was a real person, and they were obviously looking for new leads.
Here’s the snag, the email fell foul of all the most common mistakes that people make when cold calling. I went from thinking “oh hey, a new email” to disappointed rather quickly.
This month’s blog is a cold email tutorial. This is one way to go about emailing businesses you don’t know (but ensure they at least read the email all the way through).
Make an effort to get to know the company
Rule 1. Only look for, and contact companies that you genuinely like the look of. If you want to find a good fit, you have to seek them out. None of us are “universal keys” in our industry. There will be people and places where we work at our best, and others where it’s chalk and cheese. Know your market.
Once you know who could fit the bill (let’s say secondhand car companies, independent shops on the highstreet or plumbers in your locality) then you can begin to make a list of who to contact.
You should be scanning these companies online like your house is on fire. Follow them, like their posts, leave a few comments over the space of a week or two. Become a fan.
Look through their social media, find out the names of the team and who you’ll be talking to first. Read the history of the company. Look through every page of their website and get a full picture of who they are (and if they are still people you dream of working with).
Always use the name of the recipient
The mistake a lot of businesses make with cold emails is copy and pasting a message that just says “hi there… etc”. It’s obvious that this sender has sent out 1000 of these emails, to every Tom, Dick and Harry. They’re all the same and will likely fall flat because of the spammy look and feel.
What’s worse, is when the rest of the email is generic and doesn’t really apply. The reader will know if you’ve done it this way and may flag you as Spam. This is not good news for your email address.
This is exactly what happened with that cold email I received. The sender talked about “our location” (they were in Ireland, I was in Kent) and a generic offer of “streamlining day to day workflows” (what does that even mean??) Add on top of that the fact that they assumed I was a large agency instead of a sole trader and the whole thing left a sour taste.
The only way to do cold calls and emails right, is to make them personal. Know who you are talking to.
Quirky email titles
The tendency with a cold email is to go in super-cool and corporate. This is where you can fall into spam folders.
Make your email title quirky so that the recipient will want to click on it out of sheer curiosity.
“Do you want to hear a good plumbing joke?”
“I reckon I can save your company £5000 a year”
“Paul, I know you hate emails but this one is a doozy.”
From there, you can insert your personality, sense of humour and what you offer.
Don’t use AI. They will know.
Show off your personality
Your fears may tell you to use a “formal” and “professional” tone. By all means be polite, but don’t skip on being funny, cheeky or charming.
Professional/corporate language can come across as cold, AI slop or boring. It’s generic and stodgy to read.
Adding your personality, opening with a joke or a bit of colloquial conversation can inject a touch of lightheartedness off the bat.
EXAMPLE:
TITLE: Hey Jean! What’s a chicken’s favourite composer?
EMAIL BODY: Bach-bach-bach! Okay, now that I have made you laugh (or possibly roll your eyes?) let me introduce myself. My name is [name] and I [describe business]. I‘m a huge fan of your company and have been following you on social media for a while now. I really like how you do [XYZ] but I wondered if you are having trouble getting noticed in [X] area? I have something that I think will help you progress here. Can we have a quick chat on the phone to talk about it? I am free this week between 2-4pm. 01234567890″
A touch of jollity should get you noticed and will ensure the email is, at the very least, read to the end.
You are making a first impression
The tricky thing about cold calling is it is a first impression based on an unsolicited contact. Sending a thoughtful, considerate email is important so that you don’t get branded as a “spammer” or time-waster.
If you think companies don’t make note of who is sending cold-emails, you would be wrong. By sending a tailored message, you will at the very least be remembered as someone who put in the effort. If you try again down the line, it might run in your favour. Business owners love a “trier”.
New to cold emails? I hope this helps! Join me on Facebook for more marketing, sales and social media tips.
About the Author
Catherine Jarvis Clothier is a digital marketer and online presence specialist living and working in Kent, UK. She has worked in unusual UK businesses for over 10 years across the South of England, particularly in automotive and therapy-based enterprises. Catherine specialises in social media, SEO and web design. She can be contacted here for online business consultations.
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