Cold Emails Don’t Work (1 Simple Fix)
Notes
Cold Emails Don’t Work!
In this episode of “The Slow Pitch Sales Podcast,” Rob discusses the commonly misused tactic of cold emailing within the sales industry. This episode is particularly beneficial for sales professionals eager to refine their strategies and achieve higher effectiveness in prospect engagement.
Do You Get Great Cold Emails?
Rob initiates the discussion by drawing from his own experiences, illustrating how the flood of cold emails he receives regularly fails to create a connection or demonstrate genuine business value. He points out that these emails often do not personalize their message or substantiate their claims, making them less effective and more likely to be disregarded. The episode critically examines the pitfalls of doing this and highlights its inefficiency in forming meaningful business relationships and its often designation of spam.
Personalize Your Cold Emails…With Your Connection
Instead of adhering to this overused method, Rob advocates for more strategic and personalized engagement techniques. He criticizes the practice of purchasing lists for mass emailing, noting that this not only blends into a sea of competition but also seldom garners genuine interest or responses. He advises against sending unsolicited messages without prior interaction or relevance to the recipient’s needs.
Rob suggests promoting “semi-warm” introductions as an alternative. Rob explains that the only time this might be acceptable is when it follows a preliminary introduction made through mutual contacts or professional networking. He provides listeners with a scenario where such an introduction might occur and how to follow up effectively. The approach encourages customizing the initial note to reflect specific discussions or interests mentioned during the networking event, thereby making the conversation relevant and engaging from the outset.
In-Person Meetings vs. Cold Emails
Rob also highlights the value of direct, in-person interactions and leveraging networks for introductions that can lead to substantive and fruitful business opportunities. He stresses the importance of prioritizing quality over quantity in sales communications, suggesting that more sincere and value-focused interactions are likely to result in successful outcomes.
Stop The Cold Email!
The episode wraps up with a call to action, inviting listeners to share their experiences or counterpoints, thus creating an interactive and reflective learning environment. This engagement is crucial for fostering a community of sales professionals who value continuous improvement and effective sales techniques.
This episode of “The Slow Pitch Sales Podcast” serves as a critical resource for salespersons aiming to enhance their methods and increase their success rates by moving away from ineffective emailing. Rob’s insights encourage a thoughtful reconsideration of sales strategies, advocating for a more deliberate and relationship-focused approach.
Listeners are encouraged to reassess their sales techniques, moving away from impersonal cold emails towards more strategic and respectful engagement methods. By emphasizing relationship building and personalized communication, the podcast offers valuable lessons on improving sales effectiveness and achieving better closing rates.
This episode is a must-listen for those looking to transform their sales approach, offering practical advice and innovative strategies to stand out in a competitive industry. It is especially useful for sales professionals looking to adopt more effective, respectful, and successful methodologies in their sales practices.
Related Resources:
Episode 7: When Is The Best Time To Make a Cold Call?
Recover From a Bad Sales Call – Using a Star Trek Analogy
Cold Emailing Vs Email Marketing
Podcast Recorded on Squadcast.fm
NOTE: Some links may be affiliate links, which means we get paid a commission when you purchase, but it the cost remains the same for you.
Music: "Clydesdale Funk" by Cast of Characters, written by: Dustin Ransom.
The Episode
Rob 0:08
Welcome back, everybody to The Slow Pitch. And today, we are going to talk about emailing your prospects.
V/O 0:16
You’re listening to The Slow Pitch Podcast, a podcast about selling less and closing more.
Rob 0:22
So if you’re like me, you probably receive 1000 emails every month, or it feels like it maybe. But it feels like 1,000 emails that are saying, hey, I want to help you, I’m going to sell you, I’m going to do this, I’m gonna do that for you, mind you, I have no idea who you are, you’re just emailing me cold, I have no idea whether or not you can actually do the work you say you can do.
Rob 0:45
And I don’t know anything about your company. In fact, I don’t even know how you got my email. For example, I got one not too long ago that says, hey, The Slow Pitch sales team. At this point, I think becoming an authority in your field on YouTube. And attracting endless organic leads isn’t a priority for you, at this moment, feel free to check out this page for more information. And then they list their website, whenever you change your mind.
Rob 1:06
Now, mind you, maybe they emailed me once before, I don’t know. But that soft, close feel like hey, I’m gonna close out your file just doesn’t work. And so for me, I feel like what I wanted to do with this episode is basically say to you this, if you’re a salesperson, and you feel like doing this is the best way to get a prospect, you’re wrong. And you should never, ever do that.
Rob 1:31
Again. Let me explain why. Because some people feel like, okay, this is a good way to get in front of the masses, you can send a mass email, you can, you know, buy a list, and you can just blast people with notes, and then the one or two people that might respond, and there’s your leaves, right? That’s all well and good. In theory.
Rob 1:49
The problem is, is if everybody takes that approach, the problem will become that nobody stands apart from each other. Right? So why would you want to be a one of those types of people, your job is to stand apart from your competitors. And if you’re going to send the same note as everybody else, you are not going to stand out. So what should you do? Number one, don’t message somebody cold.
Rob
The only way this is okay, is if you’re getting a semi warm introduction through another person. So, let’s say I’m networking, about meeting people, I talked to somebody and they say, I need to introduce you to this person. And that person does a semi-warm introduction, they do the introduction that says, hey, I met Rob at a networking event last night, and I thought he might be a good person for you to speak to.
Rob
That’s the introduction. That’s not very good, right? I mean, like, don’t give them a reason why they don’t, there’s no details, right? And so my email to that person would be what if I saw that somebody doing that would be dear so and so whoever this person is, I have no idea if it even makes sense that we should even talk, you know, when we were in our conversation last night, we talked about pain one, pain two, pain three, whatever that might be. That could be a pain for them that you know, was an inner industry. But I have no idea of any of those are even close to something that you’re facing.
Rob
Or if you even want to talk about those things. I feel like personally, whoever made the introduction was being nice and decided they were trying to help me or you in connecting us. But again, I don’t know if there’s a need at all. If you think we should talk, I’m happy to connect even just to have somebody like me in your back pocket. And that’s it.
Rob
That’s all you got to do. Right? There’s nothing more to it, there’s no reason those that person is going to buy for you, there’s no reason for you to feel like they should. But you need to make sure you start that conversation. That’s the only way that I would do a semi-cold message, the rest of the time, email is meant for business.
Rob
And if you try to do something other than that, you’re going to end up number one and spam number two people are going to ignore you and you’re not going to show any value to that person, your time to get good leads is in person or introductions. I know buying lists may be the thing to do. Maybe you think that’s the thing to do. But that’s not really the best way to do that.
Rob
The best way to do that is in person. And sometimes yes, there is cold calls that you have to make. And sometimes yes, that is through a list, right? But when you make those phone calls, that’s your first step in, that’s the first time you get to have the conversation with that person, especially if you’re connected to the right person, they may want to talk to you, that’s fine. I would not do a cold email.
Rob
That’s the lazy salespersons way of doing business. And I know that the listeners of The Slow Pitch are not lazy. They do things the right way, right. If you find this to be helpful, or if you feel like there’s another thing that I missing, please let me know.
Rob
Don’t send me garbage, I would send me an note that says hey, Rob, on the episode where you talked about cold emails, here are my thoughts. And you know what if you’re right, I’ll share that with everybody else as well. Now here’s the other trick. If you found this episode to be helpful, and you get one of these emails that’s kind of cold, send them a link to the episode
Rob 2:52
I tell them, hey, you need to listen to this because you’re doing it wrong. Number one, you’re helping yourself. Number two, you’re helping the rest of the world who doesn’t want any more of these emails. Until next time. Remember, slow down and close more.
V/O 5:13
Thank you for listening to The Slow Pitch. Slow Down and Close More
Rob 5:32
Thanks as always for listening today. If you’d like this podcast, please subscribe and leave us a review. We really appreciate it. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at The Slow Pitch. We were mixed today as always by Johnny Polakis. We were produced by High Gravity Studios. Music credits and other notes are in the show notes section on TheSlowPitch.com And we’ll be back with another episode soon.