Writing and sending cold emails can be a complex process. The mail inbox of an average person is full of emails from people trying to offer them something. Meanwhile, the average response rate to these cold emails is just 1%. That is quite competitive, so how do you make your voice heard despite the noises?
In this article, we go through some classic B2B cold emails templates to personalize your messages and the best practices to increase your cold emails’ response rates.
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B2B cold email is an outbound selling technique that involves sending a sales pitch to a B2B prospect, usually without a prior relationship. This technique is a great way to pitch your products/services to prospective customers to generate leads and increase sales. Your email prospect could be your existing, new, and prospective customers.
According to a study, over 77% of B2B companies use cold email is an email marketing strategy.1 This number isn’t surprising because cold email marketing is a great way to initiate contact and generate leads from prospective business partners.
When creating a sales email, it’s a good idea to follow the templates of people who have done it successfully. Here is a compilation of 10 great B2B cold email templates that top marketing sales teams have used for their business.
AIDA is a classic cold email template that dates to 1900. This copywriting template follows this order:
Attention: A hook that grabs attention
Interest: Something of interest to keep the recipient engaged
Desire: An offer to arouse desires
Action: And a call to action asking them to click or purchase.
Template Example:
Hi (First Name),
Our (Product/Service) helps startups improve their (one-sentence pitch). Here is a customer’s review:
(Customer testimonial: I recently used this for our SaaS company, and we tripled our customers in just 2 months)
Would you also like to have (benefit of the product)? If yes, you can respond to this email with the best time to call you during the week.
Regards,
Your Name, Company Name, social media, etc.
This is a great cold email template in a situation when you are not sure you are approaching the right person. The email recipient, in most cases, will let you know if they are the right person.
Example:
Subject Line: Do You Handle (specific task) at (company name?)
Hi (Prospect name),
I was hoping to find the right person that handles (specific task or department) at (Company Name).
(Your company/product/services) help companies improve their customers' relations and experience through automated chatbots. Over 300 companies, including (Company X) and (Company Y), are currently using this (product name) to respond faster to customers who have inquiries or complaints.
Are you the appropriate person to reach out to regarding this solution? If not, could you let me know the right person to contact?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
(Your name, company details, position, social media handles, etc.)
This email template focuses on the pain points your prospects struggle with and then offers a solution. The best way to go about it is to empathize with their pain point and explain a surefire way you can help them fix these problems.
Template Example:
Subject Line: There is a way to fix the delay in shipping electronics
Hi Sandra,
As a business owner in the electronics industry, logistics and packaging is, unfortunately, something that may be very challenging. But it doesn't have to be.
With (Your Product/Company), businesses like yours have achieved.
If this is something you’d love for your business, let's schedule a 10-minute call to discuss how (Your Service) can help.
Feel free to book a convenient time for you here (Insert Calendly link)
Regards,
Your name,
Your job titles
Company name and website
Contact information and social media profiles
This classic cold email template has stood the test of time, and it works most of the time. You begin the email with a compliment, state the benefit they will get by working with you, set an expectation for the time they need to invest, and state how you can help them.
Example:
Hi Cynthia,
You have unique and creative web content; the way you use animations for content marketing is great to attract customers.
At (Company), we offer affordable web design services to help clients create a unique website layout that improves customers' experience and wins sales. Are you available to speak about this over the phone for 10 minutes? We would love to see how we can help boost your website visitors through an impressive layout.
Regards,
Betty.
Selling or offering a product means there is a problem you can solve for the prospective client. The problem-focused email catches the reader’s attention by revealing a problem they are facing and how your product can effectively solve it.
Example:
Subject Line: Let’s Help You Find Customers Easily
Hi (First Name),
My name is Gabriel, and I’m the founder of Get a Mechanic. We work with mechanics to help them find customers easily through our app.
The Get a Mechanic app makes it for customers dealing with car problems you specialize in to connect with you instantly.
Are you up for a screen share to see how this app works and how it can benefit your company?
Best,
Gabriel.
The flattery and compliments template is exactly what it sounds like. You compliment something about your B2B prospect and then go ahead to offer a product you think will even help them perform better.
Example:
Dear Seth,
I love (Company Name), I’ve been a customer for 2 years now, and I like your social media pages layout.
I work with (Your Company) to create social media marketing and scheduling tools for better management. Just wanted to know if your company may be interested in something similar.
You can reply to this email at a convenient time to speak more about how this software can help you manage your social media accounts better.
Best,
Reese.
Star -Start with the star of your story. This could be another business, your company, or a client.
Arch - Reveal how your star faced a similar pain point to your prospect.
Success- Narrate how the star solved the problem linking back to your product/service.
This is a great email template because it harnesses the power of storytelling, thus strengthening your cold email.
Example:
Hi (First name),
In 2021, (Star Company) had difficulty hiring the best software engineers for their company.
This led to an overall reduction in productivity of the company that year. How did they solve this?
They started to outsource their work to freelance software engineers at (Your Company)
(Your Company) is a freelance hub that recruits the best software engineering talent across the globe to improve the hiring process of tech companies like you. Some of our partners include (Company 1) and (Company 2).
Check out our website (URL) to see how it works and how we can help you.
Best,
(Name, company name, social media, etc.)
This template is a great way to grab attention and stand out from your competitors. You start this email with a quick introduction and get to 2 things you think the recipient should fix.
Example:
Hi Mike,
I’m Elizabeth, a content marketing expert who has worked with Company X and Company Y to develop working marketing strategies.
I love what (Your company) is doing, but we’ve noticed two things you should fix:
I am emailing you because I would love to create content for your website. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in?
In the meantime, here are some resources (link) to get you started with effective content marketing.
Best,
Elizabeth.
The competitor template is most suitable in situations where your prospects are already using a product similar to yours. In this email, you convince the recipient that your product is unique and more appealing than your competitors. Meanwhile, don't make the mistake of bad-mouthing your competitors.
Template example:
Subject Line: Does (Your Competitor’s Product) Limited Payment Options Affect Your Business Too?
Hi Michael,
We were going through your (company's name) website and saw that your e-commerce site uses (mention competitor).
Many (prospect's industry) businesses have switched from (competitor’s company) to (Your company/product/service) because of the limited payment options available to customers when trying to checkout.
Our customers love our payment merchant because it gives buyers 10 different payment options and offers everything you need to accept payments from customers from around the world.
Feel free to check what other business owners (review link) are saying about (Your product).
I’ll be happy to walk you through our process on a 10-minute Google meet chat. You can pick a convenient time for the chat here (Scheduler URL).
Have a good day,
(Your name)
There are chances that the prospect you aim to establish contact with may not return your mail; this is when a follow-up email comes in. A study by Harvard Business Review revealed that 56% of customers complain about poor follow-up.2 A follow-up email helps you stay on the mind of your prospects and increase the chances of sales. So, don't be anxious to follow up with your recipients.
Example:
Subject: Didn’t Get Response on The Last Mail
Hi Roselyn,
I didn't get your response in the last mail I sent you regarding integrating junk removal to your website comment section. I mentioned that we could talk on the phone to discuss this solution better.
Feel free to reply to this email with a time convenient to chat about this.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Best
(Your name, company name, social media icons.)
Now that you have some templates you can follow, here are some best practices to write B2B cold emails that convert:
The first rule of sending cold emails is to target B2B prospects who are likely to benefit from what you are offering. Always send cold emails to the right person.
If your services are majorly for tech companies, you have no business reaching out to a fashion company. Identify your target audience and ensure you send cold emails to those who are likely to require your products/services.
Your subject line is a key component that determines the open rates of your sales email. This is what will determine if a B2B sales prospect will open your email or throw it in the junk. Therefore, craft strong subject lines that tease curiosity without sounding spammy. Also, make the subject line as short as possible.
Example: Want to Increase Customers’ Leads By X%?
Your cold emails shouldn’t be too long. Boomerang's analysis of 40 cold emails reported that mails between 50 to 100 words tend to yield higher response rates.3
What is the most pertinent issue that your target audience needs help with? Try to mention this pain point to grab your recipient’s attention. Also, mention the negative effect of the pain point and how your products/services can be of solution.
Try to personalize your cold emails by mentioning the recipient’s name, company, and other personal information. For instance, instead of Dear Customer, you can go with Hi, Josh! Always find the person’s first name and use it in the body of the mail.
When you write a sales email, make it easy for your prospects to get in touch with you. End the email by including a calendar, zoom link, email address, phone number, or any contact details where they can get back to you.
As a business owner, it’s crucial to adopt the necessary strategies to help you scale better. One of such strategies is the cold sales email. Follow the templates and tips above to build a solid cold email outreach campaign.
Also, you can scale better with sales by leveraging B2B e-commerce platforms like Alibaba.com. Are you a B2B seller who wants to boost your business? Start selling on Alibaba.com to reach a global audience!
Alibaba.com is an e-commerce platform that lets B2B sellers create a storefront, list their products, and reach their prospective customers all in one place. Want to get started? Simply log in to Alibaba.com, choose the seller as your role, and start selling.
References:
1. https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/b2b-2021-research-final.pdf
2. https://hbr.org/2010/07/stop-trying-to-delight-your-customers
3. http://blog.boomerangapp.com/2016/02/7-tips-for-getting-more-responses-to-your-emails-with-data/
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