Writing a prospecting email is like walking on eggshells. Every detail counts to gain your prospect’s attention. The slightest communication error can permanently affect the perception he has of you. If your message is too standard, you may also never achieve your goals.
So, how to write a good prospecting email? The first step is to proscribe these 7 sentences at all costs.
My name is (first name), I am (position) at (company)
With this hook, your prospect immediately identifies your approach as commercial. So avoid this sentence, especially since this information is already present in your signature.
To introduce your messages, turn immediately to your prospect. For example, you can congratulate him for an action taken or bounce back on a news item from his company.
I hope you are doing well
Being polite and wanting to show that you care about your prospects is good. Note, however, that most of them do not attach any importance to your greetings.
So go to the essentials while keeping a courteous tone. The shorter and more accurate your prospecting email is, the more likely you are to get your message across.
I wish… I would like to… I would need….
The prospect and their problems should be at the center of your message. So don’t talk about yourself all the time (with « I »), or what you’d like to get. Instead, focus on the person behind their screen and the various issues that could lead them to take an interest in your offers.
The goal of your message is for your prospect to say: « This person understands me perfectly. She knows how to put my problem into words and has a solution to solve it. »
Are you the decision-maker? Tell me if you are not the right person.
You probably think that by asking this question in your emails, you increase your chances of an answer. In reality, this approach does not lead to any results. Your emails are very rarely forwarded.
It’s better to spend more time improving the accuracy of your upstream targeting . Thus, you engage in a relevant conversation with each of your prospects. Your approach will also be perceived as much more professional.
I would like to make an appointment with you
Remember that in your prospecting emails, you need to position yourself as an expert who comes to the rescue of your prospect. By reading your messages, your prospect should not think that your only goal is to sell him your products or services.
Your prospect must perceive the added value he can derive from this first contact. You can offer him a quick exchange to discuss his problems. When you have them, use your freemium offers to create the relationship: proposal of a trial period, pre-audit, product demonstration, etc.
Would it be possible to exchange with you about….
Writing this sentence in your emails puts you directly in the position of a requester. However, your prospect must perceive that it is he who has something to gain. So favor formulas such as « I propose you », « you have the opportunity to ».
To make your proposal even more appealing, you can even imply that you select the people you call back. If you propose a pre-audit for example, you can mention eligibility conditions.
What are your next availability?
When you ask this question, you are asking your prospect to:
- consult his agenda,
- think about the right time to organize an exchange in the middle of its busy weeks,
- memorize possible slots,
- Go back to your email to answer you.
Suffice to say that in prospecting, you can not afford this luxury. Your prospects have too little time to give you.
It may be interesting to formulate your CTA (Call-To-Action) in the form of a question. Nevertheless, be sure to ask for something very explicit. Prefer a closed-ended question and a specific action.
