Intro – Aaron is a SaaS specialist and good friend of ours, and wrote this “Email Secrets” guide for people just getting started with working fresh lead lists. Killing it in the US with his easy going style, he is a master of the upsell and knowing how to re-engage leads who seem to have dropped off the tree somewhere, but still have the potential to flower (With a little watering, from you!). He is a former brand manager at L’Oreal Paris and now runs a successful company http://www.saasgrowthhacks.com/ engaging new leads and old, as well as his own facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/SaaSgrowthhacking/ – James
When you send a cold email there are a few things you need to remember.
The first one is that (most likely) your customer gets cold email all the time from everybody under the sun, trying to sell them something.
The key is cutting through the clutter and getting past their “B.S.” filter.
Everyone does cold email the same.
They all start with the same boring greeting, and most of them talk about how great they are.
You need to interrupt the patterns they’re used to. You need to stand out.
In this article, you’re going to learn three ways you can be different from every other cold email your customers get.
The Subject Line
You want to get your prospects attention without being deceiving. One of the best ways to do this is to send out a subject line that is completely upfront and honest. A few that I like are “my apologies”, “I am sorry”, and “forgive me.”
I like these because, truth is, you’re emailing them out of the thin air. By apologizing right off the bat and saying “Hey look, I’m sorry”, essentially what you are telling them is “I am sorry that I am sending you this cold email, I know you get a ton of them”. You are being upfront and honest with them.
They’ll love you for it.
The Intro Line
The next line is really important because it is your chance to get your reader to develop an immediate connection with you. This is where you can be really upfront and honest with your reader (again).
You got their name from a list, there is no reason in hiding it.
It’s best to be honest and upfront about that, right off the bat. The line I use is “Hi Jim, you don’t know me. I’m Aaron, nice to kinda meet you.I got your email from a secret bunker underneath the mountains of… ok, I got it from a list.”
I’ve had a lot of success with this opening line.
You’re bringing up the elephant in the room, which is that you don’t know them, and then you bring in a little humor and honesty.
The Offer
The next thing you want to focus on is your offer. What is it that you can help them accomplish? What pain can you solve?
The best formula for this is:
We help (business type) get (specific result they want) without (the things they fear most).
Here’s an example:
We help circuses sell more peanuts without having to hire more clowns or lowering prices.
If this is a problem they currently have, this will get their attention right away.
See what we’ve done here?
You’ve been honest and upfront, you’ve made them laugh (or at the very least, smile) and then you’ve told them you might be able to solve a problem they have.
This is VERY powerful.
Then you’re going to say something as simple as “Not sure if this is a problem you have… but if it, does it make sense for a quick 7-minute chat?”
If your client does have that problem, they will contact you.
If they don’t, that is not someone you want to talk to.
Remember, you’re not trying to “sell” your services, you’re just getting them to raise their hand and say: “Yeah, I have that problem, let’s talk about it.”
It’s very effective.
Have Some Fun
Last but not least: have fun in your email.
I send GIFs. I send funny memes and images. It gives you a chance to show that you have some personality.
Being fun doesn’t mean that you have to be a professional comedian. It doesn’t mean that they’ll end up rolling on the floor laughing.
This is a great resource for how to put some more fun in your emails: (http://www.canigetanotherbottleofwhine.com/2013/05/how-to-be-funny-14-tips-to-write-funnier.html)
f you include some of these things in your email you will see an immediate increase in the number of responses you get.
You might be thinking “comedy won’t work in my industry because I sell Dowiggles and the guys that buy Dowiggles are serious folks”.
Comedy doesn’t work in certain situations, but there is no specific person where comedy or humor doesn’t work on.
Everybody likes to laugh. Everybody likes humor. Even if you are selling to funeral homes, you can still have fun in your email. The best part is, it’s something that industry most likely isn’t used to, so you’ll stand out.
You will have fun writing it, they will have fun reading, you will automatically build the connection, and your inbox will fill up with responses.
OK, time to recap:
- First get them to open your email with a simple but intriguing subject line, then build trust and likeability a with them in the opening line. One part humor, two parts honesty.
- Present your offer using this formula:
We help (business type) get (specific result they want) without (the things they fear most).
Try testing different offers in your cold emails to see what works best.
- Make your email fun. This doesn’t mean that you have to be a comedian. It just means that you put fun elements in your email. This article will give you some great ideas on how to do that: http://www.canigetanotherbottleofwhine.com/2013/05/how-to-be-funny-14-tips-to-write-funnier.html
Once you start incorporating these elements into your emails, cold emailing will not only be more fun (for you and your prospect) but also you’ll fill your inbox with people wanting to meet with you.
Aaron
Aaron Krall runs SaaS Growth Hacks in Salt Lake City, Utah, US and has worked with Multibillion dollar Floated businesses as well as Startups.
You can find a tonne of resources and information about Aaron on his website, and 3,000 strong Facebook group.
SaaS Growth Hacks: http://www.saasgrowthhacks.com/
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SaaSgrowthhacking/
You can reach him on: ak@aaronkrall.io