The Best Sales Email I’ve Received All Year

If you’re like me, your inbox is now bombarded daily with what has politely been called “BDR spam” – automated, multi-touch sales email campaigns made possible by 1) the emergence of sales engagement platforms like ToutApp and SalesLoft, and 2) sales professionals who believe that beating their prospects into submission is the key to success. (“I’m following up on my last 4 emails …”)

Most BDR emails that make it to my inbox (i.e. from those reps that I haven’t already “blocked”) are bereft of anything approaching relevance or value to our business. But, ever so occasionally, an email makes it through that immediately resonates, or at least grabs my attention.

The email below (I’ve purposely omitted both the company and the rep’s name) is one such example. And the qualities that make it an effective sales email are lessons for anyone embarking on a sales outreach campaign, or any rep who writes emails, for that matter.

Here are the 5 key techniques and principles that make this email rise above the rest:

1. The subject line references both my name and my company’s name. It’s an old trick, but it works because it makes the email stand out in my inbox.

2. The first paragraph references a recent blog post I wrote. Immediately I know that the writer has invested time in research, and knows what our company does. (It’s a low threshold for praise, admittedly, but the percentage of BDR emails that exhibit NO understanding of what our company does is astonishing.) Plus: quoting something I wrote appeals to my already inflated ego.

Subject Line: Howard | Spear + [Vendor Name]

Howard,

I was intrigued by your position on pre-qualified leads in a recent blog post. As someone who has sold SaaS before + works with demand gen firms regularly, I really agree with your critique that “No lead generation vendor will qualify and convert leads better than you will”. That was definitely the case for me, even when working with an internal SDR resource.

Anyhow – I’m reaching out because I’d like to explore partnering with Spear Marketing. My company provides data science consulting to sales/marketing/demand gen organizations. We use machine learning & predictive modeling to help them win more revenue with data-driven strategies and ABM.

We’ve already partnered with demand gen firms [Competitor #1] & [Competitor #2] to deliver predictive analytics services to their clients.

I believe there could be a similar opportunity with Spear.

Can we grab 15 minutes to discuss further?

Best,

[Name of Rep]

3. The second paragraph succinctly describes 1) the purpose for writing, and 2) what the vendor’s company does, in simple terms (“win more revenue”) that imply a benefit to my business.

4. The third paragraph references two competitors with whom the vendor already does business. That immediately prompts the question: what do these competitors know that I don’t?

5. The email ends with a specific call to action, and the phrase “15 minutes” is a live link to a Web app that allows me to schedule a meeting date.

I’ve written previously in this space about how sales engagement platforms are a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. This email illustrates how a few simple principles, common sense, and yes – investing a little time in understanding your prospect’s business – can make the difference.

Source: B2C