Why your cold email isn't working
(and how to fix it)
Jeff Molander
Conversation Enablement Coach & Founder, Communications Edge Inc.
Your cold email ("first touch" message) is probably coming on too strong—saying too much, too fast.
Your goal is NOT to book a meeting on first contact. Using InMail? Standard email? Connecting on LinkedIn first?
Be warned: Asking for calls and meetings, right away, usually fails.
Whether you're trying to provoke a discussion or continue one that's stalled... you're not selling. You're facilitating.
Facilitating a conversation about change.
Don't rush the meeting
"Any time you begin with an attempt to get an appointment you are being rejected by 90—97% of perfectly good prospects," says Sharon Drew Morgen, creator of the Buying Facilitation method. Sharon has over 20 years of experience working with sellers.
Here's what you need to know:
- At least 50% of the people you are calling are viable prospects.
- Easily half of these can close.
Are you closing at least 25% of all of your raw leads?
Because "these folks are going to buy something similar to your solution within 2 years—but not from you," she says.
Simply because you rushed the meeting.
Question: Are you giving prospects the chance to understand why they need to talk with you—and decide (for themselves) when?
Instead, get invited into the discussion first. Because this helps the buyer understand why they want the appointment.
If you do Sharon says, "you will close more, help put together—and become part of—the Buying Decision Team ... making yourself invaluable."
Do this instead
Re-frame. Think about it this way:
1) This is a first date. The meeting will come. Trust in it. Don’t rush. Attract the meeting/demo to you. This way you …
2) Let customers qualify themselves—so you don’t have to! This is the point of email prospecting. Scale. Speed.
3) You are irrelevant. ALL discussion about you is forbidden in email #1.
Attract the potential buyer to ask YOU for the meeting, demo or face-to-face. Get invited to discuss a challenge, fear or goal your prospect has.
Facilitate conversation. Ms. Morgen calls it "facilitat-ive questioning."
This email communications technique works best. But it takes provocation.
However, getting response demands being provocative in a way that sparks curiosity.
Because your decision-maker is filtering emails on-the-go. He/she is mobile. Getting a reply demands you are brief, blunt and provocative.
Come and learn more about unconventional tactics like this in our Sales Copywriting Workshops.
Attract them—just like a date
Think about the last time you were on a date. Flash back.
Smart daters have a secret weapon. Process. A template of sorts.
Let’s say you decide “I want another encounter with this person.” You’re attracted to them. The most effective strategy is to help the other person ask for the next date. Why?
Because their request confirms attraction to you. Bingo. You're in.
Effective daters know dating is a process, systematic. Template-able.
The output of a rock solid dating system is quality leads. The process filters good candidates from the poor ones.
Effective email prospecting is the same. But it takes a mind-shift. Away from asking for meetings, toward provoking ... and sometimes a bit of seduction.
You need a way to provoke prospects. Come learn more about this out-of-the-box tactic. Join us!
With your success in mind,
Sales Enablement Coach
