Your perfect prospect has people picking at their attention all day long. What’re you gonna do to stand out?
Hey You,
It’s Lewis aka Nerd #2.
Today I’m gonna share with you amazing guide for what I believe to be one of the most effective, fastest and cheapest ways to get a relationship started with a person you want to make some money with on a joint venture, affiliate, a consulting contract, or a copywriting project… using only one 100-200 word email.
This email method puts an end to your fear of picking up the damn phone and cold calling a hit list of ice cold prospects who you’d love to work with.
And if you ask anyone who’s hit the big leagues with their business and had it start making serious money, it was the meeting of and connecting with, one person who got the ball rolling and gave them the momentum they needed to really make a name for themselves.
But how you do you introduce yourself to an established authority or your ideal prospect with one tiny email without looking like a total pussy begging for help or an arrogant douche canoe know-it-all? Great question. There’s an art to finding just the right balance, but first you have to realize…
This Is Different Than Email Marketing, a Salesletter, or a Follow-Up Auto-responder
Email marketing consists of you having a list of people who’ve given you the green light to email them your newsletter or other announcements from you. And you might blast the same exact message out to dozens or even thousands of people.
If you try to do this when email prospecting, you’re gonna get shit results.
Using a Salesletter that you actually print and stuff into an envelope is a great strategy to introduce yourself to cold prospects but it doesn’t translate in an introductory email.
Direct mail is different than email. People are used to getting letters in the mail and knowing that they were sent out to dozens, maybe even thousands of other people and they aren’t going to get all offended by this.
Email prospecting is more like the email version of making a cold call on the phone. You’re contacting this person for the very first time and you haven’t talked to em before. You’re using email as your first move to get in touch with them for the very first time.
What Is Email Prospecting And
What Does It Accomplish?
It’s an email that you’re gonna send who’s only purpose is getting the conversation started. That’s it.
Instead of selling your product or service or your qualifications… you’re selling the idea of them wanting to learn more about how you can help the prospect solve problems or move closer to their desires.
Your only goal is to get the prospect to reply back to you, answer a question, to request the article or special report that you mentioned in the email or request to look at a particular sample of work you’ve done that you talked about in the email, all leading toward them learning more about you and your solutions.
This foot-in-the-door email accomplishes what a perfect cold call could and should… you coming across as someone who’s both cool and competent.
Why Email Prospecting?
Well, first, bangin’ the phone scares most people.
Maybe not you, but for most people being a master at cold calling prospects on the phone isn’t their strength. It’s actually something that weakens them because they don’t know how to do it right and they’re horrified of rejection. Put those two together and you’re just asking for trouble.
And yet, it’s an awesomely effective tool when in the hands of the right person. That’s why it’ll never be on the list of stuff you shouldn’t do. But cold calling by email is something you can probably get yourself to do without as much hesitation.
The Response You Get Can Also Be Higher
Something like 38% of voice mails left for business people never get returned.
Even when those messages are left by people they know, like, and trust. So you can imagine how many of those calls get a response from people they don’t know. And when you’re calling strangers in their office, 95% of time you’re gonna get sent straight to voicemail.
And while getting a response via email ain’t no walk in the park, it’s gonna be way easier using what you learn here.
Nail Your Message EVERY TIME
If you’ve ever done cold calling on the phone, you know how easy it is to get all flustered when someone jumps on the line with you. Especially if they’re gruff and are forcing you to tell them what you want right away because they’re so busy.
The way you’re gonna be sending these emails, they’ll be short, significant, and sweet. And you’ll be relaxed while you’re putting them together because you won’t be under the gun so they won’t sound weak and rushed.
Be Invited Into The Conversation Instead Of Barging In
When you call someone you’re putting pressure on them to potentially have to reject you. Most people don’t like doing this. They have to, but they don’t like being put in a position where they potentially have to “be rude” to persistant strangers.
Emails offer the potential to delete you if they don’t like what you’re saying and nobody knows about it but them.
The Inbox Is The Place To Be
With cell phones being as advanced as they are nowadays, there’s hardly a business person who doesn’t have their umbilical cord plugged into their inbox wherever they go these days.
Most phones have the capability to let you know the second you’ve received an email and people are constantly checking their phones anytime it flashes or cheeps to see who wants to talk to them. And because it’s so easy to check, they’ll do it everywhere… the toilet, the movies, at dinner with their family… almost nowhere is off limits.
How Do You Email Prospect Correctly?
First, put yourself in your prospect’s shoes…
He’s busy, busy, busy. He’s working longer hours with tighter deadlines and has more projects on the back burner than he should have. Therefore he’s constantly feeling like he’s behind.
This is why any email that you send to him needs to be very short, needs to be timely and needs to be relevant.
These Guys Get a Shit-Ton of Mail From People Wanting Something
With just his business account, there’s probably no less than 50 emails asking for a response from him, EVERY DAY. There’s one stat that says that corporate employees get over 100 emails A DAY.
Can you see why you don’t want to be sending some long ass salesletter or resume to these guys?
There’s a ton of people ahead of you
Think about how you look at your inbox…
You probably look at it and ask first, do I know this person, is this someone I’m dealing with, is this someone I’m doing business with, is this a colleague, do I kno this person or this company? Why would they be any different?
Also, with so many people reading emails on their mobile devices these days, even a shorter email can seem long reading it on such a small screen which another reason why your cold message should be quick.
This means that when he looks at his inbox, he’s skimming and scanning –especially subject lines– for messages that are going to him solve business problems or reach his goals.
Here’s Why Your Emails Get Deleted
You go thinking that just because you heard that internet marketing is nothing but direct mail on glass, you can just copy and paste a salesletter into an email and have that shit work just the same. WRONG!
No one wants a form letter or template via email. Doesn’t work. Gets you deleted.
Why Using a Template With Only Light Customizing Won’t Work
People won’t be fooled by you changing the first couple of sentences of form letter as an attempt to customize it.
This prospecting email needs to be totally personalized with the exception of some elements you use over and over again. This might be a couple of paragraphs or sentences that say what you want to very well.
A good test to run on your email is to imagine your prospect receiving your email and immediately asking, “Prove to me that you didn’t send this email to a hundred other prospects.” Your proof will be in your personalization.
Why Sending What Looks Like a Resume i.e. a List Of Qualifications Sucks
This ends up looking like you’re applying for a job through an email. No. Just… no. Don’t do this.
You’re not applying for a job. You’re in business and you shouldn’t even be there if you don’t offer this person a kick ass solution so come at it from that point of view. You’re a business person – not a temp employee, not a job applicant.
If it looks resume-ish, don’t send it.
Why Sounding Meek or Apologetic Sucks
Here’s some copy that makes you sound like a bitch…
“Please give me a chance to show you my portfolio…” “Sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you need a ___________?” “I know you’re busy but I was hoping you would consider my services the next time you need _________?”
Stop. That. Shit. NOW!
Of course you don’t want to be a dick, but THIS, what you just read above, is the polar opposite of being a dick. It’s being a pussy. One thing you need to remember is that business people love dealing with people on their level and they KNOW they don’t KNOW how to do everything.
They’re busy and they’re used to the idea of asking for help. That’s why they have employees. But the last thing you want to do is talk to them in the same tone their employees do. That’ll be the sure to way to not be seen as an equal or hell, even a superior to them.
Why Sending an Email With Attachments Sucks
No attachments, no embedded business cards and no graphics. Why?
Because if people receive an email with an attachment from someone they don’t know, they routinely delete them not knowing if it’s a virus or spam. This paranoia gets jacked up about 10,000% if this person’s ever blown their computer up by being stupid and opening strange mail.
The Exact Wrong Way To Write A Prospecting Email
Now I’ll give you a look at a prospecting email that was used in the real world that got it’s ass kicked…
Subject: Do you need a copywriter? (First mistake: What if they don’t need a copywriter that day? This email just got deleted before it was even opened it.)
“Hello Deborah. My name is Jack Damson and I’m a freelance copywriter. (This screams I’m gonna pitch you something. Saying who you are and what you do in an opening sentence is the kiss of death. Don’t do this.). I was visiting your website and noticed that you produce a lot of marketing materials to promote your products and services, and all that stuff needs to be written by someone, right? Perhaps I can save you time there. My qualifications include a business degree, five years experience in the IT industry, completion of three respected copywriting courses. (No Resumes. If you’re striving to look brilliant, ask them questions that only someone who knows the answers to the question would ask) If you’re interested in seeing a few writing samples or a couple of client references, please let me know and I’ll send them to you right away. (Not only is this pussy language but it’s also a conversation stopper. Unless this person needs a copywriter in this moment, they’ve got nothing left to say to you at all) And if you have an immediate need, I’d be happy to discuss a project with you and provide you with a prompt quotation. I look forward to chatting with you soon. All the best, Jack.”
Here’s another shitty one…
Subject: TURNING TRADE SHOWS INTO PROFITS!
“Hello. The plastics expo is just around the corner and it’s make or break time. You must make sure your exhibit draws in qualified prospects and your handouts help turn those leads into new customers and sales. My design services are specialized exclusively to the trade show channel. I work with creative partners to design new exhibits so yours stands out and gets noticed. It’s all about showcasing your products and to generate excitement, leads and sales. As a full service exhibit design shop, my virtual team and I also create impactful handouts and other marketing materials. Call me today for a free quotation. Don’t wait, the plastics expo is just a few weeks away. All the best, Jane.”
This doesn’t sound like a personal email from colleague to colleague. It sounds like an annoying radio ad that screams BUY TODAY, BUY TODAY, BUY TODAY!
How To Use Email To Turn A Cold Prospect
Who’s Never Heard Of You… Into A Hot Lead
Do Your Homework:
Personalizing an email is impossible if you don’t know anything about what’s going on in this person’s business.
This means you wanna raid their site and check out all of their current press releases for news on what they’re up to.
Next, you wanna do a Google News Search on the company. While you’re going through this stuff you keep your eyes open for news in trade publications that mention the prospects you’re targeting.
Knowing what’s on these peoples minds allows you to cater your emails specifically to the conversation going on in their head which is the conversation you always want to be tuned into.
Look For “Trigger Events”:
This is an event that is top of mind with your prospect at this very moment.
If you were a PR specialist and your detective work revealed these guys were on the verge of releasing a new product to the market, don’t you think you could weave an email that tied the result they want – a smashing success of a launch, and the result you want — a project that brings in a fat fee, together?
Sure you could. But not if you don’t do your homework!
Don’t Cast a Wide Net:
Sure, you’re capable of a lot, but this email isn’t the place to rattle off each and every one of your talents. Focus on how you can solve one timely and relevant problem. This will really help you keep your email short.
Be very clear about what results you deliver that the prospect wants.
The opposite of this is… “I’m an SEO Specialist.” What your prospect want is what SEO can do for them. You’ve got to very clearly describe what problem you can solve with your service or product when you writing in general but especially when writing this prospecting email.
Invite The Prospect To Take A Simple Easy-to-say-yes-to step Toward Learning More About You and Your Services:
Make it easy for this person to say yes.
Remember, they don’t know you so don’t be asking them to marry you right at hello. Here’s an example of too much, too soon…
“When you get a chance today, please review the brief summary of our services below. I’ll give you a call tomorrow at 1:00 P.M. to go over the key points, answer any questions you have, and explore on how we can work together.”
You do this cold and you’re probably gonna have a prospect’s who’s doing everything they can to avoid the phone come 1:00 the next day.
Speak Peer-to-Peer:
Speak to them as if they’re a colleague in your industry because… they are a colleague in your industry.
Keep It Short: No more than 200 words. 100-150 is ideal.
Thoroughly Personalize Your Email: Make it seem like it was written just for that one prospect
If possible, arrange to get a referral:
5 Step “Cold-Prospect To Hot-Lead” Formula
- Create an effective subject line: Keep it simple and focused on providing timely, relevant information. No tricky stuff.
Simple and relevant and timely is what you’re looking for here. Here’s some samples that worked…
Subject line: Handouts for he upcoming plastics expo
Subject line: Getting case studies done on time…
Subject line: How do you get resellers to back your new products?
- Establish credibility
Here, you’ve gotta answer the question in the prospect’s mind of, “How do I know this email is just for me?”
This is where your homework serves as evidence that you’re in tune with their specific needs.
- Build interest in your expertise and services
This is where you say something about how you help clients solve a specific problem or achieve a specific goal. Think, “Trade Show Lead Generation Specialist” vs. “Marketing Consultant”.
- Invite the prospect to take simple, easy-to-say-yes to next step
One easy step for your prospect to take would be them replying back to you asking you to send them an article that you’ve written that contains helpful information. Or something else that the prospect may need to see.
- Include a full signature line
Make sure to include your full signature line: Your name, your contact information, your phone number, your email address, your website, you can even put a quick elevator speech line there.
Don’t forget this. You don’t want people have to wonder how to get a hold of you.
Here’s an email that used all of these guidelines that kicked ass…
Subject: Getting case studies done.
“Hi Mark. I’ve been meaning to contact you. Because I do so much work with companies in the enterprise software industry, I’ve come across your company’s website on several occasions, and recently, I noticed that you have begun to use case studies in your marketing communications mix. Do you find it time-consuming to develop this type of collateral? I ask because I create a lot of case studies for clients like Hewlett-Packard and Sage, and one of the main reasons the marketing executives at those companies use my services is that I save them on average 10-15 hours per project. I’m not sure if time savings in regards to case studies is an issue for you but if it is, I’d be happy to send a report that I wrote on “How To Shave at least 1, 2, even 5 Hours off of Writing Your Case Studies”. Please just let me know and I’ll email you that information right away. All the best, Robin.”
This was about 160 words long and notice the tone. It’s very peer-to-peer. She established herself as an equal by showing she plays in their world in a couple of sentences. She raised the issue and then offered to send helpful info.
That’s why this email works.
BEWARE: Lot’s of corporate companies are set up to block emails that have any kind of tracking linked to them so don’t send any of these messages with aweber or infusionsoft or any other kind or autoresponder.
ALSO: Never include links in your emails for people to go check out samples of your work or reports that you can send them. You want the prospect taking some small steps that include the decision to keep the conversation going.
You want to hear back from them saying “yes, please send me that article,” because now you’ve got the conversation started. So never put in links to things you can offer them. Simply put it out there that you have this information and you’d be happy to send it to them if they’d only ask you.
This also means that you never include a link to your online portfolio or examples of your work. And, they didn’t ask for the link so they have no commitment to opening it.
REMEMBER: Specific to their problems! If they see work of yours that isn’t for their industry, market, or audience, they’ll tune you out thinking their business is different. Anything you send should somehow match you up in their mind as a solution to their specific problem.
Follow Up: Because these emails are specific to topic, you want to change the topic to match something relevant, timely, say, an upcoming trigger event, if your prospect didn’t respond to your first email.
Sending the same email every time won’t work. Try again in two weeks with a different topic, a different focus and throw in letters, phone calls into the mix too.
Also, don’t remind the prospect of the previous email that they may not have read. Just start with a fresh approach.
Last, using their first name in the email is fine.
What To Do When Your Client Responds
Be Prepared: Have answers for questions you anticipate your leads will ask.
Respond Quickly: If they’re in heat, don’t let ‘em cool off. Keep the momentum moving forward by responding as fast as you effectively can.
Look To Get The Prospect On The Phone: This dramatically increases your chances of turning this lead into a client. This line should be in your reply email to them… “If you’d like to discuss this further, I’m in the office right now. My number is…”
Look For An Opportunity To Ask “Would it be helpful if I explained how my services work and the results you can expect?”: This question, when asked at the right moment will almost always get a yes.
How To Get The Email Addresses
Of Your Perfect Prospects
It’s pretty easy to get company names and even contact names but getting your perfect prospect’s email address should be impossible for a stranger to get, shouldn’t it?
It should be, but it isn’t. Not when you use these ninja secrets…
Google Search: Use the advanced search page in Google to search for a contact name within a specific website. Also, try a broad search of that contact name to see if the email comes up anywhere.
Call the Company and Ask to Speak To the Sales Manager: Sales professionals respect the sales process and will be more inclined to help you.
Use Business Information Sites Such as Jigsaw.com
And if all else fails… Find Out the Company’s Email Extension: For example, if most people in the company have an email like this – j.smith@company.com – then chances are, your prospect’s email address will be similar.
Everything I’ve shared with you today is based on tele-seminar hosted by the stud Steven Slaunwhite from over at www.thewealthyfreelancer.com called “Effective Email Prospecting For Freelancers Who Hate Cold Calling”.
The reason I mention this at the end, instead of the beginning, was the fact that if I mentioned it up top, the risk was high that you might’ve tuned out and said, “This is advice for freelancers. I ain’t no damn freelancer, I’m a _________.”
Maybe you’re someone who’s highly attached to a label you’ve put on yourself, maybe you aren’t.
But if you are, then you’d have missed out on this amazing guide for what I believe to be an incredibly effective way to get a relationship started with a person who you’d personally want to work with, using JUST email – without having to pick up the damn phone and cold call anyone. And it would’ve been my fault.
Try this out on one prospect you’ve been wanting to reach out to and feel free to email me or comment below on how it worked out for you.
Talk soon,
Lewis LaLanne aka Note Taking Nerd #2
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