It was cold calling, but now it is cold emailing. It seems more success is achieved when communicating through this medium, as more people prefer to be contacted through cold emails rather than cold calls. What makes cold emailing more cut edge is that it is effective, cheap and unorthodox. You can reach out to more people via cold emails because this medium offers easier access to public officials, spokespersons, decision makers and mentors.
The obstacle though is that crafting an email to someone who is a stranger can be tough. Because there is the unpleasant feel of what if the person you are cold emailing does not send you a response. However you should know that cold emailing is purpose driven. It may be your only channel of getting something out someone who you do not know.
There is a perception that if an email is not relevant it should be deleted or moved to spam. People tend to ask themselves these three questions when they see a new email before making a decision if to read it, ignore it or delete it.
- Who is emailing me?
- Why is he/she emailing me?
- What will it take for me to read this email?
Your cold email to a busy person can only be termed as successful when you have been able to pass all three questions. Through studies of cold emailing busy people it has been concluded that:
- It is important to research who you are sending a cold email to you
- Even if important people are busy, their attention and trust can still be won over if you have done your homework and you can be personal.
- You will have greater success for your cold email if your content speaks to the receiver.
“I don’t want email from you. I don’t want junk mail from you. I want me-mail.” – Seth Godin
Here are some tips that could help you with your cold email to busy people:
Optimize for Mobile.
There are email marketing tools that help you create the right business template for your emails. More and more people read their emails on mobile devices, and so you need a responsive email template optimized for all devices.
Make sure your every word counts.
When cold emailing a busy person, you should try and make every word matter to him/her. They are interested in the complete content of your email, from your name to your last word. What words you put in the subject line of the email shows how serious you want to make your every word count.
Be blunt.
Whoever you are cold emailing is not interested in your clever jokes or stories. Make your cold email as formal as possible. Be direct and make sure your email is actionable enough for the receiver to respond just after reading your email.
Do your homework.
Before sending an email to a busy stranger, endeavor to do your homework. Try to know a little about them. Such knowledge when included in your email – whether it is their name or any relative knowledge about them – will mean that you are sending the right email to the right person. When you do your homework, you’ll ensure that you are showing value for the time they have spent in reading your email.
Always be brief.
Many busy people receive about 100 emails daily. They also have other engagements within the day to handle. These mean that they have a short amount of time to go through the emails in their inbox. Respecting the time of a busy person will prove valuable to him/her and to you. So try and make sure your email is as short as possible. Remove unnecessary information and focus on the “who”, the “what” and the “why” rather than boring someone with your life’s story.
Be persuasive with your words.
The words in your email should be persuasive. By being persuasive it means that you are not directly asking for a handout but your cold email is mutually beneficial. You should be willing to offer something for something. Even busy people are looking out for themselves. Rather than frequently using the word “please”, try to focus your message on why it is worth the time for the receiver.
Make your email personal.
Your emails will not be robotic if your email is personalized. Busy people want to be singled out and treated as an individual, not as a group. Your email shouldn’t render the idea that the same email has been sent to other people.
