While it is easy to think that everyone knows what you offer and how great it is, the truth is that they often don’t think about you at all, and definitely don’t know what makes you different from your competition. You have to get their attention in order to earn a chance to tell them.
A 2017 study shows that half of buyers say email is the best way to land an initial meeting with them, so we know they are responsive on that platform. But, as you might know firsthand, executives receive hundreds of emails each day. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, says he receives seven to eight hundred per day. Getting the attention of a new prospect or contact can be extremely hard.
People are busy and are quick to write off the, “looking to connect to show you what I offer” and “I want to talk about what I can do for you,” types of emails. These are very generic types of outreach, focused on you and what you want. So, why should they pay attention? If you know your solution will help them and is worth their time, then you have to show them. So, how can you show that in an intro email? We have to try and move as far away from a generic, cold email as possible:
Show that you know what their critical issue at hand is, and that you’re ready to discuss it. Everyone likes to talk about themselves. Psychology Today reports that talking about oneself lights up the same part of the brain as eating good food and taking drugs. So, by starting with specifics that you know about their goals or pains shows that you are ready to talk about them and that you did your research. With that in mind, it might take a little bit of work to find an issue or goal that a company individual has expressed as a priority.
Now that you have talked about them and their challenges, you can bring yourself back into it. Being as specific as you can, mention what you can do to help resolve their issue or advance a goal. Are you going to save them money, make them money, or make something faster or safer? Try and quantify what Key Performance Indicators you could impact and, again, be as specific as you can here. Obviously you are trying to get their attention, but you still have to be realistic with what you can do.
Name a client or industry example where you and your solution have proven results, being as specific as is appropriate. Sometimes, you may need to withhold certain details for privacy, but share what you can.
This is not a sales presentation or pitch – all you are trying to do is capture interest to get a call or meeting. While the average time spent reading an email has increased by 7% from 2011 to 2017, that time is still only 11.1 seconds, reports Litmus Email Analytics. So, keeping it personal, client focused, impactful, and short are all ways to grab attention.
To bring Holden into your organization to work on topics like getting attention with value or accessing the correct people at your prospect organizations, contact us.