All-In-One Email Prospecting Guide to Find the Right Customers

Tired of not hearing back from your prospects? 

It’s time to assess the content you send for email prospecting. Raise your hand if the below sentences sound like you. 

  • Hi, my name is David Rose
  • Can I have your 5 minutes?
  • You missed my last email
  • Did you read the last email I sent you?
  • I hope you’re doing well
  • Up for a quick call?
  • I am Don Draper from Sterling Cooper
  • We provide services that make cold emailing easy. 
  • I am the sales rep for Smartlead

All the above sentences are randomly compiled, yet they all have one thing in common. Can you guess?

THEY DIDN’T PROVIDE ANY VALUE. On top of that, we have sentences like “Can I have your 5 minutes?” or “Up for a quick call?” asking for favors from the recipient. Hundreds of emails in their inbox ask the same, and why would the consumer pick you?

This is why it’s important to learn how to write a prospecting email. Read ahead to get informed!  

Email Prospecting | What is it

Email prospecting is a cold-calling-like process that involves a salesperson reaching out to a stranger who may or may not be a potential customer. The goal is to find out if they are interested or not. 

Many email marketers refer to this process as cold email prospecting, as in most cases, they email someone they don’t know about. 

Here’s an example to check out. 

Sample Email

SUBJECT LINE: You need to see this

Hey Pam,

Quick question: Who is in charge of the sales team at the Scranton branch? Before the upcoming holiday sales, they need to check out this cold emailing software–Smartlead. It can make your company 50X ROI within a month. 

I understand you’re busy, so I am not getting into details now. These are the highlights of using Smartlead (as our customers report):

  • High deliverability for dynamic ID addresses 
  • Increased response rate because of AI personalization
  • Easy workflow in the centralized master inbox
  • Easily trackable analytics

Our clientele includes Staples, Catalyst Paper, and many more. I want Dunder Mifflin (Scranton branch) to join the Smart family too.

Let me know who’s the right person to talk to about this. If it’s you, let’s connect for a quick chat. 

Please find attached what Nashua Porter from Staples thinks about us. 

Thanks, 

Anya

Why does this email work?

It will be lengthy if I explain why the above content is perfect for email prospecting. So, here’s a quick image dissecting the same.  

Looking for Prospecting Email Templates? Go here

Step-by-Step Tutorial To Write the Best Prospecting Email

A Conversational Subject Line

Email prospecting is, at the end of the day, nothing but a sales email. In simpler words, you are trying to sell something. 

Many email senders make the mistake of luring the prospect using terms like 20% off, Best deal, Discount, Winner, etc. 

While this type of lingo works in cold-calling, especially in direct-to-consumer sales, it doesn’t work in B2B conversations. Such subject lines either lead the email directly to the spam folder, or the recipient dumps them in the trash without even opening the email. 

So, while writing a sales prospecting email, always go with a subject line that sounds conversational. 

✔️You need to see this

✔️Adam suggests we talk

✔️Let’s get to know each other

✔️Any time to chat about {pain point}?

✔️Want to get rid of {pain point}?

Sometimes, you can try a catchy, emoji-bearing subject line too. Recent statistics show that emails with subject lines containing emojis have open rates 56% higher than regular subject lines. Some examples are:

✔️Your competitors don’t want you to see this ❌

✔️Could this be you? 🏄

✔️You need to see this 😯                            

✔️You can be there 🏖️

Additional tip: Judge beforehand if your prospect is an emoji person or not. 

Check out 60 Follow-Up email subject lines cause all the big sales take place after following-up for five times or more. 

A “Hit-The-Bull’s Eye” Opening Line

A perfect opening line is 

👉Short

👉Intriguing

👉Personalized

👉Conversational

👉Makes the reader curious

👉Doesn’t intimidate the reader

👉 Target the recipient’s pain point

👉Relevant to the recipient’s business

The best opening line in cold prospecting emails is those that include a question about the (particular) industry’s general pain point. For example:

Is resolving the {pain point} a priority for your company? 

Or

What is your process of {dealing with the pain point}? Do you have any plans to address it in the near future? 

If you don’t want to jump with the “pain point” reference in the first line, you can start your email as if it’s a random inquiry for the right person.

Quick question: Who is in charge of the sales team at the Scranton branch?

After the opening-line-disguised-as-an-enquiry, you can follow it with sentences like:

They may want to take a look at this {your product/service} before the holiday sales.

Give Them a Reason

A prospect may fit in your target audience, but that’s not enough reason for them to purchase the product or service from you. There are hundreds of replicas of your product in the market, and why should they pick you exactly? 

This is why providing a “reason” why they should buy from you is crucial for prospecting emails. Here’s how successful email marketers do it. 

It can help your team overcome {pain point}.

Or 

You can hit those lead KPIs within a month with the help of this tool. 

Attach Substantial Proof

Your claim that you helped 100s of companies is as unimportant to your prospect as what you had for breakfast if you don’t provide solid proof. The best process to do this is by attaching client testimonials or data on how your product or service helped companies grow.

But that happens in the last when you write:

Please find attached what our happy clients/customers have to say about us. 

An effective way of providing social proof while email prospecting is by mentioning in the second or third line:

We helped {competitor company} achieve {target} by solving {so-and-so issues}. 

Or

{Competitor company} has begun to use {your product/service} and gained {results}

Remember, such lines are highly effective but only if you attach testimonials or statistics at the end. 

Highlight Benefits

While you’re already mentioning a benefit of using your service when providing a reason at the beginning of the email, it is also effective if you point them down in the middle. Just list the other benefits down pointwise. 

Keep the Word Count Below 300 Words

According to a study by Overloop, emails with 1400 to 1500 characters or 300 words show the highest response rate. Please note that this data is on sales cold emails. 

So, keep the first email to potential prospects below 300 words. Say the necessary things in a systematic yet interesting order. 

CTA

CTA, or call-to-action, is the last (on this list) but the central motto of the initial emails. Before starting the email, ask yourself what the CTA of your email body is. 

Are you adding a “Book a meeting” CTA or asking the client to write back? Is your goal to make the recipient subscribe to a service?

Whatever action you want the recipient to take, make sure you write the whole email convincing the reader towards it. 

Find 100s of Sales Email Templates for Outreach Email Campaigns here

Final Thought➡➡Try Automation

Are you, sometimes, tired of writing prospecting emails? 

It’s okay if you’re nodding your head to this question cause you’re not alone. The majority of email marketers hear you, and they go through the same. Manually writing emails to each prospect can lead to 3 scenarios.

Scenario 1: You write to a maximum of 5 prospects a day. 

Scenario 2: You fail to follow-up

Scenario 3: You’re failing to keep track of the prospects you have already written to and ending up writing the same email thrice.

You may have experienced any of the above scenarios but the result remains the same.

  • Low response rate
  • Low conversion rates
  • Only a handful of clients
  • As a result, low revenue

My advice: Shift to email marketing automation tools immediately. Keep the above points in mind while editing the email template and send it to hundreds of prospects in one click.  

FAQs

How do you introduce yourself in an email to a prospect

You don’t have to introduce yourself directly using sentences like “I am David Rose from The Right Fit” or “My name is David Rose.” The trick to writing the best email to your prospect is to not introduce yourself directly. Talk about how your product can make their life easier and provide social proof of how you did that in the past. 

If the recipient reads the email till the end, they will see your name and your designation and this is how they should learn about you. 

How do you use prospecting in email?

Prospecting via email is the same as sending cold emails to potential customers. Just keep the email content relevant for the client by discussing stuff the recipient might be interested in. 

The goal of prospecting via email is to introduce your company to the prospect and make them curious enough to work on the CTA. So, be subtle and ask relevant questions only. 

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All-In-One Email Prospecting Guide to Find the Right Customers

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Tired of not hearing back from your prospects? 

It’s time to assess the content you send for email prospecting. Raise your hand if the below sentences sound like you. 

  • Hi, my name is David Rose
  • Can I have your 5 minutes?
  • You missed my last email
  • Did you read the last email I sent you?
  • I hope you’re doing well
  • Up for a quick call?
  • I am Don Draper from Sterling Cooper
  • We provide services that make cold emailing easy. 
  • I am the sales rep for Smartlead

All the above sentences are randomly compiled, yet they all have one thing in common. Can you guess?

THEY DIDN’T PROVIDE ANY VALUE. On top of that, we have sentences like “Can I have your 5 minutes?” or “Up for a quick call?” asking for favors from the recipient. Hundreds of emails in their inbox ask the same, and why would the consumer pick you?

This is why it’s important to learn how to write a prospecting email. Read ahead to get informed!  

Email Prospecting | What is it

Email prospecting is a cold-calling-like process that involves a salesperson reaching out to a stranger who may or may not be a potential customer. The goal is to find out if they are interested or not. 

Many email marketers refer to this process as cold email prospecting, as in most cases, they email someone they don’t know about. 

Here’s an example to check out. 

Sample Email

SUBJECT LINE: You need to see this

Hey Pam,

Quick question: Who is in charge of the sales team at the Scranton branch? Before the upcoming holiday sales, they need to check out this cold emailing software–Smartlead. It can make your company 50X ROI within a month. 

I understand you’re busy, so I am not getting into details now. These are the highlights of using Smartlead (as our customers report):

  • High deliverability for dynamic ID addresses 
  • Increased response rate because of AI personalization
  • Easy workflow in the centralized master inbox
  • Easily trackable analytics

Our clientele includes Staples, Catalyst Paper, and many more. I want Dunder Mifflin (Scranton branch) to join the Smart family too.

Let me know who’s the right person to talk to about this. If it’s you, let’s connect for a quick chat. 

Please find attached what Nashua Porter from Staples thinks about us. 

Thanks, 

Anya

Why does this email work?

It will be lengthy if I explain why the above content is perfect for email prospecting. So, here’s a quick image dissecting the same.  

Looking for Prospecting Email Templates? Go here

Step-by-Step Tutorial To Write the Best Prospecting Email

A Conversational Subject Line

Email prospecting is, at the end of the day, nothing but a sales email. In simpler words, you are trying to sell something. 

Many email senders make the mistake of luring the prospect using terms like 20% off, Best deal, Discount, Winner, etc. 

While this type of lingo works in cold-calling, especially in direct-to-consumer sales, it doesn’t work in B2B conversations. Such subject lines either lead the email directly to the spam folder, or the recipient dumps them in the trash without even opening the email. 

So, while writing a sales prospecting email, always go with a subject line that sounds conversational. 

✔️You need to see this

✔️Adam suggests we talk

✔️Let’s get to know each other

✔️Any time to chat about {pain point}?

✔️Want to get rid of {pain point}?

Sometimes, you can try a catchy, emoji-bearing subject line too. Recent statistics show that emails with subject lines containing emojis have open rates 56% higher than regular subject lines. Some examples are:

✔️Your competitors don’t want you to see this ❌

✔️Could this be you? 🏄

✔️You need to see this 😯                            

✔️You can be there 🏖️

Additional tip: Judge beforehand if your prospect is an emoji person or not. 

Check out 60 Follow-Up email subject lines cause all the big sales take place after following-up for five times or more. 

A “Hit-The-Bull’s Eye” Opening Line

A perfect opening line is 

👉Short

👉Intriguing

👉Personalized

👉Conversational

👉Makes the reader curious

👉Doesn’t intimidate the reader

👉 Target the recipient’s pain point

👉Relevant to the recipient’s business

The best opening line in cold prospecting emails is those that include a question about the (particular) industry’s general pain point. For example:

Is resolving the {pain point} a priority for your company? 

Or

What is your process of {dealing with the pain point}? Do you have any plans to address it in the near future? 

If you don’t want to jump with the “pain point” reference in the first line, you can start your email as if it’s a random inquiry for the right person.

Quick question: Who is in charge of the sales team at the Scranton branch?

After the opening-line-disguised-as-an-enquiry, you can follow it with sentences like:

They may want to take a look at this {your product/service} before the holiday sales.

Give Them a Reason

A prospect may fit in your target audience, but that’s not enough reason for them to purchase the product or service from you. There are hundreds of replicas of your product in the market, and why should they pick you exactly? 

This is why providing a “reason” why they should buy from you is crucial for prospecting emails. Here’s how successful email marketers do it. 

It can help your team overcome {pain point}.

Or 

You can hit those lead KPIs within a month with the help of this tool. 

Attach Substantial Proof

Your claim that you helped 100s of companies is as unimportant to your prospect as what you had for breakfast if you don’t provide solid proof. The best process to do this is by attaching client testimonials or data on how your product or service helped companies grow.

But that happens in the last when you write:

Please find attached what our happy clients/customers have to say about us. 

An effective way of providing social proof while email prospecting is by mentioning in the second or third line:

We helped {competitor company} achieve {target} by solving {so-and-so issues}. 

Or

{Competitor company} has begun to use {your product/service} and gained {results}

Remember, such lines are highly effective but only if you attach testimonials or statistics at the end. 

Highlight Benefits

While you’re already mentioning a benefit of using your service when providing a reason at the beginning of the email, it is also effective if you point them down in the middle. Just list the other benefits down pointwise. 

Keep the Word Count Below 300 Words

According to a study by Overloop, emails with 1400 to 1500 characters or 300 words show the highest response rate. Please note that this data is on sales cold emails. 

So, keep the first email to potential prospects below 300 words. Say the necessary things in a systematic yet interesting order. 

CTA

CTA, or call-to-action, is the last (on this list) but the central motto of the initial emails. Before starting the email, ask yourself what the CTA of your email body is. 

Are you adding a “Book a meeting” CTA or asking the client to write back? Is your goal to make the recipient subscribe to a service?

Whatever action you want the recipient to take, make sure you write the whole email convincing the reader towards it. 

Find 100s of Sales Email Templates for Outreach Email Campaigns here

Final Thought➡➡Try Automation

Are you, sometimes, tired of writing prospecting emails? 

It’s okay if you’re nodding your head to this question cause you’re not alone. The majority of email marketers hear you, and they go through the same. Manually writing emails to each prospect can lead to 3 scenarios.

Scenario 1: You write to a maximum of 5 prospects a day. 

Scenario 2: You fail to follow-up

Scenario 3: You’re failing to keep track of the prospects you have already written to and ending up writing the same email thrice.

You may have experienced any of the above scenarios but the result remains the same.

  • Low response rate
  • Low conversion rates
  • Only a handful of clients
  • As a result, low revenue

My advice: Shift to email marketing automation tools immediately. Keep the above points in mind while editing the email template and send it to hundreds of prospects in one click.  

FAQs

How do you introduce yourself in an email to a prospect

You don’t have to introduce yourself directly using sentences like “I am David Rose from The Right Fit” or “My name is David Rose.” The trick to writing the best email to your prospect is to not introduce yourself directly. Talk about how your product can make their life easier and provide social proof of how you did that in the past. 

If the recipient reads the email till the end, they will see your name and your designation and this is how they should learn about you. 

How do you use prospecting in email?

Prospecting via email is the same as sending cold emails to potential customers. Just keep the email content relevant for the client by discussing stuff the recipient might be interested in. 

The goal of prospecting via email is to introduce your company to the prospect and make them curious enough to work on the CTA. So, be subtle and ask relevant questions only. 

What’s a Rich Text element?

The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.

  • dfbvrsg
  • svsv

Static and dynamic content editing

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

How to customize formatting for each rich text

Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.

Author’s Details

Rajnish Das

Rajnish is a Staff Writer at Smartlead.

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Edited by:

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Frequently asked questions

General Questions

Can I import a CSV file into an already running campaign?

Yes, you can import a CSV file into an already running campaign. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Go to the campaign that you want to import the CSV file into.
2. Click on "Edit campaign" to access the campaign settings.
3. Look for the option to upload a CSV file and click on it.
4. Choose the CSV file from your computer that you want to import.
5. Map the fields and Choose/associate a client. The system will process the CSV file and import the data into the campaign.

By importing a CSV file, you can update the campaign with new leads without interrupting the campaign's flow.

Is it possible to connect Outlook via OAuth?

Yes, it is recommended to connect Outlook via OAuth. OAuth (Open Authorization) is an industry-standard protocol that allows applications to access user data on various platforms, including Outlook, without requiring the user to share their login credentials. By connecting Outlook via OAuth, you enhance security and ensure a seamless and secure integration between your application and Outlook.

How can I connect Outlook using OAuth?

To connect Outlook using OAuth, follow these steps:

1. Open your email accounts module in Smartlead
2. Look for the option to add accounts and select it.
3. Choose Outlook as the email provider you want to connect.
4. Clicking on the Outlook logo will redirect you to the Outlook login page.
5. Enter your credentials and log in to your Outlook account.
6. Follow the prompts to authorize the application to access your Outlook account using OAuth.
7. Once the authorization is complete, your application will be connected to Outlook via OAuth, enabling secure access to your Outlook emails and data.

By following these steps, you can establish a secure and authenticated connection between your application and Outlook, ensuring seamless integration and access to your email account.

Why am I experiencing delays in fetching emails from my ESP to MI?

If you are experiencing delays in fetching emails from your Email Service Provider (ESP) to the Master Inbox (MI), there could be a few reasons for this. It is important to note that fetching emails from the ESP to the MI can take some time due to various factors such as network latency, ESP server load, and the size of the email inbox. Here are some points to consider:

1. Time interval: The Master Inbox usually fetches emails at regular intervals, which can range from 5 to 55 minutes. This interval allows the system to retrieve and process new emails periodically.

2. Fetch replies button: If you need to fetch replies immediately, you can use the "Fetch replies" button available in the Master Inbox. Clicking on this button triggers an immediate fetch of replies from your ESP's email inbox folder.

If the delays persist or you encounter any issues with fetching emails, it is recommended to reach out to the Smartlead support team for further assistance.Please note: 

Filtering or rules: Review any filtering or rules set up in your ESP that could potentially affect the delivery of emails to the MI. Ensure that emails are not being automatically sorted, archived, or blocked based on certain criteria.

Why doesn't categorizing leads, such as "Not interested," stop campaigns for them?

Categorizing leads, such as marking them as "Not interested," does not automatically stop campaigns for those leads. The purpose of lead categorization is to classify and organize leads based on their specific attributes or actions. However, categorizing a lead as "Not interested" does not halt the campaign because the system relies on replies from leads to determine if a campaign should be stopped.

In most cases, when a lead categorizes themselves as "Not interested," they may choose not to reply to the email or take any further action. As a result, the campaign continues until it reaches its completion or encounters other stopping conditions.

It's important to note that when a lead does reply to an email, the system recognizes the response and stops the campaign for that particular lead. Therefore, replies from leads serve as the primary trigger to stop campaigns rather than lead categorization alone.

In some cases,A lead might have to be categorized for various reasons even if they do not intend to reply, such as organizing their inbox or indicating their preference. Such categorization does not automatically stop the lead from receiving further emails in the campaign. In such cases the emails have to stopped manually

What type of business can use Smartlead?

No, you get access to unlimited email accounts and warmup accounts without having to pay per account. This will let you scale your email outbound and without paying a penny more.

Powerful Automated Email Marketing that Drives Sales.

  • All Features Included
  • No Credit Card Required
  • Free Warmup Included
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