What is the problem with current outbound prospecting:
Cold email campaigns, once a standard approach in outbound sales, are increasingly viewed as aggressive or intrusive. Nonetheless, businesses continue to assign sales development representatives the job of engaging with uninitiated leads via email. At the same time, 80% of buyers favor email as the communication mode with sales representatives. This preference is due to email allowing buyers to manage interactions on their terms, in a manner that is neither intrusive nor time-bound.
Here is where warm email is the new norm.
Why you should leverage warm emails in your outbound
If you are in B2B, chances are you are in a hyper-competitive market. Outbound prospecting therefore is a cost of doing business. Emailing prospects continues to be one of the most effective ways to get in front of new buyers. Warm emails give you a competitive edge and drive higher conversion rates.
Here is a 6-step approach to using warm emails well:
- Understand your buyers in and out:
The first step in writing emails that convert is researching your prospects. This includes understanding their business, key stakeholders, current partners, and pain points. Personalization is crucial in email outreach, and one way to achieve this is by leveraging data. By using data enrichment tools, you can gather key information about prospects and tailor your outreach to their specific needs and interests. This personalization will help establish relevance and increase the chances of generating pipeline. - Leverage data to power prioritization:
At any point, only 3-5% of your TAM is in the market evaluating new solutions. Use the combination of first-party intent, job change tracking, and warm intros to prioritize right accounts and buyers. Picking the right account/buyer can drive 4-8X more responses compared to just going cold. - Write great subject lines:
The subject line is the first thing your prospect will see, so make it count. Keep it short and catchy while also conveying the value proposition of your email. Personalization using intent, job changes or warm intros can drive 90%+ open rates and 60%+ reply rates. - Email body is about the buyer:
The body of your email should be concise and focused, highlighting what you have uncovered about their business and where you can help them. If possible share other customer stories who have gone through the same journey. Make it about them as much as you can. This approach is key to building sales relationships. - Provide social proof:
Your chances of converting prospects into customers increase when you provide social proof in your email. The buyer could be a past colleague of an existing customer or a user of your competitive product or anything else. Make sure the social proof you provide is relatable and it's easy for them to back channel to learn more. This is particularly effective for ex customer remarketing. - Make a clear and actionable ask:
Be direct and end your email with a clear call-to-action. Make it easy for your prospect to respond by suggesting a specific time for a call or face-to-face meeting, or simply asking for a reply email. Offering something of value such as a whitepaper or a free trial can also increase the chances of a positive response. Furthermore, data automation tools can enhance your workflow, allowing you to send follow-up emails at the optimal time to improve response rates.
How to use smart data to drive warm email automation
Emailing continues to be a vital online lead generation tool for numerous B2B companies. The effectiveness of emails for sales largely hinges on the following aspects:
- Crafting targeted, personalized emails, including compelling subject lines and distinct calls to action.
- Engaging in experimentation and A/B testing to discern what resonates with your audience.
- Adhering to established best practices in warm prospecting to enhance conversion rates.
In essence, success in cold emailing is rooted in thorough research and continual testing. As Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) accumulate more insights about their prospects and the performance of their emails, they become more adept at creating cold emails that effectively generate new leads.
Enhancing your B2B prospecting strategy can also be achieved with tools like Boomerang. This tool tracks the career movements of your former customers, supporters, and potential clients, automatically integrating this information into your CRM for renewed sales opportunities. These leads are not only qualified but are also five times more likely to convert and typically have a 25% shorter sales cycle. Remember, the goal is to acquire new customers and turn them into warm sales leads. By implementing these strategies and using the right sales prospecting tools, you can create effective B2B campaigns that drive results and contribute to your overall marketing strategy development.
