Shabnam Kakar
Contributor
Let’s face it. Sales prospecting for potential customers is hard.
You could be doing everything right as a sales professional when working on email marketing and social media: you’ve qualified your leads, you’ve warmed them up, and you know your product or service would benefit them. Finally, it’s time to send that prospecting email. You oblige.
Radio silence.
You could (and should) follow-up with another sales email and use social media for marketing as well, but let’s rewind a bit. What went wrong? Was your email not clear enough? Did they even open it?
Next time will be better, and you’ll produce more creative prospecting emails. These sales prospecting templates will help you make sure your emails are so well-crafted, your competitors will try to steal them from you. Add these to your CRM to save even more time when you need to quickly email someone—no more writing emails up from scratch.
But first, the basics.
Before we jump into templates for email marketing and sales professionals, let’s go over some basic sales prospecting email tactics and why they work.
Personalize your emails to win over potential customers.
- Adding the prospect’s name and the name of their company are two easy ways to personalize your prospecting emails, as you build up to using a sales email template.
- Why it works: It shows the recipient that this email was meant especially for them, and wasn’t sent out en masse to everyone. Personalizing your subject line will increase the chances that they actually open your email too.
Make it worth their while.
- This means getting right to the point with creative prospecting emails: tell them why you’re reaching out and what value you have to offer them.
- Why it works: It tells the recipient that your email is worth hitting “Reply” to.
Be brief.
- Your initial prospecting email should contain just enough information to pique interest. At the end of your email, offer to set up a call if they want to hear more.
- Why it works: You won’t come off as desperate, and the recipient won’t get overwhelmed by a bombardment of unsolicited information in the sales email.
Include a call-to-action (CTA) in your sales prospecting emails.
- Pretty self-explanatory: ask the recipient to do something in your email. Only one thing. Make it as simple and direct as possible when using a sales email template.
- Why it works: It requires the recipient to do something with your email and makes it clear the ball is in their court.
Make it as easy as possible for the prospect.
- For example: proposing a time for a follow-up call means all the prospect has to do is reply with “yes” or “no,” after choosing your prospecting email template. On the other hand, if you end your email by “what time works for you?” it means you’ll need to have an extra email interaction = more work for prospect = higher chance of drop off.
- Why it works: Businesspeople are, well, busy. If all they have to do is say “yes,” you’ll have a higher chance of hearing back from them when sending sales prospecting emails.
Last but not least…
Make these prospecting templates your own.
- Whether you are a sales rep or manager, tweak the content to fit your scenario and choose a prospecting email template. Fine-tune the voice and tone so it sounds like you.
1. The “how to beat a competitor” template.
Subject: Give {prospect’s company name} a competitive edge over {competitor company name}
Hey {first name},
I was just looking at your company’s website and saw you offer {unique selling point(s)} which is very similar to {competitor}. I wanted to touch base and see if you’d considered {something your product or service empowers companies to do}. I think implementing this into your business would leverage your value proposition over {competitor}’s.
I would love to chat more about this. If you’re interested, I have the following time slots available to set up a call:
- Thursday, February 21 at 11:00 am
- Friday, February 22 at 8:30 am
Let me know when works best.
Best,
{Your name}
{Your company name}
Pro-tip: Learn about 5 ways that sales teams can prospect more effectively in this webinar.
2. The “I work in your industry” template.
Subject: Some ideas to make {prospect’s company name} stand out in the {industry name} industry
Hi {prospect name},
I’ve been working in the {industry name} industry for a while now, and {prospect’s company name} really stood out to me because of {unique fact about the company}.
I think you could take this value one step further by implementing {your product or service}, which would result in {benefit it would give to the prospect’s company}.
I’d be very interested in discussing this idea with you further. I have the following time slots available in my calendar this week, if you want to chat:
- Thursday, February 21 at 11:00 am
- Friday, February 22 at 8:30 am
Let me know what you think.
Best,
{Your name}
{Your company name}
3. The “last chance before I close your file” template.
Subject: Hey {prospect name}, did you want us to keep your file open?
Hello {prospect name},
As the end of the quarter approaches, we’ll be closing up all our files that haven’t been active in a while.
I do have one open for you, and just wanted to confirm if you were interested in learning more about how {your company name} can help you grow your business in the near future? If yes, I’d love to schedule some time for us to chat.
Otherwise, just let me know if it’s okay to go ahead and close your file.
Thank you,
{Your name}
{Your company name}
4. The “hey, just thought you’d find this content helpful” template.
Subject: Hey {prospect name}, I found this article you might find helpful
Hey {first name},
I saw your recent post on LinkedIn about {touch on what article was about}.
Yours reminded me of another article I recently read that does a great job addressing this topic. I thought you might find it helpful.
Here’s the link: {link to article}
If this is something your company is currently seeking help with, I’d love to set up some time to discuss possible solutions. I’ve worked with several companies with {area that could be improved}, so I think our conversation would be mutually insightful.
Regardless, let me know your thoughts on the article!
Cheers,
{Your name}
{Your company name}
5. The “here’s some free advice” template.
Subject: Some ideas to help {prospect company’s name} overcome {common industry problem your product or service can solve}
Hi {first name},
My name is {your name} and I work at {your company name}. We specialize in helping companies in the {prospect’s industry} industry to {business driver} in order to {key result}.
One of the things many of the companies in this industry struggle with is {common problem your product or service can fix}. I’ve had the opportunity help several companies, including {a recognizable company name you’ve worked with in the past} combat this issue.
Based on what I know about your business, the following solutions come to mind:
- {advice}
- {advice}
- {advice}
I’d love to hear your thoughts. I have a few more ideas as well. Let me know if you have time for a chat—I have an opening this Wednesday at 10:00 am if that works for you.
Best,
{Your name}
{Your company name}
6. The “congrats on the company announcement!” template.
Subject: Congratulations on {company achievement announced}
Hello {prospect name},
Congratulations on your {reference company announcement}. This accomplishment is huge because {say why it’s a big deal which will also show you know the industry}.
In my experience working in the {industry name} industry, by this point your team could benefit from upping their {solution your company provides} game. I recently worked on a similar project with {name a similar company in the industry} and helped them achieve {benefits your product or service will provide}.
I’d love the opportunity to work together and reap similar results for {prospect’s company name}.
If you’re interested, I have a few empty time slots this coming Friday, February 22nd in the morning. Name a time that works for you.
Best,
{Your name}
{Your company name}
7. The “congrats on the new role, let me help you crush it” template.
Subject: Congrats on the new role, {prospect name}!
Hey {prospect name},
Congratulations on your new position as {position} at {prospect’s company name}!
I can only imagine the surge of ideas that must be going through your head that’ll help you make a strong first impression in your new role. I’ve got some ideas of my own that I think you’d be interested in.
I’ve helped other people in your position accomplish the following at the company they work for:
- {accomplishment}
- {accomplishment}
- {accomplishment}
I’d love to set up some time for us to brainstorm how you can make a big impact at {company name}, fast.
I have the following time slots available in my calendar this week, if you’d like to chat:
- Thursday, February 21 at 11:00 am
- Friday, February 22 at 8:30 am
Best,
{Your name}
{Your company name}
8. The “let me help you reach X goal” template.
Subject: Achieving {goal} is easier than you think, {prospect name}
Hello {prospect name},
Considering {describe the changing environment or a new trend in the prospect’s industry}, I expect you’ve already got some ideas in the works to make sure {prospect’s company name} is equipped to handle these changes and achieve {goal}.
One of these ideas might be to {a way to reach their goal using the product or service you’re selling}. If you haven’t already nailed down a plan, I’d love to schedule some time to chat about how {your company name} can help you get there.
I have the following time slots available in my calendar this week. Let me know when works best for you.
- Thursday, February 21 at 11:00 am
- Friday, February 22 at 8:30 am
Cheers,
{Your name}
{Your company name}
Share your results with us.
Let us know which sales prospecting email templates you used and what worked best. These templates are helpful for any sales manger or sales rep.
