Cold outreach is a modern sales art. It requires almost scientific research and creativity at the same time. Still, there are general rules that can be applied to all sequences that show low performance.
We suggest that you start with a small test that will help you find out your Outbound Sales Score. Based on your answers, you will be provided with detailed suggestions on how you can improve it. Now that you know your score, see the Top 3 recommendations on getting the best possible results with your outreach.
1. Improve your prospect list
The first factor that defines your sequence success is the quality of your list. It shouldn’t be bought (under any circumstances!) and it should correlate with your perfect match.
First, you need to define your target audience and refine your audience to an Ideal Customer Profile (or ICP); you can then transform these into buyer personas. Doing so would automatically give you enough criteria to choose from and the most distinctive verticals to rely on when making your list.
Having said that, you can either collect the list yourself or delegate its building to someone else (even a side freelancer/agency) - just make sure you double check the results before assigning those prospects to a sequence.
2. Create a great email copy
Now, when your list consists of the right prospects that would most likely need your product or service, the next challenge you face is getting them interested.
It all starts with a subject line.
Check out the article, 5 Tips How to Improve Email Open Rate to find some interesting examples of email subject lines that people want to open. Here are some general rules that can help you create your own best starters:
Use humor wisely to take your subject line from “Blah!” to “Hah!”
Your subject lines should be relatable and aspirational.
Use urgency to break through procrastination and get commitments.
And keep in mind, your first subject line probably isn’t gold. That’s why it’s recommended that you carry out some A/B tests to see which of them really works best.
Next step - your email body.
It needs to have a clear purpose. What do you want your subscribers to do? Get on a call, sign up for a course, book a demo or upgrade their account?
Whatever the goal is, it should be readily apparent in your content. Keep your email short and sweet. Don’t send long advertising copies to your prospects - those never got read and are usually ignored.
3. Evaluating and tweaking your sequence
Finally, you’ve launched your sequence! From now on, the only thing you need to do is watch how it performs and improve your open and reply rates.
Feel free to carry out split A/B testing on subject lines and email copies (one at a time though). Experiment with different schedules to find the right one for each group of prospects. Add links to social networks and corporate blogs/websites. Segment your contact list. Use personalization. Study use cases.
Our most successful customers see a 70-80% open rate and a 20+% reply rate after the first-step email and 2-3 follow-ups. Now it’s your turn!