86. A cold email strategy that ACTUALLY works (in 3 Steps)
It just takes a bit of time.
I’ve sent thousands of cold emails over the last 2 years.
The majority have been ignored, but a small percentage has led to big results.
My approach to sending a cold email that gets a response consists of 3 steps:
industry and prospect research;
copywriting emails and sequence building;
testing emails and reviewing results.
Today, I will break down the first step - industry and prospect research.
In today’s email:
Step 1 - ICP + Industry Research
Step 2 - Basic KDM research: Who’s the prospect?
Step 3 - Context research: Finding triggers
👇🏾 Listen: Ready to build your sales discipline?
THE BIG IDEA
Research increases the success of your cold email.
Understanding your prospect boosts the chances of your email being opened.
Step 1 - ICP + Industry Research
Trade Associations
Trade associations are a goldmine.
They have industry-related news and insights.
They also have a member’s directory, which is a verified list of the ideal clients you’re looking to target.
LITTA joined the NAS in February and won our first member client in April.
Regulatory + Professional Bodies
Most industries have a government watchdog or a professional association that regulates members.
I learn about the trading standards required to operate within a market. I use this understanding as context in my email messaging.
These bodies also have an accessible list of regulated businesses.
Bingo.
The Competition
Every prospect I speak with has an existing waste supplier, so I have a working list of LITTA’s competitors.
I spend time researching them to find out:
What they’re doing well?
What challenges have they helped clients overcome?
What benefits do they provide to clients?
What issues are highlighted by negative reviews?
Who gave the testimonials, and what was their job title?
Useful information for identifying key decision-makers use cases and points of differentiation.
Job Vacancies
With a list of job titles, I use Glassdoor/Indeed to search for vacancies in similar roles.
I look at their duties and responsibilities, KPIs, and who they report to.
This helps me understand key decision-makers and their day-to-day roles.
Step 2 - Basic KDM research: Who’s the prospect?
LITTA’s ICPs include Tier 1 - 3 fit-out/refurb contractors and housing associations with between 500 - 3,000 homes under management.
(If you don’t have an ICP, read this.)
Thanks to prospecting sprints, I know the key decision-maker/key influencer roles to look out for.
My basic research doesn’t take much time. It includes collecting:
Name
Job Title
Email
Phone
Linkedin profile
Step 3 - Context research: Finding triggers
During my research, I look for context triggers to open conversations.
Context triggers include:
Recent company news or announcements;
Recent interview or blog post from a Key Decision Maker;
Recent LinkedIn posts; and
Industry news or reports relevant to the company.
My favourite sources for context triggers are:
Company/personal LinkedIn feeds;
Google; and
Company blog/newsletter.
I use ChatGPT to research the common problems a key decision maker /key influencer faces.
Here are the prompts I use:
What are the biggest challenges a [INSERT ROLE] faces when [INSERT CONTEXT]? Example: “What are the biggest challenges a project manager faces when working on an interior fit-out or refurbishment project?”
What are the specific challenges they face around cost?
What are the specific challenges they face when choosing a supplier for projects?
What are the specific challenges around waste management on projects?
Context ready, I use it as a hook in my email.
When I reach out with the right context, I position myself as an expert, a professional ready to add value.
Thanks for reading!
Matt @ The Growth Lab
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