Cold Messaging Success

Cold outreach is hard work and kudos to any new company giving it a go in an effort to bring in new business.?

Doing cold outreach well can be the difference to a bumper year and a mediocre to bad year in terms of sales.?

Alongside other forms of marketing including content, SEO, networking, events, and paid advertising, cold outreach is absolutely killer.?

However, cold outreach done badly puts a bad taste in the mouth of everyone, most importantly the people you’re reaching out to do business..?

We regularly read articles and opinion pieces bemoaning the rise of cold prospecting via email and LinkedIn.?

I myself daily decline cold pitches on LinkedIn and request to be unsubscribed from cold emails.?

I’ve stopped using Facebook because of the volume of unsolicited DMs I would receive that are totally irrelevant to me.?

So what is the answer??

The art and science of cold outreach is simply to humanize the process.?

We do not dream of entering a crowded room [a conference or function for example] and walking around telling people to buy our product or service.?

Yet somehow we treat cold prospecting as though volume and direct pitch are the ways to get leads.?

Sure it works otherwise no one would be doing it however, there are MUCH better ways of crafting our cold outreach strategy.?

I want to share with you an exchange I had recently on LinkedIn with someone pitching me:?

• Hi Jennifer, it's NAME from COMPANY. I'm in awe of your professional achievements! Could we have a quick chat? I've got an idea you might find interesting.

Jennifer Bishop sent the following message at 6:27 PM

• sorry NAME I thought it was an automated message. I'd love to hear about your idea - what is it?

NAME sent the following message at 6:37 PM

• Oh, haha, no worries! I was checking out your activities on LinkedIn and came up with a couple of ideas that could lead to a clear possible partnership between us. Do you think we could have a call about this maybe tomorrow? You are located in London right? Would it work at 2 pm?

Jennifer Bishop sent the following messages at 6:38 PM

• I’d love to know more about the partnership idea. Could you elaborate?
• I’d love to understand and decide if I want to have a call and find out more.

NAME sent the following message at 6:43 PM

• We've developed a highly effective LinkedIn strategy that's yielding fantastic results, it's a commenting strategy, and I believe both you and your clients could greatly benefit from it.
• ?I'd love to walk you through how it works with a brief screen-sharing session and share with you some case studies

Jennifer Bishop sent the following message at 6:44 PM

• Oh thank you for thinking of us !! However we don’t really need that. Thank you anyway.

NAME sent the following message at 7:05 PM

• Got it. Jennifer I am not looking to flex here, but the strategy is so effective I don't want to give up on you at least having a look at it. I haven't yet met a company doing what we are doing with this scale. Worst case scenario you finish the meeting with a little bit more knowledge than before

Jennifer Bishop sent the following message at 7:06 PM

• Thanks NAME, if we are interested I’ll be in touch. Have a nice day.

NAME sent the following message at 7:50 PM

• Fair enough, thanks for your time. I hope you have a great day too.

NAME sent the following messages at 8:18 PM

• Just to follow up…., the outcomes we're seeing include 100+ pre qualified leads and significant organic awareness for business pages—results that would typically cost thousands of USD. I am attaching a case study for you to review. Thank you again!

?

What was notable about this exchange was I was invited to a call before I knew anything about the topic.?

When I asked for more information to decide if it was worth my time, I was given information about tech, tools and processes.?

Even the case study shared with me focused on clicks and impressions but didn’t really tell me anything that would help me understand why I would give my time for a conversation.?

My business goals addressed:?

• Revenue??
• New clients??
• New leads??
• Higher close rate??
• Smoother sales process?

I was not helped nor given insights, taught something new or given value?

Instead I was asked for my time, asked for trust without being given any clarity or grounds for credibility.?

To humanize the process, we have to remind ourselves that we are speaking with strangers who know nothing about us or our business.?

Like we would at a conference or networking event, we have to lead with value.?

Offer advice, insights, strategy, tips and learning. Offer help with a problem.?

Once you have someone interested in knowing more, deliver value.?

Your first call or meeting should be simply helping them to learn, to understand a problem they are facing or to gain clarity around their current situation.?

Your offer and pitch should only come AFTER you have trust, an established relationship and grounds to offer help achieving the outcome they desire.?

Happy cold outreaching.?