Seriously, is Cold Outreach dead???

We’ve all heard it. Cold outreach is dead. It doesn’t work. You have to buy ads.

But we know that’s not true.

So, I created a weekly newsletter where I interview regular business people who have made it work.

To prove that cold outreach is alive and kicking.

What I learned amazed me.

For this newsletter, I talked to Britt, who runs an IoT-based SaaS company and he has a pretty successful cold outreach process with a 30%+ reply rate

I thought I'd share some of his hacks for inspiration, so you learn how to make your outreach more successful

What is he selling?

IoT sensors + software that can cut mechanical costs for commercial buildings by 60-80%

Hack #1: How he defined a very detailed ideal buyer persona ??

When I asked him about his ideal customer profile, he didn’t just say the title “Facility director”

He said these guys:

hands-on

real-world focused.

have a military/engineering background.

not very present online

use their phone to manage building issues all day, rarely do email

Notice how clearer their image becomes with each point.

That is the power of a detailed buyer persona!

And he uses these insights to make his cold outreach process successful.

Learning: Know your prospects better than their own mama!

Hack #2: His sneaky way of finding contact data in govt. databases ??

Since these guys are not very present online, so he can’t do a simple LinkedIn search.

So, he found their email and cell number inside govt databases as they had to give their contact details when they applied for a building permit to the govt.

Sneaky but as a business owner, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Learning: Get creative

Hack #3: How persistent he is with follows ups, and uses multiple channels (including physical mail!) ??

Uses mix of calls and emails, minimum of 8 touches and a maximum of 21

Does physical mail as they are more likely to open that before their LinkedIn (buyer persona)

Typically 45% email and rest calls

Learning: Be persistent, follow up as much as you can. Use automation like Cliently if possible.

Hack #4: How he personalised his emails by calculating exactly how many $$$ he will save them ??

Like Hey {{firstName}},

I know your {{companyName}}’s building has 70,000 sq ft.

I’m estimating that you’re spending about $30k this year in energy costs associated with HVAC.

We can help you have $3k-4k in energy costs, which makes a payback period of 0.5 years.

Now all the numbers in his email are personalised to each prospect, he built a simple calculator that tells them exactly how much $$$ he will save them ??

He didn’t just say we will help you save money, he was specific. He showed them the RoI.

Learning: You should be more specific in your emails! ??

Hack #5: How he gets his prospects to buy with emotion and justify with logic ??

The prospect’s risk model didn’t support Britt’s product.

If they bought his product and it failed, they would get fired. If it turned out well, they get a pat on the back.

So, he turned it around and sold the emotional aspects of his product.

His prospects were sick and tired of coming into the building at 4 am because some equipment was broken.

So, once he built some rapport with them, he’d tell them

“Wouldn’t it be awesome to come into the office at 9 am like other people?”

That convinced them to take the risk and buy the product as it gave them their sleep back.

He convinced them to buy with emotion even if it meant them taking a risk on their job!

Learning: Figure out how you can evoke emotion in your prospect

So this brings us to the end of Brit's story and another proof that cold outreach is not dead yet. In fact, if anything, in this crowded market, you must be multi-channel in your sales and marketing.

Today, we work with 300+ businesses to accelerate their revenue growth and with nearly every business, we see, that there is a strong need to have a very personalized and strategic outreach approach. More targeting and a more personalized approach always pays off.

So are you still a believer of cold outreach is dead?