What I learned when 91 people blocked my email as Spam

Resadigital is a Bangalore-based digital marketing agency that helps companies manage their LinkedIn page, lead generation, and YouTube channels.

ResaHR supports startups and SMBs with recruitment services.

Please reach out to Rekha Hegde ([email protected]) for more details.

I wondered what to do when I left my corporate job to start my agency. Even though this decision was a well-thought-out one, the first step was always challenging.

(Read - How to get your first client https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/strategies-freelance-recruiters-new-recruitment-agencies-secure-tonac/?trackingId=65YgZidYQSORACux1TIfyg%3D%3D).

I knew only two things.

1) How to source the right candidates since I grew from a recruiter to an HR Head.

2) I knew how to sell since I worked in the startups where I tried my hand at sales.

I thought of starting a Sales service since for many startup companies, sales is a major challenge. One of my previous employers in IT staffing and recruitment services, who knew my abilities, asked me to help him with lead generation. That is how I started Resadigital

The job was very very clear.

1) Collect the email IDs and mobile numbers of the B2B clients.

2) Send them an email.

3) Call them.

4) Send a LinkedIn request.

5) Try to get them for a discussion.

6) Submit the proposal

7) Close the deal.

The payment was fixed + incentives. Fixed for the efforts and incentives for the results.

Since I did this activity along with HR work in startup companies, it was easy for me.

This was about five years ago and during a pandemic, by sitting at home I could earn my living out of this activity.

After getting the business, I started supporting the same client in recruitment and HR Consultancy as well. That is how ResaHR was born.

Now, in 2024, we work with various clients and things have drastically changed.

During 2029, we used to buy B2B Data or a digital tool to get the email IDs and mobile numbers of decision makers and since our business expanded from Indian customers to the US and European markets, the quality of data is very important to us.

I tried many email extracting tools, and purchased a B2B database, but finally zeroed in on two databases.

One is Apollo and another is Zoom Info.

Fast forward to 2024, the B2B market is very competitive and it has become tough to generate leads. For one of my clients in the #Cybersecurity space, I supported them with Email marketing for lead generation.

I used Zoom Info to take out the mobile number and email ID of the Ideal Customer Profiles.

I used Apollo to zero on the ICPs and to automate the email sequences.

You may ask me a question. Whether the business needs to purchase both Apollo and Zoom Info. My answer would be NO.

If you want to collect quality B2B databases with research insights, better you use Zoom info, and if you want to collect emails and sequence the emails, you can use Apollo.

Both are good tools. No doubt about that.

After sequencing the emails, I waited for a week to check the results. BOOM, I found that more than 91 emails were blocked as SPAM. ??????????????????

The open rate was ZERO. A big ZERO.

I was really worried since my job was to generate the leads and not only sequence the leads. For small companies like us (Resadigital) customer happiness is very important because our business is more from referrals than from sales efforts.

Then I sat and analyzed my mistakes in detail and realized the mistakes I was making.

1) Using ChatGPT.

Yes. You heard it right. I have seen so many salespeople using ChatGPT. I used to draft my emails something like this.

Or like this.

The problem with ChatGPT is that it can not think like a human being and can not personalize the emails.

I am not a great fan of ChatGPT and I do not think it is useful in drafting the email. If you are not good at Sales copywriting, then ChatGPT can be useful.

2) I wrote too much text and wrote more about me than about the customers.

I was making the mistake all others were doing. For example, I received an email like this from a print magazine and they wanted a sponsorship from me.

What is lacking here?

1) The value proposition is very generic and not to the point.

2) The email is not talking about my business and it is not talking about how they can help me.

I was also making the same mistake of writing too much about myself and my services rather than how my services can help them.

3) Lack of research.

If you ask me the secret of the success of Email marketing, I can say in one line. That is 'Research'.

Proper research about the targeted company is the key and the messages must be crystal clear.

I see many companies sending me emails without even checking my website.

For example, I received an email.

If the sender had visited my website, he/she could have found that Resadigital is also into these types of services. ????????????????

Then what is the solution?

There is no secret sauce for the success of email marketing. There is no one playbook either. You have to try and test different varieties. Please do not use the templates of playbooks given by so called influencer on LikedIn. You have to find your own formula for your product in your domain.

I tried this and got a good business from a US-based company for my client. To my surprise, the email I drafted was simple, to the point, and short. Check this out (Please do not take it for granted and think that it works in every case).

Let us dissect the message.

1) The first sentence talks about the value proposition. Remember the target company is a startup from the US.

2) The second sentence talks about the challenge. See the depth of research, I mentioned about Langchain experience required for JD.

3) The third line talks about the suited profile and rate card. It is straight to the point or jumping into the solution we provide.

Good luck with your Email Marketing.

I use the following tools for my sales activities.

WarmupInbox. - You can improve your email deliverability.

Grapeleads - To find out the contact details of small businesses.