Outbound emails from sales people are still an important tactic for the modern salesperson. Email can still be a very powerful way to get started with a prospect.
 
It’s important to note that a targeted custom email differs from an email newsletter or a mass email as part of a marketing automation campaign. In the past, we have been able to schedule meetings with entire leadership teams simply as a result of a well-crafted introductory email.
 
Here are some of the keys to creating a great introductory B2B sales email.
 

Have a Good Subject Line

 
There are two main goals when sending an email. The first is for it to be opened and the second is for the recipient to have some sort of action from it. You can’t have the second goal without the first being achieved. Spend time creating a subject line that will get opened. Test different ones and see what works best. Remember to also look to tweak it for the specific contact you are sending it to.
 

Make It Personal

 
Tailor the email explicitly for the contact or company that you are sending it to. Refer to something on their site, in their recent news, or in their Twitter stream that was mentioned. Simple actions such as these communicate to the prospect that you have taken the time to make the email relate to them.
 

Relatable Benefits

 
I am a big believer in talking about the benefits and solutions versus just focusing on features and functions. Spend some time exploring the benefits that the target contact or company should care about. VA Partners has written many blog posts on creating the right message with your benefits.
 

Introduce Yourself

 
Mentioning your name and providing the contact with a brief description of your organization’s history and offered solutions will help the target to put your email into context.
 

Create a Template

 
Many modern email tools let you build off a templated, you can also create one and paste it in. I would say that 80% of the email would be templated, with custom.
 

Call to Action

 
The email should always include next step as a call-to-action. For most B2B sales emails, a request for a meeting or an introductory phone call would be a great next step. Usually, the goal of any introductory email is not to immediately sell the solution, but to sell them on the next step.
 
Email is not dead and they can still be very helpful with your outbound sales effort. Keep these points in mind when working on your introductory B2B sales emails. To understand how VA Partners can help you with introductory emails, booking meetings, and closing business, please review our part-time sales rep offering.