Who in here built a business 100% cold emails

Firstly make sure you're aware of current and forthcoming legislation...

Here in Europe we have GDPR, which pretty much bans unsolicited email to individuals, regardless of whether it's business or consumer.
**** Having had numerous exchanges with the ICO, I've now changed my opinion on this... Still viable (and legal) to send cold emails to individuals. ****

Really? One client in four months is not my idea of success
If you're after the one call close via email, I'd suggest you'll be disappointed. 99.99% will delete your email, often unread.
I use cold email to start a conversation.
Like dating, it's easier and more likely successful to ask "fancy a coffee", than "fancy sex here and now"...
As indicated, I wouldn't.
Use it to start a conversation. Find something you have in common and ask them a question related. Just like dating.
And just as with dating, you might find the other party is not right for you, however, they might introduce you to one of their friends, who is more compatible.
Hope that's not too deep...!

1. They might ignore you. This doesn't happen very often, if you've picked a subject that they'd genuinely interested in.
2. They might respond, but they won't buy. However, if you tell them the problems you solve and the benefits people get from your service, you may well get referrals and introductions. Especially if you continue the conversation and help them out.
3. They might eventually buy.

It's all about creating relationships that are strong enough that people will trust you and refer you and maybe even buy from you. It's more slow burn than a "one call close".

An alternative is, if you have a testimonial and an existing client who has achieved specific results, you can say "I did this for x, would you like me to do the same for you?" Usually works best if you approach businesses within the same niche or closely related. Eventually, you will get referrals outside the niche.

IMHO a better alternative is to distribute a lead magnet through partner businesses. You create your lead magnet and offer it as a free giveaway to your partner business's clients. You have a soft offer "contact me for more information", or a more direct time limited offer "exclusively for clients of...".
Example, we did this recently for a client and the result was 12,358 signups, and £214,415 in sales, over a 30 day period, to those new subscribers. All for zero cost.
One of my proteges did this for a small client, resulting in her filling her order book, doubling her customer base, and achieving a full years income in a 14 day period - a little over £50,000.
Far easier than spending all day on the phone...!

Hi EliHood,

Hmmm....I am a warm email guy. Easier approach buddy. Here's why; spend a little time helping someone out to befriend them. Said friend promotes you, endorses you and hires you, spreading your reach, growing your business on many levels. Win-win-win-win.

Little resistance with the warm approach too.

The cold email approach is filled with resistance. You're a manipulative stranger. But hey; if you love a good challenge and wouldn't mind facing fears again and again, go for it dude. I figure warm emails through relationship-building is the simpler and easier route.

Ryan

A couple things real fast:

1. You need to stop thinking about tactics and start thinking about strategy.

2. If you are working a full time job you need to sell something that is easier to fulfill.

I've brought in over a dozen clients that pay mid 5 figures per year through cold emailing. Everyone wants to claim that you need to find a niche that isn't over saturated with calls, emails, etc. The fact is, if you stand out from the crowd you will get someone's attention, no matter what. But, remember, cold emailing is just the beginning of the conversation. Business owners are so well versed in dealing with digital marketing types that they can sniff out dishonesty, insincerity, and a guy that is just chasing the money. The old adage they don't care what you know until they know how much you care holds true today, especially in digital marketing sales.

I would have to agree with animal44 on this. The new GDPR coming out in May will impact email marketers to the core. The only way I can see working around this is through one on one conversations, personal conversations with individuals and this is mostly used in dating. However, there is the opt-in issue here so you would have to somehow get permission to send these people emails.

I've been doing offline marketing since 1994 and since 2009 with my own local area marketing consulting. I can tell you first hand I have never sold any of my services through email. Nope, not a single one.

Email marketing (cold or warm) works best as a conversation starter that leads to either a phone call or in-person meeting.

If you try and sell through email only you're going to severely disappointed in your results.

The good news is that email marketing is much easier than cold call phoning. You don't have to face the fear of rejection live on a call but as stated by others getting the businesses to open and read your emails is the first hard task to overcome.

If you can achieve that and they are interested enough to want to talk to you then the odds of making a sale are way more in your favor.

Hey Eli. You are doing local SEO right?

Are you good at delivering results? Honest question.

Because if you have your bills covered with your job then you have so many more options on the table for building your business the best way.

I'm going to hate myself later for responding.

People doing cold email successfully would rather get a tooth pulled without anesthetic than post to the subject in an open forum.

I am NOT going to get into peoples opinions of cold emailing. Some folks believe it is a sin worthy of life in prison, others don't care.

Let's take a 10-mile view of this.

What is a "cold" email? really? at its core...

It is YOU choosing to start a conversation with someone you do not know.
That's it! Never mind the method of delivery, at it's core that is what it is!

Well that is uhm, how 99% of EVERYTHING on the planet happens.
From meeting your future wife, to getting a job...

Feel free to debate all you like about the medium or the difference between what you view as ethical, legal or "good" versus "bad" ways to cold email...

At the end of the day you can absolutely build an amazing business by starting conversations with people you do not know, and that method can be cold email...

How effective is cold email?
Depends on the list, niche, message, copy, offer... and a dozen technical gremlins that might drive you mad...

No different than if you send out two guys to the bars to start conversations with ladies they do not know, results will vary significantly based on approach and a multitude of factors.

No different than if you put a superstar cold caller against a guy that couldn't sell water to a man on fire and handed them each a 100 numbers to call, results will vary dramatically...

If it will let me I am going to attach a screenshot of a recent mailing I did to the bottom of this post. Totally cold email to business owners in a specific niche, offering them a lead gen service.

Proof that it's a totally cold list?
My assistant was asleep at the switch and did NOT scrub the list so you will see it got an 8% bounce rate.

SO, business owners don't open cold emails?

Well, I got a 38% open rate (NOT unusual for the emails I create).

Further to that, I got a 16% click-through rate.
They CHOSE to click a link with a very clear offer for them to opt-in for more info by virtue of clicking a link.

Spam complaints? .01 percent! so 3 out of 1,594 emails sent AND the only reason that happened is that my assistant was asleep at the switch, and did not scrub the list for spam traps.

You can have all the views of cold email you like but it is absolutely being used every day to build very successful businesses and done properly does NOT annoy anyone.

How I target, how I write, what I offer, has prospects thanking me for having contacted them
and
frankly I'm not that smart.

I can however apparently after 17 years of practice get a high percentage of business owners to want to read my message and take action. In contrast remembering the 4 items my wife wanted at the grocery store is a challenge ;-)

Next, I am sure will be the debate on "but does it turn into sales?".
Yes, it does, again if you know what you are doing.

I have put folks through funnels to get them to pay after a webinar using this method.
I have also used it to educate them over time, give them value, qualify them and then book an appointment.

Just like the dudes pitching in the bar I mentioned above, you don't propose after sitting on the bar stool, but EVERY marriage started with one of the parties communicating with a cold prospect.

Cold email works great for me.

I haven't done it for a few months now because I'm running paid ads.

Below is a link to a screenshot of the 15+ responses I receive daily.

A lot of them are telling me "no thanks", but at least I'm getting a reply (instead of being ignored) and I can continue the conversation to try and earn their business.

However.... a lot become legit, qualified prospects.

DM me if you want the sequence.

https://www.evernote.com/l/Aee5OQfCi...9FlZzItLKipfC0

I build an agency in 90 days to 20K recurrent with cold email as 80% of my strategy

Sending B2B cold email campaigns is definitely an effective lead generation tactic.

Be sure the email list you're sending to is cleaned and you're utilizing an email sending software that can handle sending to cold contacts.

Good luck!

I like cold emails a lot, but I would like to get some recommendations from you on some tools for making it more efficient and working. Do you use something? Maybe some Sales Automation Tools? I would like to try something like that for me too

We managed to save our ad agency that was losing clients by sending cold emails to numerous companies that might be interested in our services. And we managed to find the new clients using this approach; it's all about the proper wording

Dredging up another 6 month old thread!

Built a cold email agency using cold email.