Prospecting with B2B sales emails is sort of like asking a Magic 8 Ball. There are a finite number of responses you’re likely to get, but you never really know which one it will be. Increase your chances of a positive response with these proven B2B cold email templates and tips for effective cold emails.
What to Keep in Mind for B2B Sales Emails
Luckily, when it comes to your B2B sales email strategy, you don’t have to guess. Robust tracking such as open, click, and sentiment analysis give sales teams valuable insight into techniques that prompt positive response rates. This same technology can help you to reach the appropriate person within every B2B company. Plus, using a sales engagement platform, like Salesloft, makes it possible for you to scale your email prospecting and craft cold emails that truly have an impact.
Choosing the right (exciting) subject line.
With 126 business emails are sent and received every day, B2B cold emails require catchy subject lines to cut through the noise.
We’ve found that axing urgency, punctuation, and emojis help sales reps stand out. Salesloft data also shows that one-word subject lines perform significantly better, securing an 87% higher reply rate.
Personalization is also vital as it establishes a connection with the lead, communicates you’ve done your research, and helps your cold email subject line stand out in inboxes.
To visualize how well your subject line will land, try this free Subject Line Grader.
Provide value.
You are far more likely to get a response if you are adding value for your prospect. The Salesloft team recommends offering your best content, information, or tip in your first email. It is also worth it to spend time getting the value proposition just right.
Potential prospects want to hear about why you think your product will be a great fit, how you can help them, and other B2B companies who’ve benefited from working with you. For example, if you own a SaaS startup, why did other business owners choose your new product/service over others?
The conversation should deliver value that is relevant to your prospect, effectively communicating that your email is worth reading.
Don’t sound robotic.
Tone carries a lot of weight. It’s an element of email copy that demonstrates your interest and builds rapport for future interactions. You should leave out generic, corporate, and spammy terms. Many salespeople are embracing memes (when appropriate) as part of their prospecting workflow to boost reply rates.
When used strategically, personalization can show that your email wasn’t written specifically for the recipient. Even personalizing just 20% of your sales emails can double your response rates. Salesloft recommends automating non-personalized emails. In doing so, salespeople can spend more time personalizing and scaling their most important interactions. Keep in mind – automated emails don’t need to sound robotic!
Back up your claims with social proof.
Decision-makers are less likely to work with a company without social proof to back up their claims. That said, prospects aren’t interested in a dense email loaded with statistics or figures.
Briefly cite a past client your leads may be familiar with, highlighting your impact on their business in a short sentence.
Next, encourage your lead to learn more (and back up your claims further) by linking a client case study from the same business you mentioned. Doing so will generate interest without overloading your lead with information.
9 Constructive B2B Cold Email Templates for 2023
Nearly 60% of email recipients receive irrelevant sales emails. So before hitting send, consider your reasons for reaching out. Are you promoting new content? Are you interested in collaborating? Or are you following up after a demo or voice mail?
Your best cold email should be relevant and timely. We know that perfecting sales emails is a hard-won skill, so we’ve compiled nine B2B cold email templates to help you get started!
For an extra boost, you rank your email copy with our Email Grader.
1. Useful Resource Sales Email Template
Forwarding new or additional resources provides value to your prospects. This template entices prospects to learn more without overloading them with facts.
Hey {{first_name}},
Our data science team just sent us these latest market trends for [INSERT STRATEGY]. (PDF attached)
Hopefully these help as you think about your [INSERT PAIN POINT] strategies.
Let me know if there is anything else I can help with,
{{My.first_name}}
2. Website Visit Sales Email Template
Cold prospects who’ve visited your website and downloaded a resource have already demonstrated interest. Now, it’s time to send a cold email to kick off a conversation and gauge further interest. Using video is a great way to boost response rates!
This B2B email template below secured a 16% reply rate for Salesloft inbound SDRs.
Hey {{first_name}},
Looks like you might be interested in learning more about [INSERT COMPANY HERE]!
Below is a quick video to introduce myself and explain why I’d like to chat with you.
[[INSERT VIDEO HERE]]
As well, here is a teaser on what is to come 🙂
See you soon,
{{My.first_name}}
3. Case Study Sales Email Template
Remember what we said about social proof? Forwarding a case study is a great way to establish yourself as a trusted advisor in your industry—all while sharing positive experiences of past customers and the benefits of working with you.
The example below also happens to be ourthe Salesloft team’s most popular case study sales email template!
{{first_name}},
Since implementing [INSERT COMPANY], [INSERT CUSTOMER NAME AND LINK CASE STUDY] has seen [INSERT TANGIBLE RESULTS]. We have also helped [INSERT CUSTOMER] to start [INSERT A GAME CHANGER].
Do you have time on {{2_business_days_from_now}} or {{3_business_days_from_now}} to discuss how [INSERT COMPANY] can help your organization?
{{My.first_name}}
4. Content Promotion Sales Email Template
Content promotion emails boost content marketing and lead generation efforts. As opposed to selling a product or service, content promotion introduces a post or resource that provides value and is relevant to your prospect’s needs.
The following template is a great icebreaker.
Hey {{first_name}},
It’s [NAME] from [YOUR COMPANY NAME]. So many of the [POSITION] I talk with struggle to [PAIN POINT].
I thought this article about [LEAD’S PAIN POINT] really resonated.
Take a look: [LINK]
I’d love to know what you think about it. 🙂
Best,
{{My.first_name}}
5. Collaboration Sales Email Template
Collaboration sales emails are exactly what they sound like—they introduce the possibility of a collaboration between your business and your prospect’s company. This is a tricky one to get right. If you leave out an important CTA or fail to provide a compelling example of past collaborations, then your prospect may not even entertain a reply.
The following cold email example can help you deliver the right message.
Hey {first_name}},
I’m [NAME] from [COMPANY NAME].
I recently listened to your podcast about [TOPIC] with [MUTUAL CONNECTION]! It was awesome. Felt like working with [MUTUAL CONNECTION] all over again.
I was wondering if you’d be open to alternative strategies. I’ve got a couple of ideas about [PAIN POINTS] you might be interested in too.
Let me know if you’re up for a quick 10-minute call about it!
Best,
{{My.first_name}}
6. AIDA Formula Sales Email Template
The AIDA formula is a copywriting and marketing framework that defines the stages of the purchasing journey. The AIDA formula is designed to:
- Capture Attention with a strong subject line
- Secure Interest with an enticing intro
- Gauge Desire by providing relevant offers
- Entice Action by incorporating a CTA
Here’s an example.
Hey {first_name}},
How’s it going? I saw your LinkedIn post on [INSERT TOPIC].
While every [LEAD’S JOB TITLE] tries to achieve [GOAL], we both know there’s [ROADBLOCK] standing in the way. [COMPANY] has done extensive research on [TOPIC] – check it out here: [INSERT LINK]
I’d love to hear your thoughts and whether you’d be interested in achieving [GOAL] with [COMPANY NAME].
If yes, you can reach me at [PHONE NUMBER]!
Best,
{{My.first_name}}
7. Voicemail Follow-up Sales Email Template
Multi-channel communication broadens your approach so you can secure a response. If you’ve tried cold calling and the prospect didn’t pick up, send a follow-up email reaffirming your interest. You should also consider following up after making contact on LinkedIn or social media.
Fun Fact: The B2B email template below resulted in a 44% open rate for Salesloft inbound SDRs.
Hey {{first_name}},
Regarding the voicemail I left you—I was hoping we could coordinate some time to connect {{1_business_days_from_now}} or {{2_business_days_from_now}}?
Thanks,
{{My.first_name}}
8. Demo Follow-Up Sales Email Template
Following up after a demo is an effective way to stay top of mind while further educating your prospect about your capabilities. We’ve found this template works well—netting a 17.9% reply rate for Salesloft inbound SDRs!
Hey {{first_name}},
Thank you for your time today!
High-level, we help thousands of companies set 2-3x more qualified opportunities. Our platform creates an engine for revenue teams to communicate with customers, navigate the sales process, and replicate success. Essentially, Salesloft gives you the power to orchestrate every email, call, meeting, and interaction from anywhere.
Save time by allowing Salesloft to automatically track + log your tasks, activities, and engagement data while auto-logging everything into your Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Our pricing structure operates on an annual contract basis and we have an average annual spend at around $2,000/seat. The price per user ranges from $125 – $165/month depending on the Salesloft plan that you go with.
Need a visual? Click here to see a glance of Salesloft in action, and I have attached some best practices and an overview of Salesloft below.
Please let me know any other resource I can provide to help further your education of Salesloft.
Best,
{{My.first_name}}
9. Pain Point Sales Email Template
Cold emails focused on a prospect’s pain point are immediately enticing.
The template below captures interest and secures a response by emphasizing the prospect’s need for more effective processes.
Hi {{first_name}},
[PERSONALIZE]
As you continue to strategize ways to improve this year, curious if your team has any technology or processes in place to be more effective when [INSERT COMPANY INFORMATION]?
Asking because there are a lot of organizations that are investing in technology like [COMPANY] to better [INSERT VALUE PROP].
Would you be opposed to learning how other [INSERT JOB TITLE] are utilizing this kind of technology?
{{My.first_name}}
Automate Communications with Salesloft’s Effective Cold Email Software
Cold emailing is valuable, but time-consuming if you don’t have the tools to send personalized, scalable messages.
Salesloft’s Cold Email Software helps salespeople streamline multi-channel interactions—leaving your team with more time to craft and perfect cold emails.
Request a demo today to increase your pipeline using automation, analytics, and more to pinpoint and replicate top-performing messages.