There was a formula I used to create need with cold emails
Create need = spark interest in a prospect who was otherwise uninterested in your solution.
- Take a common problem, but offer a unique insight that reshapes the way the prospect thinks about it
- Explain how your solution exploits that insight, which in turn solves the common problem in a unique way.
Here's a real example from Glassdoor and how I sold to the VP HR at AMD, who had been rejecting a meeting with another rep for over a year, until I finally got through with my first attempt:
I knew AMD was focused on hiring software engineers (a cursory glance at their careers for showed the vast majority of open roles = SEs) and that those are notoriously hard to find. I was sure they had tried many different approaches... so I had to reframe the problem:
"Hi John,
Glassdoor helps non-Google / Facebook / Apple / Microsoft tech companies recruit software engineers in a unique way. When SEs come onto Glassdoor and search for salary information, we know they are in-market for a job. You can serve up targeted job ads that direct back to why AMD is building cutting edge technology (far more interesting than what they would be working on at a BigTechCo, and I say that as a huge gaming nerd!) Interested in learning how NVIDIA is currently using our solution to run a similar process?"
There were 4 things I did differently than the previous rep:
- Specifically calling out non-FAANG (this term didn't exist in 2012!) because I knew he'd be losing top talent to those firms. Saying we are helping non-FAANG created relatability.
- Simply explained how he would be getting highly targeted SEs in market, which made the solution approachable.
- Picked a core value prop I saw on their website (how cool their tech is) and called it out, while also building a personal connection that I used their chips to game.
- Dropped the NVIDIA reference to make sure he knew that their biggest competitor was already using this. So at the very least, he HAD to see what they were doing.
i got a reply within 45 mins, an in-person mtg in Austin 1 week later, closed multiple deals with them. John then went to Akamai, where I again sold to him 2 more times.
overall, this email generated 5 contracts worth ~$250,000 (quarterly quota was $60K)
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