First off, your cold email should not be about you.

If you are creating noise in someone's email inbox, at least give them the courtesy of making it about them.

Even if you don't know them.

Unfortunately, 99.9% of cold outreach is about the company, the product, or the service someone is trying to sell. And that's why cold emails suck.

If your emails start with "we" "my" or "I" your email will be dragged to the trash.

And it should be. Here's why:

• It shows the reader you are focused on YOU and not THEM

• It screams to the reader that you don't care about THEIR needs

• It displays that you have not done your research on them

• It almost always indicates that the relationship will be one sided.

If your intention is to truly HELP your prospect and just want to get your solution in front of them, then there's a better way.

Here's how, step by step:

Step 1: Take 10 minutes and read about them AND their company.

If you don't understand a bit about the person OR the company, you're not going to write anything relevant.

I get these shitty emails all the time about how someone can help me and my company, and I wonder, "how do you know I need help? Or how do you know what my specific goals are here?"

If you jump to conclusions about me or my company's goals, then you aren't going to listen if I do respond.

Step 2: Ask questions first. Explain yourself second.

Cold emailing prospects means you don't have a relationship with them yet. So you don't know them or their goals. Cut the crap and just ask.

"Are you currently struggling with [X]? Because I've talked with a few leaders who are and wasn't sure if everyone had the same issues."

"How are you currently dealing with [X]?" I've spoken with 10 leaders who have the same issue and tried [Y] but didn't get the results they expected."

Step 3: Start with a small ask that provides more value than the time you are taking from them.

Taking someone's time is a bigger ask than you might think. Asking for 15 minutes is like asking for money. In your cold email, they don't know you. You haven't established trust, so why should they give you their time? Would you walk up to a stranger on the street, introduce yourself and ask for $15 straight away? Nope. (Well, I hope not)

Instead, remember your manners. Give the prospect an out, ask less and give more.

Example:

"Hi Jane,

Your company, Acme Construction Group just posted about winning the bid on 311 Park Place. Congrats! More work for you, more stressful days, right?

With such a big project on the books, and so many projects underway, how are you currently making sure everyone is working according to the schedule right now, like this-very-minute right now?

Jim from Bolder Construction, who works on projects like yours, just saved his company's back end because he started gathering real time project data and reduced their subcontractor defaults using tracked hours as a leading indicator. (He saved them close to $250K, that's some serious cheese.)

If you're interested, I'll send you some info on how he did it. Reply "send it" and I'll email it over.

Congrats and good luck on the project."

{Salutation}