Author:
Kristina Tertyshnikova
On the wave of just-completed campaigns on investor searching through lead generation and outreach, I want to share an interesting observation, reflect on its nature, and suggest looking at it from a different angle. So why don’t we like writing cold messages? Let’s break it down.
The Problem
One of the first to address this issue was a startup CEO with a sales background that included a lot of cold communication. She worked on calls, sent cold emails, offering event services. And then told me:
To be honest, I was so anxious. It felt like once I started writing, human anger would rain down on me through messages.
The problem is that such a perception of cold communication not only causes discomfort but also hinders progress. Initially, there’s a reluctance to write, and if you overcome it and write, there’s no energy for follow-up. If you don’t get a response, and you’re not in the habit of immediately sending the first message and selling yourself after accepting an invite or another trigger, everything slows down.
I can advise you that to overcome this anxiety, you need to establish a routine for the process so it doesn’t drain too many resources from your mind. This includes utilizing response options from our study and the responses our clients receive when we engage in investors’ outreach, and outreach to new markets and unknown individuals. Real examples might help understand what to expect from cold outreach and add some confidence to the process.
Examples
It’s important to note that here is an example of an invitation that we used to arrange meetings for one of the startup founders. Although it might seem toothless at first glance, its main goal is to sell the right product to the right people. In the invite, we speak directly about the intention and trying not to waste the time.
Types of responses:
- Interest
- Booked call or meeting
- Advice to reach out to a colleague
- Clarification of details
- Impressive but not now
- "I will check your papers and come back to you"
- Can’t help
Here are some examples of the responses we’ve come across. I emphasize that 95% of the leads who responded and communicated with our team did so with respect and tolerance. We encounter very rare aggressive responses or direct refusals. It’s important to know for those who fear writing cold messages to unfamiliar people. Don’t worry about aggression; you’re more likely to receive support than an attack.
Is it a spam?
It’s hard to avoid negative reactions on 100% but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t engage in cold sales. There’s a common belief that outreach on social media or cold emails is spam. My response to that is "Don’t spam, don’t create junk emails that obviously won’t bring benefit or joy to you or your leads". Make it interesting; write the way you would like it to be written. And of course, check your data sources. Nowadays you should make very careful segmentation and qualify your leads thoroughly before you start any activities with those people.
At most, it’s a dry "No, thanks," which, as we know, provides a huge space for further communication and brings the lead into a conversation about the reasons for such a first reaction.
Conclusion
I’ll give an example of one of the responses on this topic, intended to inspire you to conduct cold outreach campaigns and the desire to write to a few unfamiliar people about business right now!
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We will keep sharing our experience in cold outreach campaigns and provide more insights on how to make it smoother and attract more leads without unnecessary hassle.
