How to start with email prospecting

1. How to star t with
B2B
Email Prospecting
for Bricks & Mortar Companies
José L. Giráldez
Hunter of Customers
& Added Value provider

2. Over vie w
• Starting point
• Key factors to survive the 2,7”
• Target selection
• Find the person
• Look for the email
• Opportunity?
• Compose the message
• Facts
• Value proposition
• Basics
• Subject line
• Message: Credibility
• Message: Spiced
• Message: Close
• When? How often?
• Opportunity?
• Summary
• Some helpful hints
• And now what?

3. Star ting point
• Selling is tough, and trying to get prospects via email is
even tougher … (what a great opportunity for us!!!)
• Today´s crazy-busy prospects rarely answer the phone and
never ever get back to you when you leave a message
(Unless the company is in DEFCON* 1 level!!)
• According to a top email provider, people only take 2,7
seconds to decide if they will read, forward or delete a
message (Good to know!)
• Contrary to the use of phone, the use of email “respects the
time of your prospects” (they can easily decide when to read it ,
solve it, and move on to the next)
(*) Defense Readiness Condition (DEFCON) is an alert posture used by the United States Armed Forces

4. Key factors to sur vive the 2,7”
• Be BRIEF… (use <100 words)
• Provide ADDED VALUE as a person (by the way… do you exist in
internet?)
• Be ALIGNED with the objectives of your prospects
(remember that you are there to solve his/her problems)
• CALL FOR ACTION (one of your responsibilities is to keep the
business rolling)

5. Target selection
• Company:
 Multinational:
• Needs, trends, and key issues are easily found in web
pages, blogs, industry journals, associations, linkedin, ...
• Study their needs, issues and concerns
• Decisions based on consensus
 Small business:
• They want you to know about similar businesses in their
marketplace
• All decision power under 1 or 2 persons
• Sector:
 Customize: Each sector has its own micro-environment
(you will find additional info about this point at the end of this ebook)

6. Find the person
• Do not hinge on just one person (shoot at 5 different persons in
different departments)
• For sure, sometimes you will be redirected (Reply: Thank you!!!)
• Google your target (or go to Linkedin) (this will help you later to
customize the different parts of your message)

7. Look for the email
• Go to the web page. Usually, the domain will be the second
part of the email (ex: www.valueing.net / xxx@valueing.net)
• Look for the first part of the email in goolge (ex: “@valueing.net”)
• For sure that at any time, somebody from the company has
given his/her email (for example in a seminar or in a trade
show) and it has landed in internet (It happens ALWAYS)
• Ask your contacts (you will save a lot of time)

8. Oppor tunity?
• What is your valid business reason (s) for contacting your
prospect? (More explicit: Why they should care about you?)
• Remember: it must be aligned with your prospect´s concerns
(if you have done your homework this part will be easy…)
 Unexpected events (nobody can control. But it happens!!!…)
 Your own proactive ideas (I assume you are always a step ahead of
your prospect)
 Some of your prospect´s goals
 Some of your prospect´s objectives
• Do not forget that you will be there to ADD VALUE
(not self-promotion!!)

9. Compose the message (Facts)
• 90% of the people you reach out ot contact are not looking to
make a change (They need to be updated)
• Over 70% of them are unhappy with its current situation
(Here is our opportunity!!… approaching them in the RIGHT WAY)
• They don´t care at all about you/your product/your company!!
• They expect your strong and unique value proposition to
reach their goals

10. Compose the message ( Va l u e P r o p o s i t i o n )
• Include reliable metrics (They will add credibility)
• Add a sense of translation/movement/change (Take them out of
their COMFORT ZONE)
• Emphasize the business driver (Goals/Objectives/Reliefs…)
• Call for action!! (Lead & Manage the hunt…)

11. Compose the message (Basics)
• 100 words are enough (Your message has only a 2,7”-bullet before
to be destroyed)
• Plain, simple and not colored (only B&W) (It can land in a “preview
screen” mode or on a mobile device)
• No more than 1 link/message (And only if it “really” adds value)
• Avoid attachments (It will require the “effort” to open them…)
• Proofing (It you really “care”, you will avoid misspelled words and obvious
grammar errors)
• Keep away your overloaded signature (Sometimes Legal contents,
printing warnings and logos have more words than the whole message… )

12. Compose the message (Subject line)
• Choose the wrong subject line and you are out (This is the first
Attention’s catcher)
• Include a mix of the “Key Factors” (See previous slides)
• No exclamation signs , capitalized letters or standard-average
“more-of-the-same” marketing sentences…
Like:
• Great savings!!!
• Special offer, just FOR YOU
• You are the winner!! Call us to pick up your prize
• Try something like:
• Your partner XXXX told me about the issue YYYYY
• Possible fix for the issue TTTT
• Optimization of TTT = 5% lower costs + free of error process

13. Compose the message (Message: Credibility)
• Establishing credibility (This is the name of this game)
• Use an office direct approach (Avoid Mr./Mrs., Dear, Good Morning)
• Initiate making reference to a referral or to the business issue
behind it (Why don´t you have a referral?)
• Show that you have done your homework (You know their
concerns, needs, the solutions for their concerns, the strategic
implications of their current situation…)
• Mention the “Opportunity” (That you found in the previous step)
• One sentence (Is all what you have to provide CREDIBILITY)

14. Compose the message (Message: Spiced)
• Why should I talk to you? (This is the moment of truth)
• Stamp your value proposition (Linked to their business goals)
• Bring up your ideas (That could relieve/heal the pain)
• Provide exclusive information (Before you ask for something)
• Note that there is no single word about:
 State of the art technology
 Great new products
 Really cool services
 Big bunch of international locations
 Our position in the FORTUNE´s annual ranking of companies

15. Compose the message (Message: Close)
• Stamp you “Call for action” sentence (No actions=No results)
• Keep your signature short (Include a link to your Linkedin profile.
Did you take enough care about your reputation/image in the virtual
world?)
• Your job title is not important for them (What is really important,
is if you can “make the difference”)
• No traditional “sign off”: BR, Sincerely, …. (Keep it simple in a
professional company style: your first and last name + contact data)

16. When? How of ten?
• Send it 3-4 times along the year (The attention level of your crazy-
busy prospect is not always the same. Increase your chance to catch him
at the right moment)
• The weekend is a good time to try an impact (Some prospects use
this time to solve the inbox of unread emails. Otherwise, they will find it as
soon as he arrives monday morning to his office)
• Christmas, Eastern or End of the summer time are moments
where prospects rearrange agendas and are open to new ideas
(Do not waste this opportunity)
• Try it at the start/end of the business peak in your industry
(Where objectives and new projects are set)

17. Summar y
• Right now, you are not selling anything (Your objective is to get an
appointment/initiate a contact)
• Your prospects are crazy-busy (They have no time to waste with you
or somebody else who is “selling air”)
• Remember, it can only take 2,7” (Before your email lands in the trash)
• Your prospect only cares about his/her own objectives/goals
(Can you make the difference?)
• You can´t scape from doing your homework (You need it to
provide credibility)

18. Some helpful hints
• Adapt this ebook to your:
 Country
 Industry
 Product/Service
 Company
 Resources
 Strategy
 Segmentation
• Fact 1: Your are “in the front line of fire” (Your are in an “all or
nothing” game. Expect some bullets whizzling over your head)
• Fact 2: Your success is a big threat for the traditional/living in
the comfort zone “don´t-rock-the-boat” dinosaurs (Afraid of the
virtual world demons like: linkedin, twitter, skype, ebay, …)

19. And now what..?
• Now you’ll have the opportunity to sell your product in a face
to face meeting (Use it!!. You are lucky: It only depends on you)
• Your company has the commitment to show, that it can deliver
the added value that you have promoted (Otherwise, somebody
has strategic problems…)
• Your collaborators and peers must support your actions and
“cover your back” (They must realize that if you fail, it will bring
consequences for them too…)
• I assume that you will be rewarded by the sales that your bring
in, not by your ability to get appointments … so your real
works begins here!! (But this issue belongs to another ebook…)

20. And now what..?
• This ebook is based on my first hand experience
• It is “alive”, so expect future updated versions in the near future
• I am not selling anything, I am only helping you to put the first brick, but
your are the one who will have to build the wall of your dreams
• My deep apprecitaiton to the people who everyday propel my inspiration
(like: Anthony Iannarino, Mark Hunter, Seth Godin, Jill Konrath, Förster & Kreuz or
Mike Weinberg)
• You are welcome to share this ebook with your friends and contacts
• All boats leak… and of course this one (email prospecting) has also its
leaks… (do not lose your time trying to fix these tiny leaks, unless they will not allow
you to reach your final destiny)

21. José L. Giráldez
Hunter of Customers
& Added Value provider
Athos-world
http://es.linkedin.com/pub/jose-l-giraldez/6/a08/0
GiraldezGo
+34 603206342
jose-madrid.es@googlemail.com
Ingeniería de Valor, S.L. (www.valueing.net)
If you quit nobody will care, but you will always know it!!