In order to work out HOW to make this a success, it is a good idea to look at what we should do if we were NOT to make this a success.
Then do the opposite.
Here are the most common pitfalls that we see our customers make and avoiding these all will ensure you make cold email a successful acquisition channel for your business:
1- Not having specific targeting
Targeting is the foundation of a campaign. The targeting decides the script – not the other way around. You can target wide if your offer resonates well like that, but honing in and being specific / talking directly to that ICPs pain points will see an increase in metrics.
2- Not spending time going through training and learning the system
Learning how the system works is a prerequisite for success. There is plenty of support available to achieve that. It will prevent basic mistakes.
3- Not managing the inbox effectively
This is arguably the number 1 most common pitfall. You should be responding to leads in a timely manner. You should be following up with leads multiple times till you get an answer. You should not be limiting yourself to the email inbox: ring them, connect on LinkedIn etc.
4- Not sending enough volume
Volume often negates poor strategy. If you send enough volume, you will increase your likelihood of generating results. Sending enough volume also ensures your split tests are true, and you get more market feedback quicker on what works and what doesn’t.
5- Not testing enough
Cold email is a great strategy to test your product-market-fit and messaging. What works on ads, works on cold email. Make sure to continue testing if one target market you go after or one offer you push doesn’t work. Always testing.
5- Not giving campaigns enough time to see success
This is a common patience issue. You wouldn’t run ads for a month then just stop, so why a vehicle like cold email? You need to account for timing, sales cycles, and proper testing to dial in a winning strategy.
6- Not adding new leads to campaigns
This directly correlates to volume. Failing to keep campaigns running will result in less leads. Sounds obvious, but overlooked.
7- Not creating new campaigns
Failing to create new campaigns directly ties in with not adding new leads to campaigns, not sending enough volume, not testing enough – and all the implications associated with those points.
8- Not attending live coaching calls in Slack community
Without leveraging our support systems that we offer for free, you are missing out on valuable insights and coaching that can be used to better leverage your cold email system and drive more meaningful results.