The following is an excerpt from The Predictable Revenue Guide To Tripling Your Sales.

Your new email mantra: “simple to understand, easy to answer”

We’ve seen hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of cold emails sent, from all kinds of companies, from tiny startups to $20 billion+ behemoths.

Whether you’re writing “direct” (straight to a decision maker) or “referral” email, or anything else… here’s why no one responds:

• Your Emails Are Too Long: Try ones that are 300-500 characters, or 2-4 sentences.
• Your Emails Are Confusing: Don’t list more than one or two features / offers / benefits / ways you can help.  Avoid jargon – how SIMPLE can you make your language?  Try for 3rd grade reading comprehension.
• Your Questions Are Hard To Answer: If they don’t know you, people aren’t going to give you much mental energy. They won’t bother answering “too open-ended” questions like “what are your key marketing challenges this year?” Why should they?The easier you make questions to answer (“How many salespeople do you have?”), the more responses you’ll get. So – when you’re getting to know someone, cold questions should be open, but not too open.
• Your Calls To Action Are Vague: ”Let me know if I can help.” (Yeesh, what does that mean?) Don’t beat around the bush. Be clear & direct about what you’re asking for. Instead of “I’d love your feedback,” ask “When’s a good day this week for a 15min call to discuss…?”  And no more than one question or call to action!
• Don’t Be Afraid To Followup On Your Followups: (Thanks Jessica Huang of SAP for that phrase!) Are you telling yourself, “Oh, I already emailed them” or “I don’t want to bother them.” Don’t be afraid to send more emails – more often they will thank you for the reminder.