No matter what target market my students are calling on when sending cold email messages, I see the same weak spots over-and-over. Unknowingly, sellers are often sabotaging themselves by “blasting” prospects:
- long, un-personalized “push” copy (rather than pull)
- persuasive marketing prose (rather than copy that embraces rejection)
- using words that sabotage (signal “I’m needy” or “I’m a waste of time”)
Let’s say you’re aiming to start a conversation with an executive decision-maker. You sell a product or service that takes time, involves “consultative selling,” probably requires a few yeses. Your biggest enemy is the status quo.
