When emailing a cold prospect to schedule a meeting, provide a reason for writing, go straight to the point, and end professionally. You must get the words right. Otherwise, your prospects won't go out of their busy schedule to read your email.
There are a few things to keep in mind when composing a meeting request email. For instance;
- Subject lines should be short and engaging,
- The recipient’s information must be correct,
- You should avoid vagueness
Knowing these tips will help you craft cold sales emails that work.
This post will provide five sales email templates to help you schedule a meeting with cold prospects.
Read on for more insights to improve your cold outreach for prospects and leads.
1. Problem/solution approach
As the name implies, the problem/solution approach involves stating a problem that your prospects face and offering a solution. According to Farnam Elyasof of Flex Suits who sends hundreds of sales emails to schedule a meeting monthly: “You must sound confident in your product or service. Don’t forget to point out how your recipient will benefit from your solution”.
But before you begin, one general rule for cold emails is to make your subject lines short and straight to the point.
Let’s consider the template below:
For example, the subject line could be “Solution for your lead generation problems.” Personalize your email as much as possible. You want your prospect to see your email as authentic and not spam. The problem/solution approach works because it offers value to the recipient.
You can mention the recipient's industry or position in your personalization efforts. State the problem they are facing and how they’ll benefit from your solution. Keep it brief and end with a request to schedule a meeting.
2. Provide value
You need to craft your sales pitch to attract people to buy in and realize their needs. It is important because no matter how good your product or service is, people won't buy it until you convince them. That's why cold sales emails where the recipients can see the value you provide are great.
However, convincing people to change isn't easy as human nature tends to be complacent.
Why change when they are comfortable and happy with their current situation?
You need to let the prospects know that the risk of staying the same outweighs the risk of changing your product, service, or solution.
They should be able to see the immediate value you’re bringing in and what the possibilities could be.
Here’s a typical example:
The above template is effective because the sender clearly understands the prospects' needs and offers a solution that caters to them. It is clear and concise, which is recommended, especially when dealing with busy professionals.
Use bullet points to outline what your prospects will benefit from your solution. It makes your email more organized and easier to read. You must strive to make your email matter.
It's easy to become careless when emailing people you don't know, but you must remember that they are real people. So, your emails should always sound like it's from a human being that has something important to say.
Busy professionals only read emails that matter, which is why you must put yourself in the recipient’s shoes when writing. Make sure your email provides value and place the most important stuff at the beginning.
Always conclude your cold sales emails on a positive note and request to schedule a meeting to discuss more specifics.
3. Mutual connection
Do your research and identify any mutual connection with the prospect before reaching out. Not only will this make your email more personalized, but the recipient will also know that you put time and effort into your outreach. The person could be another industry associate or a satisfied client.
In this case, they can act as a liaison by contacting your lead and recommending they meet with you. When this happens, your only job will be to set up a time for the meeting.
Here's an example of how you can take advantage of a mutual connection when crafting cold emails:
This template is an excellent personalization strategy that can get your response rate up by a whooping 112%.
Imagine opening an email and seeing your colleague's name. It will make you more curious and cause you to read the entire email.
Your email gets even better when the mutual connection is already using your product or service. That's because the recipient will have a liaison to ask questions about your product, service, or solution.
Including a mutual connection in your cold sales email is a great way to gain the recipient’s trust.
Let your emails be in line with the recipient's interests. Nobody wants to have their inbox filled with unwanted emails.
4. Short and straight to the point
Keep all emails short and straight to the point, but don’t miss any important details. Show interest in the prospect’s daily life and clearly state the value you provide.
Don’t forget to explain why scheduling a meeting is so helpful. The tone of the email should be friendly and conversational, instead of salesy. This way, you’ll avoid coming off as desperate to your prospects.
Professionalism and formal language are key! So, don’t ask many personal questions in your cold emails. You should sound friendly, but there’s no need to dive into unimportant details.
For example, where your potential clients grew up, or their favorite color is irrelevant, and asking such questions might make them feel uncomfortable in your future meetings.
Here's a perfect example of what a concise cold sales email should look like:
This template works because it is short and respects the recipient’s busy schedule.
Notice that the email takes the problem/solution approach. In this case, you need to:
- State the problem your prospect is facing,
- Provide a solution, and
- Mention how the recipient will benefit from the solution
Once done, you should end by requesting a call or meeting. Feel free to include the date and time you'll be available as shown in the template.
If the recipient is unavailable on the date you provided, they will let you know and provide a more convenient date and time.
5. Don’t forget to follow-up
All your emails need to be brief, but follow-ups should be even shorter. Make sure to include all pleasantries while keeping things concise. You're reaching out to busy professionals, so try to respect their schedules.
Did you know that about 70% of unanswered sales email sequences stop after the first email? Having only one follow-up email can convert up to 22% more prospects.
Here's an example of what your follow up email should look like:
Like this example, your follow-up emails should be polite, friendly, and straight to the point. The email needs to be short, but that doesn’t mean you should compromise quality.
This template works because it is easy to skim and provides immediate value. It doesn’t come off as desperate. Instead, it sounds conversational.
Make sure you sound human when composing your cold follow-up emails. Explain why you’re reaching out and end by requesting a meeting.
Need more email templates to schedule a meeting? Check this directory of free cold email templates.
Final thoughts
The best meeting invitation techniques will help you with prospects, leads, and even existing customers. It’s not easy to convince a busy professional to read your email and mark their calendar for you.
An excellent meeting invitation email includes a reason for writing, a request to meet for further discussion, and a professional ending. Verify the recipient’s information before composing the email and pressing send. And ensure that your subject lines are short and use online scheduling tools.
With MeetFox, monetizing your time with online meetings is super easy. You can schedule meetings with a single click, and it's great for both online and in-person meetings.
So, why not join the numerous consultants and freelancers already using MeetFox?
Take the lead in your industry with MeetFox!
About The Author
Irina Maltseva is the Head of Marketing at Hunter and Founder at ONSAAS. I enjoy working on product marketing strategies and growing SaaS companies with inbound marketing.
.jpg)
