There is an art to cold outreach that can help sales professionals cut through the noise.
In this case, the noise is literal and figurative: the ring of a phone or the ding of an email notification, the busy whir of a prospective client’s daily life, and the overlapping chatter of competitors targeting the same professionals or organizations.
According to 2023 Statista data, the United States led the world in the number of emails sent per day: a staggering 9.8 billion. Meanwhile, the average professional receives 121 emails per day.
In this environment, emails can easily get lost in the shuffle or be deemed unimportant. Likewise, only one-fifth of Americans pick up calls from unknown numbers, according to a 2020 Pew Research survey.
Amid this inundation of communication, sales professionals must adopt methods that place each customer’s needs, time and goals front and center. A copy-and-paste approach is a losing strategy, with cold outreach more likely to end up in the spam folder than lead to a conversion or response.
At Pumpkin and CreatorIQ, sales professionals have found success through personalized, succinct and research-driven approaches to cold outreach.
They shared what tactics resulted in positive outcomes, definitive cold outreach dos and don’ts, and how to build sustainable relationships after initial connections.
Pumpkin is on a mission to connect new and old pet owners alike to essential preventative care and insurance.
How often do you use cold outreach methods? Why and when do you turn to these methods?
As a territory account manager with Pumpkin, I connect with and support a high number of animal hospitals. I use cold outreach daily to engage new hospitals that may or may not be familiar with pet insurance. While pet insurance has been around for 40 years, there is a low penetration rate — less than 3 percent — in the United States, and my responsibility is to make the veterinary community aware of its value.
I use cold outreach to learn about a hospital’s workflow and find out what resources Pumpkin can provide that will aid in educating their clients. Cold outreach is a key first step in gaining the information necessary to provide the support hospitals need — especially when we don’t have a lot of prior knowledge about them.
Please share a time when cold outreach worked for you. What did you do, and why was it successful?
As a territory account manager, my core goal is to support an animal hospital’s efforts to provide the best care possible to their patients and clients. Providing useful education and effectively communicating our value proposition to hospitals is the key to our success and should result in an increased number of insured pets at each hospital.
Cold outreach is successful when we clearly communicate a value proposition that aligns with the needs of our hospitals. One of Pumpkin’s strengths is our relationship with Zoetis, the world’s largest global animal health company. As Zoetis is so highly regarded in the veterinary community, leading with our relationship in my conversations helps show our commitment to pet health. After that initial conversation, I can transition into a virtual education session. Then, I can advocate for the benefits of pet insurance directly with hospital staff, which results in faster buy-in and, ultimately, the veterinary team actively sharing our resources with their clients.
If someone’s going to employ cold outreach methods, what should they do, and what should they avoid?
I advise against a one-size-fits-all approach to cold outreach. You have to tailor your message to the specific needs of your clients. How can you add genuine value? How does your offering address their unique challenges? I always represent Pumpkin as a beneficial partner to animal hospitals in providing the best care possible to their clients.
I advise against a one-size-fits-all approach to cold outreach. Tailor your message to the specific needs of your clients. How does your offering address their unique challenges?”
Beyond the initial connection, I leverage live education sessions and print and digital resources to strengthen the partnership, resulting in greater understanding and awareness of the value of pet insurance. The initial cold outreach is only the first step in cultivating the relationship, and it’s essential to learn about each specific hospital’s culture, affinity for pet insurance, unique needs and so on. If I ask the right questions, listen intently to the hospital team’s responses or concerns and provide the proper resources, my efforts should result in more insured pets.
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How often do you use cold outreach methods? Why and when do you turn to these methods?
Every day. As a professional seller, you need to have those initial conversations with potential customers in order to have the opportunity to show value. They may need the product or service you offer but are too bogged down with tasks to search for the solution that could benefit them. It’s also helpful to stay top-of-mind with existing clients and partners. With effective cold outreach, you can create your own success.
Please share a time when cold outreach worked for you. What did you do, and why was it successful?
I was recently interested in connecting with a new influencer marketing manager at a global accessories brand. During my research, I discovered that the manager was interested in working with influencers who promoted sustainable fashion while simultaneously interacting with our website content.
I then proceeded to send the manager a personalized email highlighting how our platform has impacted other sustainable brands and included a few case studies. She ultimately responded to my message within a few days, and we set up our first call.
This approach resulted in a successful connection because I referenced highly relevant resources to help with the manager’s specific needs.
If someone’s going to employ cold outreach methods, what should they do, and what should they avoid?
Here are some things that I would do when employing cold outreach methods: Kicking off with research to ensure you know who you’re reaching out to and their goals and needs. Be personal. Don’t just send a generic email. Take the time to personalize your message. This could be anything about the person or company you’re reaching out to — show that you’re a human who actually cares. People buy from people. Be clear and concise. Get to the point quickly, and don’t waste their time. Offer something of value. What can you offer them that they’ll find valuable? A demo, a free trial, a case study? And finally, follow up. Don’t just send one email and expect a response — be sure to follow up a few days later to see if they have any questions.
Don’t just send one email and expect a response — be sure to follow up a few days later to see if they have any questions.”
Some things that I would avoid when employing cold outreach methods include being too pushy, making promises you can’t keep and simply being unprofessional. Be sure not to bombard prospects with emails or calls, and give them time to respond. Additionally, don’t oversell your product or service — be realistic about what you can offer. Lastly, I make it a point to use proper grammar and spelling and avoid using too many buzzwords.
