Cold acquisition via email, also called cold emailing, is simply emailing a potential customer with whom you have not previously had contact. In addition to the well-known cold-calling Cold emailing can be a very successful method of generating new leads, if done properly. One of the pitfalls is that cold emails are quickly seen as spam. The subject line in the email is therefore an essential part of successfully carrying out cold emailing. Do you want your emails not to end up straight into the trash bin of your prospects? Then discover the formula for cold e-mailing below.

Ingredient 1: The subject

How many emails do you receive daily? According to the National Email Survey, the average in 2016 was no less than 79 emails. It is therefore a must to write an eye-catching email and that starts with formulating the subject. The prospect determines in a fraction of a second whether your email will be read or deleted based on the subject line. In 2016, 37% of emails were read on a smartphone. Since long subject lines on a smartphone 'stand off' from the screen, it is advisable to use a maximum of 3-5 words in a subject line. In addition to subject line length, achieving a high open rate is all about testing. Experiment with different variations, such as mentioning the prospect's name in the subject line.

Ingredient 2: Keep it short

The moment your prospect chooses to open the email, he or she is not waiting for a long story about what your product or service can do for the company. Keep it short and create an email of maximum 5 sentences. A useful way to make your email seem a lot more natural is to write as you speak. When meeting a prospect at a scholarship you wouldn't immediately start with a pitch. Introduce yourself, say something friendly (see ingredient 3), talk about commonplace and only then start with your pitch.

Ingredient 3: Make it personal

A standard email script may be useful for creating multiple cold emails, but you run the risk that the prospect will notice your completion exercise. Make your email as personal as possible by doing preliminary research. Find out what the needs and interests of the prospect and explain why you should speak to him or her and not someone else. An example of personalization is giving a compliment for a (blog) article or a token of appreciation for a feature of a product or service.

Ingredient 4: Follow up

Have you still not received a response a week after sending the email? Don't panic, it's high time to send a follow-up. Sending follow-ups can be annoying for some. On the other hand, you will receive appreciation for your perseverance from other prospects. You can assume that a follow-up will be necessary for almost every cold email sent. In addition to perseverance, the use of cold e-mailing also requires a good dose of patience. Are you still not getting a response after sending several follow-ups? Then analyze your approach using the questions below:

1. Do the subject lines attract enough attention?
2. Do the emails seem credible?
3. Am I the right sender with the most influence?
4. Do the emails clearly and concretely show what value you can be?
5. Are the emails short enough?
6. Is the request at the end of the emails clear and easy to fulfill?

Ingredient 5: Obtain email addresses

Through LinkedIn, especially with a Premium account, it is quite easy to find out who within a company are the prospects you need to speak to. Of course you can reach these people via an InMail or by making a connection, but there is also another way: email. But how do you find out someone's email address? By doing good research and taking a chance.

Once you find out where your prospect works, you're one step closer to finding the right email address. There is a good chance that the domain name (after the at sign) of his or her email address is the same as the organization's website. Then you have to look for the right “combination” before the at sign. For example, is it 'j.smit@bedrijf.nl', 'jan@bedrijf.nl' or 'jan.smit@bedrijf.nl'. Make a short selection and verify the email addresses using the tool Verify Email. It is not one hundred percent reliable, but it is good to remember that once you have found the 'golden combination' you also immediately have the email addresses of the other prospects at your disposal.