Sales Prospecting

Example of a Really Bad Cold Call Email



email cold call

Can you believe I got this from a sales training company?

It came via email ... and it's from a big, well-known sales training firm! When I read it, I was appalled at how out of touch this company was.

As you read it, imagine you're the VP of Sales for your company. You're swamped. An important customer is upset. You've had some turnover recently. You're reading it on your cell phone -- and your inbox is full.

[Your Name]

My name is Jennifer with XYZ Sales Training. We improve sales performance though our unique blend of sales technology and experience, resulting in 89% better quota achievement. Our industry-leading methodology has helped more than 650,000 sales professionals find and close more deals, and our proven sales process makes your forecast and pipelines accurate by putting science behind it. 

It all gets delivered through our BigDeal® technology - the on-demand Sales Performance Automation application that operates standalone, or can be integrated with your existing CRM system to produced sustained, measurable results.  And to ensure that your sales teams get the full benefit, our virtual learning system delivers on-the-job training worldwide – reinforced by expert coaching.

I am not sure if you would be the appropriate contact, but I am trying to find the person at your organization who evaluates our type of program offering. Would it be possible for us to speak for 5 minutes or can you point me to the correct person to contact? Find out how organizations like Microsoft, Xerox, Honeywell, Siemens, United Healthcare and Adobe have found success with our offering and how [not provided] can find similar achievement.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide. I kindly await your response!

Impressed? Or disgusted by the canned prospecting email filled with marketing gobbledygook? She lost me somewhere in the first paragraph. Maybe you made it further.

So many sales training firms have no idea what actually works with crazy-busy prospects. And, if that's the case, what does that say about their training program? If you hire a company that doesn't get it, two things will happen:

  1. You'll waste every penny of your investment.
  2. You'll actually lose money because you'll be trained on skills that actually turn prospects off.

But there's another HUGE message here too. You are being judged on HOW YOU SELL -- regardless of what it is. Think about it because the ramifications can make or break your sales success.

Question: How often do your email cold calls get a response?  What works best for you? Enter your comments now.

After a successful career in the sales world, writing five books, and speaking internationally, Jill is now tackling an even bigger challenge. She's focused on bringing the "millions in the middle" together to solve some of the biggest issues facing our country and the world. Jill truly believes so much more is possible if we can work together.