#157 Cold Emails

 http://dennyhatch.blogspot.com/2022/05/157-cold-emails.html

#157 Blog Post - Wednesday, 25 May 2022

Posted by Denny Hatch

 

 Why Cold Emails Leave Me Cold:
Two Strangers Spout Gibberish!

Okay. Stop right here. Go back up there and read these two goofy subject lines (a.k.a. headlines) and equally nutty lede paragraphs. 

 

My initial reactions to email #1 from Christine Cunningham:

Subject Line: “Experience the K.I.S.S. of Life…”

Huh? I learned early-on that K.I.S.S. stands for “Keep It Simple, Stupid.”

 

Lede Paragraph: “I would love to partner with you…”

Huh? I have never met you. Never heard of you. How dare you presume that I would take you on as a partner? For starters I have a partner: my beloved wife, Peggy; we have been at each other’s side for 52 years and are not interested in another partner.

 

My Initial reactions to email #2 from Shachar Lotan:

Subject Line: “Building curated content web-page…”

Huh? Golly, I have never heard of an un-curated content web page.

 

Lede Paragraph: “Please join us in welcoming Feedbuild to the world…” 

Huh? We've never met. How dare you presume I would help you welcome Feedbuild to the world when—for starters—I don't have a clue what Feedbuild is.

 

Always remember…

“Your first 10 words are more important than the next ten thousand.”

   —Elmer “Sizzle” Wheeler

 

These are the two most bizarre approaches to a stranger by Cunningham and Lotan I have ever seen in 60 years of marketing. No introduction. No foreplay. No promise of benefits. No chemistry. No winning of trust or likeability. Just demands for a decision and immediate change in my behavior.

 

Put another way, these subject lines and lede paragraphs are the equivalent of walking into a lively party and saying to the first millennial you run into, "Let's ----!"

 

After deciding to critique these two unsolicited emails, it made sense to Google the two perpetrators to see what they say about themselves. Here are the links.

 

• About Christine Cunningham.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ccunninghamtm/?trk=public_profile_samename-profile

 

• About Sachar Lotan

https://www.f6s.com/shacharlotan

 

To save time, here’s a précis:

These pages are all about themselves—Christine Cunningham and Sachar Lotan mightily blowing their own horns. Their education, their careers, their titles, their jobs, their achievements.

 

“The prospect doesn’t give a damn about you, your product or your company. All that matters is, ‘What’s in it for me?’ ” —Bob Hacker

 

“Always listen to W-I-I FM.” —Old Marketing Adage.

 

Consider last week's blog post that featured Ed McLean’s 17-year Grand Control mailing for Newsweek. In the 847 words in his three-page letter, “you” and “your” appeared 52 times.

 

Takeaways to Consider

• When contacting a prospect or customer with a sales pitch, consider using the 13 most powerful words in the English Language:

You – Save – Money – Easy - Guarantee – Health – Free

Results – New – Love – Discovery – Safety – Proven

 

• Always remember the seven key copy drivers—the emotional hot buttons that cause people to act.

Fear – Greed – Guilt – Anger – Exclusivity – Salvation – Flattery

 

“If your copy isn’t positively dripping with one or more of these, tear it up and start over.”

—Bob Hacker

 

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Word Count: 500