Heyaaa!
It was last week. November 30. On Twitter. Someone posted asking about the proudest achievement of the month.
And all I could think was: "I set up an automated outreach sequence."
Yes, I did. To approach business owners who posted about a freelance opening.
Took me a year to template and automate.
I started in November last year. To reach out to prospects through email. Until then, I relied mostly on inbound leads and referrals.
Used to browse the prospect profile and website. To find something to initiate a conversation. I was personalising the emails heavily.
It was time-consuming. But I couldn't find any interesting pattern in my emails to template.
I didn't want to sound like all those "hope this email finds you well" messages.
I wanted my emails to be informal, still professional.
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OK, back to my story…
Templating an informal conversation was a taaf cookie to crack.
So, ditched my earlier approach.
I didn't want to scour the Internet for a secret tip-off on each prospect. Not anymore.
Instead, I now send my email with a simple request for coffee. With me. And then, I introduce myself.
My approach email's subject is:
“Hey [FirstName], your next coffee is on me.”
The opening sentences are:
“Hi, it’s Abhijeet here. You can also call me Lazy, Ted or Teddy.
Now, with the name clear, I’m coming straight to the point.”
Then, I'd mention the role they posted about. And that I have experience in this category. I have a portfolio. Bla Bla Bla.
You know the drill.
My follow-up emails continue the same narrative. As if I’m in a cafe waiting for the prospect.
Now, I'm yet to see how well this sequence performs.
But whatever it is currently, I'm proud of it.
Why shouldn't I be?
One of my newest clients is impressed with the email sequence I created for her cold outreach. She loved my personalised approach.
In her words...
"These are simply outstanding. Beautifully crafted and so well sequenced. Ek story si chal rahi hai jaise." (As if an ongoing story)
We started last month only.
And after a few reckless cold approaches without any result, I had to set up a system. So, I did.
Took me 5-6 hours to create the story: a series of 5 emails over 25 days. It includes the opening email, 3 follow-up emails and the last closing email.
So, yeah, I'm excited about this new adventure. And I'm excited to test and tweak my emails.
Bidding adieu
Live long and prosper.
See you next week, with another story.