Why cold email fails for ERP partners

Most cold emails don’t die in the inbox. They die after the prospect visits your dummy domain -> redirected to your main website. Because the second someone’s remotely interested in your email… they Google you. They check your domain. They skim your website. They check your case studies. They scroll your LinkedIn. They want to know if you’re the real deal. So ask yourself: → Does your LinkedIn make you look like someone worth talking to? → Does your website say anything beyond “We help companies grow”? → Are there actual case studies, client wins, proof of work… or just AI BS? You can send the world’s best cold email. But if your digital footprint is non-existent don’t be shocked when nobody replies. This stuff isn’t even about ego as well. The easier it is to trust you, the faster someone will say yes. Here’s what we’ve seen work: ✅ Website that speaks to a clear & specific audience, with real proof ✅ LinkedIn profile that tells a story/purpose of what you do, not just a resume ✅ Posts that show you know your space and solve real problems (content) ✅ Case studies or wins they can find without digging (never enough) You don’t need to be world-star famous of course. You just need to look legit to the right person, at the right moment. And that last part? That’s why we use A-Leads. We’re reaching people who are already in motion for what we offer: → Companies hiring roles that signal buying intent → Teams swapping out tools or growing fast → Contacts real-time verified, and actually reachable. No more "I left 7 years ago" or retired automated messages. We pair a sharp offer with sharp timing. So by the time they copy + paste our domain into the Google search bar, we’ve already done the heavy lifting. If your outreach is solid but your replies are death... Look beyond the copy. Your online presence might be the silent killer, seriously.

I was ghosted again after accepting an invitation from a BD person for a product I know after being candid and saying that I was not interested in buying the product or being an affiliate to help them sell it but was interested in how I could help since I knew the product. It has happened enough over the last few months that it brings me back to the advice I gave federal IT BD personnel about engagement strategies when I was a federal leader. Every day, my inbox was flooded with dozens of "just 15 minutes of your time" requests from vendors who had not done their homework. These cold emails invariably pitched solutions to problems we didn't have or demonstrated zero understanding of the agency's mission and constraints. Want to know what got my attention? When an industry partner showed they've thoroughly researched our strategic initiatives, reviewed our publicly available documentation, and can articulate specific ways their capabilities align with our mission challenges. I remember meeting with companies referencing our latest strategic plan and identifying gaps their solution could address. This level of preparation made all the difference and made me want to help them be successful. Meaningful relationships develop at industry events, advisory committees, and small working groups as I look for partners who contribute substantive insights to discussions, not those who immediately launch into sales pitches. The professionals I remember are those who asked thoughtful questions about our challenges and offered perspectives based on relevant experience. Many overlook that federal leaders are not looking to buy products—they’re seeking partners who understand federal constraints, security requirements, and the complexities of their mission environment. The most valuable industry relationships I've developed are with those who position themselves as mission enablers rather than vendors pushing the latest technology. Federal procurement cycles are intentionally lengthy and complex. When you ask for 15 minutes to present your solution, you seem to lack an understanding of how the government operates. Successful partners invest in gaining insight into the environment, maintain regular value-added engagement, and show long-term commitment to achieving mission success. My advice? Do your homework, and focus on building relationships based on mission understanding rather than immediate sales opportunities. Feds will be much more likely to take a meeting with someone who has demonstrated this level of commitment to understanding their needs. Also, what is it with the constant ghosting? I have NEVER done that as a federal employee or in the private sector. I am always candid and transparent, as I don’t want to waste people’s time. I guess I am funny that way. #FederalIT #FederalSales #GovCon #BD

This cold email landed straight in the trash, despite being from an "AI SDR platform." Here's exactly why it failed: 1. Terrible intro personalization. "NAME - saw you went to Miami U. How was it?" This is lazy if it's your only layer of personalization. If you're going to personalize, do it right. The prospect knows immediately this is automated - and poorly done at that. Even basic Clay enrichment would have prevented this embarrassing mistake. 2. Too obvious of a pain point. "Do you ever get tired of manually researching prospects...?" This reads like every other cold email in their inbox. Prospects are numb to these generic pain points. You need to be more specific and tie it to their actual business challenges. Example, in this case: "I know how hard it is to find perfect fit accounts based on your existing clientele" 3. Over-reliance on "we" language. Every line is "we started," "we're an," "we're trusted." This is a classic mistake - focusing on yourself instead of the prospect. Your cold emails should be about THEM, not you. 4. Extremely weak social proof. "We're trusted by tons of companies." What companies? What results? This vague claim adds zero credibility. Name specific companies in their industry or share concrete metrics from case studies that matter to them. 5. Hard CTA with no value established. Jumping straight to "free demo next Tuesday" without establishing any real value is why this email failed. Always use a soft CTA that offers value first. Remember: Even AI tools need proper configuration. Poorly executed automation is worse than no automation at all. What's the worst cold email you've received lately?

Cold emails flop for one big reason: We act like we’re introducing something brand new. But most prospects already know your category. They’ve just decided not to switch. They’re not clueless. They’re cautious. So what do you do? You name the objection instead of dodging it. You build trust by showing you understand their hesitation. Try this: Go to ChatGPT. Type: “What objections do [your audience] have about [your solution]?” (See image below for a service for real estate agents) Then label the objection in the email: “I know giving up 25% of your commission after doing all the legwork can feel unfair especially when the quality varies. But are there any conditions under which you’d consider a pay-at-close model?” That’s it. No pushing. No convincing. Just curious. When you lay out the benefits and the drawbacks, you build trust. And that’s how you stack the odds in your favor for starting a conversation.

I receive over 100 sales in-mails and emails every day . I don’t respond to 99% of them. I was wondering why is this . So I opened the inmails and emails to check. Most of the emails / inmails get down to selling at the first step . They are outright salesy. Salesy cold emails often fail, with response rates as low as 1%–2%, according to HubSpot, because they focus on hard selling rather than building connections. And then I reflected on the 1% that I respond to. They are conversational. The mails that I respond to are those who are about me , those who have been following what I share on LinkedIn. They begin with “ME”. They are crisp and they build a conversation over time. They have been commenting on my content on LinkedIn and sharing their thoughts . They understand me , what I do and what are the challenges I face. A conversation is buit at multiple touch points with no rush . These are micro conversations at the level of one. There is no strong push to sell but rather the approach is to build relationship. This cannot happen at the scale of mass marketing or cut paste similar messages. In B2B marketing there are no impulse purchases , decisions take time , where you target only a few companies and you have to talk to only a few people . Conversational emails, supported by marketing’s thought leadership, can achieve response rates of 15%–20%, as per Woodpecker’s research, by being personalized, empathetic, and value-driven. Marketing establishes trust and credibility through content and thought leadership, while sales micro-personalizes communication to address specific pain points, creating a seamless bridge between brand awareness and engagement. Both are needed. LinkedIn reports that personalized InMails see a 40% higher response rate than generic messages. By aligning marketing’s broad impact with sales’ tailored approach, businesses can craft cold emails and LinkedIn InMails that foster genuine connections and drive results . To cut the long story short I have not only responded to but met those 1% and I know them. Their thinking is not salesy but genuinely partnership driven. What are your thoughts on micro conversations in the world of cold calls , cold emails and inmails where the pressure of targets is high. To check out my full video on this subject on YouTube link shared in comments. #EmailMarketing #B2Bmarketing

I helped a SaaS company 5x sales meetings. (Without changing their messaging) Last month, I gave an audit to a SaaS company. They were getting no results from their cold emails. I quickly found that it was all because of deliverability. I fixed it all with these 8 tactics: 1. Disabled open tracking pixels. ↳ Google and Outlook flag these as spam in 2025. ↳ Prevents emails from being marked as spam. 2. Implemented Spintax variations. ↳ Each prospect receives a truly unique email. ↳ Spam filters can’t detect mass sending patterns. 3. Sent plain text emails only. ↳ HTML, images, and links trigger spam filters. ↳ Text-only feels more personal and authentic. 4. Set up proper mail infrastructure with Maildoso. ↳ 98%+ inbox placement. ↳ Their IP rotation lands you in primary inbox. ↳ Their new AI Warmup feature increases deliverability. 5. Balanced sending with strategic warm-up. ↳ Each account maintains consistent activity. ↳ Protects domain reputation long-term. 6. Randomized daily sending times. ↳ Fixed schedules look automated to AI filters. ↳ Natural patterns mimic human behavior. ↳ Avoids the “marketing automation” flag. 7. Varied time gaps between emails. ↳ Eliminated the perfect 5-minute intervals. ↳ Created natural, human-like sending patterns. 8. Used a spam checker before campaigns. ↳ Caught deliverability issues before sending. ↳ Identified spam trigger words and fixed them. 9. Limited to 15 targeted emails per account daily. ↳ Quality over quantity approach. ↳ Maintained pristine sender reputation. ↳ Each prospect received truly personalized outreach. The results? Reply rates jumped from 0.5% to 2.4%. That’s nearly 5X more meetings from the same list. Without changing a single word in their pitch. Cold email is still the highest ROI channel in B2B. But only for those who master deliverability first. If your emails land in spam, it won't work. P.S. How are you currently handling deliverability?

One cold email isn’t enough. But most follow-ups are just reminders. That’s why they fail. Here’s a better sequence: Email 1 - problem / insight • Lead with a relevant industry shift or pain point. • End with a low-friction CTA. Follow-up 1 - new angle • Instead of “just checking in,” introduce a different benefit. Follow-up 2 – case study or social proof • Show how a similar company solved this issue. Follow-up 3 – final nudge • Make it easy to say yes: “Worth a quick chat, or should I close your file?” The best cold email sequences build momentum. What do you send in follow-ups?

Cold outbound isn’t dead… but it’s definitely on life support. And the #1 cause? A spray-and-pray approach that treats prospects like a list, not people. 𝐈𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠… 1) The messages reflect little understanding of the buyer’s world. Templated, generic, easy to ignore. People ignore messages that 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, not a real human connection attempt. 2) To compensate, teams add Fake Personalization - “𝘚𝘢𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘊𝘙𝘖” But if your email isn’t 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘳-𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵 to their role, priorities, or pain points, modern buyers see right through it. 3) Spam filters are smarter and delivery is harder. Many messages don’t even make it to the inbox. 4) Even when the email is delivered and they open the email, they don’t reply. 5) And in the few cases they reply and a meeting gets booked, it feels impossible to close. Why? Because there’s no relationship. No trust. No context. It’s just a cold pitch. So teams try to scale harder. More tools. More sequences. More speed. But they’re just automating a broken approach. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧. But without a system, they fall into the same Spray-and-Pray trap: - InMails with no context, no relevant and meaningful personalization - Reps with no perceived credibility - No process to build trust or start warm conversations 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭: 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦. Technically active but 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘶𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥. Spray-and-Pray fails in email inboxes. And it fails on LinkedIn. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦: A system that fits into your team’s workflow, executing a repeatable structure that warms up every cold touch with meaningful personalization and builds real relationships at scale. Many of the thousands of reps that use the system see results within 48 hours of implementation. Here’s how to adapt to the 90% of decision makers that say they never respond to cold outreach: 👉 https://lnkd.in/dVi3K7Ua