Close more deals with better emails

I’ve trained hundreds of sales reps over my career. Here’s the exact framework I use to write good cold emails from start to finish: 1. Lead with the pain not the pitch The goal of a cold email is to start a conversation, not close the deal. It’s to reflect back a real pain your buyer is already feeling often before they’ve articulated it themselves. No one cares about your product. Especially not in the first touch. They care about themselves and their problems. The biggest mistake I see reps make is trying to close too early. They shove value props, case studies, feature sets, and “we help companies like…” I always come back to this: “No pain, no gain, no demo train.” You’re not here to educate. You’re here to trigger recognition. To make them nod and go: “Yeah, we’re feeling that.” 1. Write like a human The best cold emails don’t have long intros. No “hope this finds you well.” Just a clear, honest attempt to connect over something they care about. Let’s say we’re targeting agencies running 10+ client accounts. Here’s how I’d start: “Hey — I saw you’re managing multiple clients. Curious if you’ve had to deal with deliverability issues lately, especially with the new Google/Microsoft changes. Is this on your radar?” That’s it. No pitch. No product. Just a relevant question that hits a live pain. You don’t need clever. You need to be clear. 1. Structure matters (but keep it stupid simple) I’m not into formulas. You don’t need a 7-step framework to write a good email. You need to understand the buyer and speak to them like a peer. Think about it like this: Line 1: Show you’ve done your homework. Line 2: Bring up a real, relevant pain. Line 3: Ask a question that invites a reply — not “yes.” If your email looks like a blog post, you’re doing it wrong. The goal isn’t to explain. The goal is to start a conversation. 1. Use follow-ups to build narrative (not nag) Most follow-ups sound like this: “Just bumping this to the top of your inbox.” “Not sure if you saw my last message.” Useless. Instead, think of your cold email sequence as a way to diagnose pain over time. Email 1 brings up the initial problem. Email 2 digs into what happens if it doesn’t get solved. Email 3 introduces that you might have a solution, if they’re open to it. Each message earns attention and adds value. Follow-ups shouldn’t be annoying. TAKEAWAY Conversations > conversions. Relevancy always wins.

I've booked over 1,000 sales calls using my "1-2 Punch" cold email strategy, and I'm going to break down exactly how it works: Here's the #1 mistake I see in cold emails: People write a 4-paragraph manifesto to prospects who've never heard of them. Product features, company history, client logos - the whole nine yards. You're basically screaming "I'M HERE TO SELL YOU!". And once you show all your cards upfront, your follow-ups have no ammo left. Instead, here's how my 1-2 Punch strategy consistently books calls: Round 1: The Jab 👊 Think of this as your feeler email. Keep it intentionally brief and spark curiosity. "Are you looking for more qualified sales calls each month?" "We can book 10 sales calls on your calendar each month on a pay-per-call basis. Interested?" These work because they're easy to reply to and don't feel "salesy". One powerful sentence is all you need to create curiosity. Round 2: The Right Hook 🥊 THIS is where you unleash everything you were tempted to put in email #1. Here's a real example that landed a $45k deal: "The reason for my email the other day is because we can book 10 calls on your calendar each month on a pay-per-call basis with personalized cold emails. We recently did this for [Company X], and they closed $25k in their first month. We guarantee a minimum of 10 qualified appointments, or you don't pay. Our average client sees a 3.2x ROI within 60 days. Would you like to discuss this approach for [Company Name]?" Perfect timing? Send your Jab on Tuesday/Wednesday morning, wait 48 hours, then throw your Right Hook if there's no response. Two more follow-ups max after that. Implementation is simple: Take your current first email, bump it to email #2, and write a short, punchy opener for your new first email. Then watch your numbers climb. Speaking of numbers: My traditional approach got a 2% meeting book rate. The 1-2 Punch method gets 8%. That's a 4x improvement simply by reordering and restructuring your emails. Real talk: This strategy works because you're playing the long game. You get two chances to connect before revealing your full pitch, and you're not coming across as desperate in email #1. Btw, what's your go-to cold email strategy?

I just reviewed a follow up email that made me want to delete my LinkedIn account. After an incredible discovery call where the rep: → Uncovered $500K in annual losses → Identified specific pain points → Built genuine rapport with the prospect He sent this follow up: "Hi John, following up on our conversation. Any thoughts on next steps?" I'm not joking. That was the entire email. This rep went from trusted advisor to desperate vendor in one sentence. Here's what he should have sent instead: "John, Based on our conversation about the $500K you're losing annually due to deployment delays, I've put together a brief overview of how we've helped similar companies reduce this impact by 80%. Given the scope of this challenge, when can we get your CFO involved to discuss the business case? Best regards, [Rep name]" The difference is night and day: ❌ Weak follow up: "Any thoughts on next steps?" ✅ Strong follow up: References specific problem + demonstrates value + advances the sale Your follow up emails should sell, not beg. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to: → Reinforce the problems you uncovered → Show how you solve them → Move the deal forward Stop wasting these golden opportunities with generic, desperate sounding messages. Use what you learned in discovery to craft follow-ups that advance the sale. Your prospects are drowning in "just checking in" emails. Be the one who stands out by referencing real business impact. — Reps! Here’s 5 simple follow up strategies to close seals faster and to minimize ghosting: https://lnkd.in/gJRJwzsN

I've closed 100s of deals and raised millions in startup funding. All through the power of email. But it wasn't always this way. Early in my career, I struggled to get my point across. My emails were long-winded, unfocused, and often went ignored. But then I learned a simple truth. If you want to get what you want. You need to master email. I analyzed: -tons of successful emails I've received -big deals I’ve closed -many negotiations that went my way. And I started to see patterns. Like, for example, if an email has a bullet list nested neatly in a sea of long paragraphs, I go straight to those bullets to get the gist. And I bet you do the same. Here’s a simple structure that will 10x your email game overnight: 1) Open with gratitude – nobody is obligated to read your email. You are one of 100s they'll receive in a day. Start by thanking them and get off on the right foot. 2) Start with your conclusion – don't bury the lead. Give them the TL;DR immediately, then go into your reasoning around it. Don’t leave your conclusion to chance. Put it right at the top. 3) Short sentences – No long paragraphs – less is more. 4) Bullets are your friend. 3 or 4 bullets can communicate a lot of info. They also signal something important to read. 5) Always end with the next steps and/or a call to action. Make it easy for them to reply by asking a yes/no question. I know, it sounds simple. But trust me, these techniques have been the difference between a "yes" and a "no" more times than I can count. TL;DR: Nobody has time for your long-ass email. Keep it concise, structured, and bullet-pointed. Your recipients (and your bottom line) will thank you.

I’ve closed 250+ enterprise deals. Most buyers don't need more information they need… Clarity. The pattern was always the same: Deals that closed fast = clear messaging Deals that dragged on = confusing value prop Here's what buyers actually need to know: 1. What you do (in plain English) 2. How it solves their problem 3. Why you're different from competitors That's it. Every time you confuse them with jargon and fancy features... You're pushing them straight to your competition. Want to close deals faster? Focus on clarity over complexity.