Writing Emails That Build Trust With Prospects

Sales folks, take note! Spamming a target company's employees with your services and requests for meetings will result in your company making its way onto a buyer's blocklist. As a buyer in the localization industry, I receive dozens of emails and LinkedIn requests every single day from vendors looking to showcase translation, AI, QA services, and more. It's not humanly possible to give personal replies to every outreach. When vendors can't get through to me, they often reach out to everyone on my team... and sometimes to many others across my company. I'd love for this practice to stop. It wastes valuable company time and makes a vendor appear desperate and non-strategic. Here's what to do instead: 1. Appeal to ego! Invite a target company’s decision-maker to a panel, or start a vlog series and ask buyers to appear and discuss industry topics. It’s also a great opportunity to reposition your company as a thought leader. 2. Offer genuine insight, not just services. Share a case study, white paper, or benchmarking data that’s actually useful to the buyer’s role, and do it without a sales pitch. 3. Build a reputation before you build a pipeline. Comment thoughtfully on posts. Contribute to community conversations. If you consistently show up with value, you’re far more likely to get noticed. 4. Target smarter, not broader. Don’t shotgun your message to an entire company. Learn the org. Understand the buyer’s scope. Then send one well-researched, personalized note that shows you actually did your homework. 5. Focus on mutual value. Can you help solve a known pain point or offer perspective on something changing in the market? Frame your outreach around collaboration, not consumption. 6. Use timing to your advantage. Keep tabs on when companies are hiring for roles associated with your offerings, launching in new markets, or attending conferences. That’s when buyers are more receptive to new solutions. 7. Lead with generosity. Offer a no-strings-attached resource, intro, or suggestion that doesn’t benefit you directly. Reciprocity is a powerful trust builder. And please! Don't ever ever call me on the phone! ;)

Spending 20 minutes crafting ONE impactful email beats blasting out 1,000 automated emails every time. Tech sales isn't about brute force anymore—it's about insight. Here's why buyers have changed and 7 tips to help you thrive: I’ve managed 100s of reps, sales teams and managers. In the early days, success came to those who could out-work the competition. Successful reps didn’t “always” need deep product knowledge or a clear grasp of the competitive landscape. Hard sales skills were enough. But those days are over... What sets today's top performers apart is their ability to research and understand the market. Buyers want insights. The reps who thrive are the ones who bring intense domain knowledge to the table. Here's why: 1. Buyers Are More Educated Today’s buyers know more about your product than the average rep does. They expect tailored answers to specific questions. If they sense a lack of knowledge, they’ll move on. 2. Market Is Flooded with Substitutes With so many similar products, the gap between competitive products has nearly disappeared. Relying on product superiority is outdated — sales reps need an understanding of both their product and competition to offer value. 3. Knowledgeable Sales Reps ARE the True Moat As product differentiation fades, your real edge lies in your GTM strategy and a core team of AEs who can navigate complex buying cycles. Buyers trust and buy from knowledgeable sellers. Here's how sellers must adapt: 1. Stay Updated Insist on regular marketing and competitive updates from your Product and Marketing teams. Knowledge is power, and staying ahead keeps you sharp. 2. Keep it Real Don’t rely on outdated claims about being better than competitors. Your competitors make the same claims. Buyers are smart; honesty about your strengths and weaknesses builds trust and credibility. 3. Deliver Insights Provide value with deal-specific insights at every interaction. Custom content, detailed responses to objections, and actionable advice will make you a trusted advisor. 4. Be a Hub of Knowledge Share anonymized best practices and insights gleaned from your conversations with other clients, you can position yourself as THE go-to expert. 5. Create Aha Moments Your buyer is likely well-informed and eager to move forward. Don't waste their time. Cut to the chase. Spark that "aha" moment and watch the deal accelerate. Make them successful at their jobs. They'll reward you. 6. Don’t Disappear After the Sale Keep sharing best practices and stay engaged after the sale. Building long-term relationships leads to repeat business and referrals. 7. Stay in Your Domain Stick with your niche when switching jobs. Choose to work for multiple companies in the same space. Over time, deep knowledge and connections in your field will provide an unfair advantage. The days of the pushy seller are over. Buyers are more demanding than ever. They want answers, not more meetings. The question is, will you evolve?

When I was at Salesforce, I used this exact cold email framework to book meetings with CEOs, COOs, and CFOs at the biggest companies in the world. Now I coach 100s of reps to use it—and they’re landing meetings that most sellers only dream about. Most reps never get to sell to the C-suite. Not because they don’t work hard. But because they reach out with transactional garbage that looks like every other email in the inbox. Executives don’t want another seller. They want a partner who understands their business. Here’s the cold email formula that works: 1. Warm and personal Lead with a sincere compliment. “I saw your podcast on ___…” “I read your Forbes interview and was moved by…” Show them you did your homework. Not some AI-generated flattery—real human admiration. 2. Shared values or struggle Make it human. “I related deeply when you talked about overcoming ___. I’ve faced something similar.” Vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s how you earn trust. 3. Research-backed insight Cite a 10-K, public statement, or article. “Based on your Q1 earnings call, I noticed you're focused on X.” Link to the source. Build credibility. 4. A sharp POV + direct linkage Don’t say, “We help companies like yours.” Say, “You’re trying to achieve X. Companies on that journey often hit Y. Here’s how we solve it.” Make the connection crystal clear. 5. Soft CTA, strong conviction No desperate energy. Just: “If this is a priority, would it make sense to connect?” You’re not begging. You’re offering value. If you want my exact cold email template (and to see 13 real email examples me and my clients used to book C-suite meetings) grab them here: https://lnkd.in/g84w_utx

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

Most people send a plain text email after a great sales call. I send a video. The screenshot below is a real follow-up I sent after a prospect meeting. Instead of just recapping in writing, I recorded a 2-minute Loom video sharing what I learned, what I’m envisioning for their event, and why I’m genuinely excited to work together. In today’s world of noise and automation, a video like this is a humanizer. It gives them something to feel, not just something to read, and it gives them a powerful tool to forward to their internal decision-makers. The psychology behind this is fascinating. When someone sees your face and hears your voice, it activates the mirror neuron system in their brain, essentially helping them feel emotionally connected to you, as if they’re in the same room. That’s empathy. That’s trust. And trust is what drives decisions. Research shows that only 7% of communication is verbal; the rest is tone, facial expression, and body language. In a sales process full of text and data, the human brain craves the richness of video. It’s also about cognitive ease. According to research from Princeton and the University of Michigan, people are more likely to trust and act on information that feels easy to process. A clear, engaging video makes your message stickier. Add a little story, a little emotion, a little spark, and suddenly you’re not just another vendor in the inbox. You’re a trusted voice. Taking the time to send a video builds social capital. It says, “I care.” It says, “This mattered to me.” That emotional generosity has ripple effects in a referral-driven business. So if you’re trying to stand out, build relationships, and grow your business, try adding a short, heartfelt Loom video to your follow-ups. Whether it’s a cold prospect, a warm lead, or a longtime client, your energy is your edge. Presence beats polish every time. Link to how to use Loom is in the comments. Happy Monday ya'll, let's go scale our impact.