Derek is staring at a blank screen. Occasionally, he switches to the email list of potential partners he needs to contact.
He starts typing, deletes it, then starts typing again. But his mind is as blank as the screen in front of him.
He's spent hours trying to write the perfect email copy when he realizes that running away and starting a llama farm in Peru at this moment would be easier.
Are you Derek?
Are you trying to come up with a killer business development email only to end up staring at the blinking cursor?
Well, worry not. We'll show you how to write an email that'll have decision-makers lining up in your inbox.
So, forget about the jolly fat llamas and grab a pen.
How To Write a Business Development Email?
Nailing your B2B sales email strategy can feel like cooking the fanciest dish in a Michelin-star restaurant. But believe us, it's not that complicated. Think of it like making a sandwich—all you need to do is get the ingredients right.
Here's what goes into whipping up an impactful business development email:
I) Reel Them in With Your Subject Line
33% of recipients open an email based only on the subject line. So, how do you hook your prospect?
At Klenty, we did some digging and found:
- Using numbers work. Subject lines with numbers were opened 8% more than subject lines without.
- So does adding a currency value in the subject line. Subject lines with currency values had a 16% higher open rate!
- Poking at the reader’s curiosity with a question mark also works. Emails punctuated with a question mark had an open rate of 8% higher than regular emails.
- Peppering wee little emojis can bump up open rates to 20%, provided they lend value to your subject line.
- Having the prospect's name in the subject line can cause your prospects to sit up and actually open your email. We observed a hike in open rate of up to 39% through personalized email subject lines alone.
ii) Add a Personal Touch to the Introduction
Using your prospect’s name works, but it is the lowest hanging fruit, so everyone does it. Time to go beyond first-name personalization in your cold emails.
Don't be afraid to talk about their personal interest, reference a mutual connection, or highlight a common pain point in your intro. Check out your prospect’s social handle or blog to see what they care about. Reference these details in your email briefly to show that you’re serious about this.
Joel Thomas, SDR at Almabase, recalls a cold email where his prospect was a former firefighter. So, he used ‘Firefighting during events’ as the subject line to catch their attention, and in the intro, he wrote about how managing events can be like putting out a fire. And it worked in getting the prospect’s attention.
He also gives fair warning about using this strategy: Be mindful about how you use personalization as it can be time-consuming if you’re doing it at scale.
iii) ‘What’s-In-It-For-Me?’
The first question in all of our minds when opening an email is, "Why should I care?" Answer that, and you’ll make it much easier for the prospect to digest your cold email. Mention what’s in it for the prospect. What can you promise them?
Highlight how exactly your target audience will benefit from your solution. For example, "Our solution helps you save up to 50% on your monthly expenses. This means you can move more funds to marketing."
The goal is to explain how your product will benefit your prospect instead of going on and on about its amazing bazillion features. To do this, you can share industry reports and customer success stories to show social proof.
iv) Interest-based CTAs for the Win
That “let’s get on a call” is a CTA, is all right. But pushing prospects to book that sales call without confirming that’s what they really want is, you guessed it, salesy.
Take your call to action beyond asking your reader for a meeting. Ask about their view on solving the problem as proposed by you. Open a conversation and seem genuinely interested.
For example, end with: "We think our product can help you solve [pain point]. Here’s a demo video of how using our product might look like for your business [include link]. Is this a solution you’d like to explore?"
v) Make Your Email Sign-off Self-sufficient
If your prospects find your cold sales email interesting enough, they’ll want to look you (and your company) up. Make it easy for them by adding a self-sufficient email sign-off.
Include every detail your prospect needs to know about you and your company. We mean designation, company information, contact details, and credibility flags like LinkedIn profile shortcuts as well.
For example, 'Thanks for your time, Derek Smith, Business Development Manager at XYZ Company.'
Still confused? Let's simplify it further with our easier-than-running-away-to-Peru business email templates.
Business Development Email Templates for Different Sales Scenarios
i) Business Development Templates for Cold Prospects
Your prospects receive hundreds of hot, warm, and cold emails. Your objective, then, is to somehow stand out from the crowd despite not having a previously-formed connection to leverage. So, put the principles we’ve discussed thus far, including:
- Creating show-stopping subject lines
- Personalizing introductions with an interesting opening line
- Following the WIIFM framework with a solid sentence pitch
- Adding a memorable sign-off help to improve response rates
Still struggling to type out that cold email? Here’s a cold email outreach template to help you out.
Subject: [Recipient's Name], struggling with [pain point]?
Hey [Recipient's Name],
I came across your LinkedIn profile recently, and saw your post about scaling your startup. Congrats on [most recent achievement].
Given your business stage, I was wondering if you’re facing [pain point]. [Your Company Name] has worked with Clients #1, #2 [competitors] in the same niche and solved [pain point] effectively by [your product’s value proposition].
Would you like to check out for yourself? I can send over an interactive demo.
Have a great day!
[Your Name]ii) Business Development Email Template for Warm Inbound Leads
Warm inbound leads are like ripe fruit on a tree. They're interested in your solution and are just waiting for the right moment to be plucked.
Unlike cold emails, you don’t have to do the guesswork to understand their intent and buyer journey stage. Thanks to lead generation metrics tracking, you can find out which channel they came from, gauge their intent, and create the first emails to fit their exact needs. Here’s what we mean:
If you’re cold emailing at scale, you can create email sequences for prospects who come in through different channels.
- One for the prospects who signed up for trials
- One for prospects who signed up for demos
- One for the prospects who downloaded an e-book
- One for prospects who attended or signed up for a webinar
The template:
Subject: [Your Company Name] trial: Before you get started
Hi [Recipient's Name],
Thank you for signing up for the free trial of [product/service]! I’d love to learn about your needs and show you how {product} can help you {do tasks} better.
How about hopping on a 10-minute call? You can book a time that works for you and your team here. Let me know if you face issues there, I’d be happy to help.
Have a great day,
[Your Name]
iii) Warm Business Development Email Template
You want to write a cold email that’s warm and respectful of the prospect’s time. We get it. Here’s what you need to do:
- Show the prospect that you understand their needs or problems or pains. But of course, it’s difficult to know these things when you get a long list of prospects from a prospecting tool. You’d have to do a bit of research before you get this list. Then, bucket prospects by role, field, or industry, write cold emails for each of these buckets, and send them at scale.
- Do not pitch your product at all. Remind them of the benefits of using a solution similar to yours instead.
Subject: [Recipient's Name], here’s how to solve [pain point].
Hi [Recipient's Name],
I noticed you recently [mention recipient's action related to their intent, like a linkedin post or a product review or a blog], it’s a problem that is plaguing the industry in whole. Off late though, some businesses have tried to {use your solution (not the brand name, the type of solution)} and have found success.
Here are some examples of how these companies {achieved X benefits}:
[Give 1-2 brief case studies, with titles that sum up the achievements, like ‘Here’s how XYZ booked 150% more meetings in Q3.’]
Interested to learn more?
Cheers,
[Your Name]
iv) B2B Sales Email Templates For:
a) Following Up After No Response
80% of sales occur after the fifth follow-up. This means even if you get no response, follow up with an email to book a meeting. But when following up, don’t do these:
- use "Follow-Up Email" as the subject line. It's as bland as salt- and pepper-spiced chicken roast.
- be too pushy and ask questions like "Why haven't you replied?"
- be very stiff. Use humor or speak casually to inject a bit of personality into your email.
Here's a template for a polite follow-up B2B sales email:
Subject: Quick Question
Hi [Recipient's Name],
I read your LinkedIn post about [relevant pain point] and understand how it can restrict you from scaling your business. Here’s the good news—you're not alone.
[Competitor] and [Competitor] also faced similar challenges before partnering with [Your company]. With our cutting-edge solution, you can:
Skyrocket your efficiency
Maximize profits
Scale your business
Would you like to know more about how [competitor companies] overcame [pain point]?
Warmly,
[Your Name]
P.S.: You don’t always have to mention in the email copy that this is the 3rd or 4th follow-up email (unless it’s part of your strategy). You can treat all of the follow-ups as cold emails as well because, in all probability, it’s their first time reading the follow-up. Just focus on providing value in every email rather than writing, "Hi, this is the 5th time I’m following up."
Also, here's a complete guide that we've put together with 8 no response follow-up email templates & tips from top SDRs.
b) Follow-up After a Demo
Getting prospects to sign up for a demo is a pretty sweet victory. But converting them into customers is the sweetest of all. To keep the momentum going, your follow-up email must be top-notch. It should include:
- A summary of the demo discussion
- Notes of your prospect’s pain points
- Questions to understand aha moments, objections/concerns
- Any specific information they may have requested about the product
Here's a sales email template to streamline creating that sales email just a little bit.
Subject: Ready to take the next step, [Recipient's Name]?
Hi [Recipient's Name],
Thank you for signing up for the demo and making your needs crystal clear. I'm glad that [product] could solve your pain points, and excited to explore more ways in which it can streamline your work at ABC.
Here's a quick note to ensure we're on the same page before getting started:
Problem and Solution #1
Problem and Solution #2
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to reach out - I'm here to help.
Would you like to start testing [product name] from [day]? If yes, I can share a link that will take you directly to the free trial for you and your team.
Have a great day!
[Your Name]Want more templates like this one? Check out our 7 templates for follow-up emails after demos.
c) Follow-up After Quote
You've nurtured your prospect all the way to the bottom of the funnel. But since dropping the quotation mail, the prospect has gone AWOL. You're sweating, your heart is racing, and you're reconsidering Peru.
Sending that follow-up email can bump your reply rate to 13%. But that doesn’t mean you send another email that reads “following up from our last conversation.” Remind your prospect subtly why they got a quote from you in the first place. Include:
- Your prospect’s problems and how your product addresses them
- Highlight the aha moments from your demo call
- Provide updates regarding additional features and special requests
In your follow-up emails after sending your quotation, always keep in mind to not intimidate your reader. Keep your email brief and stick to bullet points. Here’s an email template to help:
Subject: [Recipient's Name], are you still struggling with [pain point]?
Hi [Recipient's Name],
Wondering if you got a chance to go through the quotation I had shared [time]? I'd be happy to know your thoughts and clear any doubts you have about the pricing.
You mentioned you're looking to address [pain points]. I believe [plan name] would be right for you. Here are: (choose only any 1, and try offering something you’ve not shared before)
Case studies with the same use case.
A demo video on how to use [solution] for [pain point].
A starter pack guide for [solution].
A link to a webinar discussing the topic.
Let me know if you have any queries and I can arrange a quick phone call.
Happy to help,
[Your Name]v) B2B Cold Email Template for Business Collaboration
So, you discovered a prospective company that solves problems in a niche adjacent to yours, shares your company’s vision and ideals AND tracked down who to contact? Now, you need a killer cold email strategy to convince your recipient to join forces with you.
Businesses collab for a lot of reasons, ranging from increasing brand awareness to expanding their offerings to new product integrations to provide combined offers or add-ons to existing customers. In any case, this template will suffice.
When writing such an email, make sure you check the following boxes:
- Your prospect receives something of value from the pitch
- The ask isn’t too much for them
- They feel valued
Here’s a killer cold email template you can tweak and send out flying in no time.
Subject: Want to collaborate on a [project name], [Recipient's Name]?
Hi [Recipient's Name],
I've been following [recipient's latest project] and liked how you [include the positive aspects of the project you’re referencing here].
I also noticed your company works in [common niche], and was wondering if you are open to collaborating.
[Highlight the value proposition of collaborating with you.]
If you’re interested, I could share more details about what we had in mind for us working together.
Hope you have a great evening,
[Your name]
[Your job title, phone number, and company name]
Pro tip: Be transparent and honest when showering compliments and while stating your value-add. Your prospect can smell ingenuity from a mile away. Don’t include adjectives that are often overused (like awesome, fantastic, powerful).
vi) B2B Partnership Template for Combined Offerings
Let's talk about one of the coolest ways to collaborate with a business: joining forces to offer combined offerings.
It's like a supergroup of products or services. Think peanut butter and jelly or Beyonce and Jay-Z. Here's a business partnership email template that other businesses won't be able to resist:
Subject: Let's create magic together!
Hi [Recipient's name],
Big fan of what you’ve been doing in {industry}. The tips you shared on {something specific} is what I’m currently using for {particular task they recommended the tips for}. It has been a game changer for us.
Which brings me to the point of this email. Since you are exceptional at {thier field}, and we specialize in {core competency}, think we could offer both our audiences the best of both worlds?
Here’s why: {explain the offering and benefits for both audiences}
Worth exploring?
Hope you have a fantastic evening,
[Your Name]vii) Business Development Template for Brand Collaboration
Brand collabs are a great way to get your brand in front of a whole new audience and reach markets never voyaged into before. It’s getting two for the price of one. Here, it’s essential to let them know what kind of outcomes they’d be getting out of this collab.
Depending on your industry and business size, the audience of your cold email will vary from brand marketers to brand managers to content managers or social media managers. So, do a bit of research and figure out who you’re emailing and personalize for them.
The benefits for some may be increased organic traffic. For others, it may be a surge in store footfall or the number of QR code scans. Personalize the benefits to each of these persona.
Subject: Do we make the dream team?
Hi [Recipient's name],
I'll cut the pleasantries and directly jump to how much I admire your products/services. Especially [a particular product/service] has been my saving grace for a few months/years now.
As an influencer in [industry], I've raved about your products on my [social media platform] countless times. And I believe if I share how exactly {particular product name/s} have improved my life, it’ll be more like public service.
Here’s why {personal/corporate brand on social media platform} is best fit for this collab:
{reason #1- what’s in it for them}
{reason #2- what’s in it for them}
Worth exploring?
Again, big fan
[Your name]viii) Cold Email Template for Digital Marketing Services
Situation 1: When You Want To Offer Your Digital Marketing Services
Start with acknowledging your prospects’ challenges before you present your shiny solution.
Highlight issues with managing multiple freelancers and dealing with high employee attrition rates when your audience does digital marketing on their own. Then, dive into how your services can help them save money and scale super-fast.
While sending cold emails to sell your digital marketing services, remember to show your prospects that your agency is the best bet for achieving their business goals through a streamlined workflow or some impressive numbers.
Bonus tip? Link to a published case study on your website, preferably for a brand in their niche, to build more trust.
Subject: This is why your marketing dollars aren’t working!
The other day, I stumbled upon an ad for your business on LinkedIn and found it quite interesting.
But you know what I noticed? Your website took forever to load. As a digital marketing expert, I assume there might be an issue with your image optimization or your website’s code.
Having worked with plenty of small businesses, I understand how running a marketing ship, especially with a 3-person team, can be like.
Given the stage you’re at in your business, do you think it’s time to invest in SEO to grow your organic reach so you can be less reliant on paid media in the coming months?
We’ve helped
Client #1 achieved 35% landing page conversion rates from demand capture sources.
Client #2 achieved a 10% jump in sign-ups after we helped optimize the home page, pop-ups and banners.
Interested to know where we could help?
Have a great day,
[Your name]Situation 2: When You Want To Ask for Backlinks
When you’re asking for backlinks, the #1 factor you need to remember is this: Your audience will most probably be writers. So no party tricks, clickbaits, or over-exaggerated compliments. These are people who cut words out all day long. Keep it short and valuable, and say only exactly what you must.
Pro tip: Don’t make the ask in the first email. If your content is good enough, they might just give you the backlink. Make the ask when you’re following up with them. Or make it in a subtle manner.
The following template has a subtle ask. We’re pushing their hand at giving us a backlink by promoting what’s beneficial to them first.
Template:
Subject: Would love to publish your PoV, {prospect name}
Hi [Recipient's Name],
I’d love to get your quote for an article I’m writing for XYZ.
I think you’re doing great work at {their company name} doing {specific blogs or project names}. And because of that I’d love to publish your thoughts on {topic that the prospect has expertise on} in our blog.
Here’s what you’ll get: Clout + a do-follow backlink.
In the meantime, here’s a piece I wrote last month on {a topic the prospect’s blog niche is in}. A lot of our time, sweat and tears went into its making, so I’d love to hear what an expert thinks of it.
Cheers,
[Your Name]In Short
And there you have it, folks. That’s what the best-performing sales reps in the industry do. If you’d like to read how top sellers are hitting 100% outbound quotas, check out the SDR X Factor series.
Go ahead and put these business development email templates to the test. And don't forget to add a pinch of personalization and your own unique flair to your message.
Good luck with your outreach campaign!
