In B2B sales, effective communication is the key to building and maintaining valuable client relationships. One of the most powerful tools at your disposal is a well-crafted email. You see, email is indispensable in B2B sales. There’s just no substitute for the speed and precision that email brings. That’s why 41% of marketers admit that email is their most effective marketing channel.
But let’s face it, crafting email messages isn’t exactly as exciting as getting on a sales phone call or meeting with a prospect. Emails don’t write themselves. Creating a compelling copy can take up a lot of time and a ton of mental effort–things that could be better spent elsewhere.
So, to save you unnecessary trouble, we’ve hand-picked forty (40) email templates from different sources and compiled them all in a free PDF file you can download and print out for quick reference. But before that, let’s first discuss why sales email templates are important in the B2B sector.
Why B2B Sales Email Templates are Essential
B2B sales email templates save time, maintain consistency and help ensure that your messaging is professional and impactful. With the right templates, you can increase your chances of securing responses, moving leads through the sales funnel, and closing deals. Here’s why they’re crucial:
- Efficiency: Quickly customize and send emails without starting from scratch each time.
- Consistency: Ensure your messaging aligns with your brand and maintains a professional tone.
- Effectiveness: Proven templates can improve your email open and response rates.
How to Use These Templates Effectively
- Personalize Each Email: Always customize the template with the recipient’s name, company, and specific details relevant to their needs.
- Maintain a Professional Tone: Keep your language clear, respectful, and professional.
- Follow Up Promptly: Use the follow-up templates to keep the conversation going and maintain interest.
- Track and Optimize: Monitor your email open and response rates to determine which templates are most effective and make adjustments as needed.
Learn how to strengthen email marketing campaigns.
Now let’s proceed with the email templates. The examples cover most situations in B2B sales prospecting — from cold outreach to requesting referrals. In this blog, we’ll cover a few templates you can start using right away (or you can just download our free eBook below for more.)
Templates for Initial Contact
Your initial email to a potential client sets the tone for your future relationship. It should be engaging, relevant, and professional. Use these B2B sales email templates to make a strong first impression:
Cold Outreach Email Template
In B2B sales, you often find yourself trying to reach prospects who probably have never heard about you or your company before. The singular goal of any cold outreach email is to get a prospect to hop on a phone call. So, remove anything in your message that diverts from this objective.
Take this example from Attach.io:
This is an effective cold email template for some reasons:
- The subject line clearly indicates both what’s in it for the prospect and what the prospect needs to do.
- The email copy is concise and benefit-focused.
- The call to action is clearly stated.
Aside from the different versions of the initial cold outreach emails, we’ve also included the following templates:
- Asking to be pointed to the right person
- Benefit-focused outreach email
- Researched/Personalized outreach email
See our sample cold calling scripts.
Follow-up Email Templates
Following up is crucial in maintaining momentum and nurturing leads. These templates will help you stay top of mind and move the conversation forward.
There are plenty of reasons why a prospect hasn’t replied to your previous email or why she hasn’t returned your voicemail. In any case, having a robust follow-up plan together with a series of follow-up emails can help you navigate the often stormy waters of B2B prospecting.
The below follow-up email example has been adapted from a template by Yesware:
This follow-up template works because:
- It identifies what the recipient has possibly missed in the previous email.
- It clearly states (outlines) what the prospect needs to do.
- The copy provides room for making additional benefit statements.
You will find more follow-up templates given in the downloadable PDF, covering situations such as:
- Unanswered phone calls and voicemails
- Inactive/unresponsive contacts
- After a phone conversation or meeting
- After tradeshows, conferences, or networking events
Lead Nurturing Email Templates
Keeping leads engaged and informed throughout the sales cycle is essential. Use these templates to maintain communication and build trust with your prospects.
Keeping in Touch Email Template
You need to constantly keep in touch with leads already in the pipeline so that you stay top-of-mind throughout the prospects’ buying journey. One good way to do this, of course, is through lead nurturing emails sent at various points and triggers in the sales process.
Re-engagement Email Template
Re-engaging cold leads can be challenging, but a well-crafted email can rekindle their interest. Use these templates to re-engage dormant leads and reignite their interest in your product or service.
Here’s an example of a re-engagement email template from 500 Startups that works well for contacting stalled prospects:
There’s one good reason why this template stands out when it comes to reaching out to a prospect who has fallen under the radar: it gets right to the point.
Other situations in B2B marketing call for an appropriate lead nurturing email and these are also covered by the examples:
- Welcoming new subscribers
- Keeping in touch
- Announcing new developments
- Sharing/featuring content
- Responding to inbound/social media leads
Referrals and Recommendations Email Template
It’s quite surprising that only 11% of salespeople ask for referrals even though 91% of clients say they’d happily give one–not to mention that referral leads tend to have the highest conversion rates. So it pays to have a can of referral email templates on hand at all times, like this one:
This fine example of a referral email comes to us courtesy of HubSpot and is quite effective because:
- It makes the referral process easier for your client (your client doesn’t have to create the referral email).
- Your client doesn’t have to explain what you (the “salesperson”) do.
- Since the email mentions both you and your client, it sets the stage for either of you to follow up.
Other related templates included:
- Asking for referrals/recommendation
- Making an introduction (for you and a client)
- Reaching out to influencers
- Leveraging your professional network
The Takeaway
We recommend using the templates in the downloadable PDF file as sources of email ideas and not as copy-and-paste messages. Test out different messaging styles and find out which works for your particular email audience.
E
