B2B sales email templates – 11 step cycle

1.  POST-MEETING FOLLOW-UP EMAIL

Use this template as email #1 in your sales cadence:

Post meeting – Sales email template

WHY IT WORKS

Loss aversion

This powerful copywriting technique leverages psychology: Human beings are TWICE as likely to take action to prevent a loss as they are to obtain a benefit.

Specific Benefit

Choose one ultra-specific message. It will make your outreach more effective: Instead of asking your prospects to do the work and find their area of interest in your email, you can give more context and multiply the impact of your prospecting emails.

Use these words that sell

Words like “you,” “your,” and “imagine” boost your win rates.

Interest CTA

Asking for interest is 2X more effective than asking for time in cold outreach.

2. PROSPECTING FOLLOW-UP EMAIL

 Follow-up on your first email with a quick note:

WHY IT WORKS

 Keep it Simple

This serves two purposes: First, save time at the start of the call introducing participants. Second, give a clear understanding of who will be attending so buyers know if they should include a team member (think a technical counterpart if an SE is joining the call).

 Be informative

Reduce no-shows by giving buyers an opportunity to reschedule if last-minute conflicts have appeared on their calendar. It’s better to reschedule than get ghosted.

 Tell a story

This gives buyers a chance to add items to the agenda so you can get a head start before the meeting starts.

 Interest CTA

Before name-dropping customer logos: Think about whether your buyer would consider themselves similar to them. Used incorrectly, social proof WILL backfire.

 Avoid calendar malfunctions

Time lost joining the call means less selling time. Avoid losing precious selling minutes at all costs

3. PRE MEETING EMAIL

 Send this email the day before your meeting:

WHY IT WORKS

 Introduce your team

This serves two purposes: First, save time at the start of the call introducing participants. Second, give a clear understanding of who will be attending so buyers know if they should include a team member (think a technical counterpart if an SE is joining the call).

 Use it as a reminder

Reduce no-shows by giving buyers an opportunity
to reschedule if last-minute conflicts have appeared
on their calendar. It’s better to reschedule than get
ghosted.

 Set the agenda

This gives buyers a chance to add items to the agenda
so you can get a head start before the meeting starts.

 Use social proof correctly

Before name-dropping customer logos: Think about
whether your buyer would consider themselves similar
to them. Used incorrectly, social proof WILL backfire.

 Avoid calendar malfunctions

Time lost joining the call means less selling time. Avoid
losing precious selling minutes at all costs.

4. POST-MEETING FOLLOW-UP EMAIL

 Send a follow up email to recap your call and outline next steps:

WHY IT WORKS

 Make it searchable

Use your company name to make emails easy to find in
your buyer’s inbox

 Send this to all meeting participants

Use this section for your email to all email participants.

 Personalize your email

Call out important sections of your email to specific
participants. Important: ONLY add resources if they
provide a direct answer that your buyers asked for in
the call. If you don’t have anything to share, leave this
section blank

 Use compelling events to create urgency

Use the buyer’s timeline (New Fiscal Year, Internal
project kick off, Key hire joining the team) to speed up
the cycle

 Identify next steps for your buyers

Yes, it’s okay to call out items that your buyers
need to handle to keep your deal moving. It keeps
everyone accountable (even your buyers), and shows
professionalism.

 What’s in it for me?

Any step in the process should bring value to your
buyers. Bring that front and center to keep your deals
moving fast. Failing to explain this translates to slower
response times and sub-par velocity in your deals.

5. MULTI-THREADING: UPDATING THE
DECISION MAKER

 You need to get to the DM. BUT: Don’t over-involve them (or risk losing them early in the deal). Instead, keep them updated so you can bring them in when their input is required

WHY IT WORKS

 Keep open communication

Even if you don’t expect an answer from them yet,
you’ll need one soon. Being intentional in your
communication with makers is putting in favors that
you’ll be able to cash in later in your deal.

 Take it on the chin

Are they trying to shake you off? Maybe. Are you going
need them to close the deal? Absolutely: win rates
drop 8 decision makers aren’t involved.

 Speak to their level

This allows you to keep your updates relevant AND
keep pushing for a larger deal

 Use compelling events to create urgency

Use the buyer’s timeline (New Fiscal Year, Internal
project kick off, Key hire joining the team) to speed up
the cycle

 Share next steps

Giving them visibility into your progress makes it easier
to reconnect with them later in the deal, speaking of
with them later in the deal.

6. MULTI-THREADING: LOOPING THE DECISION
MAKER BACK IN

 You kept the DM updated on your progress, now it’s time to bring them in for the final stages of the deal.

WHY IT WORKS

 Set expectations

Explain why this step requires them, specifically, and
can’t be handled by someone else on their team

 Use a specific CTA

 For active opportunities, Specific CTAs outperform
every other type of CTA

7. CHAMPION PREP CALL

They’re bought in. Time to call in a favor to boost your odds of success with the C-Suite.

WHY IT WORKS

 Lead with your ask

Get to the point: it shows you’re invested in the
process and considerate about their time

 What’s in it for them

Show that by prepping the call with you, they are also
reducing the chances of a negative outcome that could
jeopardize their project

 Use a Specific CTA

 Reduce friction for them to say “yes.”

8. NEGOTIATION

The finish line is in sight. Use this template to fast-forward through haggling and get your deal signed.

WHY IT WORKS

 Validate the objection

 Do NOT apologize for your price. Instead: Show that
their concern is heard and offer a solution

 Reframe that it’s in their best interest
to discuss it on the phone

Show that by prepping the call with you, they are also
reducing the chances of a negative outcome that could
jeopardize their project

 Confirm small time investment

Don’t scare away buyers. Calibrate your ask to prevent
negotiations from dragging on

 Use a Specific CTA

Make it as easy as possible for your buyer to accept
your invitation. A specific CTA requires a simple Yes/No
answer versus an open-ended CTA which asks them to
scan their busy calendar for an open slot.
For active opportunities, Specific CTAs outperform
every other type of CTA

9. CLOSING

This is the most crucial step of your deal. Proceed with caution or risk having weeks of pain-staking work crumble before your eyes.

WHY IT WORKS

 Only send your proposal AFTER the call

Never – I repeat, NEVER – send a proposal without
scheduling a call to walk through it with your buyers.
You’ll be able to control this crucial part of the
conversation (and get a sense of how your proposal
was received, instead of refreshing your inbox while
speculating on what they’re thinking)

 Take control of next steps

Don’t treat this part of your sales cycle as a formality!
Top reps are paranoid about their deals: Get as much
information as you can to identify any last-minute
hurdles (or risk putting out fires left and right come
end of quarter)

10. HAND-OFF

 Success! Contract, signed. Deal, won. Commission, earned. Here’s what to do to set the right expectations for your buyers moving forward

WHY IT WORKS

 Set expectations

Show that your company is continuing to invest to
make your buyer successful by highlighting specific
next steps

Allow teammates to take control of the
conversation

Tee up your customer success team for a win.

11. REFERRAL

This powerful prospecting play will turn today’s closed-won deals into tomorrow’s pipeline. Here’s how to do it:

WHY IT WORKS

Use a priming effect

It’s a basic psychological principle that makes people more likely to comply with an ask. Thanking someone for their generosity BEFORE making an ask gives them a positive expectation to live up to.

Give a reason for your outreach

Why them? why now? This copywriting technique addresses objections upfront and neutralizes them.

Make a clear ask

Make it dead simple to accept your ask. It is easier to say ‘yes’ if you are specific about what they need to do.