Top 7 sales email templates for small businesses

There are many situations and contexts in which salespeople need to reach out to prospects. Often, this outreach is done cold, meaning there has been no prior communication with that particular prospect. Other times, you are looking for an introduction to a decision maker or following up with someone who has shown interest in your product or service. Regardless of the situation, there’s a sales email template for you. Here are some of the best sales email templates that really work for getting your foot in the door.

1. Agile CRM’s free trial template 

If you offer a free trial of your product or service, right after a prospect signs up is the best time to reach out to them and start the conversation. In that moment, they are engaged and will be open to discussing their use case with you. This is your chance to show them that you are invested in their success using your product. This email template from Agile CRM will help you illustrate that:

Hi [prospect name],

I noticed you just signed up for a trial with us.

I’d like to set up a brief phone call to learn how I can help you get the most out of your evaluation. During our call, I can share some tips and examples on how other companies such as yours are using [your product] to [solution your product provides].

I also left you a voicemail with more information.

Are you available for a brief call later today or tomorrow morning? If not, I’m flexible and we can schedule the time that’s most convenient for you.

Warm regards,

[your signature]

2. Finding the decision maker

Send an email cold is a little like cold calling your leads. When reaching out cold to a new prospect via email, it is important to identify the right decision makers with whom to connect. You can accomplish this with a short, concise email that gets right to the point and can be read in a matter of seconds. This cold sales email template from Attach accomplishes this nicely:

Hi [prospect name],

I hope this note finds you well.

I’ve been working for a company called [your company] that specializes in [what your company does]. In thinking about your role at [prospect company], I thought there might be a good fit for your group.

Our [product name] has garnered a lot of attention in the marketplace and I think it’s something that your organization might see immediate value in.

Can you help me get in contact with the right decision-maker?

Thanks for your time and enjoy your day!

Best regards,

[your signature]

3. Following up on website visits

If you are tracking website visits in your CRM, you can set a trigger to alert you when visits from employees at Company X or Individual Y pass a specified threshold. This indicates growing interest in your company and is an ideal time to reach out. The follow-up sales email template below, from HubSpot, can help you get your foot in the door following repeat website visits:

Hi [prospect name],

You and a number of your colleagues at [prospect company] have visited our website and [indicate action they have taken on your site].

I was wondering whether they were trying to figure out how you might [insert the solution your product of service provides]? So, I did some research and found some areas of opportunity for you.

One idea I have is to [insert suggestion from your research].

With the number of people researching our company, would it make sense to talk for 10 minutes?

Hope to hear from you,

[your signature]

4. Offering a demo

Reaching out cold to offer a demo is an effective way to jumpstart a conversation with a prospect. Often, seeing is believing, and offering a demo with no strings attached can spark your prospect’s interest and help you get that first meeting on the calendar. This email template from Pipedrive does that nicely:

Hi [prospect name],

People like you are super busy, so I’ll keep this short.

I work with companies like [insert some clients’ names] to help them [the main benefit of your product or service]. What our clients most like about us is this: [main selling point].

I’d love to give you or a colleague a 20-minute demo. Would next Tuesday or Wednesday work for you?

Warm regards,

[your signature]

5. Requesting an introduction

It’s common that you will find people on LinkedIn or other social networks that you immediately identify as a good fit for your product of service. In those instances, you may be connected to that person through a few degrees of separation. If you are acquainted with someone who knows them directly, you can request an introduction. This introduction sales email template from Life-Long Learner can help you get introduced:

Hi [prospect name],

I was looking to get introduced to [person you’re trying to connect with] from [that person’s company], and saw you were connected to them. I’m not sure how well you’re connected to them, but if the relationship is strong, I’d really appreciate an introduction to chat about ways they can work with [your company].

Please let me know if you feel comfortable doing this and I’ll forward a proper request for the introduction that you can forward to them.

Warm regards,

[your signature]

6. Addressing “I’m not interested”

When you have spent hours researching and reaching out to a prospect, it’s a strong blow when they tell you they are not interested. However, that doesn’t mean you have to scrap them altogether. This is a chance for you to really prove to them the value your product or service could provide, by sharing case studies.

This will allow them to see the potential benefits for themselves, through the lens of a real-world experience from a company or individual similar to them. This sales template by SuperOffice adeptly deals with an “I’m not interested” response:

Hi [prospect name],

Okay, I get it. It sounds like it’s not the best timing right now. However, I’m convinced that [your product or service] is something that is going to help your business be even more successful.

That’s why I’ve included some examples [cite two or three attached case studies] that illustrate how [your product] can help you [product benefit #1] and [product benefit #2], and I’ll touch base in a month or so to update you on what’s new.

Kind regards,

[your signature]

7. Sharing valuable content

Sharing some of your most powerful content can help illustrate to prospects that your company is a thought leader and an authority in your particular space.

These days, inbound content such as eBooks, white papers, and blogs are increasingly important to your ability to attract and engage new prospects. When reaching out cold, sharing valuable content is one of the more effective ways to get the attention of your target. This email template from sales-i will help you accomplish that:

Hi [prospect name],

I am doing some research on [your industry] and found that [key pain point] is one of the biggest challenges in this market.

Is this a challenge for you also?

As I have a keen interest in this market, I thought I would share with you this [content type—e.g. eBook, infographic, etc.] explaining how to solve for [same pain point], as I thought it may be beneficial.

If you would like to have a chat with me about the market or how I’ve helped other [industry] companies such as [some of your clients], please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Kind regards,

[your signature]

Conclusion

When sending sales emails such as these, don’t get discouraged if you see a low response rate. It can feel like an uphill struggle to engage new prospects, especially when reaching out cold. However, with the right sales email template, you’ll find it much easier to get your foot in the door and get your meeting on the prospect’s calendar.

I encourage you to adapt the templates above to fit your needs and unique market or industry. Experiment a little to see which approach works best for your prospects’ needs, and you’ll land on the email template that produces the best results for you. For additional lead generation strategies, check out this article.

Do you have a sales email template that’s working for you? Tell us about it in the comments section below.