In the world of B2B sales, email sequences are a game-changer. They are about crafting a series of personalised messages that guide prospects through the customer journey, ultimately leading to increased sales and customer engagement.
In this article we will ask what exactly an email sequence is as opposed to cadence, how you can decide your own cadence and sequence, and how it can be used to improve your B2B sales agency.
There are two main types of email sequences: the sales-driven sequences that aim to generate leads, and the marketing-oriented sequences that nurture these leads. For small B2B agencies, the primary focus is often on sales email sequences to drive lead generation.
Drip campaigns and email sequences are often used interchangeably, but drip campaigns are triggered by certain actions such as abandoning the cart or buying a course, while email sequences may adapt their content based on user interactions on your website. Both methods leverage automation, but email sequences offer a more dynamic and personalised approach to engage with your audience.
Say you are starting from scratch with a new prospect, your initial “cold” email is your golden opportunity to capture the decision-maker’s attention; read more about cold email marketing here. The follow ups from your original touchpoint marks the start of the sequence, which not only nurture leads and drive sales, but also enhance customer retention and engagement.
Moreover, email sequences are highly scalable, allowing you to automate your outreach efforts and save time while delivering personalised content to your prospects.
By providing valuable and personalised content, small B2B agencies can build trust, engage prospects, and ultimately drive conversions.
Picking a Cadence
One of the key elements that can make or break an email campaign is the email cadence – the rhythm, pace, and strategy behind when and how you send your emails.
It involves a structured schedule over a set number of days and through various channels such as email, phone, and social media, as Harvard Business Review has shown that About 73% of consumers prefer shopping through more than one channel, and that omnichannel customers spend more in their transactions, on average 10% more online and 4% in-store.
When it comes to email cadence in B2B sales, finding the sweet spot is crucial. If your cadence is too aggressive, irrelevant, or inconsistent, you risk losing valuable leads along their buyers’ journey.
It’s essential to tailor your email cadence to your specific business and audience. For example, a B2B agency may find that sending emails weekly works best for engaging their main audience, while adjusting the frequency for less engaged subscribers. Research has shown that the reply rate of campaigns with 1-3 emails in a sequence is 9%, and that of campaigns with 4-7 emails in a sequence is three times higher – 27%.
Arguably, your email sequence should have at least 4 emails. Statistics show that, in high-growth organisations, sales teams make an average of 16 touches per prospect, within a 2-4 week span, and that 80% of prospects say “no” four times before they say “yes”! With 92% of marketers giving up after a fourth “no”, we can imply that 8% of marketers are closing 80% of prospects through sheer tenacity alone.
Emails sent on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday tend to receive the most engagement, although Tuesdays have shown to garner the highest engagement rates. Additionally, emails sent between 9 a.m. to 12 p.m had the highest , with 47.9% of the B2B marketers reporting the most engagement between 9 AM and 12 PM.
One of the key advantages of implementing a sales cadence is the focused effort it brings to your prospecting process. It ensures that you follow a consistent approach, avoiding the pitfalls of sending duplicate emails or missing crucial steps in the sales process.
You might choose to focus your efforts on leads who have opened some of your emails, and redirect other leads into another email funnel for re-engagement. In this way, cadence becomes a tool to figure out where to spend your time, not only a tool to book.
Email Sequence
Drip campaigns triggered by actions may include any of the following:
Abandoned Cart Email Sequence: Ideal for e-commerce businesses, this sequence reminds customers of items left in their carts and offers incentives to complete the purchase.
Welcome Email Sequence: A series of emails that introduce new subscribers to your business, products, and services, setting a positive first impression.
Re-engagement Email Sequence: Designed to rekindle interest from dormant customers or prospects who haven’t engaged with your business recently.
Upsell & Cross-sell Email Sequence: Recommends complementary or upgraded products to customers based on their past purchases.
Lead Nurturing Email Sequence: Guides prospects through the customer journey, providing relevant information and building relationships to drive conversions.
Onboarding Email Sequence: Educates new customers about your business, products, and services, setting clear expectations and fostering engagement.
These kinds of email sequences are very effective for automated triggers, such as abandoned carts – research indicates that triggered emails show a 38.03% open rate and 6.76% click-through rate. They are less likely to get marked as spam and see the lowest unsubscribe rate.
A dynamic email sequence, one which is targeted to the problems your prospects are looking to fix, might follow such a pattern:
Pain message: an attention-grabbing headline, with bullet pointed ‘pain points’ that drive home how well you understand the prospect’s problem.
– Trigger for why the prospect is receiving the email
– Pain statements/question
– Solution ideas (not about you)
– Soft ask
Value message: you promote your offering, highlighting how it solves their pain.
– Asking if they’ve tried something you provide
– Examples
– Soft ask
Name drop: for re-engagement, you demonstrate social proof by presenting a case-study which quantifies how you were able to solve the problem of the original email! – inserts examples as opposed to previous message
– Asking if they’ve tried something you sort
– Examples
– Soft ask
Qualifying message: you pose questions to the prospect to tie back to the pain points, starting a new thread with focus on different pain point
– trigger/context
– Problem statement
– Solution to solve the problem
– Example
– Soft ask
Product message: mention features of your offering, trying to earn their attention & interest.
– Offering something to them/ a favour
Final message: it is now common that you would send a ‘breakup email’ in which you acknowledge their lack of response (levying guilt!) and let prospects know you’re available should they become interested – but it’s more effective if you evidence your offering.
– Hail Mary shot
– Some punchy statistics
– Soft ask
The so-called “Pain message” possesses an arresting headline, capable of seizing the attention of your prospects and demonstrating a deep understanding of their problems. Its strength lies in its problem-focused approach which can trigger emotional connections. Nevertheless, it requires profound insights into your prospects’ pain points and if done incorrectly, it could come across as presumptuous or off the mark.
The “Value message” is a natural follow-up to the Pain message. Highlighting how your offering alleviates their pain paves the way to an engaging conversation. But, there lies the danger of appearing self-promotional if not carefully presented. A balanced representation of how your services can benefit the prospect without sounding like a hard sell is essential.
Your “Name drop” tactic is an excellent reintroduction tool. Illustrating your success stories can add credibility and get that elusive re-engagement, though, I’d caution you of sounding boastful or even irrelevant if the showcased case-study doesn’t resonate with the prospect’s specific problem.
The “Qualifying message” engages the prospect in a conversation and refocuses on a different pain point. Yet, the approach should be precise and subtle, lest it appears as an interrogation or a badly masked selling ploy.
Introducing your “Product features” can grab the attention and interest of your prospects. But be wary of overwhelming them with technical details and jargon. Remember, they’re probably more interested in how your solution will improve their business, not how the nuts and bolts work.
Last but not least, your proposed “Final message”, that clever ‘breakup email’ is indeed common and can even instigate action through invoking the fear of missing out. Apply this skillfully or risk appearing manipulative or guilt-tripping.
For small B2B agencies aiming to make a mark, the strategic implementation of personalised email journeys and well-timed outreach cadences can be a game-changer.
Email sequences and cadences allow agencies to expand their outreach efforts without compromising on quality or personalization. As new team members come on board, a robust sales cadence provides a clear framework, ensuring consistency and alignment with the agency’s overarching sales strategy.
The core advantage of email sequences is their ability to nurture leads with precision, build trust, and drive conversions through content that is both valuable and resonant.
In turn, being able to use data-driven insights, agencies can streamline their sales processes and deliver a personalised experience that keeps prospects engaged and ready to act.
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Benji is like having an extra pair of hands (or paws) that never tires, meticulously keeping track of each prospect and ensuring that every communication is spot on.
He’s not just efficient; he’s also charming and a bit cheeky, always ready to surprise you and your prospects with messages that are both delightful and effective.
And the best part? Benji does all this without ever being pushy or spammy. He knows exactly when to reach out and when to let go, making sure that every message counts without ever overwhelming your prospects.
So, if you’re ready to take your B2B sales to the next level and give your competitors something to worry about, why not see what Benji can do for you? Book a call today and discover how easy and effective nurturing leads can be with a little help from your new best friend in sales!
