Carpet Bomb Email Shows Glimmer Of Promise

This little treasure had the temerity to sneak through my spam filters the other day.

How’s this for a blind, cold mail. Straight to the point;

[firstname]

Can we schedule a few minutes to discuss our video production work and pricing structure?

We work with hundreds of technology companies to simplify complex ideas.

Our portfolio can be found here: [link to portfoilo]

Best, [digital signatures]

I’ve never heard of the sender.

The typical feel of a blanket mailer. Hoping in vain for the supposedly standard 1 to 1½% response.

As dismissive as I normally am of this type of thing, I did hold a smidgen of affection for it.

The opening brashness of close intent upfront made me chuckle.

It suggests a whiff of what selling should be about. Always Be Closing.

Yet. It’s all me-me-me.

And it commits the sin of stating the ‘what’. As in, what you do as opposed to ‘why‘ you do it. “Video production”. SFW… I don’t need any, thanks.

But hey, they work with “hundreds of companies”, so I gotta listen up, right. Wrong.

Wait a mo’ though. There is the embryonic problem statement; “simplify complex ideas“.

These three words have promise. The entire messaging ought be built around them.

There is a harsh reality at play here, mind you. Which is that the whole approach is misguided.

I can hear this as the seven-second cold call script. Delivered before the lighted match burns your fingers.

It’s still pretty much old school. A school who’s time has long gone. Replaced in my homeland by a higher achieving academy.

If you seek more modern ideas – ones that work in far greater numbers – then you can start by checking out Bryan Kreuzberger and Aaron Ross. Happy hunting.