Cold email campaigns for B2B businesses can be daunting at times. You may start questioning your strategy and ponder about the number of emails you should send to get a single client.
The number of cold emails to get at least one client varies depending on multiple factors. If you proceed with a hyper-personalized approach and target each prospect manually, it would take at least 100-200 emails. However, the generic approach towards cold email strategy would fetch you one client after sending at least between 500-1000 emails.
We’ll be exploring more regarding the number of cold emails to get one client and its strategy. Therefore, let us begin!
Understanding The Dynamics Of Conversion Rate In Cold Email Campaigns
The main goal of any cold email is to generate engagement from the targeted audience of the mail campaign. That said, the conversion rate in any cold email campaign is the number of sales from emails sent versus the total number of emails sent.
In simple words, if you send 100 emails under an email campaign, the number of emails that would result in the customers paying can be defined as the conversion rate of that particular email campaign.
But there’s a catch. The average cold email reply rate is 8.5%, considering all types of businesses from different niches. However, this is confused with the open rate, which is around 24%.
The response rate mainly revolves around the recipient directly engaging with the sender through replies. Once replied to, there should be between 3 and 8 follow-ups. As per the usual practice, the sweet spot is 5 follow-ups, which results in 80% sales conversion.
Then again, the sales conversion from the cold emails highly depends on the total number of recipients you are trying to target. In this regard, good deliverability of the emails is a significant aspect.
Moreover, your total outreach strategy should be entirely hyper-personalized and customer-centric. It will eventually make the way for higher sales conversions.
Further Reading- Master Cold Email Strategy: Proven Tactics for High-Response Outreach
Math Behind Getting One Client From Cold Emails
Conversion of a client from the cold emails you send depends on many underlying factors. But if we take everything into account at an optimum market average rate, it takes roughly 500-1000 emails to land a single conversion from a cold email sales campaign.
Let’s break it down to you:
Suppose you have sent 100 cold emails as a part of a cold email sales campaign. Now, if we take the average cold email response rate of 8.5% into account, you are likely to get 8 responses from 100 emails. But in reality, that isn’t the case.
Of that 8.5%, around 7% of the recipient replies are negative. That makes the case of 1% or even less favorable replies from the consumer end.
Even if we take this 1% into consideration, there should be a suitable follow-up strategy. The best follow-up approach would be sending at least 3 follow-up emails to each of the recipients under this 1% category. However, as you are focused on sales conversion as of now, the best practice should be to send at least 5 follow-up emails.
Then again, there is a lack of clarity about the outcome if your approach is generic. There is a high chance your leads under this 1% category may not convert. For that reason, the average number of cold emails to be sent to land one client is considered something between 500-1000.
On the other hand, if you opt for an entirely manual approach, where you can target each recipient through hyper-personalization, the number of emails to land one client would be around 100-200. This entire process would need a tailormade approach where you must set the outreach strategy specific for each potential client.
To sum up, it all depends on whether you go for a generic approach that is prevalent or a super personalized strategy. The number of emails would vary accordingly.
Metrics Influencing Cold Email Sales Conversion Rates
The journey towards closing a sale has several aspects and influences. There are multiple dimensions as a part of the cold email lead conversion that you must take into account.
Let us explore some of those metrics below:
Email Open Rate
If your cold email isn’t opened in the first place, the gateway to sales is closed in the first place. It is the most pragmatic metric that you should be concerned about. A good inbox placement opens up doors for higher opening rates. It is the primary task to ensure higher email deliverability to your targeted audience.
Email Reply Rate
Once opened, the next phase that impacts sales is how many recipients end up replying to the cold email. It is the phase where you get the chance to know their inputs and follow up with them accordingly. Then again, the replies can be either type, both positive and negative. It will eventually play a part in the booking rate from the leads.
Email Booking Rate
Not every recipient will directly convert from the follow-ups initially. Here comes the booking part, where you have to continue with information sharing and further follow-ups. Most likely, your emails should be to the point to increase the chances of sales conversion.
Number Of Emails Sent
Last but not least, it is the total number of emails you have sent that will determine the success rate of the campaign. There isn’t any definite number, but the focus should always be on the qualitative aspect rather than quantity.
Further Reading- Key Metrics for Measuring Cold Email Success
Top Strategies For Higher Cold Email Conversion
There is no definite rulebook for the success of your cold email campaigns. The dynamics of a cold email outreach strategy are very fast-paced and change within a while. However, there are a few aspects that will surely increase the chances of closing clients in the current scenario.
Hyper-Personalization
The more personal you get, the higher your chances of engagement with the recipients. If any reader reads the cold email, they should feel like the message is specifically tailor-made for them.
From the recipient’s end, the feeling on their part should be like the email is just sent to them and no one else. The outcome from such tailor-made communication is twice as much response rate than the market average for cold email campaigns.
Segmentation
The process of segmentation involves defining the buyer persona towards whom the email campaign is focused. The strategy here would be dividing the personas into multiple ICPs. It would enable you to cater appropriately to different individuals, aligning with the element of hyper-personalization.
Engaging CTA
The power of an excellent CTA sometimes has more weight than the entire content itself. It’s something that hooks your audience to open the email and start a conversation. Always remember that it’s the direct approach that helps you convert the lead. Anything vague won’t help in catching the eye of the audience.
Further Reading- Top Cold Email Marketing Software: A Comprehensive Review
FAQs About Cold Emails
How many cold emails does it take to get a client?
You might be wondering, how many cold emails does it really take to land a client? Well, it’s a bit of a numbers game. On average, it takes about six calls to turn a prospect into a paying customer. That means you’re looking at around 48 calls to seal a single deal. Some studies even suggest that it might take up to 18 calls just to connect with a lead. The average company closes about 20% of their leads, but if you’re really on top of your game, you could close closer to 30%. So, patience and persistence are key!
How many cold emails should I send to one person?
Starting out with cold emails? It’s a good idea to keep things manageable at first. If you’re new to the game, aim for sending about 10-20 emails per day. Once you get the hang of it and start automating your campaigns, you can gradually increase that number. The key is to scale up as you gain more experience and confidence.
How many cold emails are too many?
When you’re just getting started, it’s wise to stick to sending between 10 to 20 cold emails a day. If you’re eager to ramp up your campaign, make sure to do it gradually. You can use tools to help you send out emails in bulk, but remember to spread them out throughout the day to avoid overwhelming your prospects
What percentage of cold emails are successful?
So, what’s the success rate of cold emails? On average, only about 8.5% of cold emails get a response. But don’t let that discourage you! You can improve your chances by targeting the right prospects, personalizing your emails to their interests, and following up consistently. Here’s a tip: Use the 30/30/50 rule to measure the success of your outreach efforts.
How many times should you email a cold prospect?
Experts say that when it comes to cold-emailing, three is the magic number. Sending around three sales emails over a couple of weeks is usually enough to gauge whether a prospect is interested in what you’re offering. Any more than that, and you might just be spinning your wheels.
How often should you follow up on cold emails?
When it comes to following up, the sweet spot is between 4 to 9 follow-up emails. This range helps maximize your reply rates without coming off as spammy. A good strategy is to leave at least a 2-day gap after your first follow-up, then space out the next few emails with 4-day intervals, eventually moving to 5+ days between contacts.
What is the average success rate of cold calling?
Cold calling might seem daunting, but it still has its place in sales. The average success rate for cold calling is about 4.8%, which is lower compared to other sales techniques. However, as part of a broader outbound lead generation strategy, it can still be quite effective. It’s all about persistence and finding the right approach.
How long should you wait between cold emails?
Timing is everything! You don’t want to follow up too soon after your initial email, but you also don’t want to wait too long. A good rule of thumb is to wait between 3 to 7 days before sending your first follow-up. After that, you can follow up every few days to a week, depending on how urgent the situation is. Finding the right balance is key to keeping your prospect engaged without overwhelming them
Explore our expert insights on cold emailing strategies and tips to boost your client outreach success
Final Thoughts
Sending cold emails cluelessly without defining your objective won’t bring you any outcome. That is why you must warm up your email first and then start working in the way of campaign execution.
The content matter of your email outreach strategy should have a customer-centric intent. Otherwise, it would be tough for you to differentiate between hot leads and regular leads. Lastly, you shouldn’t be stuck to any specific number and wait for conversion. The approach should be to convert leads as early as possible.
