Learn the most effective B2B email strategy that achieves 67% open rates and 20%+ reply rates by targeting multiple decision-makers at your ideal accounts.
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- 13 min read
Why Account-Based Email?
Sales Lead Automation has sent millions of B2B marketing and sales emails using mass email, sales
automation email, and now account-based emails. I can say with 100% certainty that account-based
email is easy to launch and non-disruptive to your current sales & marketing processes
(when done correctly).
automation email, and now account-based emails. I can say with 100% certainty that account-based
email is easy to launch and non-disruptive to your current sales & marketing processes
(when done correctly).
We don’t believe you can fully automate an account-based email program—nor should you. These are your top
prospects and need to be handled slightly differently than a typical sales automation program. While we have
automated several aspects of these campaigns, they still require some manual management to be most
effective.
prospects and need to be handled slightly differently than a typical sales automation program. While we have
automated several aspects of these campaigns, they still require some manual management to be most
effective.
Why Start Here?
Account-based email is easy to launch and non-disruptive to your
current sales and marketing processes. It gets you started down the road of account-based
marketing with the basics intact.
current sales and marketing processes. It gets you started down the road of account-based
marketing with the basics intact.
Identifying Your Ideal Accounts
If you ask most salespeople to identify their top target accounts, 9 times out of 10 they’ll say they want to go after the biggest companies (the whales). And they would be wrong.
For account-based email, focus on the most profitable companies with the highest lifetime value (LTV). This might require feedback from your finance department on most profitable clients, and your Operations team to find the easiest clients to work with—these generally remain customers longer.
Questions to Ask About Your Best Customers
- How did they become customers?
- What put them into an active buying process?
- Was it new regulations or technology impacting their industry?
- Was it an operational issue like poor production, quality, or volume?
- Did they expand so much they needed better support?
- Did they outgrow their existing vendor?
- Was there a new initiative or new funding?
Company Attributes to Collect
- Industry (SIC/NAICS code)
- Number of employees
- Location(s)
- International vs domestic
- Technologies used (Technographics)
- Active job openings (Job Board Data)
- Recent funding rounds
- Intent data signals
What is Intent Data? It helps you identify companies consuming or creating content related to your products and services on the internet—showing active interest in your solution space.
Who Do You Contact?
Gartner’s research reports there are usually six to ten decision-makers in any major purchase decision. People from various departments, job titles, and levels—all with unique responsibilities, needs, and challenges.
The Time Challenge
A typical salesperson only gets about 5-6% of a buyer’s time when making a purchase decision. That’s not enough time to build relationships with each person in the buying committee.
Key Personas to Target
Influencer
Champions your solution internally
Decision-Maker
Has final authority on purchases
End-User
Will use the product/service daily
Financial Authority
Controls the budget
Job Title Keywords to Search
Don’t forget acronyms and variations. For example, for HR roles:
HRHuman ResourcesCHROChief People OfficerTalentRecruiterBenefitsTotal RewardsCompensationMobility
B2B Data Preparation
Once you’ve identified ideal accounts and downloaded relevant contacts, begin the email verification process. This is critical for maintaining good email reputation and deliverability.
Common Data Problems to Fix
❌ Dirty Data Examples
Robert (Bob) Jones-MBA→ Name has nickname and degreeR. Jones→ Initial instead of first nameJones Robert→ Names reversedFounder/CEO and Head of Finance→ Multiple titlesAchme Inc., a division of ABC company→ Company name with suffixes
✓ Clean Data Examples
Bob→ Clean first nameCEO→ Most senior title onlyAchme→ Clean company name
Note: It takes approximately 8 hours on average to clean 5,000 contacts. This manual effort is essential for personalization that doesn’t look like a form letter.
Data Prioritization & Influencer Tagging
After downloading and cleaning contacts, sort them by job level (C-suite down to managers) and tag the
most senior prospects as Influencer 1, 2, or 3.
Example: Logistics Company
| Contact | Title | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| David Johnson | VP of Global Logistics | Influencer 1 |
| Sarah Schmid | Supply Chain General Supervisor | Influencer 2 |
| Matthew Durch | Procurement Director | Influencer 3 |
Pro Tip: Verify your list BEFORE tagging contacts so you don’t waste time tagging invalid contact records.
The Account-Based Email Template
The magic of account-based email: manually create an email addressed to Influencer 1 and CC Influencers 2 and 3. This simple technique achieves remarkable results.
Account-Based Email TemplateTo: David.Johnson@3MCompany.com
Cc: Sarah.Schmid@3MCompany.com; Matthew.Durch@3MCompany.com
Subject: Introductions
Hello David,
I noticed you were VP of Global Logistics at 3M and I wanted to introduce myself because I would like to see if I can be of any assistance regarding your logistics and shipping efforts.
I’m not sure who is in charge of selecting a logistics provider, so in my pursuit, I have copied Sarah Schmid and Matthew Durch.
For the past 25 years I have been helping companies like yours develop cost effective shipping and logistic solutions.
[Insert Call To Action]
Sincerely,
[Your Signature]
[Your Signature]
67%
Average Open Rate
20%+
Average Reply Rate
Why Account-Based Emails Are So Effective
By copying three people into the same email, two things happen:
Shows Your Homework
The prospect sees you’ve identified 3 key influencers at
their company—you’re not just spraying emails.
their company—you’re not just spraying emails.
Increases Response Rate
With three people copied, someone is compelled to
respond—especially when you message someone’s boss.
respond—especially when you message someone’s boss.
Typical Responses You’ll See
Response from Influencer 1 (David):
“Thanks for reaching out Shawn, why don’t you
talk to Sarah and I will circle back with her to see if it warrants another conversation.”
talk to Sarah and I will circle back with her to see if it warrants another conversation.”
Response from Influencer 3 (Matthew):
“Hello Shawn, I will be glad to set up a call to
discuss your services. What’s your schedule look like?”
discuss your services. What’s your schedule look like?”
Summary & Getting Started
If you don’t have the money or resources to launch a complete account-based marketing program, or you’re not happy with your current ABM efforts, consider this account-based email approach.
3-Step Implementation
1
Build Your List
Pull a list of ideal companies and contacts matching your ICP.
2
Tag Influencers
Sort by company and manually flag 3-6 influencers at each target company.
3
Send Personalized Emails
Create one-off emails copying each influencer, or hire a virtual assistant to help.
The results will be fantastic!
Account-based email consistently outperforms traditional mass email and sales automation approaches.
Need Help With Your Cold Email Campaigns?
Sales Lead Automation can help you implement these strategies and put them into practice.
Contact our team to learn more.