You are currently viewing 10 Sales Email Templates With 60% or Higher Open Rates [+ Bonus Templates]

10 Sales Email Templates With 60% or Higher Open Rates [+ Bonus Templates]

Let me see if this story sounds familiar to you: you send a sales email to a prospect.

They don’t open it.

That’s it. End of story.

If a prospect doesn’t open the email, the deal is, well, dead before it even began. They won’t read your value proposition, understand how your company can help them grow, or give you a chance to warm them up to the idea of buying your product or service. Regardless of your sales strategy, a sale begins with an email.

With only 17% of emails getting opened across all industries, it’s important to write a compelling, actionable message that invites a click. It might seem simple, but that opened email can lead to a closed-won deal.

The following templates have 60% or higher open rates, 8% or higher click-through rates, and 30% or higher response rates. I’ve lightly edited the templates so you can tweak them for your industry, market, product, and prospect.

Tip: You can also check out these sales prospecting email templates, these templates for boosting end-of-month sales, or these funny templates real salespeople use.

Happy selling!

Featured Resource: 25 Proven Sales Email Templates

Proven Sales Email Templates

Download These Templates for Free

Best Sales Email Templates

1. If You Want to Make a Sales Introduction

If the prospect hasn’t heard of you before, give them a reason to talk to you. Mentioning their goals and showing you did your homework is often enough to pique a buyer’s interest.

2. If They Visited Your Site

Based on the prospect’s browsing behavior, you know they’re at least interested in your solution. If you want to capitalize on that interest, position yourself as a trusted advisor who can walk them through the decision-making process and answer questions as they arise.

3. If You’re a Stranger to Them

The first touch email is the most important one you’ll send. Like the first template in this list, this email will give your prospect an overview of your company while showing off your knowledge of their organization.

4. If You Just Called Them

Use the following quick email to reinforce the voicemail you just left. Voicemails are all too easily deleted or forgotten, so following up is critical to ensure you get a response.

5. If There’s Been a Trigger Event

Strike while the iron is hot. A trigger event gives you a compelling reason to reach out, boosts your credibility by demonstrating you clearly pay attention to what’s happening in their space, and establishes urgency.

6. If They Requested a Demo

This email helps you establish a relationship with the prospect and set the right expectations for the process. If they’re not prepared for a discussion of their company and objectives before the nuts-and-bolts product talk, they might become impatient.

7. If They’re Using Your Free Tool or a Trial Version of Your Product

Help your prospect get as much out of their free sign-up or trial as possible. Not only will this help them see the value of your product, it also lets you influence their purchasing criteria.

8. If They Opened Your Email But Never Replied

The prospect is interested in learning more — after all, they read your message — but they’re either too busy to respond or not interested enough. Get the conversation going again with an explanation of your company’s solution and an offer to give them a demo.

9. If They Still Don’t Respond

Heard nothing? Before you give up on this prospect, send a few more resources their way. You’ll add value while simultaneously reminding them your tool might be able to solve a pressing pain point — as it has for their competitors.

10. If They Went Dark

This lighthearted email gives the buyer a chance to change their mind. It’s a great way to re-engage them without guilt-tripping them.

These templates are proven to get results, so what are you waiting for? Incorporate them into your prospecting strategy.

And if you’re still looking for more, you’re in luck. Below, I’ve included bonus email templates for a wider variety of scenarios.

More Email Templates

These don’t have the impressive open rates of the ones above, but they’re still helpful templates to turn to when you need help.

11. If You Want to Build Rapport

Let’s say your conversation has stalled a bit and you want to keep the momentum going without being too pushy. Try a rapport-building approach.

It requires you to know a little about the person you’re sending an email to — just another reason why it’s important to get to know your prospect in your initial outreach and discovery calls.

Don’t include a business-related ask in this email. Once you get a response, your reply can include an ask that steers the conversation back to the deal in question.

12. If You Need Them to Take Action

Sometimes you’ve spent so much time on a deal that you simply need to know if the prospect is interested in moving forward. If they keep rescheduling meetings, missing calls, or pushing for a longer discovery period, it might be time to cut to the chase.

13. If You’re Responding to Content They’ve Published

Prospects like to know you’ve taken a sincere interest in their business. One of the better ways to demonstrate that interest is to take the time to read, understand, and offer constructive guidance based on the content they publish.

Sales email template example for responding to a prospect's content

14. If You Want to Congratulate Them on a Recent Achievement

Congratulating prospects on their recent achievements is another way to show them that you’ll value them, should your relationship progress. It demonstrates that you see them as more than another brick-in-the-wall potential customer.

Do your research and stay abreast of any milestones they reach. Then, reach out and reference those big-time wins — all with an air of tasteful flattery around your message.

15. If You Want to Reference a Mutual Contact

In a lot of ways, sales is the art of cultivating trust with potential customers. One of the better ways to do so is by finding some common ground via mutual connections, peers, or former colleagues.

Taking this angle can add some degree of familiarity with your prospects, put them at ease, and give you a leg up in the trust-building process.

16. If They Went Dark (More Formal)

Sometimes, when prospects go completely dark, you don’t want to go the casual route like in the tenth template in this list. In that case, use the email below to re-establish a connection.

This email is included in our sales email template kit. Download it for free.

17. If You’ve Connected on LinkedIn

If you’ve connected with your prospect on LinkedIn but haven’t yet emailed them, use the below template to begin a conversation. It’s vague, which gives you more space to add details from their LinkedIn profile. Don’t be afraid to point out if you’ve been in their position or role before. That can help you generate empathy.

18. If You Attended the Same College

Another way you can get your email opened is by referencing your alma mater, if you share one. Most people feel pride in the college they attended, and even if you graduated in different years, you can easily find some common ground.

19. If They Went on Vacation or Parental Leave

If your prospect went on vacation and you’ve received autoresponder emails, follow up once they’ve returned to the office. When you do, reference their vacation in your email, or congratulate them on parenthood if they went on parental leave.

It’d be helpful if you could link to a resource in case they forgot the details and don’t want to look through your email thread or read a long email with all of this information.

20. If They Commented on Your Social Posts

Sometimes, prospects may comment on your posts and seem fairly interested in your solutions, but they don’t engage with you otherwise. Most of the time, you shouldn’t engage with them too early, but if they keep showing up in your social pages, it’s worth reaching out.

If the comment is related to your product, DM them first and ask if you can follow up over email. If they say yes, send them the following template.

Use Email Templates to Nurture More Leads

Email templates can make your life much easier, allowing you to reach more prospects in less time and close more deals. With the templates I’ve shared, you’ll be sure to increase open rates and efficiently meet your sales quota. Use these templates for any scenario — and don’t forget to tailor them to your prospect’s needs.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in June 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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