I always receive cold emails. Some of them are personalized, and some of them are robotic. Sometimes, I’ll ignore and sometimes I’ll respond with something snarky (this is my spiritual gift). I get it. These are just part of the internet.

Whenever I get a cold email from someone local, it’s a different story. I always feel sorry for them. They have totally missed an opportunity to connect with someone in real life and possibly a sale.

These are the emails in which I’ll generally reply with some practical advice.

If you are desiring to cold email people in your area

Rather than emailing “Dear Brandon, I really think your business could benefit from our website services.”, you should always do at least 5 seconds of research.

Start by saying “Brandon, I really loved your post on Staying Fit With 3 Kids, I’d love to buy you coffee and pick your brain”. This shows you are interested and care about them at a human level (which you should anyway) and greatly increases the chances of them buying the services you are selling.

At worst, you will have connected with a likeminded individual who could/would potentially refer others to you in the future. At best, you could get all of the above plus a new customer and friend.

So, the next time you are cold emailing someone who’s within driving distance from you, give this post another read and consider a more personal approach.