Wondering how to use email to approach new clients?
Email is one of the most cost-effective and high-return methods to gather new leads.
But here’s the problem: An average office worker receives about 121 emails daily.
That’s a lot of emails.
Now, imagine you’re trying to reach a business owner or a C-level executive.
There’s a high chance they’re receiving 3x the cold emails, pitches, and LinkedIn sales outreach daily.
Maybe even more since a lot of sales outreach and client acquisition is automated now.
Now, if you think using email to approach new clients might be hard, don’t worry.
Using the right email templates and strategy, you’ll be able to stand out in your client’s inbox without any worry.
Below, we’ll cover everything you need to know on how to approach client for business with email and more.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
What is a sample welcome email and why is it important?
How to approach a client for the first time via email
How to write a strong sample email to a prospective client for new business and what to include in it and how do you write a professional email to a client examples
5 sample email templates to reach out to potential clients via email
5 best practices to keep in mind when writing an email to potential customers or doing outreach
But before we begin…
In addition to writing quality emails, one other way to stand out when approaching new clients is to also connect with them on LinkedIn.
If you’re looking for the best email and LinkedIn sales hacks, be sure to join our private Facebook group, The LinkedIn Outreach Family. In it, you’ll find even more practical tips, strategies, templates, and more!
Now, let’s get this guide to writing emails started!
What Is A Sample Welcome Email To Approach New Clients Online?
First things first, what is a welcome email, exactly?
A welcome email, or a business introduction email, is the first email you send to a potential client to sell your product, service, or to network.
The objective might vary, but generally, the goal of a business introduction email is to initiate a mutually beneficial business connection, by fostering trust and a positive rapport between you and your potential client.
Keep in mind, if it’s the first email you send to a potential client, they probably don’t know you very well. So, it’s important to reference any prior contact (if you’ve had any), and introduce yourself the right way.
Additionally, try to focus on the client when approaching them with email.
Chances are, you’re reaching out for new business, but focus on what’s in it for them. After all, they get up to 100s of emails a day and most people focus on themselves.
So, how DO you write an email to a potential customer the right way?
Let’s take a look!
How To Approach A Client For The First Time Via Email?
The first impression is the best impression, they say. And this holds true when you’re approaching a new client with an email.
However, email outreach and writing cold emails that convert can take some time to master. But it’s not too hard when you know how to crack the code.
So, let’s start from the top.
Assuming you’ve already warmed up your email inbox and want to start writing emails…
You’ll find that sales emails prospective clients receive can be broken down into several essential elements.
Keep these tips in mind the next time you approach a new potential client:
1. A strong and personalized subject line
No two clients are the same. So, when writing emails, craft a subject line that takes advantage of the recipient’s curiosity or targets a specific pain point.
For example, “This is urgent – not a sales pitch” is a bad subject line, whereas “Quick question on [company_name]’s customer retention” is a better subject line.
Ensure it’s not too sensational or clickbait. The goal is to get them to open the email. But if you’re lying to them and the subject line has nothing to do with the email text, they will just click away. Remember, lying to a potential new client is not the best way to start a relationship.
How you start an email is the main factor in capturing attention.
Even if you have the best product or most relevant service globally, no one will work with you unless you can get their attention. You can use comedy or humor, personalization, a direct question, and more to stand out and capture attention in your emails.
After a short and strong hook, it’s time to get to the point and introduce yourself.
Here, you’ll want to address the prospect’s most burning question. Which is “What’s in it for me?”. It might be easy to go overboard and start talking about yourself here. But in reality, you’ll want to keep this under 2 lines at most.
For example, “I’m [name], and I’m reaching out because…”
4. Relevant pitch or sales proposal that pushes your ultimate value proposition
This will largely depend on your ideal customer persona. Different people have different needs. So curate your value proposition based on their specific needs.
Consider the prospect’s industry, company role, etc. Before sending that cold email, make sure you’re targeting the right person and adding the right offer.
Many SDRs simply end their email halfway through, without a CTA. If the prospect is scratching their head trying to figure out what you want from them, chances are, they’re not going to reply.
The next time you’re sending an email, use action-oriented text, keep it short and straightforward, create urgency, focus on the benefit, and follow a natural progression. See our guide on email marketing call to action for some practical examples.
Sounds overwhelming?
Don’t worry. You can just fill in our proven email template to approach new clients below.
Now, let’s put all this together to craft a sample email to client for new business.
We’ll take a look at a good sample email example, deconstruct what makes it good, and then cover some templates below to understand how to write email to client for new project.
Sample email template to approach new clients – example breakdown
Speaking of outreach, me and my team have been working on developing a brand new sales tool that writes unique, AI-generated first lines for your outreach emails.
What makes it different is that the tool automatically goes through the prospect’s Twitter, website blog, and other social media to find something relatable (not just their LinkedIn).
More than glad to send 50 no-cost credits if you want to try it out yourself.
Or can we get on a quick 5-minute call this Thursday or Friday if you’re game?
Right now, we’re focusing on getting the word out on the project. So, I would love your feedback.
What do you think?
PS – yes, this first line was written by our own tool. We eat our own dog food. :)”
What makes this sample email do well?
It’s highly personalized. Down to mentioning someone and what outstanding results they’ve achieved.
Effective and relevant transition to sales outreach. Since I’ve done a webinar on LinkedIn outreach, it’s safe to assume my interest in growth-hacking and marketing.
Clear call to action with 2 options. When you’re inviting someone on a call, explain what the call includes and how long it’s going to be.
Open-ended final line with room to ask more questions if needed.
So, while you can use some strong email sales templates, it’s essential to stay flexible and know how to repurpose sample emails for your own company.
That’s because each client, business, and industry is different. As a result, each sample email to client for new business will be different.
Meaning you can’t just replace placeholder and personalization tags from a template and call it a day.
You know your target audience best.
Keep in mind, there are many email templates to approach new clients.
But you always have to adjust them based on your target audience and ideal clients.
First off, just because one template worked for someone else doesn’t mean it’ll work for you too.
And there are no guaranteed emails toa approach new clients. Everything will depend on your offer, audience, target audience, and so on.
That said, let’s take a look at some email templates that have worked for us that you can adjust for your business.
6 Sample Email Templates To Approach New Clients
The following email templates can be repurposed as a sample email to client for new business.
The sample emails below are customer-focused and value-packed and can help you build a meaningful connection and not get your email deleted instantly.
The 6 different ways you can use email to approach new clients include:
Personalized cold emails.
Using omnichannel dynamic GIFs to stand out in your audience’s inbox.
Congratulating them on a specific outcome.
Post webinar sales message email to a warmer audience.
Custom video audit email.
The expert opinion email.
Let’s take a look.
1. The personalized cold email
This high-converting email example is based on the below formula:
A super personalized first line
Relevant value proposal.
Short case study, customer testimonials, or social proof showcasing your recent results
A strong call to action.
Subject line: Quick question on [company’s pain point]
“Hey {first_name},
Reaching out because I saw {personalization}. (Example: that you shared Mike Brian’s LinkedIn post on optimizing customer onboarding.)
My name is {your name} and I do {relevant value proposal}.
I’ve helped SaaS companies like yours achieve {results} through our proven framework. Other results include {a 1-2 sentence case study}.
Anyway, I’ve got a few ideas on how I can help {company name} achieve similar results. And I’d be more than glad to discuss it over a quick, 10-minute call.
How does Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday work for you?
I’ll be going over a few interesting opportunities you could utilize at {company name}. No pressure and you can always say ‘no.’
What do you think?
{your name}”
If you’re going to include a short case study in your email, make sure it’s incredibly relevant to your target audience and has results they’d want to replicate too.
For example, going over how you 10xed an eCommerce company’s sales might not be relevant or applicable for a software company.
Meanwhile, your leads will be more likely to hear you out if you reduce churn by 61% by defining “why customers quit” and improving user onboarding for a big SaaS company.
Now, let’s take a look at more sample emails.
2. Omnichannel dynamic GIF outreach email
This email is best done with an omnichannel outreach strategy. Meaning you’ll be approaching clients for business on LinkedIn as well as email.
You could send this as an email follow-up after a prospect connects with you on LinkedIn.
Subject line: Thanks for connecting {first_name}
“Hey {first_name}!
I just wanted to drop a quick email saying thanks for connecting on LinkedIn!
Using dynamic GIFs like the one below, we’ve managed to help our clients skyrocket their reply rate to as high as 55%+.
If I can help in any way, I’m always open to a chat and a coffee. :)”
Wondering how to add a GIF for every cold outreach email? Fortunately, this is all automated. So, you don’t have to manually check LinkedIn and craft new emails from scratch every time. Nor would you have to edit the GIF manually.
You edit and set the right size (usually 600×600 pixels) from the interface and add any dynamic GIFs as needed. You can include first name, company name, company logo or website screenshot, etc.
You integrate it into Expandi by pasting the API code. And then click Sync from Hyperise in the right campaign below your body message from the Expandi campaign interface.
The campaign flow for this is:
Connect on LinkedIn.
If the request is accepted, check if the LinkedIn profile has an email that can be found automatically.
If the email is found, automatically send an email after a set period.
More info on approaching new clients with an omnichannel system is below. Keep on reading!
Now, let’s get back on track.
3. “Congratulations on the achievement” cold email
Everyone likes being congratulated for their hard work and achievements.
This email takes it a step further and targets companies that recently announced that they got funded or hit a particular milestone.
One way to find companies like that is to sort through VC deal websites or subscribe to business journals like TechCrunch, Bloomberg, VCNewsDailyb, etc.
But another option is to use LinkedIn Sales Navigator and filter for leads who changed jobs or with the “posted content on” filter for ‘funded.’
Subject line: Congrats on your $$$ fundraise, {first_name},
“Hey {first_name}!
Just saw your fundraising announcement, congrats on the {number} milestone!
I was curious to know what sales solutions you’re focusing on to proceed at scale?
The reason I’m asking is because I helped {similar company 1} and {similar company 2} triple their monthly sales goals with omnichannel outreach tactics.
And I’ve got a few ideas about how I could help {company name} take their sales to the next level.
Would you be open to discussing this on a quick 15-minute call next Tuesday evening?
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions beforehand.
Cheers,
{your name}”
4. Post webinar sales message email
If you’re a SaaS owner frequently running webinars, this email can be a great way to approach potential new clients after the webinar.
This works especially well if you already have an audience. You’ll want to get them to join your webinar AND THEN, approach them with a sales message email.
You can do this omnichannel as well, targeting prospects on LinkedIn and email.
The process is pretty simple as you can scrape LinkedIn events and follow up after.
And based on your objectives, you can change the call to action if you want to book a demo call to demonstrate your product one-on-one or nudge them to join your community.
But for simplicity’s sake, with this sample email, we’re focusing on email marketing specifically.
So, the template goes something like this:
Subject line: Next steps
“Heeyo {first_name}!
When I saw that {first_name} from {company_name} attended our webinar, you know I had to pop open the champagne!
As a cherry on top, I wanted to invite you to our private Facebook group personally.
You’ll find like-minded marketers and sales entrepreneurs in it, discussing the latest outreach hacks and best practices.
Drop by and say ‘hi.’ If you liked the webinar, I’m sure you’ll enjoy our little community.
Cheers,
{your name}”
5. Custom video audit email
This email aims to send over a personalized, custom video audit of you going over a few ideas the lead can improve their business.
So, when using email to approach new client, consider what’s in it for them. In this case, we’d be sending a valuable video audit.
There are 2 ways you can structure this email:
You can ask in the cold email if they’d like to receive a personalized email.
Or, you can send the audit directly.
The issue with the first option, though, is that they might ignore it because it’s not very personalized, to begin with.
So, the better option might be to send a video audit directly. This way, they’ll see that you actually put in the effort and that it’s not a “one-size-fits-all” audit that could be applied to other companies.
Subject line: Ideas for {company_name}
“Hey {first_name},
Noticed I was being retargeted by your LinkedIn ads. Have to say, the copywriting was on point! Targeting the pain points of agency owners in an ad like that must be bringing in quite a lot of leads.
I’ve been working with B2B ads for a few years now, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, you can always boost the conversion rate through proper A/B testing.
I’ve got a few other angles we’ve had clients achieve {results} that might work for {your company} as well.
So, I recorded a quick 2-minute video going over some ideas you can use to boost your ROI.
Take a look: [URL].
PS – If you’re looking to optimize your marketing funnel even better, I’d be more than glad to get on a 5-minute call going over a few ways you could do this.
What do you think about next Wednesday or Thursday?”
6. The expert opinion email
In this email, instead of offering help you ask your potential clients to help you. It’s a unique way to stand out in a crowded inbox and you’d be surprised to find out that people would actually love helping, especially when you’re asking their “expert opinion” on something.
This approach is a win-win for both you and your prospects as it puts forth a great opportunity to work together and build a strong connection.
Subject line: Hi {first_name}, need your expert insights on {topic}
“Hi [first_name],
I came across your article – [article_name] on [website_name]’s blog. I was looking for some expert input on this very topic.
We’re currently working on [strategy] and would love to have your perspective on [topic]. I’m sure your insights will help us develop our strategy.
Would you be open to discussing this on a quick 15-minute call next Thursday evening?
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions beforehand.
Cheers,
{Your name}”
Now, it’s worth mentioning that each brand’s audience is different.
So, while the above templates might help, one other way to make your outreach even better is by adapting the right mindset when doing outreach.
For that, let’s take a look at some of the best cold email best practices.
5 Best Practices To Keep In Mind On How To Approach Client For Business And Write Follow Up Emails
While you can adjust and re-use the above email templates to approach new clients, there are some hacks and tips you can follow to generate more leads.
Building rapport before outreach
A/B test your subject lines to improve your campaigns
Sending follow up emails
Improving your campaign deliverability
Don’t stick to just one channel
Let’s take a look at each in detail.
1. Building rapport before outreach
Think about it. You’d rather trust someone you already know than a person you’re meeting for the first time.
So, the idea is to engage your leads by building rapport before jumping into your sales pitch and giving prospects more reasons not to reply.
You’re essentially starting from ground zero if you approach new clients with no prior engagement and send a cold email without building rapport like everyone else.
When you take the time to build rapport, this changes things.
Building rapport before sending a cold email lets leads recognize you as someone who engages with them a few times on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Or you sent them a personalized email about a question you had about their content, with no strings attached.
Either way, chances are, they might find your name familiar without recalling who exactly you are.
And sometimes, that’s all it takes to get your foot in the door.
Wondering how and where to build rapport with your sales prospects?
You can try:
Social media.
Online content.
In-person events.
Asking for advice.
And more.
2. A/B test your subject lines to improve your campaigns
A/B testing, or split testing, is one of the best ways to optimize your email campaigns.
Essentially, this is a way of comparing two or more versions of a single email or email campaign and seeing which resonates the most with your target customers.
Typically, you can do this to test the subject’s response to email A compared to email B.
Fortunately, this is easy as most email tools allow you to test different variables in an email campaign, such as the open rate, reply rate, bounce rate, clickthrough rate, and more.
When doing email A/B tests, make sure you change and test one variable at a time.
Otherwise, you won’t be able to tell what caused the change in the campaign.
Here are a couple of variables you can A/B test in your sample emails when approaching new clients:
Subject line (e.g., longer vs shorter, personalization, pain points, etc.).
Emojis in the subject line (with or without).
Your opening line, aka the hook.
The tone of your email (format vs informal).
The angle of your sales pitch.
CTAs
And more.
For more info on A/B testing and other email variables, see our complete guide to email marketing KPIs for more info and real examples.
3 . Sending follow up emails
If there’s one dead-simple way of increasing your reply rate, it’s by adding follow-up email messages in your outreach campaign.
Around 44% of salespeople give up after just one follow-up attempt. So, simply by adding follow-up emails, you’re substantially increasing your reply rate.
In fact, according to Woodpecker, an email campaign of writing more follow-ups can triple your cold email reply rate.
In today’s world, follow-ups are a must.
However, that doesn’t mean you should flood your prospects’ inboxes with as many emails as possible until they break and reply to you.
An outreach campaign’s optimal number of emails is 4-7 sequences. But as with all things, it’s recommended you A/B test this based on your target audience.
4. Improving your campaign deliverability
Email deliverability refers to your emails landing in your prospect’s inbox and not in the Spam or Promotions sections.
This is important because if you send 100 emails, for example, and only 40 of them land, your campaign probably has some serious issues.
Here’s what affects email deliverability:
Tech setup.
Domain warmth.
Inbox warmup.
Bounce rate.
Volume, consistency, and email quality.
Email copy.
Email HTML text.
Spam test and keywords.
Fortunately, email warmup is very straightforward for the most part.
You have to follow a tech deliverability checklist and use an email marketing tool to warm up your inbox. The latter is done automatically and can take a few weeks to fully prep your inbox.
For a detailed guide on how to do all of the above, see our full guide to email warmup.
Note: The same applies to LinkedIn outreach as well. Using a LinkedIn automation tool like Expandi, you can set up LinkedIn connection limits by connecting with a few people at first, thus warming up your account before full-fledged outreach.
This way, you protect your account from being banned, or in the case of emails, from being tagged as spam, or worse, your email getting blocked.
5. Don’t stick to just one channel
Last but not least, if you want to turn sales leads into new clients, make sure you’re not sticking to just one channel.
This is something we’ve mentioned above as well.
Essentially, this is based on combining the best modern outreach practices and the fact that your prospects are already receiving a ton of emails per day.
So, even with many follow-ups, it’s very likely for them to miss your emails in their flooded inbox.
However, if you send a LinkedIn connection request, an email follow-up, followed by a LinkedIn InMail or a Twitter DM, they’re more likely to notice you.
Especially if you combine this with other best practices above such as building rapport first.
Practically, you can do this with an omnichannel or multichannel outreach. See the difference here.
And for a more hands-on approach, you can build outreach “if-this-then-that” flows based on triggers and actions. We call these “Smart Campaigns” which can fetch up to 3x the reply rate from your dream clients.
Finally, if this looks too overwhelming, don’t worry. You can simply use proven outreach flows and templates from our marketing funnel automation guide to save time.
Conclusion
Don’t let the competition for the inbox overwhelm you.
You can make the cut and catch prospects’ attention with the discussed best practices and strategies. Use our sales email templates as sample email to client for new business opportunities.
Remember, it’s always best to know:
Who is your audience?
What is the objective when using email to approach new clients? New business? Networking?
How are you going to approach them? Will you use an email template or write emails from scratch?
Ready to launch your email (or LinkedIn) campaign? Get started with a free, 7-day Expandi trial. This way, you can automate email messages, follow-ups, LinkedIn connection requests, and more. All are based on your unique outreach templates with personalization tags.
FAQ
How do you use email to approach new clients?
When doing outreach, it’s important to structure your emails the right way to approach new clients. Starting from the top, this is you can structure your emails:
Write an enticing subject line.
Include a relevant introduction with personalization.
Mention why you’re writing.
Explain your sales or value proposition pitch.
End on a high note and include a CTA which clearly explains what you want them to do next.
How do you write an introductory email to a prospective client?
An introductory email aims to build a relationship and get your foot in the door. So, instead of selling yourself, you should craft an email with no strings attached. Consider asking a question about their content, asking them to elaborate on their social media message, or getting their thoughts on something that might be relevant to them. Doing so will help them remember you and build rapport for the future.
How do I introduce my company in an email to a client?
While there are many different ways you can introduce your company to a client, it’s important to ask yourself, “what’s in it for me?” from the client’s perspective. Meaning, that instead of pitching yourself, you should focus on the client’s problems, benefits, and practical ways you can help them. Consider relevant case studies of how you’ve helped similar companies, relevant content, video audits, etc.
