1 sentence email grabs cold clients' attention

If you've been in business more than 6 months, and especially if you've tried some sort of internet marketing, then you'll undoubtedly have a bunch of names and addresses of people who looked, but never bought. Here's a 1 liner email that will really grab their attention and garner a pretty good response rate.

Firstly, I have to admit that this isn't my idea, but I loved it and unashamedly nabbed it to send to all my customers, because I thought it was brilliant. An Aussie firm is using and is, reportedly, doing great things with it. And, let's face it, if they contacted you, then did nothing, what have you got to lose?

What emails get opened?

I get lots of "buy this" emails every day. Most I delete without opening, some I open, scan, and delete. All that effort is just wasted on me. "Make $xxxx in 5 days" is a total yawn - it's all scams trying to make $xxx out of ME in 5 days!

So what DOES get opened? Personal emails - even if they only sound personal. Emails that aren't full of flashy graphics, multiple calls to action, and other obvious "marketing" garbage. They don't have bolded subject lines, with ridiculous claims in them.

How can I reactivate my cold list then?

Glad you asked! Send your cold list an email like this:

Subject: Hi <name>, it's been a while since we spoke

Body: Hi <name>

Do you still need help with your <insert their need/problem>?

Regards

<your name>

And you're done! Not convinced it'll work? Feel like adding a "once-in-a-lifetime" offer? DON'T!! Just stick to the text. Think about what the email is doing. It's to THEM, it's not full of BS and hype, and it begs a response. Simple, and you will be amazed how many will answer. Will they all say, "Yes, please help me!". Of course not. But if 1 or 2 do, then you're 1 or 2 customers better off than before with minimal effort.

You have nothing to lose, but a small bottom line....

Authors

Ian Shere

Ian has been in the web design world since the early 2000s. At that time, he was living in New Zealand and was operating a successful architectural design business that won a number of awards. He was an early adopter of web-based marketing for the business, and after having a local designer unsuccessfully complete a website for him, Ian took it upon himself to learn HTML and launch his own site.

25 years of web designing

The first iteration of the site appeared on April 1, 2001 (and it wasn't an April Fool's joke!), meaning Ian has been designing websites for over 25 years.

Web design in the early 2000s was pretty crude by today's standards. Basic HTML and hard-to-manage layouts made building and managing websites tough going. One positive was that, with the advent of an internet-connected phone in everyone's pocket still a few years away, no allowance had to be made to design for mobile-friendliness. How times change.... And there have been changes aplenty! As mentioned, mobile-friendliness isn't a nice-to-have; it's a critical part of the overall web design process. Back then. SEO didn't exist! With so few companies existing on the web, anyone with a presence, no matter how bad, was front-and-center.

When Ian moved to America in 2009, he'd had a fill of architecture and dealing with city processors and planners, and was looking for a new challenge. He naturally transitioned into website design, having already been in that world for 8 years, and, in early 2010, he and his wife set up CitrusKiwi Web Solutions. The name comes from his wife being a Californian girl (hence the Citrus part), and Ian is from New Zealand, where residents are called Kisis (after the national bird).

CitrusKiwi Web Solutions founded 2010

For over 15 years, CitrusKiwi Web Solutions has been providing cutting-edge web design and hosting solutions to America and around the world!

Since its foundation, CitrusKiwi has delivered quality website design to a range of business industries, from the trades to aviation, to legal and non-profit organisations. When they set up CitrusKiwi, Ian and his wife looked to bring website design to every business, regardless of size, with a particular emphasis on small businesses and non-profits. They were also one of the first design houses to offer a monthly subscription model to enable even more businesses to benefit from fully-managed websites.

As the senior web designer, Ian has personally overseen hundreds of websites, from building and redesigning to hosting, SEO, and more. He has kept pace with the changes in the industry, always learning and reinventing how CitrusKiwi meets the current challenges and opportunities that are available in the marketplace. Whether it's utilizing new technologies like responsive web design or carefully using AI and Large Language Models to enhance client websites, Ian is constantly researching new methods and technology to give their clients the very best in website design.