# 4 - Achieve a 40%+ Positive Response with Cold-Email Campaigns [Scientific / C-level]

Welcome to the 4th edition of Evidence-Based Outreach.

👋 Warm welcome to the new joiners!

In this article you will learn how I've achieved a 40% positive reply rate on cold email campaign.

To be more precise my audience here was a C-level scientific audience in the life sciences field.

I'll share a step by step approach backed with datas.

Moreover, in this newsletter, you will :

• Learn how to book more qualified meetings with your ideal prospects.
• Access my workflow, processes, experiments, learnings, and failures.

Summary:

• Introduction
• Targeting + ultra segmentation
• Copywriting
• Set up relaunches

" The true method of knowledge is experiment". William Blake

Introduction

Back in 2017 as an SDR, my phone was my only weapon for managing sales cycles from prospective to closing.

As a big experimentation fan and after two years of experiments, I achieved a 40% + reply rate to drive business opportunities.

2021: My first cold outreach campaign

2023: Current status

PS: I'm using a fantastic tool called La Growth Machine (You can reach out to Agathe Bancel if you have any question)

Targeting + ultra segmentation

To keep in mind: Quality > Quantity

First of all, it is essential to define your target.

• Who are your prospects?
• What are their needs and expectations?
• Where are they located?
• What may resonate with them?

I developed this part in my previous article.

You can read what I called the R&D part here.

I’m speaking about the importance of mastering your ideal customer profile and buyer persona.

Keep your audience small but well-segmented.

Here are two methods I’m using to keep my list well-segmented:

Using Airtable

Linkedin Sales Nav’ is a good tool, especially if you are working in B2B space, but building a well-segmented list could be painful as you don’t want to create tons of lists.

Here is how I’m keeping a clean, segmented list:

1. Use Linkedin Sales Nav filter and filter per account.
2. Select your leads and create a lead list.
3. Extract your list to Airtable (I’m using Captain Data and n8n).
4. Segment your audience manually.

As a second filter, I use a checkbox when I’m sure that the contact is relevant.

I’m segmenting my audience to ensure I will split each persona to deliver a unique message that resonates with them.

To do that, I’m using n8n and making a POST request to LaGrowthMachine to 3 separate buckets like this:

(I haven’t posted the workflow on n8n.io now, but let me know if you need it, and I will send you the JSON file)

Search Engine Response Page (SERP) & boolean search

-> For my life sciences readers.

I needed to reach out to a specific C-level audience niched in a particular therapeutic area.

You may easily find the big players, … but you will rapidly understand that this specific area represents less than 10% of the global account size.

This is why I’ve used SERP to be more specific during my search.

I’ve decided to use specific compounds currently developed for specific clinical trials in my particular use case.

1. Query on google.

• site: linkedin.com/in AND "{company_name}" AND "Psychiatric disorder"
• site: linkedin.com/in AND "{company_name}" AND "RG6163"
• site: linkedin.com/in AND "{company_name}" AND "NME"
• site: linkedin.com/in AND "{company_name}" AND "RG7637"

1. Paste the Query on Scale SERP and extract the CSV
2. Clean CSV data and import it to Airtable
3. Run process as usual

→ Workflow detailed here

Copywriting

To keep in mind: Experiment, constantly experiment, and create a Copywriting log

I’ll keep this part global focus.

Crafting a unique message means using words that resonate the most with your audience.

Everybody has a unique prism, so using words that impact your prospect is essential.

Imagine you are trying to convince three people to use their bicycles more often:

• Your mother is very concerned about the environment and makes donations to Greenpeace.

“ You should use your bike more often because it will reduce the C02 emissions.”

• Your brother is very sportive and concerned about his health.

“ I’ve heard about a study saying that using the bike 20’ a day will reduce heart attack by 50%. What about taking your bike to commute to your work ?”

• Your Dad wants to lose weight.

“ I read in a scientific journal that cycling is the easiest way to lose weight.”

Know your prospect, and add relevance, and I’m sure this will also work for you.

Here is the template i'm using:

• Target audience
• Status: In progress / Done
• Method: Allow me to construct my narrative
• Buyer persona + pain point: Related to specific pain point per persona
• Referral: Someone recommends getting in touch
• ABM: Specific account change (new position, fundraising)
• EBM: Specific event (Webinare, …)
• + Reply rate: Positive replies that create engagement
• Media: Linkedin or Mail
• Business outcomes: Next steps + utility

Getting a reply is a first good step because it drives awareness and sometimes consideration, but it is insufficient.

You always need to think about the business outcomes.

I’ll write a separate post about navigating the prospect between the following steps: awareness > consideration > decision.

Campaign setup:

To keep in mind: Money is in the follow-up

Facts:

According to a study by Brevet, 80% of sales require an average of five follow-ups to close the deal.

However, 44% of sales reps follow up with a prospect only once before giving up. After four follow-ups, 94% of salespeople have given up.

1Don't take it personally if a prospect is not replying to your first email.

If you have performed all your searches and have a solution to their problem, be persistent.

Metrics from a past campaign:

The reply rates are getting bigger :

Email 1: 8;5%

Email 2: 18,6%

Email 3: 23,2%

It’s not a generality, just an observation that persistence is vital.

Congratulations on reaching this point!

You've enjoyed the journey so far. Your appreciation means a lot to me, and I'd love to hear your feedback through a kind comment.

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