Real situations rather than a generic template pack. Take the structure, throw away our words.
Every template pack online gives you the same four letters with the nouns swapped. These six are organised by the situation you are actually in, because the situation decides the letter. Company names have been genericised: these are our own examples, not letters sent on behalf of the brands they were originally written for.
Hi Rebecca, it has been a few years since we last spoke and I wanted to write personally rather than add to your inbox. When we last talked we were looking at how to streamline your IT operations. A lot has changed since, for us and for the people we work with, and I thought it worth a note rather than a pitch. If you are open to it, a short call to hear where things stand now, and I will bring a couple of ideas that might be useful. No pressure either way.
Why it works. It admits the gap rather than pretending continuity. It refers to the specific thing you last discussed, which proves a human wrote it. And it asks for a conversation, not a demo.
Hi James, thanks for the chance to quote. Your quote is built around what you actually asked for rather than a package we sell to everyone, so if anything in it looks wrong, that is worth a five minute call. No jargon, no chasing. If it is helpful, I have put a couple of similar projects on the page below so you can see how they turned out.
Why it works. Most quote follow ups are a nudge. This one gives a reason to reply that is not yes or no, which is the only way to restart a stalled decision.
Hi Francesca, we are running a small evening in London for people who run operations teams, and you are on the list. Practical demos, a handful of teams who have solved the problem you are living with, and no keynote. If that sounds like your sort of thing, the details are below. If not, I promise not to send you a reminder every week.
Why it works. Small, specific and honest about the format. The joke about reminders does more work than it looks, because everyone has been on that list.
Hi Lauren, you have been using us for long enough to have opinions, so this is a heads up rather than an announcement. We have built something that changes how approvals move through the system, and the people it helps most are the ones already doing what you do. There is a short walkthrough at the link, and if it is not relevant, ignore me entirely.
Why it works. It treats the customer as someone with judgement rather than a target for a feature announcement. Permission to ignore it is what makes people read on.
Hi Sam, we help finance teams stop overpaying on foreign payments. That is the whole pitch. If you are moving money between currencies regularly, there is usually a number sitting in the difference that nobody has looked at. I have put a two minute breakdown at the link. If the number is small, you have lost two minutes. If it is not, you will want to know.
Why it works. One claim, plainly made, with the risk on us. Cold letters fail when they try to build rapport before earning it.
Hi Dean, thanks for the time last week. No follow up, no proposal, no calendar link. It was a good conversation and I wanted to say so. If anything we talked about becomes urgent, you know where I am.
Why it works. Because it is the only letter on this page that asks for nothing, and it is the one people remember. Send it when you genuinely mean it and never when you do not.
Sam works at Rockkt, which writes and prints letters like these for sales teams. More on how we write these guides.
Rockkt finds the address, writes the letter in your voice, prints it in a handwriting style and builds the page it points at. Studio Free is five fully worked prospects a month, by invitation.