How to write a cold email with NATO’s FrameWork?

Sending a message in an emergency situation

I am Tristan; I spent 3 years in the Land Forces and 7 years in different sales positions. I see that speaking effectively is the beginning of a successful sales negotiation. I am writing an article outlining NATO’s communication Framework applied to cold emailing. I am able to help you with being more efficient in this subject. I am asking your attention for the next 5 minutes to teach you how to build an effective cold email.

I am…
I see…
I am doing…
I am able to…
I am asking…

This framework used in NATO’s military communications ensures that nothing is overlooked in your message during an emergency. As explained in @Caroline Mraz’s paper — Operative discourse in a military environment: operational messaging — the brain more easily understands a message sent in this precise order. So why not take inspiration from it to effectively capture the attention of our prospects?

Let us build and analyze together each of the parts of this FrameWork.

I am:

Here the goal is that your interlocutor can in a few seconds identify who you are and what your intentions are (often indicated in your job title).

Example: Hi there, I am Tristan, Sales Director of a load testing solution.

I see:

Here the goal is to show your prospect that you made some research about their activity. It’s easier to get your foot in the door by citing the latest news from your prospect’s industry or company.

Example: I saw in the press that your website slowed down during the Black Friday.

I am doing:

Here the goal is to explain to your client in a few words the activity of your company.

Example: Our company is developing software capable of simply load-test the performance of your website before it goes into production.

I am able to:

Here the goal is to explain to your client the solution that you can provide related to their problem.

Example: We are able to assist you in improving the performance of your website.

I am asking:

Here the goal is to offer your prospect the opportunity to learn more about your solution or set-up a quick call with you. I recommend Calendly as a meeting management tool.

Example: I am asking 5 minutes of your time to discuss your website performance issues. You will find my availability via this link: www.calendly.com/tmeneret/30min

Full Mail:

Hello there,

I am Tristan Méneret, Sales Director of a load testing solution.

I saw in the press that your website slowed down during the Black Friday.

Our company is developing software capable of simply load-test the performance of your website before it goes into production.

We are able to assist you in improving the performance of your website.

I am asking 5 minutes of your time to discuss your website performance issues. You will find my availability via this link: www.calendly.com/tmeneret/30min

Regards,

Tristan Méneret — Sales Director @ Gatling Corp

Synthesis:

Here we have built a simple and straightforward cold email that can very easily be adapted to a phone call thanks to NATO order officers.

Feel free to contact me and let me know what you think!

Thank you for reading it!