When someone has already shown interest, a sales email is not a pitch. It is a helpful answer with a clear next step. That makes it much easier to write than a cold email.
Warm lead or cold email?
A warm lead has already done something: asked a question, filled in a form, downloaded a guide, met you at an event. They know who you are.
A cold email goes to someone who does not. That needs a different approach, covered in why cold emails sound like a robot and how long a cold email should be.
This post is about the warm kind.
The structure
- Answer their question in the first lines.
- Show you understood their situation, in their words.
- Add only what helps them decide: price, timing, one proof point.
- End with one small, specific next step.
Speed matters as much as words. Reply while they are still thinking about the problem, ideally the same day.
Template: answering an enquiry
Subject: Re: Price for a 3-page website
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for getting in touch. For a three-page site like the one you described, with a booking form, the price is 2,400 dollars, and it takes about three weeks.
You mentioned you lose bookings after hours. The booking form fixes that: customers book any time, and you get a message for each one.
We built a similar site for a physiotherapy clinic in Eastside last spring. Their online bookings now cover most evenings.
Would a 15-minute call on Thursday at 10am suit you? Happy to suggest another time.
Maya
Template: after someone downloads a guide
Subject: The pricing guide, and one question
Hi Ruth,
Thanks for downloading the pricing guide. Most people who read it are trying to decide whether to move from hourly to project pricing.
If that is where you are, I am happy to look at one of your past projects and suggest a project price for it. No charge, and no sales call unless you want one.
Just reply with a short description of the project.
Write it about them
We are a leading web agency with over ten years of experience delivering cutting-edge digital solutions to clients across many industries.
You mentioned you lose bookings after hours. A booking form on your site fixes that, and customers can book at 2am.
The first is about you. The second is about their problem. Readers decide based on the second kind.
One next step
End with one clear ask, made easy. "Would Thursday at 10am suit you?" is easier to answer than "Let me know when you are free." A specific time gets a yes or a new time. An open question gets a "will do" and silence.
If they go quiet
Warm leads go quiet too. Follow up a few days later with one new detail. There is a full sequence in follow-up email after no response. If they asked for a formal price, send a clear quote or a short proposal.