Email Marketing B2B to CEOs (Chief Executive Officers)
Have you ever wondered how to do an email marketing campaign to target high-powered Fortune 500 CEOs?
What about a CEO from the 8th-ranked Fortune 500 Company List worth over $200 Billion?
Not only did I find out what this CEOs email address was, I wrote an email so compelling, it got a personal response.
Curious how you could do the same? Let’s get “Inside”…
Why do Email Marketing to the Top C-Suite Executives of Fortune 500 Companies?
Why email the top C-Suite Executives at Fortune 500 companies, or any company for that matter?
Well, if you are selling a product or service, and want to do business with Fortune 500 companies, it’s always best to start at the top.
That is exactly what I did when crafting this high-level corporate email marketing campaign for one of our clients.
They only wanted to reach the best of the best, and do business with the top companies.
I suggested we target the Fortune 500 CEOs and other C-Suite Executives at the same companies.
We compiled a list of the CEOs, and then, at the time, we ran a proprietary email algorithm to predict and verify what their business CEO email addresses were.
Now, there is a way easier way to do this part, that I will share with you in a minute.
I then wrote the attention getting subject line and email, which was highly personalized.
When targeting CEOs, you HAVE to be different to catch their attention.
Here is the result.
Email Reply from the CEO of General Electric (GE)
The email response came from the CEO of General Electric (GE), which at the time was the 8th ranked Fortune 500 company worth over $200 billion dollars.
The CEOs name was Jeff Immelt.
He replaced Jack Welch, the famous General Electric CEO, Jack retired.
Big shoes to fill, as Jack Welch is one of the most talked about business executives, and received the largest severance package payout in history when he retired. $417 million dollars.
Now, Jeff Immelt has since retired as CEO of GE, however, he received over $200 million when he left GE. He averaged $15 to $25 million PER year as CEO.
Would you say this individual is both personally wealthy and a high-level CEO?
Of course he is!
Here is the actual email reply that came from the CEO.
For privacy and confidentiality, there are areas redacted of the email message.
Note, the exact Subject Line I used:
Re: ***Top 10% of Solar Developers***
This subject line got the CEOs attention, and he took the time to reply. Now, that is how to impress a CEO.
This was a push down and the CEO suggested connecting with a specific Senior Vice President (SVP) in one of GE’s Divisions.
YES!
He even gave the specific SVPs name and email address.
Follow up was done immediately to that SVP, by forwarding the email reply from the CEO.
Email Marketing “Push Down” Explained
If you get the CEOs attention, and they’re interested in hearing more, they might respond to you directly. Or, forward your email to the true decision maker or department head within their company, for what it is you are selling.
This is known as a “push-down” in email marketing lingo.
Where the CEO or other decision maker, forwards your email, or pushes you down to the right person within their organization to follow up with you. This person is typically a lower level title within the organization, thus, the name “push-down.”
There is big power and influence from the person at the top.
The person getting the CEOs email, saying to follow up with you, is almost like getting a golden referral. It’s like you already have somewhat of an endorsement, directly from the CEO.
This leads to great warm conversations with the right people in a company you want to do business with.
Getting “push-down’s” when doing your cold email marketing campaigns can definitely lead to great success like it did for my client.
1 Cold Email Led to Over $2+ Million in B2B Enterprise Corporate Sales
And the rest is history.
My client had multiple conversations with General Electric, and finally did business with them.
Over time, my client has done multiple 7-figures in sales with GE.
ALL from getting a reply from the CEO!
1 cold email was the catalyst to several million dollars in sales.
You are only 1 email away from game-changing success!
This is exciting stuff!!!!
Here are 5 Email Marketing Tips to Crack the Code in Getting the Attention AND Response, of Fortune 500 CEOs
How can you do the same or something similar? Follow these:
1. You need to be sure you have the correct contact information.
Most CEOs email addresses and cell phone numbers are not publicly known.
In the past, we used a proprietary email algorithm to predict email addresses, however, now there is a far easier way.
We use a powerful B2B email marketing tool when trying to find email addresses and cell phone numbers to contact prospects, called Swordfish AI.
2. The CEO should not be your only target.
You should also be targeting multiple key leadership, decision-makers, and influencers throughout the company, especially very large companies.
CEOs are busy people. They may not see your email, or just ignore it.
Targeting multiple people in the same company increases your odds of getting a reply.
3. Personalize the Email Message.
If you’re dealing with C-Suite Executives from Fortune 500 companies, they get hundreds if not thousands of emails on a weekly and monthly basis.
In order to cut through the clutter, you have to be completely different.
From the subject line, to the body of the email, you HAVE to be highly personalized and DIFFERENT than all of the other emails they are getting.
4. Be Professional and Be Impactful.
You have one shot to make a great first impression.
Do not come across as an amateur, in any way shape or form. If you are not professional and speak their corporate language, you will never get a second chance with that individual.
Come across as professional, articulate, and as an equal level to them.
5. Follow-up Gently Over Time.
If you do not get a reply, professionally and tactfully, follow up gently.
This is known as professional persistence.
Not being pushy or amateurish.
If you do not get a reply, gently follow up every 7 to 14 days until you get a reply.
How to do a B2B Email Marketing Campaign to C-Suite CEOs?
What about you?
Are You Looking to to do an Email Marketing Campaign for your company?
Are you looking to do an email marketing campaign to target CEOs or C-Suite Executives?
Do you have questions or challenges with your email marketing campaigns?
Share your email marketing questions below, and my Team and I will do our best to offer some strategic email marketing tips for your next email campaign.
For those that want more in-depth strategic help with email marketing campaigns, schedule a confidential strategy call with us.
