Almost every founder screws up their cold outbound messaging for the same reason -- they write as if the recipient WANTS to be sold to. This is deadly. And fixable, through simple trust building.
When you send an email that says "we do this thing and we'd like to tell you about it," the near universal response is "why in god's name would I sit through a stranger's sales pitch?"
The recipient assumes the worst -- it's far more likely that they'll get a shitty, disconnected sales pitch than something that creates a valuable "AHA!" moment.
So, build trust.
Option 1: Promise education
If you can convince someone that, no matter what, they are going to learn something useful, they are more likely to take the meeting. LEARNING ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT IS NOT USEFUL. The promise has to be that they'll learn something powerful about their market or a new trend.
The only way to do this is to communicate something they don't already know in your initial outreach. What do you know about AI, or sales, or pet food, that no one else knows?
And, honestly, if you don't know something that others don't, put the keyboard away and go get a job. You shouldn't be starting a company yet.
Option 2: Suggest why they've previously said no to competitive options
Dude recently reached out to me saying he helps people write books.
I have, in fact, wanted to write a book and even worked with a writer on one. In the end, I abandoned the project because a) it felt like a TON of work to complete and b) I worried that writing was the easiest part and that selling it would require far more effort.
As a result, "I'd love to help you write a book" falls on deaf ears. I've already considered it and said no.
If he had said "I imagine you've considered writing a book, but haven't because it seems like a ton of work -- I fix that," I would have absolutely taken the meeting.
Why? Because he would have shown that he understands me before we even spoke. I trust a dude who knows what I'm thinking.
When you send a cold outreach, you get three sentences.
* One that explains who you are
* One that builds trust
* One that invites a next step
The second sentence is what makes or breaks the entire endeavor. Be thoughtful about what you say. Consider it from their perspective.
Get it right.