The best B2B salespeople don’t use one email sequence. They use a variety every day to generate leads and move deals forward.
They send cold emails to new leads, welcome emails to newsletter subscribers, webinar follow-ups to recent attendees, and nurturing emails to high-quality leads who need a little more maturation before buying.
This multi-faceted approach allows them to reach a high number of leads at the right time in a personalised manner.
Today, we’ll share the best sales email sequence examples, plus insights to help build your own.
Let’s start👇
If you’re a Sales Development Representative, no sequence is as important to hitting your quota as the B2B email sequence.
It’s a series of hyper-relevant, personalised sales emails designed to book a meeting with B2B leads you haven’t interacted with yet.
Generally, these sequences are about 4-5 emails in length.
Each email should be short and to the point, focusing on how you can help the lead overcome their unique problems with your solution.
Subject: Supercharge your sales with real-time data from Cognism
Hi [First name],
I noticed you recently [A relevant piece of content, event, or action in the lead’s life — e.g., were promoted to Head of Sales]. Congrats!
If I’ve learned anything from working with [Lead’s job title] at [Lead’s company type], it’s that they often struggle to provide their sales team with accurate B2B contact data.
With Cognism, you’ll be able to:
- Access accurate contact data for decision-makers across industries (how I found your email address)
- Use intent signals and actionable insights to prioritise the best leads (how I learned about your job change 🙂)
- Ensure compliance with GDPR and global data regulations while reaching your targets.
Is this something you’re interested in learning more about?
Best regards,
[Your name]
Subject: [First name], here’s how top sales teams use Cognism
Hi [First name],
I wanted to share how companies like [Industry-specific success story] have greatly improved sales numbers using Cognism.
For example, [Company name] increased their sales pipeline by [Percentage/statistic] after using our Diamond Data.
By leveraging Cognism’s platform, you could:
- Save time on lead sourcing and increase time selling.
- Equip your team with accurate, compliant contact data to hit your revenue goals.
- Identify intent signals from prospects ready to engage.
If you’re looking for ways to optimise your sales process and close deals faster, let’s discuss how Cognism can support your team!
Are you interested in scheduling a call this week?
Best,
[Your name]
Subject: Grab 25 free B2B leads on us.
Hi [First name],
Worried that our data isn’t going to give you the results you need?
Why not test it out?
Click here to grab 25 free B2B leads that fit your ideal customer profile.
I’m happy to hop on a call to discuss how to get the most out of the tool. Please schedule a time on my [Calendar scheduler link] whenever works best for you!
Subject: Last chance to optimise your lead generation with Cognism
Hi [First name],
Just wanted to check in one last time to see if Cognism could help streamline your team’s lead generation and contact discovery efforts.
With our platform, you’ll have access to a quality B2B database of decision-makers and actionable sales intelligence that can help accelerate your pipeline.
Many sales teams are turning to Cognism to:
- Cut down lead sourcing time by up to 40%.
- Improve the quality and accuracy of their outreach.
- Ensure GDPR compliance while expanding their outreach efforts.
If you’re open to it, I’d love to walk you through a quick demo to show how our solution could work for [Business name].
When would be a good time for a 10-minute conversation this week?
Thanks,
[Your name]
💡Here’s a good resource for cold email templates if you need more examples!
When a potential customer subscribes to your email list, they should receive a welcome sequence of emails from a sales rep.
These sequences can do several things to nurture the lead and build trust:
These emails can also subtly promote your other products and services, encouraging the lead to explore everything you have to offer before making a purchasing decision.
For example, it’s common for free trial email welcome sequences to educate the lead on a premium feature and ask them to hop on a call to discuss it more in-depth.
Subject: Welcome to [Newsletter] – Here’s what to expect!
Hi [First name],
Welcome to the [Company name] community! I’m [Your name], and I’ll be your point of contact to ensure you get the most out of your experience. We’re thrilled to have you aboard.
As a subscriber, you’ll be the first to receive:
- Expert tips on maximising sales productivity and customer relationships.
- Exclusive industry insights to help you stay ahead of the curve.
- Invitations to webinars and resources designed to help your business grow.
To kick things off, I’d recommend checking out this guide on “[guide name]”
If you have any questions or want to learn more about how our CRM can benefit your business, feel free to contact me—I’m here to help!
Looking forward to helping you grow,
[Your name]
Subject: [First Name], discover how [company name] can boost your sales
Hi [First name],
I hope you’re enjoying the insights from our newsletter so far! As you continue to explore, I wanted to highlight some of the key features of [company name] that can help transform how your team works:
- 360° customer view: Gain full visibility into your leads, prospects, and customers to effectively manage relationships.
- Automated workflows: Save time on repetitive tasks, freeing up your sales team to focus on what matters most—closing deals.
- Customisable reporting: Track your team’s performance and easily forecast future sales.
Based on what I’ve seen from other businesses in [Lead’s industry], these features could really help improve your sales process.
Would you be open to a quick 10-minute call to explore how our CRM can meet your specific needs? Let me know if there’s a time that works best for you.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Subject: How are you enjoying the newsletter?
Hi [First name],
I hope you’re well!
I wanted to check in to see how you’re enjoying the newsletter. Is there any type of content you’d prefer to receive that will help you reach your sales goals?
If you tell me your major problems, I can compile some resources and send them your way.
Here to help!
[Your name]
An email sequence for sales funnels is a sequence of emails sent to leads who have just opted into something on your website.
This cadence walks these new leads through the awareness, consideration, and decision stages, ending in a call to purchase.
It’s beneficial for more transactional sales processes that don’t require a call with a sales rep.
Start with an email that provides instant value to make an excellent funnel sequence. This could be a link to an industry report or an interesting article.
How do you know what the leads will find interesting?
Make it solve the same problem as the lead magnet for which they traded their contact information.
For example, leads who download a checklist for conducting an SEO audit will receive an in-depth guide on SEO best practices.
The following few emails should educate the lead on an offering that solves that problem while building your authority by sharing relevant customer success stories.
Finally, around email three or four, you’ll make a call to action, asking them to make a purchase.
Subject: Power Up Your Business with Reliable, Affordable Web Hosting
Hi [First name],
As a small business owner, you know how critical a strong online presence is to your sales. But did you know that your website’s performance and security can directly impact your sales and customer experience?
At [Company name], we specialise in providing reliable, affordable hosting services designed specifically for small businesses like yours.
Whether you’re launching a new site or looking to improve your current setup, we offer:
- 99.9% uptime guarantee—so your website is always available to customers.
- Fast load times to keep visitors engaged.
- Free SSL certificates for secure browsing.
- 24/7 customer support to answer any questions at any time.
If you want to enhance your website’s performance, schedule a quick 10-minute call with me [here] to discuss your needs and find the best solution for your business.
Looking forward to helping you grow online!
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Subject: How Slow Load Times & Downtime Could Be Hurting Your Sales
Hi [First name],
Have you ever wondered if your website might be losing your customers?
Studies show that:
- 53% of mobile users leave a site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.
- 1 second of delay in load time can result in 7% fewer conversions.
- Downtime during peak hours can lead to frustrated customers and missed sales.
Want to see some case studies of how we’ve helped other small businesses boost their web conversions by [Percentage] by improving their site performance?
Judging by the [Reason — e.g., speed of your current site], we think we can offer a similar result.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Subject: Special Offer: 20% Off Web Hosting
Hi [First name],
I wanted to follow up and ensure you don’t miss out on our limited-time offer—right now, we’re offering 20% off our small business web hosting plans!
With this exclusive offer, you’ll get:
- Top-tier hosting for 20% less.
- Free migration from your current host, handled by our expert team.
- 1-year free domain registration (if you need it).
- All the performance, security, and support to take your business to the next level.
This offer is only available until [Date], so now’s the perfect time to take advantage and boost your site’s performance. If you’re ready to get started or have any questions, just reply to this email or give me a call at [Phone number].
Best regards,
[Your name]
💡For more email sequence templates, check out our article on the best sales emails that get responses.
This sequence covers the three stages of the webinar:
Usually, B2B sales reps don’t enter the mix until those post-webinar emails. Here, sales reps ask the attendees about their experience and pitch products and services related to the topic of discussion.
For example, if the topic was “new property management regulations in NYC,” a sales rep might share details about a software tool that helps them stay in compliance.
Since it’s post-webinar that leads most often convert into customers, we’ll restrict this template to the follow-up stage:
Hey [First name],
Thanks for attending the [Webinar name]. I hope you got a lot out of it!
My name’s [First name] and I’ll be your point of contact going forward for all things [Webinar topic].
Here are the three biggest takeaways for [Job title]’s like you:
- Takeaway 1
- Takeaway 2
- Takeaway 3
As for the next steps, would you like to learn more about how [Product or service] can help you take advantage of the [Trend discussed in the webinar]?
If so, I’d love to invite you to a free consultation where I’ll share how we can [Key value proposition} for your business.
What do you think?
- [Your name]
💡Read this article if you’re looking for more ideas to generate leads from webinars.
Lead nurturing makes for one of the best email sequences. It's a long-term cadence with infrequent emails (every one to two weeks) that slowly but effectively educates leads on your solutions and builds brand trust without being overly pushy.
In B2B sales, these sequences are often reserved for quality leads that failed to convert in your cold email outreach sequence.
By placing these potential buyers into a nurturing sequence, you continue warming them up without overwhelming them with requests and other sales messaging.
Instead, the emails mostly share valuable content such as analyses of industry trends, deep dives on your services, case studies, product comparisons, and other educational content.
The hope is that once the lead realises they need help with the problem you solve, they’ll think of you and your business.
A great way to soft sell in each email is to mention that you’re available to help at the end of each email, like so:
“By the way, if you need help getting better leads, Cognism can help with that.”
Then, add a button they can click to submit a contact form or visit your check-out page.
Since a lead nurture sequence is meant to be long — like seven to ten emails long — we’re going to share a strategy you can use to build your own lead nurturing email sequence templates:
💡At Cognism, we do lead nurtures a little differently. Here’s a blog explaining our on-demand email nurture approach.
This SaaS email sequence consists of emails that attempt to convince a free trial user to upgrade to a paid plan.
But that doesn’t mean just hyping up the premium features and summarising the benefits of becoming a customer.
You should also offer your assistance throughout, reminding the email lead that you’re there to answer questions and proactively sharing feature tutorials and best practices.
This high level of customer service will cause the lead to view you as a helpful partner and give them proof that being a customer will be a satisfying experience.
Subject: Welcome to Your [SaaS product] Free Trial – Let’s Get You Set Up for Success!
Hi [First name],
Welcome to your free trial of [SaaS Product]! We’re excited to help you get started and see how [SaaS product] can simplify [The specific task, e.g., "project management," “customer relationship management,” etc.].
To make sure you get the most out of your trial, here are a few quick steps to get set up:
- Log in to your account: [Insert login link]
- Explore our quick-start guide: [Link to onboarding tutorial]
- Complete your first [action/task]: [Describe a quick win feature]
If you need help or have any questions, I’m here to help! Our support team is available 24/7, so feel free to reach out at any time.
Let’s schedule a quick call to review your goals and ensure [SaaS product] meets your needs. You can book a time with me [here].
Looking forward to helping you make the most of your trial!
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Subject: How to Maximise Your [SaaS product] Trial + A Special Offer to Upgrade!
Hi [First name],
I hope your free trial is going smoothly! Have you had a chance to explore some of [SaaS Product]'s key features yet?
Here’s how you can take full advantage of your trial:
- [Key Feature 1]: [Describe how this feature benefits their business]
- [Key Feature 2]: [Explain how this feature simplifies their workflow]
- [Key Feature 3]: [Showcase how this feature saves time/money]
If you’re seeing how [SaaS product] can improve your [workflow, productivity, results], now is the perfect time to upgrade! For a limited time, we’re offering [Special incentive, e.g., 10% off the first three months] when you upgrade before your trial ends.
Let’s set up a time to discuss how [SaaS product] can continue to benefit your business in the long term. You can schedule a call with me [here] or reply to this email with any questions!
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Subject: Last chance [First name]
Hi [First name],
I hope you enjoyed exploring [SaaS Product]! Now that your trial is over, I wanted to check in and see how everything went.
Were you able to experience the benefits of [Specific features] and see how [SaaS product] could improve your [Business/task]?
From our perspective, here are some of the stellar results from your trial:
- [Feature 1]: Helped you [highlight a specific outcome they experienced]
- [Feature 2]: Made [task/process] easier and more efficient
- [Feature 3]: Improved your [productivity/success metric]
For a limited time, we’re offering you an exclusive [discount, e.g., 20% off your first year] if you upgrade to a paid plan within the next seven days.
To upgrade and keep using all the great tools in [SaaS Product], just click [here] to select the plan that best suits your needs.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
- [Your name]
This cold outreach email sequence allows you to leverage the challenges your prospective clients have to create highly relevant emails that lead to conversions.
It’s composed of B2B emails that are hyper-focused on various aspects of each challenge:
Subject: Outdated Contact Data Holding You Back? How it Impacts Sales.
Hi [First name],
I understand that working with outdated contact data is a real challenge.
When your team is relying on poor quality data, you’re not just wasting time — you’re also missing out on valuable opportunities.
Here are some of the common issues caused by outdated contact data:
- Wasted effort: Your sales team spends valuable time chasing leads that are no longer valid or sending emails to the wrong addresses.
- Low response rates: Using outdated job titles and contact info means no personalisation and fewer replies and conversions.
- Missed revenue: Targeting stale or incorrect data leads to missed opportunities and a shrinking pipeline.
At Cognism, we provide access to up-to-date, accurate contact details for key decision-makers and companies, from direct dials to B2B emails.
Would you be open to a quick call to discuss how Cognism can improve your contact data and help you hit your revenue targets faster?
Best regards,
[Your name]
Subject: Don’t Let Outdated Contact Data Cost You Deals
Hi [First name],
Following up on my previous email.
I wanted to share how Cognism can help your team overcome the pain of using outdated contact information and transform your sales pipeline.
With Cognism, you get access to:
- Enriched data: So you neever need to worry about your database being out of data.
- Accurate data for decision-makers: We provide verified contact details for key decision-makers in your target market.
- Higher conversion rates: Better data leads to more meaningful conversations and higher response rates, boosting your overall sales performance.
Imagine how much time and energy your team could save by eliminating dead-end leads and focusing on prospects that actually convert.
Would you like to discuss how Cognism can help you solve this problem quickly?
I’m happy to set up a demo or walk you through some success stories from companies like yours. You can schedule a time [here], or feel free to reply to this email.
Best regards,
[Your name]
An email onboarding sequence onboards new customers. Generally, Customer Success Managers(CSMs) handle these sequences, but sometimes sales reps do if the company is smaller and without a CS department.
An excellent SaaS onboarding email sequence does the following:
Subject: Welcome to Cognism! Let’s Get Your Account Set Up
Hi [First name],
Welcome to Cognism. My name is [First name], and I’ll be your dedicated Account Manager. My job is to help you use your new platform to reach your sales goals.
To help you hit the ground running, here’s a quick guide to get started:
Step 1: Log into Your Account
Click [here] to access your Cognism dashboard: [Login Link].
Step 2: Complete Your Profile
Take a moment to personalise your account so we can tailor the platform to your needs. Check out this guide for some ideas and best practices: [Link to guide]
Step 3: Explore Key Features
- Search for Accurate Leads: Use our user-friendly interface to find accurate contact details for decision-makers in your target market: [Link to video]
- CRM Integration: Sync Cognism directly with your CRM to ensure seamless workflow and data management. [Check out the app marketplace]
- Enrichment: Set up scheduled enrichment to always have the freshest data. [Link to guide]
If you have any questions or need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team at [Support email] or schedule a 1:1 session with me [Link to schedule a call].
Looking forward to helping you get better leads!
Best regards,
[Your name]
Subject: Maximise Your Success with Cognism—Tips and Best Practices
Hi [First name],
We hope you’ve had a chance to explore Cognism! Now that you’re getting familiar with the platform, we want to help you take full advantage of everything it offers.
Here are some tips to maximise your success:
- Optimise Your Lead Searches: Use filters to narrow down searches by job title, industry, and location, ensuring you find the most relevant leads quickly.
- Leverage Sales Triggers: Set up triggers to alert you when your prospects join a new company, receive new funding, merge with another company, and more.
- Use Our Enrichment Features: Enhance your existing lead data with our enrichment tool to get more detailed and actionable insights on your prospects.
- Find Contact Data on Any Corporate Website: Use our browser extension to find contact data on any corporate website and LinkedIn.
For more ways to streamline your workflow, check out our Best Practices Guide [Link to guide], or schedule a strategy session with me [Link to schedule].
Excited to hear how your first few days have been!
[Your name]
This email sales sequence is used at various stages of the B2B sales process, but it’s most often used to book a meeting with a prospect who expressed interest in your offer.
You might send one after a webinar to see if the attendees are open to a call to discuss the product offered in the webinar. Or after someone fills out a demo form on your site.
These follow-ups should be short and valuable. They should remind the recipient of the benefits of meeting with you and provide value in the form of a relevant industry article or guide.
The little touch of adding a link to an article that you think they’d find interesting can be the slight nudge they need to trust you enough to respond or take a call.
Subject Line: Thanks for reaching out about a demo
Hi [Name],
I noticed you requested a demo of [Feature or product].
I’d love to set that up for you and show you how it can help [Business name] get [Key benefits].
Please select a time on the calendar: [Calendar link]
I look forward to hearing from you!
All the best,
[First name]
Subject Line: Circling back
Hey [First name],
I wanted to bring this back to the top of your inbox in case it was buried—it happens to me all the time.
Are you still interested in learning how [Product or feature] can help you [Benefits]?
The web demo will be led by a product expert who is experienced in working with [Lead business type], so you’ll learn some industry-specific use cases and best practices.
If you’re good to go, please schedule some time on the calendar [Calendar link].
By the way, I came across this article on [Topic the lead finds interesting] and wanted to pass it along.
All the best,
[First name]
An email sequence is a series of pre-written emails that work together to generate a certain action from the recipient. This could be signing up for a free trial, purchasing a product, or leaving a review on a website.
A cold email sequence streamlines the cold outreach process by providing you with pre-written email templates that you can quickly personalise to the cold lead.
Also, by using the same sequence consistently, you receive actionable feedback about its open rates, reply and conversion rates. This intel helps you improve the sequence intelligently.
The length of an email sequence depends on the type of sequence you’re running. A lead nurturing sequence, for example, could be dozens of emails long since it’s meant to keep the leads warm. An outreach email sequence, however, is usually four to five emails since it’s very sales-heavy and too many requests for a meeting can become overwhelming for recipients.
The ideal number of emails in a sequence depends on your goals, the type of sequence, and the bandwidth you have to create emails.
However, there are some general recommendations:
Keep in mind that these are only recommendations. Your sequence should contain enough emails to adequately produce the results you’re looking for.
To create an email sequence, follow these steps:
Figure out your desired end result. Is it a lead downloading an e-book or a prospect agreeing to a consultation? Your answer will dictate the length of the sequence, the messaging, and the content you share.
Many sellers use sales engagement tools like Outreach to store, schedule, and track their email sequences.
But you may want to add email automation software to your sales tech stack. These tools can auto-deliver emails based on how leads react to them.
This article shared some examples of different types of email sequences for B2B sales. Steal them. Borrow the techniques we use to write your own emails.
Determine the purpose of each email, then write the copy, ensuring that your emails are personalised to the lead, provide value, and follow copywriting best practices like short sentences and clear, conversational prose.
Psst 👋 Don’t forget about your email subject lines.
Your email sequence software will likely enable you to drop empty fields for things like [First name] and [Job title] in the emails. This makes it easy to personalise the content.
Many tools will even auto-populate these fields with the correct details, which they draw from your CRM or lead database.
After you’ve added your personal touch to these email sequence templates, you’ll need to fill your database with quality B2B emails.
Cognism can clean and enrich your lists so your emails reach their intended recipients, which is integral to maintaining a good domain reputation.
Cognism provides verified B2B email data that can dramatically improve your email deliverability, allowing you to reach and convert more leads.
When Protolabs started using Cognism, their email campaigns consistently hit 95-98% deliverability - a massive boon for their prospecting efficiency!
Check out how Cognism can help you connect with the best leads. Click to book a demo 👇