In the 1980s, there was a sitcom called "Small Wonder" in which a family tried to pass a robot-in-a-dress off as their 10-year-old daughter. (A shaky premise to be sure, but it was the '80s, so the show was a big hit.)
The one thing the show's robot daughter -- Vicki -- couldn't quite master was the way humans talk to each other. She was completely unnatural, saying things like, "Hello to family" instead of "Hi, Mom and Dad."
These days, when I go through the inevitable pile of sales outreach emails in my inbox, I'm reminded of Vicki. Actually, I'm reminded of hundreds of Vickies, grown into adult robots and employed as sales representatives all across the globe.
It's not that they make no attempt at personalization -- it's that the personalization they attempt feels forced, a canned approximation of the sense of familiarity they desire. I don't need to dwell on bad outreach emails today. My sense is you've all seen an overtly templated email before. Instead, let's focus on the good ones.
The sales prospecting emails that successfully break the mold are those that reflect actual human curiosity, emotion and humor. Here are a few examples from my inbox today.