25 Email Opening Lines and Greetings That Put "Hi, My Name Is" to Shame

You know what tips buyers off that the email they're reading is a sales pitch?

"Hi, my name is Jane Doe, and I'm a sales rep at Company."

Yup. That'll do it.

You should never actively hide the fact that you're a salesperson from buyers, but positioning yourself as a consultant, business expert, or interested party in the opening line will do you justice and keep the prospect reading.

If you're struggling to think of alternatives to the standard opening line, take one of these for a spin and see how they perform for you.

Email Opening Sentences That'll Instantly Hook Buyers

1. Email opening lines that use questions
2. Email opening lines that reference trigger events
3. Email opening lines that boost their ego
4. Email opening lines that leverage commonalities
5. Email opening lines that add value

Email opening lines that use questions

1. "Is X a priority for you right now?"

There's nothing quite like a question to get the prospect talking. HubSpot sales director Michael Pici recommends using questions in sales emails to spark the prospect's interest and get them thinking about the current state of affairs.

This one in particular can help the salesperson get a sense of the prospect's priorities and pain points. If you've struck on a tricky area, you're in.

2. "Did you know [interesting statistic]?"

Maybe you've learned the prospect is tackling a business problem that your offering can solve. Leading with a thought-provoking statistic that relates to their issue and paves the way to your solution will work well with data-driven types.

3. "What do you think about [industry event]?"

Keeping in mind that the goal of an initial sales email is to start a conversation -- not to close a deal -- kicking off your message with a question can be extremely compelling.

4. "What would it mean to you if your business was able to achieve [benefit]?"

This one comes to you courtesy of InsideSales.com. A core sales skill is the ability to create a compelling future state, and painting a picture of how things could be from the very first interaction gets the prospect thinking about alternatives to the status quo. For maximum impact, use a concrete benefit from a customer case study, such as "increase revenue by 50%" or "reduce costs by 70%."

5. "Yesterday, you did X. Why?"

Did your prospect visit your LinkedIn profile, favorite one of your tweets, or interact with you in some other way on social media? Reach out and ask what prompted their action. If you're worried this opening line might come across a bit creepy, try, "I noticed you viewed my LinkedIn profile. What brought you by? Did I do something?" Sometimes the simplest emails are the most effective.

6. "How can I make your life easier?" read the rest here