4 cold email ideas that actually work
Cold outreach has become more difficult to generate results from in the past 2 years. Here are some new ideas to try.
Read moreWhen the people of Troy accepted the Greeks' ‘peace offering’ in the form of a giant wooden horse, little did they know the enemy lay within… We still deploy the Trojan Horse strategy today, albeit to win prospects over, not take them down.
The Trojan Horse Strategy: Lead Generation with Value-Driven Outreach
Legend has it the Trojans were literally caught off guard as once inside the city walls, Greek soldiers stormed out from inside the wooden horse to ambush them. The Greeks’ plan to conquer their enemy from within worked, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Marketers now use the Trojan Horse strategy to offer value upfront—without the nasty consequences. You can read all about this value-first approach in Gary Vaynerchuk’s brilliant book Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, where he emphasises providing value multiple times before making your ask.
The Trojan Horse strategy helps you stand out in a saturated market by building trust and credibility before pushing a sale. This tactic builds rapport and keeps you top of mind when prospects are ready to make a decision.
Let’s break down how it works and why it effectively generates qualified leads and builds meaningful business relationships.
Win Qualified Leads with the Trojan Horse Strategy
It is increasingly difficult for marketers to stand out from the crowd. That’s why offering value upfront makes such a difference. You’re not just selling – you’re providing something helpful, which builds trust. The Trojan Horse strategy allows you to establish credibility before asking for anything in return.
At Growth Experts, we’ve used this approach successfully by giving first. We reached out to other businesses with referrals, which opened the door to tell them about our services and ask if they’d consider becoming referral partners.
What can you offer that prospects can’t refuse?
Cold Outreach That Works: Gaining Trust, Not Just Attention
Cold outreach typically has low response rates – just 8.5% of cold emails receive a reply. However, the Trojan Horse strategy boosts cold outreach by embedding value in the first contact.
That giant wooden horse could be a personalised tip, audit, or a free tool that gives a prospect something useful to grow their business.
At Growth Experts, we use two different Trojan Horse strategies:
Why the Trojan Horse Strategy Wins Every Time
Here’s why the Trojan Horse strategy works so effectively:
These principles make it easier to turn prospects into qualified leads—a crucial part of successful content marketing.
Use the Trojan Horse to Supercharge Your Content Marketing
The Trojan Horse strategy doesn’t stop at cold outreach—it’s also useful in content marketing. Providing valuable, free content like whitepapers, blog posts, or webinars serves as a Trojan Horse. You build a relationship over time, and once trust is established, prospects become more open to hearing about your offers.
Consider companies like HubSpot, which use the Trojan Horse strategy by offering a free CRM tool. Once users rely on the free tool, they are more inclined to explore and purchase the advanced, paid features.
Your content acts as your gift. When it provides value, your prospects will welcome you in.
Avoid These Trojan Horse Pitfalls
While the Trojan Horse strategy is effective, avoid these common mistakes:
What’s Inside Your Trojan Horse?
The Trojan Horse strategy delivers value that aligns with your prospect’s needs and builds trust before making any offer. Whether through cold outreach, content marketing, or referrals, the key is to offer something worthwhile before asking for anything in return.
Let us know if you’ve tried the Trojan Horse strategy, and how it worked for you.
We’d love you to share it with your friends, colleagues or your marketing team.