BASHO Emails: How to Get Responses from Decision Makers

Ever wonder just how a marketer or sales rep gets in touch with someone who seems… unreachable?

I know there have been plenty of times when I've logged onto Twitter and seen people bragging about how they've spoken to people who are supposed to be impossible to reach. I used to think this wasn't a coincidence—they must've known someone who knew someone…

But what about if it's not down to who you know—how do you reach out?

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. The truth is that 88 percent of people are more likely to reply to an email you send if it's been specifically written for them. And this type of email exists. It's called a BASHO email, a hyper-personalized outreach message that can get your foot in the door with basically anybody (if it's done right.)

This piece will break down the nuts and bolts of a BASHO email, why they're effective, examples of winning BASHO emails + some templates for you to steal.

Let's get emailing 📧

What is a BASHO Email?

A BASHO email is a highly targeted, relevant, and personalized email delivered directly to a hard-to-reach person, such as a high-level influencer or an account decision-maker.

Jeff Hoffmann, the founder of corporate sales training firm Basho Strategies Inc., created this email outreach strategy. Although the methodology's original training isn't available to sales reps anymore, there is enough information about BASHO's success to understand and replicate it.

BASHO emails are similar to cold emails in that the aim is to book a meeting or phone call with a prospect or at least start a conversation. But the difference is that when a BASHO email lands in your inbox, it's obvious that it's not some blanket email.

Note: Our AI-based cold email generator tool is the perfect solution for crafting effective outreach messages.

SaaStock Founder Alexander Theuma uses BASHO emails for outreach and says that the response rates are so high… It's almost ridiculous.

So, how can you write a BASHO email of your own? 🤔

Building an Effective BASHO Email Structure

Enhancing your open rates within email campaigns can be a game-changer for your outbound sales strategy. The BASHO approach holds the key to achieving this goal. Integrating this method with modern outbound sales tools can significantly elevate your email outreach efforts.

Here's a comprehensive guide on incorporating the BASHO technique into your outbound sales strategy:

Step 1: Craft Effective BASHO Email Subject Lines

You could write the best B2B email in the world, but unless you nail your subject line—it may never get read.

And as 47 percent of people open an email purely because of the subject line; it's important to get it right if we want our email strategy to be effective.

BASHO email subject lines need to focus squarely on your target's problem. You want the person receiving it to think, "Huh, what's this about?", open it and immediately see what it's about.

"I try to make sure that my subject line is clear and concise, so people know what they're getting into from the start," says Will Yang, Head of Growth at Instrumentl. "I want my emails to be easy for people to skim and understand at a glance."

"A good subject line is crucial to success with any BASHO approach," adds Michael Maximoff, Co-Founder at Belkins. "This is usually where I spend most of my time and effort, minus the research phase. The subject line should always be personalized and tailored to each recipient."

Adding their name is also a great way to catch your prospect's attention. But Daniel Petkevich, Founder and CEO of Fair Square Medicare, adds this warning:

"If you do one thing right, ensure that you spell the prospect’s name correctly. We all know someone who has a unique name with unconventional spelling. Yet, that’s no excuse for getting it wrong in a professional setting.

"Spelling the prospect’s name correctly—no matter how complicated it may be—shows them that you took the time to learn their details. This level of personalization is exactly what makes BASHO emails so successful at converting leads."

So, I send something like this:

Or…

Once you've got your target to open your email, you only have a few sentences to seal the deal.

--> Need help crafting that perfect email subject line? Use our email subject line tool to get ten fresh subject lines in seconds. Or, you can alternatively also use our cold email subject line guide to learn more!

Step 2: Write a Hook to Entice the Target

Writing a hook at the top of your BASHO email is essential: you need to grab your target's attention and show them that you understand their pain points in a single sentence.

The key to an enticing hook is a mix of personalization and problem-solving. So, dig into your prospect's LinkedIn feed, company website, and even social media feeds to see if there's a problem they've been talking about lately that you can fix.

Keep in mind that your hook should also link back to your subject line, so if you used the "{Target's name}, let's talk about hitting your revenue targets for 2024?" line, your hook could be:

Not only does this prove to the person you're targeting that you're not just sending them a lame bulk email like so many salespeople do, but it also shows that you've researched them and know their problems.

Which brings us to step 3….

Step 3: Talk About Their Problem (and What You Can Do About It)

This part of the email aims to tie the prospect's pain point to your solution.

As tempting as it is to mention several of the problems the prospect may be trying to fix, pick one and stick to it. It's always better to highlight one high-priority pain point than spread yourself thin by trying to solve too many problems at once. Details can derail your details. Make it ultra-relevant to their business.

"I’ve written countless BASHO emails throughout my career," says Stephen Baldwin, Founder of Assisted Living. "Here’s one best practice for getting more responses: Include some background on their business. Generic, non-specific messaging is among the top reasons B2B prospects ignore cold emails.

"You can make a cold email sound more familiar—and sales-worthy—to your prospect by adding details about their company in your messaging. Those tidbits make your proposal seem more hand-crafted and well-thought-out. B2B businesses aren’t just about delivering a product or service.

Contrary to popular belief, business-to-business transactions often require more personalization than business-to-consumer. Professional prospects are more likely to engage with your business if you show them you’re invested in their company and in developing a more meaningful partnership. Doing your homework on their company says a lot more about the quality and intention of your business than an email filled with details about your offer alone."

Here's a suggestion:

And then, follow it up with some proof that you can help:

Then, you need to tie it all up and tell your prospect how you can get the same result.

Michael Maximoff of Belkins adds this advice: "I would suggest using a checkmark template that goes like this: personalized hook, pain points, highlighting your offer, and a clear, straightforward, easy call to action. High-level decision-makers understand what's up, so there is no need to sugarcoat things."

Dive into B2B cold emails with insights from our 12 B2B Cold Email Templates article. Check it out to refine your b2b cold email template approach.

Step 4: Wrap it Up by Giving Clear, Straightforward Next Steps

Every great BASHO email ends with a clear call-to-action (CTA).

Give your prospect straightforward instructions on what you want them to do next, like book a meeting with you or jump on a call. And get specific with times and dates, so your prospect doesn't have to think—they just have to say yes or no.

Try something like:

Or include a scheduling link so they can pick a time that's convenient for them. Simple and to the point. And if you want more advice on CTAs, check out my detailed breakdown here:

If you're looking for a way to streamline this process, our AI Email Writer tool can help you craft personalized BASHO emails that are likely to get responses. With just a few inputs about your prospect and what you want to achieve, you can generate emails that feel personal and direct.

Making it All Work with a Winning BASHO Sequence

Any good BASHO email strategy should be part of a sequence. Sales teams can use BASHO emails to reach top decision-makers, but a tightly-honed sales sequence can make the difference in whether they respond or not.

‎1. Make First Contact

The first time you reach out to a prospect, use the formula we’ve just walked through.

Research your prospect, personalize the email, make it short, and give a clear CTA!

2. Follow up with a Value Add

If you don’t get a bite, you must add something to the conversation to sweeten the deal.

This is called a "value add" when you send the prospect something or link them to a resource that'll help them to show them that you've invested in fixing their problem. Just ensure your value add doesn’t stray from what you said in your 1st email—you want the prospect to stay focused.

Like this follow-up email that Comparably sends the day after they first make contact:

The personalized product overview is the value-added feature, giving the prospect an easy way to see how Comparably can address their pain points.

3. Send a 1-2-3 Email

I only have three rules with 1-2-3 emails:

1-2-3 emails still work (extremely) well because they help your prospect decide what their biggest problem is instead of you telling them.

Here's an example of a 1-2-3 email I use all the time to follow up:

And if I haven’t heard back from a prospect, 1-2-3- emails are also great for following up:

What’s cool about 1-2-3- emails is that they can boost response rates significantly. I’ve seen cases where response rates went from seven percent to 39 percent (a 457 percent increase) by using them!

Check out this example of an email I received recently from a Close reader who has used the 1-2-3 strategy to sell sponsorship to his newsletter:

… It worked! You'll see great conversion rates with this.

4. Craft Your Breakup Email

Ahh, the breakup email. It’s your last chance to get your prospect to bite.

You may not know that this email is one of the most effective follow-up email templates you can use. All you have to do is remind the prospect that you’re ready to walk away and turn the dynamic around on them.

This forces the prospect to ask themselves: do they want your help or not?

Check out this classic breakup email from Trunk Club:

It does a good job at re-stating the value that’s being lost and made me consider whether or not I wanted to give Trunk Club a try.

Pro tip: To make following up easier, you can turn these emails into a new email sequence in our CRM. With email sequences, sales reps can increase engagement with leads, save time writing new emails, and follow up automatically.

Want to try this sequence yourself? Start your free 14-day Close trial today!

10 BASHO Email Templates You Can Steal

Ready to add BASHO emails to your repertoire? Steal these templates:

For Going After CXOs of SaaS Startups:
Template #1

Template #2

Template #3

Template #4

Template #5

For Getting a Response From a VP of an Enterprise Company:
Template #6

Template #7

Template #8

For Targeting High-Profile Influencers:
Template #9

Template #10

Want to know how some of these templates look when they're being used with real-life prospects?

Here are some BASHO examples that have gotten real results👇

BASHO Email Examples to Learn From

1. John Barrow's BASHO Email

Here’s an example of a BASHO email from the man who created the strategy—John Barrow.

The Email

2. Alex Theuma's BASHO Email

Next up—SaaStock Founder Alexander Theuma’s BASHO email 👇

3. Mike Kiser's BASHO Email

Here’s another great example of a BASHO email from Mike Kiser:

4. Jonas Renström's BASHO Email

Scrive’s Head of Sales, Jonas Renström, recommends writing a BASHO email like this:

5. Josh Sutton’s BASHO Email

ClickUp’s Senior Business Development Manager, Josh Sutton, has had great success with his BASHO email.

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Crush Your Outreach with a BASHO Email Strategy

BASHO emails seriously work. SDRs used them for years to get replies from people who are supposed to be impossible to reach, and they helped form great relationships with prospects from day one.

There's a fine line the B2B sales teams need to walk on to find the perfect mix for BASHO emails. On the one hand, the best BASHO emails are super personalized and can take hours to write. But who has the time?

That's where automation comes in. And with Close’s SmartViews, you can now send BASHO-quality emails that are sent out to prospects automatically. Just add a hook and build a winning sequence that sends them out to you.

Want to find out more about writing B2B emails that get a reply? Check out my guide to cold email hacks below!