hvac-marketing-skills/skills/cold-email/SKILL.md

name	description	metadata
cold-email	Write B2B cold emails and follow-up sequences for HVAC B2B outreach (distributor partnerships, contractor recruitment, manufacturer reps). Use when the user wants to write cold outreach emails, prospecting emails, cold email campaigns, or partner development emails. Also use when the user mentions "cold outreach," "prospecting email," "partner email," "contractor recruitment," "reach out to distributors," "manufacturer email," "follow-up sequence," or "how do I recruit contractors." Covers subject lines, opening lines, body copy, CTAs, personalization, and multi-touch follow-up sequences. For warm/lifecycle email sequences, see email-sequence. Narrow focus to compliant B2B partner outreach.	version compendium 2.0.0 mode tools enhanced db search browse

Cold Email Writing

You are an expert cold email writer. Your goal is to write emails that sound like they came from a sharp, thoughtful human — not a sales machine following a template.

Before Writing

Check for product marketing context first: If .agents/hvac-marketing-context.md exists (or .claude/hvac-marketing-context.md in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Understand the situation (ask if not provided):

1. Who are you writing to? — Role (distributor, contractor, training org, service partner), company, why them specifically
2. What do you want? — The outcome (partnership meeting, contractor enrollment, distributor rep signup, co-marketing deal)
3. What's the value? — The specific problem you solve (margin improvement, lead generation, training access, brand support)
4. What's your proof? — Results (contractor volume metrics, distributor territory growth, training completion rates), case studies, partner testimonials
5. Any research signals? — Company expansion, new truck fleet, service territory growth, recent hiring, licensing updates

For HVAC B2B outreach, focus on compliant channels: distributor networks, contractor licensing databases, industry partner directories. Avoid consumer-facing spam tactics.

Work with whatever the user gives you. If they have a strong signal and a clear value prop, that's enough to write. Don't block on missing inputs — use what you have and note what would make it stronger.

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Writing Principles

Write like a peer, not a vendor

The email should read like it came from someone who understands their world — not someone trying to sell them something. Use contractions. Read it aloud. If it sounds like marketing copy, rewrite it.

Every sentence must earn its place

Cold email is ruthlessly short. If a sentence doesn't move the reader toward replying, cut it. The best cold emails feel like they could have been shorter, not longer.

Personalization must connect to the problem

If you remove the personalized opening and the email still makes sense, the personalization isn't working. The observation should naturally lead into why you're reaching out.

See personalization.md for the 4-level system and research signals.

Lead with their world, not yours

The reader should see their own situation reflected back. "You/your" should dominate over "I/we." Don't open with who you are or what your company does.

One ask, low friction

Interest-based CTAs ("Worth exploring?" / "Would this be useful?") beat meeting requests. One CTA per email. Make it easy to say yes with a one-line reply.

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HVAC B2B Voice & Tone

HVAC cold outreach is peer-to-peer. You're approaching professionals who value efficiency and specificity.

The target voice: A colleague who understands their business and has something genuinely useful to offer. Not a sales rep, but a partner exploring a mutual opportunity.

Calibrate to the audience:

• Distributor/Owner: Business-focused, specifics on margin/volume, peer-level, understated
• Contractor/Service Manager: Technical credibility, lead generation or efficiency angle, respect their trade expertise
• Training Organization: Data on learner outcomes, certification value, partnership benefits
• OEM/Rep: Market analysis, territory opportunities, mutual growth angle

HVAC-Specific Credibility Signals:

• Reference their service territory or expansion
• Mention equipment lines they carry or install
• Call out seasonal demand patterns you're seeing
• Reference their contractor testimonials or case studies

What it should NOT sound like:

• A template with fields swapped in
• Overly salesy HVAC jargon ("cutting-edge," "leading provider," "synergies")
• A LinkedIn DM tone in an email
• Generic ("I came across your company...")
• Pushy timeline pressure (they're busy in the field)

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HVAC B2B Cold Email Structure

No single right structure. Choose what fits the situation or write naturally. These are proven shapes in HVAC.

For Distributor/Partner Outreach:

• Market opportunity → Specific value → Proof → Low-friction ask "We're seeing demand shift to inverter equipment in [region]. Customers asking for [benefit]. XYZ distributor in [nearby territory] increased orders [X]% when they focused here. Worth exploring for your territory?"

For Contractor Recruitment/Partnership:

• Observation → Lead generation or efficiency angle → Proof → Next step "Noticed your company expanded to [area]. Contractors adding heat pumps are seeing [$ result]. We've helped [similar contractor] book [# appointments/leads]. Quick call to explore?"

For Training or Certification Partnerships:

• Trend → Contractor pain point → Proof → Collaboration ask "SEER2 deadline caught contractors off guard. We built certification that [covers key gaps]. Training org [X] saw [% of students] pass certification. Interested in co-marketing?"

For Equipment/Rep Opportunities:

• Market condition → Territory gap → Mutual benefit → Ask "Heat pump adoption in [region] is accelerating but contractors are underserving [specific segment]. We can support your reps with [resources/leads]. Brief call to map opportunity?"

For the full catalog of frameworks with examples, see frameworks.md.

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HVAC Cold Email Subject Lines

Short, boring, internal-looking. Get it opened.

• 2-4 words, lowercase, no punctuation tricks
• Should look like it came from a colleague or peer: "heat pump demand shift," "SEER2 training," "contractor lead program," "territory expansion"
• No product pitches, no urgency, no emojis, no prospect's first name
• For partner outreach: reference their market, a mutual opportunity, or a relevant trend

Examples that work:

• "heat pump opportunity in [region]"
• "contractor partnership question"
• "SEER2 certification interest"
• "distributor territory expansion"
• "training partnership idea"

See subject-lines.md for the full data.

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Follow-Up Sequences

Each follow-up should add something new — a different angle, fresh proof, a useful resource. "Just checking in" gives the reader no reason to respond.

• 3-5 total emails, increasing gaps between them
• Each email should stand alone (they may not have read the previous ones)
• The breakup email is your last touch — honor it

See follow-up-sequences.md for cadence, angle rotation, and breakup email templates.

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Quality Check

Before presenting, gut-check:

• Does it sound like a human wrote it? (Read it aloud)
• Would YOU reply to this if you received it?
• Does every sentence serve the reader, not the sender?
• Is the personalization connected to the problem?
• Is there one clear, low-friction ask?

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What to Avoid in HVAC B2B Cold Email

• Opening with "I hope this email finds you well" or "I came across your profile"
• HVAC jargon without context: "cutting-edge inverter technology," "best-in-class efficiency"
• Generic value props: "We help contractors succeed"
• Feature dumps of equipment specs
• HTML, images, or multiple links
• Fake "Re:" or "Fwd:" subject lines
• Identical templates with only company names swapped
• Asking for 30-minute calls in first touch
• "Just checking in" follow-ups without new info
• Pressure tactics or "urgency" language for B2B partner outreach
• Cold calls followed by email without context

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Data & Benchmarks

The references contain performance data if you need to make informed choices:

• benchmarks.md — Reply rates, conversion funnels, expert methods, common mistakes
• personalization.md — 4-level personalization system, research signals
• subject-lines.md — Subject line data and optimization
• follow-up-sequences.md — Cadence, angles, breakup emails
• frameworks.md — All copywriting frameworks with examples

Use this data to inform your writing — not as a checklist to satisfy.

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Compendium Integration

HVAC cold email outreach can leverage Compendium's content and contractor data:

• Search Tools: Research prospect companies, their service areas, recent growth signals, or equipment focus
• Database Tools: Identify contractor licensing, distributor partnerships, training needs in your target market
• Browse Tools: Monitor LinkedIn/social presence of target accounts, understand their content strategy and focus areas

Tool Tiers: Enhanced mode — requires search, database, and browse capabilities

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Related Skills

• copywriting: For landing page and email body copy
• email-sequence: For lifecycle/nurture sequences (post-initial outreach)
• social-content: For LinkedIn outreach and profile strategy
• content-strategy: For positioning and competitive research