Here's the truth about cold emails: Most sales reps target prospects who are already aware of their problems. But here's what creates breakthrough opportunities: helping prospects discover challenges they didn't even know they had.
Enter the APP framework—Awareness-Problem-Positioning, developed by Dan Kennedy and Michael Masterson to uncover hidden opportunities through strategic revelation.
Think of APP as an eye-opening journey that helps prospects recognize and address challenges they might be overlooking.
But here's the catch: Revealing hidden problems without seeming presumptuous isn't easy.
Most sales reps struggle to balance discovery with credibility, either coming across as preachy or failing to make the hidden problem relevant enough.
This is where AI steps in.
Tools like ChatGPT can help sales reps craft messages that skillfully reveal overlooked challenges while maintaining authenticity.
In this blog, we'll explore the APP framework, provide a ready-to-use ChatGPT prompt for creating cold emails, and share an example email generated using the framework.
What Makes APP Work?
The power of APP lies in its discovery-based approach. Rather than addressing known pain points, it reveals hidden challenges and their implications.
1. Awareness: The Hidden Challenge
The first component focuses on exposing an issue that may be flying under the radar. This isn't about stating obvious problems—it's about revealing overlooked opportunities or risks.
2. Problem: The Real Impact
The problem phase deepens understanding of the challenge's implications. This section helps prospects recognize the true cost of overlooking this issue.
3. Positioning: The Strategic Solution
Having created awareness and understanding, your solution becomes the strategic answer. This section shows how your offering specifically addresses the newly revealed challenge.
💡 ChatGPT Prompt: APP FRAMEWORK
Write an APP Style cold email to {{Fullname}} from {{Company}}.These are inputs about my company which I'm trying to sell:Ideal Customer: {ICP}What does my product do? {Description}The value we provide for the user: {Value Proposition}What pain points do we solve? {Painpoints}Competitor Advantage: {Competitor Advantage}How we have helped people: {Case Study}This is the input about the prospect: {Prospect_Research}Write the subject in the following format:Keep it simple, stating the main topic of the email. Avoid being overly creative or fancy. Limit it to 3-4 words max.Write the email in the following format:Awareness: Reveal a hidden challenge or opportunity relevant to their role.Problem: Highlight the specific impact and consequences of overlooking this issue.Positioning: Present your solution as the strategic answer.End with a CTA - Either "Worth a chat?" or "Worth exploring?"Guidelines:Keep the email under 80 words.Use a friendly, direct tone.Make sure to bring forth all the mentioned elements of formatting.Avoid vague terms like "streamline," "optimize," "maximize," etc.Be as specific as possible without making assumptions about the prospect.Sample Output:
Conclusion
The APP framework and prompt provided are your blueprints for writing eye-opening cold emails that create new opportunities.
But the real challenge is scaling this discovery approach for hundreds of prospects. Even with AI, executing this effectively at scale is a struggle.
That's why we built SDRx—an AI outbound agent that handles everything from in-depth prospect research to perfectly timed follow-ups, creating qualified pipeline without the manual grind.
By analyzing prospect behavior and leveraging 25 copywriting frameworks, SDRx generates highly personalized emails at scale, ensuring every outreach is relevant and impactful.
Want to use AI to create personalized, human-like emails for every prospect?
Book a demo of SDRx today.
