Here's the truth about cold emails: When they focus solely on problems and pain points, they miss the opportunity to connect with forward-thinking prospects who are more motivated by possibilities than problems.
So, how do you craft a cold email that acknowledges a prospect's achievements, identifies untapped opportunities, connects with their vision, and demonstrates concrete results—all while maintaining brevity and relevance?
Use copywriting frameworks. They transform standard outreach into strategic conversations that resonate with decision-makers.
The SOAR Framework—developed by David Cooperrider as an appreciative inquiry approach—is one of the most sophisticated tools for engaging future-focused leaders. Think of SOAR as a four-part structure that transforms your cold email from a typical sales pitch into a strategic partnership proposal that aligns with your prospect's trajectory.
But here's the catch: Mastering this positive, opportunity-centered approach isn't intuitive for most sales professionals.
Most sales reps are trained to focus on pain points and problems, making it difficult to shift to a strengths-based, aspirational conversation. Creating messages that acknowledge achievements while still presenting clear value requires a delicate balance that few have perfected.
This is where AI steps in.
Tools like ChatGPT can help sales reps craft perfectly structured emails that leverage the psychological appeal of the SOAR Framework.
In this blog, we'll explore the SOAR Framework, provide a ready-to-use ChatGPT prompt for creating cold emails, and share an example email generated using the framework.
What Makes the SOAR Framework Work?
The brilliance of SOAR lies in its positive psychology foundation. Rather than starting with what's wrong, it begins with what's right and builds a bridge to what could be even better.
The SOAR Framework creates a narrative that positions your solution as an accelerator of the prospect's existing momentum rather than a fix for their failures.
1. Strengths: The Foundation Builder
The strengths component starts by acknowledging what the prospect is already doing well. This isn't flattery—it's strategic recognition that builds rapport by demonstrating your understanding of their accomplishments and capabilities. The key is identifying strengths that naturally connect to the opportunities you'll present next.
2. Opportunities: The Possibility Expander
The opportunities element introduces potential areas for growth or advantage that align with the prospect's existing strengths. This section creates interest by highlighting possibilities they may not have fully considered. The focus is on specific, relevant opportunities that feel like natural extensions of their current trajectory.
3. Aspirations: The Vision Connector
The aspirations component connects these opportunities to the prospect's larger goals and vision. By showing how your solution supports their bigger-picture ambitions, you elevate the conversation from tactical to strategic. This section should articulate how your offering helps bridge the gap between their current position and their desired future state.
4. Results: The Outcome Visualizer
The results element paints a clear picture of the tangible outcomes they can expect. This creates desire by making the benefits concrete and measurable. The key is specificity—using numbers, timeframes, and concrete achievements rather than vague promises of improvement.
đź’ˇ ChatGPT Prompt: SOAR FRAMEWORK
Write a SOAR (Strengths-Opportunities-Aspirations-Results) 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: Strengths: Begin by acknowledging the strengths of the prospect's organization, especially in areas relevant to {Prospect_Research}. Highlight qualities that set them apart in their industry. For example, "{{Company}} excels at {specific strengths or initiatives}, putting them in an excellent position to {related opportunity}."
Opportunities: Identify potential opportunities or gaps they might not be addressing fully yet, based on {Painpoints} and {Competitor Advantage}. Tie in how these opportunities align with industry trends or needs specific to {ICP}. This shows we understand where they could grow or gain a competitive edge.
Aspirations: Connect these opportunities to the larger aspirations or goals of their team or organization. Introduce our product, {Description}, and explain how it can help them reach these aspirations. Use {Case Study} if relevant to illustrate real-world results. For example, "Our {Description} has helped {Case Study} achieve similar ambitions by {specific outcome}. It can help you achieve {desired result} as well."
Results: Conclude with the expected results they can achieve by leveraging our solution. Illustrate how our product's outcomes align with their goals and could make a tangible impact. For example, "Imagine …{ideal results}".
Close with a CTA - either "Worth exploring?" or "Worth a chat?".
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 SOAR framework and prompt provided are your blueprint for writing high-converting cold emails.
But the real challenge is scaling this 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.
