The Cold Email Framework That Books 3 to 5 Meetings a Week (Proven at Oracle, Datadog, and MANY more)

INTRO

Most sales emails never get opened. Even fewer get replies.

Connor Murray saw that happen first hand and over the course of severalyears, designed an outbound email engine that led him to become the top SDR and SDR Manager at Oracle. Now teaching this to several top tech organizations, the email framework we are about to break down reliably books 3 to 5 meetings a week per rep. Even now as an Enterprise AE at Datadog, he still uses it himself to drive pipeline in competitive enterprise deals.

This post breaks down his exact framework, built for SDRs, AEs, and founders trying to get better results from outbound email.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• The email structure that consistently gets replies
  
• Why most cold email advice fails in the real world
  
• How to follow up without sounding automated
  
• A repeatable process for sending 100+ high-quality emails per day
  

CONTEXT: WHY THIS MATTERS

Most reps are stuck in one of two traps. Either they follow outdated enablement advice that turns every email into a five-paragraph essay, or they copy LinkedIn influencers and send vague messages full of fake personalization.

Neither of those approaches work at scale.

Connor put it simply. "You're not writing a psychology paper. You're trying to get a response."

His system is based on simplicity, clarity, and repeatability. It works because it sounds like a professional trying to solve a real problem, not a marketer trying to sound clever.

FULL VIDEO BREAKDOWN (ARTICLE VIDEO)

MISTAKE #1: THE ENABLEMENT PLAYBOOK IS TOO HEAVY

Sales enablement decks often teach long, complex messages that sound great in theory but flop in real life.

The advice is usually full of acronyms, five-paragraph structures, and psychological sequencing. It's impressive in a training room but doesn’t translate to the inbox.

These emails are hard to scan, hard to personalize, and impossible to scale. And they rarely get replies. Worse, they ignore the systems you need around email—like batching, follow-ups, and daily volume—to make email actually work.

MISTAKE #2: THE LINKEDIN PLAYBOOK IS TOO LIGHT

On the other end of the spectrum, you’ve got reps trying to be clever with fake personalization.

“Fellow dog dad.”
“Saw you just got promoted.”
“Congrats on the new role.”

These emails are short but feel insincere. Everyone is using the same structure, and buyers know it. The result is a flood of messages that feel lazy or manipulative.

Real personalization means making the email relevant to the buyer’s role and industry—not pretending you care about their dog.

THE WINNING STRUCTURE: THREE PARAGRAPHS THAT DRIVE REPLIES

Every high-performing cold email Connor sends follows this structure:

1. Who you are
   
2. Why you’re reaching out
   
3. What you want
   

It sounds simple because it is. But that’s exactly why it works.

Example:

"Hi John, my name is Connor Murray and I’m part of the Financial Applications team at [Company], supporting finance leaders like yourself.

We work with teams to optimize expenses, improve forecasting accuracy, and automate the month-end close. I’m looking to set up a quick introduction.

Would later this week or early next week work better for you?"

No fluff. No filler. Just a direct, professional message that clearly asks for time.

SCALE WITH TEMPLATES AND PREP

This system doesn’t work unless you prepare.
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Connor calls it “coiling the spring.” Spend a day or two building segmented lists by role, department, and industry. Then create templates that speak directly to those segments.

Instead of writing one custom email at a time, you now have a pre-built system where the only changes are the name and company. The rest of the email is already tailored to their job and market.

That’s how Connor went from sending 10 emails a day to over 100 in less than an hour.

FOLLOW-UPS: WHERE MOST MEETINGS COME FROM

About 80 percent of Connor’s meetings don’t come from the first email. They come from the follow-ups.

The key is frequency and clarity.

Here’s the cadence:

• Email 1: Monday
  
• Follow-up 1: Wednesday — "Just checking if either of those times still work"
  
• Follow-up 2: Friday — "Please give me your thoughts on this"
  
• Follow-up 3: Next Monday — "Would next month be better? Just want to close the loop either way"
  

Keep each follow-up short. Direct them back to the original email. And send them 24 to 48 hours apart to keep urgency high.

HANDLE OBJECTIONS WITH CONFIDENCE

Most reps are afraid of objections. Connor welcomes them.

Objections like “we already have a solution” or “no budget right now” are not rejections. They’re just responses—and responses give you a chance to overcome them.

Connor keeps a simple objection response bank. For example:

"Totally understand. Still makes sense to connect so we’re aligned when priorities shift."

This lets him reply fast without sounding generic.

STRATEGIC VS. VOLUME OUTBOUND

Connor separates his efforts into two buckets:

1. Volume: 100+ emails a day using role and industry-specific templates
   
2. Strategic: A smaller list of high-priority accounts with deeper customization based on 10-Ks, earnings calls, or internal insights
   

Both use the same structure. The difference is how much research goes into the second paragraph.

The key is not to get stuck writing novel-length messages for every contact. Save that energy for the accounts that matter most.

TRACK THESE METRICS TO LEVEL UP

Connor tracks three things:

1. Open rate — If this is low, tweak your subject line or preview text
   
2. Reply rate — If this is low, your language is probably too passive
   
3. Meeting rate — If replies don’t convert, your message may not be compelling
   

Even a small lift of 1 to 2 percent in each metric can result in dozens of extra meetings over a quarter.

FAQ

Q: What’s the best structure for a cold email?
A: Three short paragraphs: who you are, why you're reaching out, and what you want. Keep it professional and direct.

Q: How many follow-ups should I send?
A: Three follow-ups within 7 to 8 days. Most meetings come from the second or third touch.

Q: How can I personalize at scale?
A: Segment by role and industry. Use pre-written templates that speak to each segment, then swap in names and companies.

Q: What if I get no responses?
A: Track your open, reply, and meeting rates to identify the weak spot. Improve your subject line, CTA, or follow-up cadence.

Q: What if they say they’re not ready?
A: Use objection handling to reframe the meeting as future alignment. Don’t treat “not now” as a dead end.

TL;DR

• Avoid bloated enablement emails and fake personalization
  
• Use a simple structure with assumptive language
  
• Follow up every 24 to 48 hours, especially with “Please give me your thoughts”
  
• Prepare lists and templates in advance to scale
  
• Track open, reply, and meeting rates to keep improving

P.S. Want to learn how to implement this system and get live coaching from Connor along the way? Join Cold Email Engine, where Connor teaches the full framework and helps you implement it every week.