This blog post was written by our friend, Allison Hardy.
Allison Hardy is an email marketing strategist for coaches and online business owners who want to sell their offers on autopilot—without constantly launching or living on social media. Through her signature membership, Emails That Sell, she helps entrepreneurs create high-converting email funnels that do the heavy lifting, so they can spend more time living and less time hustling. With over a decade of experience, Allison has been featured in The Huffington Post, named one of Washington D.C.'s most influential professionals under 40, and has built a multiple six-figure business while raising two kids and redefining what success looks like for CEO moms. Known for her punchy messaging, zero-fluff strategies, and ability to make email feel fun (yes, really!), Allison is the tough-love marketing bestie you didn’t know you needed.
If you’ve ever spent 3+ hours writing a sales email, poured your heart and soul into it, only to hit ‘Send’ and to be met with a wall of crickets…
It’s not because email marketing doesn’t work.
It’s that you’re probably only writing to one type of buyer, while your audience is made up of seven.
Think about it, inside a single open cart or sales campaign, your email subscribers aren’t all thinking the same thoughts. Some want the facts. Some want proof. Some want connection. Some need to be personally invited to engage.
But, right now? Every one of your emails is either trying to talk to everyone at the same time or is always talking to one.
When you intentionally write to all seven buyer types, your sales sequence stops feeling repetitive and starts feeling like you're talking right to the heart of your email subscribers, and the specific way each buyer type is motivated.
Let’s break them down what the buyer types are, how to write sales emails for each, and the order I recommend using them.
Here is the TL;DR version for you skimmers: If your sales emails aren’t converting, it’s likely because you’re only speaking to one type of buyer. In reality, your audience includes seven buyer types — from fact-focused and detail-driven to skeptical, relational, pain-aware, and aspirational.
A high-converting sales sequence intentionally includes emails that speak to each type. When you address all the ways people make decisions, you reduce hesitation and increase sales.
The No Frills Buyer Type
This buyer is not looking for a story or for a bunch of bells and whistles in the emails they receive from you
They want your emails to get to the point because they really just want to know:
- What is the program? (or service, product, or offer)
- How long is this offer available?
- What's the promise?
- What happens when I join? (book or buy)
So when you’re writing emails for this buyer type, the email should include:
- The name of the offer
- Who it’s for (i.e. them)
- The transformation or promise (what’s the problem it solves)
- What’s included
- The enrollment window or deadline
- A clear call to action
This email does more than just talk to a No Frills Buyer. It also sets the foundation of your sales sequence and removes confusion. Without this one, the rest of the sequence doesn’t land as clearly because the most basic facts about the promotion aren’t laid out.
The Details Buyer Type
This buyer is the exact opposite of the No Frills Buyer and needs information. And not just more information. They want all of it.
Because they’re (possibly over) thinking:
- How exactly does this work?
- What if I fall behind?
- Is this live or self-paced?
- Do I get support?
- What happens after I join?
So the email that gets this buyer type to spend money with you is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) email.
But here’s the strategic layer to the FAQ email most people miss: Every answer that you provide to a commonly asked question is a chance to overcome a deeper objection.
For example:
Let’s say one of your FAQs is about how much time should a student in your course expect to spend learning the content in your course every week.
The deeper concern here isn’t about time, it’s about how will they add one more thing to their plate. They’re concerned about not seeing results because they simply won’t have the time.
As the person writing the email, it’s your job here to get curious about the objection (even if the person wouldn’t explicitly admit they’re worried about it). Why would your specific ideal client be concerned about this? What is going on in their life that causes this to trip them up?
So when you answer this question, you’ll not only tell them how long they will spend each week on the content, but you’ll show them a few tools or features that will help them speed up their results.
Your answer shouldn’t just give information, it should give reassurance. Because Details Buyers buy when uncertainty is removed.
The Skeptic Buyer Type
This buyer is more challenging to sell because they have been burned before. (And a lot of people can be this buyer type even if they aren’t a skeptic in the rest of their life.)
They’ve invested in programs.
They’ve tried strategies.
They’ve followed advice (sometimes to the T) that didn’t work.
And because of that, they’re thinking:
- Why is this different?
- Will this actually work for someone like me?
- Am I just believing the marketing?
So what should you send to convince a Skeptical Buyer to buy? A client success story.
But here’s the key, do not send your biggest, most dramatic success story. If you share the “$0 to $1M in 30 days” story, you’ll increase skepticism. Instead, share a relatable, realistic client win.
A story like:
- A client who struggled
- Who implemented what you’re selling step by step
- And saw steady, measurable progress
The Skeptic doesn’t need fireworks. They need evidence that this works for normal humans.
The Relational Buyer Type
This buyer type wants to know you. Like the person, the real you because trust is especially important to them—but in a different way
They’re thinking:
- Why did you start this business? (Read: what is your motive?)
- Why do you care about this problem? (Read: do you care about me?)
- What makes you qualified to teach this? (Read: Do you know your stuff enough that I should trust you?)
So when you are writing emails for the Relational Buyer, the email could include:
- Your origin story
- The mistake you made early on (show them your human-ness)
- What changed for you
- Why this offer exists
Remember, Relational Buyers purchase because they trust the person behind the program. Let your humanity show and work to connect with them
The Invitational Buyer Type
This buyer type has all the questions.But they won’t ask…unless you explicitly invite them to.
They’re (again, probably over) thinking:
- I’m interested, but…
- I have one question holding me back.
- I don’t know if this is right for me.
And if you don’t create space for those questions, they stay silent. And silence doesn’t sell.
So the most effective way to get this buyer type to not be silent is to send an email that invites your email subscriber to reply to it with a question.
It literally says:
- “What’s holding you back?”
- “Hit reply and tell me your hesitation.”
- “Let’s talk through it.”
I personally send these types of emails, and this type of email was responsible for bringing in $80,000 in sales for me last year, because conversations close sales. (For the skeptics, I know this number is big. But it is a real outcome I’ve had!)
If you want to see a template and example of this type of email in the wild, you can grab it by clicking here.
The long and short of it here? Invitational Buyers buy when they feel personally seen.
The Pain Point Buyer Type
This buyer knows they have the problem that your program solves.
They’ve tried to fix it.
They’ve Googled.
They’ve invested.
They’ve experimented.
And even though nothing has worked, they still want to find the solution.
So this email must speak directly to their specific pain points.
And this is something a lot of small business owners struggle to do. (You’re too nice.) But! For this buyer type, you have to acknowledge the pain point they know they have and they so deeply want to solve. And those pain points needs to be specific.
Here is an example. Instead of:
“Struggling to get sales?”
Try:
“You’ve built an email list, but when you send a sales email, it feels flat. People open. They don’t click. And you start wondering if maybe you’re just not good at writing sales emails.”
Pain Point Buyers convert when they feel understood, seen, and heard.
The Aspirational Buyer Type
This buyer is almost the same person as the Pain Point Buyer.
But instead of being motivated by solving the pain point they have, they’re motivated by what is possible through solving the pain point they have.
They’re thinking:
- What would my business/life look like if this worked?
- What would it feel like to stop worrying about this?
- What becomes possible on the other side?
So this email should explicitly paint the picture of the “after”. What is life like after they solve the pain point?
Not just:
- More revenue
But:
- More steadiness
- More confidence
- More predictability
- More freedom
- More growth
The Aspirational Buyer is energized by the momentum that is created by solving the pain point.
How to Structure These 7 Emails in One Sales Campaign
Here’s how these emails might look inside a launch sequence or evergreen pitch sequence:
- No Frills Buyer → What the offer and program are and why they matter
- Details Buyer → FAQ that removes uncertainty and debunks the underlying objection
- Skeptic Buyer → Realistic client story
- Relational Buyer → Your origin story
- Invitational Buyer → Invite replies and create conversations
- Pain Point Buyer → Name the specific struggles
- Aspirational Buyer → Paint the possibility
Each email speaks to a different internal decision-making voice. So instead of repeating yourself and speaking to the same buyer type over and over again, you’re helping your email subscribers to see how you can actually help them. And that is the best way you can help someone!
Why This Works
Most people don’t buy because they’re convinced or persuaded. They buy because they feel clear in that this thing will help them.
When someone says, “I was thinking about it but wasn’t sure…”
That “wasn’t sure” usually lives inside one of these buyer types.
When your sales sequence intentionally walks through all seven buyer types, you reduce friction across the entire decision making process.
Want Help Writing These 7 Emails (Without Overthinking Every Word)?
Knowing the 7 buyer types is one thing. But sitting down to actually write the emails (strategically, confidently, and in the right order), is another.
That’s exactly why I created Emails That Sell.
Inside the membership, you get:
- Step-by-step sales sequence frameworks
- Plug-and-play templates (including the $80,000 Invitational email)
- Strategic breakdowns of what to send and when
- Real examples from my own campaigns
- Ongoing coaching and support so you’re not guessing
Because the goal isn’t just to send more emails and cross your fingers and eyes and toes and *hope* that someone buys. The goal is to send the right emails, to the right buyer type, at the right time.
If you’re ready to stop winging your launches and start building email sequences that actually sell, join Emails That Sell and get 20% off for life when you use code ENJI at checkout.
