Editors Note: Guest post by Sean Gordon, CEO of Intelliverse
The average employee spends nearly a fourth of their workday in an email inbox, making it a vital part of communication, especially in sales. But email can easily become annoying, ineffective, or impersonal. So what steps can sales people take to ensure that they draft the perfect email?
1. Keep Your Email Short and Sweet
Sending an email that’s too long can be detrimental to your sale, causing prospects to delete or ignore it. The key is to keep it short, simple and to the point. If your email requires constant scrolling, there’s a good chance it will end up in the trash. Keep it in one window on a computer, and try viewing it on a smartphone screen too, since it’s very likely that it could be opened on a mobile device. Here’s an example of one that has worked for us before:
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2. Always Include a Call to Action
If you’re sending an email to a prospect, chances are you are expecting something from them. Ask yourself a few questions while drafting your email – why are you sending this email? What is your expected outcome?
If you are looking to schedule a meeting, suggest a specific date and time, including helpful details like the meeting duration. For example, “I would love to schedule a time where I can show you, in more detail, how we are helping your competitors increase their profits. How does Thursday at 10 a.m. ET look for you?”
If you are expecting a response in regards to a proposal, give a deadline. For example, “Attached is a proposal containing the details we discussed today. These terms are valid until COB Friday. I look forward to hearing from you before then.”
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3. Use New Technology to your Advantage
There are many new technologies available to salespeople that make email communication more efficient. Email trackers can help salespeople determine email effectiveness as well as habits of potential clients.
Let’s say you sent a proposal to a prospect via email. With an email tracker, you can see whether that email has been opened and the type of activity it might be generating – was it opened several times? Forwarded to co-workers? Viewed in various cities?
Without an email tracker, you wouldn’t know all the activity your email triggered. An email tracker can also alert you to a good time to send a follow up email, or give them a call, since people generally check their email around the same time every day. If someone has a few minutes to look at their e-mail, chances are they are sitting at their desk and might also have a few minutes to talk to you!
4. Make it Personal
When emailing a prospect about your product or service, it’s important to ensure that your email does not share the same information easily accessible via your company’s website. Instead, focus in on the real business need that your product or service can solve for the company you are targeting.
Including a stat or two detailing the positive results that current customers have seen using your product or service can help provide a more compelling argument. By going the extra step to create a more personalized email, you have a much better chance of connecting with your prospects.
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5. Take it Beyond the Inbox
The sales process often follows an “email first, call second” process. As a salesperson, email should be used to generate interest, coordinate meetings and deliver proposals. However, email is not appropriate for the actual selling – that should be done over the phone or in person.
Your initial interaction over email should be enticing enough to get a prospect on the phone or to schedule an in-person meeting, where you can delve into a deeper discussion about the specifics of your product or service.
What is your favorite tip for writing the perfect email?
The post How To Write The Perfect Sales Email appeared first on Sales Hacker.