3 Simple Steps to Using Email as a Sales Tool
3 Simple Steps to Using Email as a Sales Tool
It is important to note, that e-mailing remains a limiting form of communication in that:
It may not be read by the prospect.
It may only partially be read by the prospect.
It remains one-way communication unless the prospect decides to e-mail you back.
You cannot see or hear the prospect’s initial reaction to the e-mail.
So the first important consideration for a salesperson is when to use e-mail?
In sales, e-mails work well as a secondary means of communication, for instance to recap on what was said at a sales meeting, or to confirm actions that will take place between conversations.
Remember; even when using e-mails in this way, it is always prudent to first ask the prospect how they would prefer to be contacted. The way and methods that you use to communicate with an individual prospect should very much depend on the person.
E-mails work much less well as a primary means of communication, and it is here that the majority of salespeople struggle with e-mails. E-mails should only be used as a primary means of communication, where traditional means are impossible or will take too long.
While the following tips are intended to help with creating e-mails as primary communications/introductions, 1 and 3 will also work well with e-mails used as a secondary communication.
1. Subject Line/Title is critically important.
The subject line is of critical importance as to whether or not the recipient decides to open the e-mail. Marketing type e-mails that make claims and promises rarely get opened. The key points here are to create a title that stands out from the crowd and is personal, so knowing and putting the prospect’s name in the title will help in this regard. Telling the prospect why you are e-mailing is also important, so the title might read something like this:
Example
“Hi John - Denise Smith, your Marketing Manager, asked that I Speak to You Directly”
It also a good idea to at least customise the first paragraph of the e-mail as many prospects may only read the first few lines.
2. Keep the Text Short, Simple and to the Point.
Introductory e-mails are just that, an introduction so don’t go in to great detail about your products. The objective here is to create the opportunity where you can speak to the prospect in more detail.
Example
“Hi John,
My name is Niall Devitt, I’m a sales training consultant with Btb Training.
Btb Training provides highly customised sales training programmes with planned ROIs.
Denise though we would be a great fit for what you do, specifically around up skilling the sales team to:
Deal more effectively with prospects when faced with competitors
Countering the belief for price cutting during the downturn”
3. Include a Call to Action
Always include a call to action but structure this in a way that is not dependent on this request.
Example
“I was planning to call you this Friday at 3pm to discuss further, if you would prefer a different time, just let me know. Should you require any further info at this stage, you can get me on this (number) or by e-mail”
Summary
Only choose to use e-mails as a primary means of communication in special circumstance. Even when using e-mail as a secondary tool, check with prospect first. The title/subject line is the most important piece of text; keep away from sales/marketing language. To help stand out, find out and include the person’s name in the title text and tell them why you are e-mailing. Keep the body of the e-mail short and to the point and always include a call to action.
3 Simple Steps to Using Email as a Sales Tool - To learn more about this author, visit Niall Devitt's Website.
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E-mailing is now undoubtedly the main means of communication between businesses and business people. I would continue to advise salespeople to always try to speak directly to prospects where possible. There are times however that e-mailing is the only available option, so the ability to craft effective e-mails is now a very necessary sales skill.
It is important to note, that e-mailing remains a limiting form of communication in that:
It may not be read by the prospect.
It may only partially be read by the prospect.
It remains one-way communication unless the prospect decides to e-mail you back.
You cannot see or hear the prospect’s initial reaction to the e-mail.
So the first important consideration for a salesperson is when to use e-mail?
In sales, e-mails work well as a secondary means of communication, for instance to recap on what was said at a sales meeting, or to confirm actions that will take place between conversations.
Remember; even when using e-mails in this way, it is always prudent to first ask the prospect how they would prefer to be contacted. The way and methods that you use to communicate with an individual prospect should very much depend on the person.
E-mails work much less well as a primary means of communication, and it is here that the majority of salespeople struggle with e-mails. E-mails should only be used as a primary means of communication, where traditional means are impossible or will take too long.
While the following tips are intended to help with creating e-mails as primary communications/introductions, 1 and 3 will also work well with e-mails used as a secondary communication.
1. Subject Line/Title is critically important.
The subject line is of critical importance as to whether or not the recipient decides to open the e-mail. Marketing type e-mails that make claims and promises rarely get opened. The key points here are to create a title that stands out from the crowd and is personal, so knowing and putting the prospect’s name in the title will help in this regard. Telling the prospect why you are e-mailing is also important, so the title might read something like this:
Example
“Hi John - Denise Smith, your Marketing Manager, asked that I Speak to You Directly”
It also a good idea to at least customise the first paragraph of the e-mail as many prospects may only read the first few lines.
2. Keep the Text Short, Simple and to the Point.
Introductory e-mails are just that, an introduction so don’t go in to great detail about your products. The objective here is to create the opportunity where you can speak to the prospect in more detail.
Example
“Hi John,
My name is Niall Devitt, I’m a sales training consultant with Btb Training.
Btb Training provides highly customised sales training programmes with planned ROIs.
Denise though we would be a great fit for what you do, specifically around up skilling the sales team to:
Deal more effectively with prospects when faced with competitors
Countering the belief for price cutting during the downturn”
3. Include a Call to Action
Always include a call to action but structure this in a way that is not dependent on this request.
Example
“I was planning to call you this Friday at 3pm to discuss further, if you would prefer a different time, just let me know. Should you require any further info at this stage, you can get me on this (number) or by e-mail”
Summary
Only choose to use e-mails as a primary means of communication in special circumstance. Even when using e-mail as a secondary tool, check with prospect first. The title/subject line is the most important piece of text; keep away from sales/marketing language. To help stand out, find out and include the person’s name in the title text and tell them why you are e-mailing. Keep the body of the e-mail short and to the point and always include a call to action.
3 Simple Steps to Using Email as a Sales Tool - To learn more about this author, visit Niall Devitt's Website.
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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