There are so many information and communication channels in Contract Training right now, but email is still a go-to medium. Take some time with your emails. It’s not unreasonable to make 3 or 4 drafts. I like to have someone else take a look at mine, too, to see if my intention is clear in my words.
Be clear. Be precise. Be professional, but approachable.
You’ll need to rely a fair amount on templates, so develop good ones and file them in a way that makes them easy to get to. A good contact management software will keep you from re-sending the same template to people when that would be unproductive.
Email has a lot of advantages. It’s quick. It’s cheap. It’s professional. It works well on computers, tablets, phones and even watches. It even prints!
Email can’t replace face-to-face sales calls—but you can’t call on all of the people, all of the time. So, brush up on your email game with these 15 quick tips. Read the article and pick one to focus on this week.
- To get more responses, write emails in grammatically correct, but simple language. Let’s face it. Your prospects are as busy as you are. Maybe more. Get to the point and keep the sentence structure short. No run-on sentences. I like to think your reader could finish reading your email in the amount of time it takes to finish two sips of coffee.
- Keep your email subject lines under seven words–that’s the maximum that will show up on a phone, where almost half of prospects open messages. Mobile phones are monster sized these days, but you have to use some sense when you create messages that will be read by busy prospects on the go. Pick seven words that matter. Play around with the word order. Show your work to others and let them play with the words, too. Send a test message to yourself and other sales staff and see how the headline (and then the entire message reads on the phone).
- “Just checking back” or “Following up” are about the most dead sales phrases on the planet earth. Think about it before you write your subject line. Can you create a clear call to action? If not, use the brains and creativity of your colleagues and take 15 minutes to create a few this week.
- If a client has disappeared mid-process, just check in in a neutral way. Never subtly guilt trip people. So many things are out of our clients’ control. They need to feel that we, at least, are on their side. Use the language of someone you’d feel like getting back to.
- Don’t use “Re:” in a subject line; your email may get opened, but it’ll be promptly deleted. It’s cold. It basically says you might not care. Spell it out.
- Emails can use embedded video. Try a little. Just be sure it doesn’t auto-load.
- Send sales emails as soon as you get off the phone with a client or prospect. It will save you time because the conversation is still in your mind and you’re still fresh on details. You can do it instead of typing up notes for the call. Copy yourself on the email. It’s done then, and you’ve removed the risk it will slip into the abyss of ‘things I meant to do.’
- Link to your calendar and make short work of those endless back-and-forth notes to find a time to meet.
- Just use plain fonts and simple formatting for sales emails. No artistic expression is necessary and it can look like you have too much time on your hands.
- Avoid embarrassing typos and spelling mistakes by copying and pasting your emails into Microsoft Word (or any other word processor) and running them through spell-check, or downloading Grammarly. You can get a free trial of Grammarly and see how it works for you.
- Don’t ramble. Get to the point. It’s a kindness to a busy person and it suggests that you are confident and focused.
- You knew we’d say, “Numbers are your friends.” Right? Track your templates’ open and response rates so you can drop the low-performing ones and increase the use of the high-performing ones.
- Personalize your emails. Find at least two things to personalize. You have a contact database with notes. Use it. Name doesn’t count.
- Decide how you feel about emojis in emails. Use them sparingly in any case.
- When a prospect criticizes you or your emails, accept it gracefully rather than getting defensive–an angry reaction will make them feel justified, but a humble one will make them likelier to come around to your side.
Watch your inbox for emails that worked on YOU! People are different, but you could learn a lot by saving emails and posting to an “Email Wall of Fame”. You could have an “Email Wall of Shame” for the losers, too!
Emails are just part of a productive sales campaign. Use every channel.
Remember that sometimes you should be using email as a way to help. Keep your product and service knowledge up-to-date. Read news in our industry and in the industries you serve. Sometimes use email to help your clients keep ahead of their own game. Don’t get caught thinking ‘always be closing.’ That’s not our goal. Think instead, ‘Always be serving.’ It’s a win-win.