Sales and prospecting emails are all about catching your prospects at the right time, in the right situation, and in the right mood. Many sales people swear by one tried and true template, and while that template may be well-tested and optimized to the fullest, it can still be beneficial to give a few different strategies a try to make sure you’re maximizing your chances of speaking to your whole base. Here are a few different things to try out in your email strategy.
Personalized subject lines
We all know the subject line of your email is key because if the prospect doesn’t open your email, you could write the best sales email the world has ever seen, and it wouldn’t matter. One proven way to catch a recipient’s eye is to put their name in the subject line. This is simple and easy to do with most automation software products, and you should definitely consider it with one off emails.
Asking a question in the subject line
Another strategy is to intrigue your prospect into opening the email. This is a great way to get a recipient’s attention at the beginning of the body of an email as well. The main thing to keep in mind is that you want to communicate to your prospect that you can solve a problem they experience. Asking a good question is a great way to let them know that you feel their pain and that you have the solution. Some good examples we’ve come across are questions like “Would you like to spend less time on payroll?” or “How much money are you spending every month on energy?”.
Avoid certain words, especially in the subject
There are certain words that will heighten your chances of ending up in the spam folder, and even if you do end up in the inbox, you’ll probably turn your prospect off as soon as they read them. Words like sale, exciting, state-of-the-art, discount, excellent, and free are trigger words on many email servers because they’re common “salesy” terms, and that’s the same reason they’ll turn your prospects off. Avoid sounding like you’re selling something. Instead, aim to inform and inquire. There are plenty of prospects out there for you. You’re not desperate, so don’t sound like you are.
Personalize your opening line
For whatever reason, the worst email opening lines are often the most popular among sales people. While there’s nothing wrong with being straightforward about why you’re reaching out, simply announcing yourself and asking for interest is ineffective. We have all balked initially at a sales pitch without even knowing what was being proposed. That’s simply a common knee-jerk reaction.
But if you begin by asking an intriguing question, complimenting the reader on a piece of recent news related to both their business and yours, or reference a mutual connection, the reader might be more inclined to listen to (or read) what you have to say with a more open mind.
Keep Your Signature Short
The closing of your email is also crucial. You’ve gotten your prospect to read (or at least skim) your message all the way through so you want to leave them with a good impression.
Email signatures are like business attire. Simple and well-organized signatures give an impression of professionalism and class. Too much flash or information overload will become more of a distraction and a big put-off. Your email signature should have relevant contact information and feature your name and logo prominently (but not too large). No one should ever have to scroll through your signature or stare at it for too long to figure out how to contact you.
There’s nothing wrong with putting a few social media icons in there but keep those and other external links to a minimum if you do that at all and make sure the icons are small and that they link to recent, relevant information.
Bottom line – keep your emails professional, straightforward, and customer-focused. You’re not desperate and you don’t need to sell to people who wouldn’t benefit from your offering. Focus on finding the right customers, rather than trying to look attractive to everybody.
We can help! Drop us a line if you’d like to learn more about how LeadSeek can help design professional, effective emails for your business.