Emails are an amazing marketing tool, especially in a sales environment.
Following our popular article on 10 Reasons Why Email Marketing Still Works, this post will highlight the steps to ensure the conversation leads on to more sales discussions and assist you in closing new business.
Many marketers struggle to spark up a sales conversation through email marketing.
Have you experienced this? Here are seven steps to secure a response:
1. Make the Subject Line Engaging
Automated subject lines are sloppy, especially if they don’t relate to you or your business. Personalise the subject line to make it more authentic and grab their attention. Include the name of your contact or relate to a previous conversation if it helps to jog their memory. Avoid using all caps or common keywords that could trigger spam filters.
2. Don’t Overdesign the Content
We’ve found that a highly designed email may look great, but it won’t communicate as effectively as a plain text email. An email that looks overdesigned or manufactured can come across as being too forced or worse yet, spam. Ditch the designers for follow-up sales emails and opt for a plain text, no-frills version.
3. Build Rapport – Research Your Prospect
Nowadays, people’s lives are spread all over the internet. It only takes a little research on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook to find out more about your prospect and how to engage or address them more effectively. Incorporate tailored conversation starters based on what you know about your prospect through previous communication and your additional research.
4. Attach Case Studies
Case studies are a great resource for clients, prospective clients, students and the wider business community. They add strength to your reputation by illustrating the value delivered through a particular product or service. Attach a relevant case study that is specific to your prospect’s industry or identified services. Remember that your case should always have a problem for the readers to solve. (For more on case studies, read: How to Create a Strong Case Study).
5. Address Your Prospect’s Questions
To avoid any frustration on your prospect’s side, always acknowledge and address any important questions, concerns, or facts uncovered in the initial qualifying phase. Encouraging them to ask more questions will instill a sense of trust and openness, as well as continuing on the conversation.
6. Only Include Relevant Attachments
Nobody wants to be barraged with an email full of company promotional material – no matter how fancy they look. It can become tiresome sifting through each attachment to find information of real value for your prospect. Only select and include collateral most relevant to your prospect to attach to the follow-up email. Always include a brief description of the attachments in the body of the message, which will help the reader find documents with ease. If you’d rather not send large files in emails, consider including a link in the email body to a customised content pack.
7. Close with Your Next Steps
Ensure that the conclusion to your email asserts what the next steps are in your process of engagement with the prospect. It may help to suggest a timeframe for completing the proposed next steps, which should ensure your prospect doesn’t forget to reply.
As with all email campaigns, recording your interactions with prospects in a CRM system is vital for future reference. Remember to measure your success and share any other tips that work for you in the comments box below!
Contact us for any email marketing campaign enquiries.
