Here’s the thing: Almost everything can work for you if you make it work. But what if you aren’t doing it right?
Case in point: Email can/should be your most powerful sales tool.
Yes, of course, the phone and meeting in person when possible accelerates trust. (Relationships more easily blossom when more of our senses are involved.)
Yet the reality is most of us (333.2 billion emails were sent every day in 2021 – and most especially, high achieving sales pros use email to get those meetings and phone calls and to close business, too
If your email isn’t working as a powerful sales tool, it’s likely you’re not thinking of email as a tool of persuasion, and not applying what top achievers know about getting results.
More, the more seasoned you are – the longer you’ve been using email as a transactional tool and achieving a satisfactory level of result – the more likely you’ve formed habits. And you get to like those habits without even realizing it’s only a habit and not the best option. (SDRs and other new sellers: Ask for up-to-date sales training as part of onboarding so you don’t start your career by copying what they’ve been doing for years! Just because it worked at one time doesn’t mean it will still work or work for you.)
Do any of these examples sound like you?
You’ve been beginning emails with “How are you?” or “Just left you a voice message” or “Just following-up …” for such a long time, that you think it is the best way to open? You’ve been providing info in a way that suits your personality (rather than your buyer persona’s) that you think it’s “authentic”? You’ve been using an aggressive or unnatural next step because someone taught you to do that way long ago (or maybe read it on an outdated blog post) and you’re convinced it’s a clever way to ask, and that if only your leads were better qualified (darn marketing!), you’d enjoy a higher conversion rate?
England’s first Poet Laureate, John Dryden, said it best. (Though all my research is spanking new [Jan 2020 onwards, only], please forgive this quote from a long dead white male. Dryden said, “We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.”
It’s time to break old habits! It’s time to actively look for new approaches and find authentic ways that make sense to you to apply them.
How can you make email work for you every time? Use these opportunities to make this year your best ever!
Begin with enthusiasm.
Stop talking about “I” as in I want, I’d like, I can offer, I’m happy to. Enough already. Awaken their self-interest.
Use email to create excitement and stimulate curiosity.
Use brain-friendly words that inspire and elevate the conversation.
Make the next step organic and easy.
Don’t push. (Back in the days of in-store shopping, whenever the sales person asked, “May I help you?”, my immediate reaction was “No, just looking.” Don’t push them away!)
Give them a reason to want to do business with you.
Start fresh today. Apply at least one of these ideas to the next email you write. And the one after that. And the next and next!
Email is a gift! Use it to separate yourself from your competition, to create distinction and desire, and to win more business!
Before you go—
The whirlwind is behind us and the future is bright! With two-thirds of buyers preferring remote interactions – digital and virtual – polishing your email selling skills is key to dramatically improving sales.
It’s time to stop sending email after email only to be ignored! You can write quick, strategic, smart messages that get results and drive sales!
Check availability for a fully customized on-site sales training workshop or virtual training series. Visit Sue’s website, email Sue@SpeakerSue.com or call +1-480-575-9711 for possibilities.
Power Sales Writing